As an entertainment reporter, I spend countless hours staring at my rather small laptop screen reading, typing, and occasionally, watching shows.

Sounds like a dream gig, eh? Yeah, I know, it is a blast.

But over the years, I've become so conditioned to stare at my screen for hours on end that I've never given a second thought to the fact that though things are fine, it can be better.

When I feel the strain on my eyes, I just take intermittent breaks to stare at the greenery outside the window while looking like some forlorn lover in a Taylor Swift music video.

Frankly, it's quite a miracle that my eyesight hasn't gotten worse in the past few years.

So when the chance came for me to try out the BenQ EW3280U monitor, I was excited because I could finally get a bigger screen for all my work and entertainment needs.

The monitor looks pretty sleek on its own with a black casing and a copper-accented strip at the bottom of the screen. While some may question the choice of colour (copper, really?), it didn't bother me that much as it fits right in with the dark wooden desk that it sits upon.

Besides, the strip also houses high-quality front-facing 2.1ch treVolo speakers and a 5W sub-woofer on the back, but more on that later.

Size does matter

At 31.5 inches, the EW3280U is a huge upgrade in terms of size and it's truly a benefit that I didn't know I wanted until I had it. With text and videos blown up, I no longer have to hunch over my laptop uncomfortably. Of course, if you're accustomed to having big monitors at work, this won't be that big of a difference, but it was definitely a pronounced upgrade for me.

When I want to watch Netflix or Disney+ (for work), I just drag the browser over to my nifty BenQ monitor and voila, I get a decent desktop cinematic experience in the comfort of my office cubicle.

With the larger screen, I've found myself experiencing newfound joy and excitement when I discover things I missed during the initial viewing of my favourite shows.

Case in point, while watching Disney's Newsies the Musical again, there was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment in the background when the actress emotes excitedly and I could have sworn I didn't notice that the first time I watched it on my laptop.

Such details may seem negligible, but for a musical theatre fan like me that can only watch the filmed version of the musical (no thanks to Covid-19 and the fact that New York City is so far away), it value-adds to the experience by enabling me to pick up on minute details going on onstage.

The monitor also comes with a 4K HDR IPS panel that makes it a one-stop shop for your viewing needs as the HDR technology gives you an expanded colour gamut resulting in more vivid images while the IPS monitor offers great colour performance and super-wide viewing angles.

As a 4K monitor, it also means that the EW3280U is PlayStation 5-ready.

HDRi technology

BenQ takes it one step further for the streaming addicts with their HDRi (HDR intelligence) technology that dynamically optimises the HDR effect based on the lighting conditions in your environment. This is done through a sensor mounted on the monitor and lots of technological wizardry.

The HDRi mode helps to balance the image shown by brightening dark areas without overexposing the bright areas on the screen. It also automatically adjusts the colour balance and saturation depending on the content you're viewing.

There are three modes - Cinema HDRi, Game HDRi, and Display HDR. Your mileage will vary depending on what kind of content you're viewing, but I was using Cinema mode most of the time as I was watching shows across YouTube, Netflix, and Disney+.

The Cinema HDRi really shines bright (pun not intended) when it is applied to shows that rely on vibrant and colourful images like in Disney and Pixar's Soul. With the added saturation, the colours really popped and it made that neon-coloured ship travelling through a black and dark wasteland stick out like the technicoloured visual spectacle it is.

That said, there were times when it didn't seem to work as well when there were some rather dimly lit scenes in WandaVision and The Mandalorian. When that happened, I cycled through the other modes and Game HDRi worked as well.

In other words, you don't have to stick to Cinema HDRi just because you're watching a show.

Richer and fuller sound for a computer monitor

As mentioned previously, the EW3280U comes equipped with front-facing 2.1ch treVolo speakers and a 5W sub-woofer on the back.

Most computer monitors' speakers aren't something to write home about but for the EW3280U, it's a different story. There are five different audio modes to choose from depending on what you're viewing - though I've only tested them on my shows and musicals.

While there is a Live/POP mode, the Cinema mode provided more audio satisfaction for the musical theatre geek in me. When listening to Santa Fe from Newsies, there was a clear difference between both as the latter seemed to offer a richer and fuller sound especially when the orchestra swelled to a crescendo while Jeremy Jordan belted his heart out.

As John Travolta once sang: "I've got chills. They're multiplyin'."

Overall, the sound is clear and crisp with a good bass and at its peak volume, and is definitely satisfying enough to fill your office den with a rich and resonating sound.

Frankly, I would have loved to use the speakers more by cranking up my Best of Broadway playlist on Spotify and singing along to it but as I was testing out the monitor in the office, unfortunately, I had to remain plugged in most of the time.

Optimal viewing comfort

Built into the monitor is BenQ's proprietary Brightness Intelligence (BI) that automatically adjusts the brightness of your monitor for optimal viewing comfort. The built-in light sensor detects ambient light and the BI will adjust brightness accordingly. It's similar to the auto-brightness function on the smartphones but unlike watching on the smartphone, it's gradual and not as disruptive to the viewing experience.

Like other BenQ monitors, the EW3280U also comes with Flicker-Free technology and Low Blue Light mode. The flicker-free technology effectively diminishes eye muscle fatigue while the latter filters out blue light, the notorious wavelength emitted from digital screens that can damage retinal cells. These functions definitely made it easier on my eyes when I was staring at the screen for hours.

There are other Low Blue Light modes to choose between - depending on what you're doing - and as someone who frequently reads long walls of text (I blame The New York Times), the ePaper mode was perfect. It bathes the screen in a monochromatic colour that makes for an easier and a more comfortable reading experience.

ALSO READ: Give your overworked eyes some rest with BenQ's new eye-care monitor and monitor light

Look ma, a remote - just like a TV

All of these amazing features and functions can be accessed and adjusted via the buttons on the back which are strategically placed (at least, we think so since it's really convenient to reach around for them) at the bottom right.

However, should you be watching your monitor from a distance or you're just having the worst case of #firstworldproblems, the monitor also comes with a remote (just like a TV!) that allows you to access the options menu as well as cycle through all of the HDRi and Low Blue Light modes.

Good match with your Macbook

The monitor also has an M-book mode which was a boon to my dual-monitor set up. The M-book mode minimises the visual differences between the Macbook product and the external monitor through precise colour matching.

As an added bonus, the monitor also comes with a USB-C port that supports power delivery of 60 watts so Macbook users with newer models will only need one cable to use the monitor and charge their laptops at the same time.

One for the streaming addicts

With all of its wonderful features that enhances your viewing pleasure, comfort, and experience, BenQ's EW3280U is truly a jack of all trades that works best as an entertainment monitor. I never once considered a dual-monitor set up at work as I thought my laptop was more than enough, but after a couple days with the EW3280U, I'm ready to ask my boss for one - that's if I don't get one on my own first.

And that's not even taking into consideration BenQ's eye-care technology that will go a long way to protecting my eyes while I stare at my screen for more than 40 hours a week.

And if you're going to be using the monitor for more than surfing Disney+ and Netflix - like video editing and some casual gaming - then you're going to be getting more bang for your buck.

The EW3280U is available for purchase on Shopee and Lazada.

This article is brought to you in partnership with BenQ. 

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