Display Enlightment by NCX

You mentioned in a Reddit comment that the iiyama XUB2492HSU-B1 is a superior U2417H clone. I searched through more of your comment history after that just to try to get some more insight on my situation, but can you please explain why this monitor is better than the Dell UltraSharp?

The iiyama is basically the same monitor which sells for less, and is equipped with multiple useful overdrive settings while the Dell only has 1 useful setting which suffers from a bit overshoot.  I won't recommend it though since imports can't be easily returned and exchanged, the warranty might not be honored, and because return shipping is expensive.   

#4. Asus MX259H

I see no point in paying 25$ more for the Asus of the Philips unless you really like the design of the Asus. 

#5. Asus VN248H/VN248Q. (I think these are the same except for the ports on them.) Apparently these are not flicker-free and should be eliminated. Can you confirm?

No.  The only information is for the original panel with PWM tested back in 2013, and there are multiple tested options to choose from.

I can pick up the Dell UltraSharp new at $230 and possibly "used" (open box) at $200. The VP249H, however, is $135; the VZ249H is $155; and the MX259H is $175. Discounting the VN248-series Asus, are there any compelling reasons to spend more money on the Dell? Is it truly better than the other Asus choices in terms of build and/or color accuracy? My main goal is to have this monitor "forever" basically until it dies, so I'd like to get one of the best monitors out there with my desired specifications even if it costs more.

Buying a refurbished monitor with a 90 day warranty is not a good idea if longevity is a concern, and the U2417H costs more than the rest because it comes with a height adjustable stand (50$+ expense), USB ports and their superior warranty versus all competitors in the low-end monitor arena.  Theoretically (if it's as good as the cheaper Philips 257E7QDSB) the MX259H offers slightly better image quality than the 24" 1080p panels since the 25" panels are 8 bit and can more fully cover the sRGB color space.  I don't think the height adjustable stand the Dell comes with is tall enough to be useful since the top of AHVA/IPS/PLS needs to line up with the top of the viewers head to eliminate off angle vertical glow (more information).

Started Qnix UHD32R Review: 4K Glossy* AUO AHVA Panel with AMD Free-Sync 

Added review links for the iiyama XUB2395WSU and iiyama T2454MSC-B1AG .

Re-formatted and updated the design of my Best Reviewed Flicker Free 27" 4K+ and 32" 4K+ AHVA/IPS/PLS & VA Panel and 240hz Monitors Buying Guides.

Check out my Qnix UHD32R Photo Album with over 100 photos.

+Displayport, HDMI x4 and 3.5mm Audio Out
+Stable stand unlike some competing 32" 4K Korean monitors
+Silver casing increases perceived black depth
+40-60hz AMD Free-Sync
+Glossy* coating is completely grain free when sitting directly in front, and enhances clarity and color vibrancy
+Accurate and vibrant preset color accuracy
+99% sRGB/REC 709 color space coverage
+Excellent calibrated image quality
+Accurate and neutral image quality with only marginal over-saturation
+Wide viewing angles
+Very minimal AHVA glow when the brightness is not cranked in a dark room
+Negligible input lag
-Very thin panel casing barely supports the panel
-Front bezel and casing put pressure on the panel and causes back-light light bleed
-Multiple spots of obvious back-light bleed
-Inner black bezel reduces the perceived black depth
-Some grain visible when viewing glossy coating off angle horizontally
-Overdrive performance forces one to choose between slow (versus the best 60hz 32") pixel response or some obvious overshoot ghosting
-Lack of proper warranty
-Unable to be easily returned and exchanged
? Additional HDMI 2.0 for 3840x2160 @60hz preferable over 3x HDMI 1.4a

The Qnix UHD32R must be ordered from South Korea and lacks a proper warranty, or the ability to be easily returned and exchanged, however these flaws are reflected in the significantly lower price versus big brand 32" 4K AHVA/IPS/PLS panels.  The build quality is also poor since the monitor casing is very thin, barely supports the panel, as well as is designed in a way which puts pressure on the panel and causes back-light bleed.  The last major flaw is the overdrive performance which forces one to choose between slow pixel response times (Response Time Off) versus the best 60hz AHVA/IPS/PLS panels, which there are many of, or some obvious overshoot ghosting (Response Time On).  The UHD32R is even slow compared to Qnix's previous 32" 4K monitor, the UHD3216R I tested in 2016.  The last major flaw is the preset green dominance, which is worse than the dominance the UHD3216R suffered from but par for the course for most non-professionally oriented monitors, included far more expensive 32" 4K monitors such as the Acer XB321HK with Nvidia G-Sync.
 
Currently (Junly 27th 2018) UHD32R's only big brand glossy* competitor is the HP 32 Spectre I tested in 2015 which suffers from a similar preset green tint, lacks AMD Free-Sync, has much higher input lag (20ms vs  less than 3ms), as well as can not display Blu-Ray properly when played back through an external device such as the PS4.  The HP Spectre 32 is a better choice for casual gaming and media viewing if using a PC since it has much better build quality and can be easily returned and exchanged in most countries.

The UHD32R is a flawed monitor, but it is still a good monitor, as well as one of my favorites since it uses a clarity and vibrancy enhancing glossy* coated AHVA panel with low glow and no color dulling gamma shift.  The UHD32R also has negligible input lag and can display Blu-Ray properly which is very important to me since I play console games often, as well as use them (PS4 Pro & Xbox One S) for Blu-Ray and Netflix viewing to avoid PC related lag. While not up to par with the best AHVA/IPS/PLS panels, including 150$ panels, the overdrive performance is passable and adequate enough for my console gaming (I use an overclocked 96hz 1440p PLS panel for PC gaming). 

Matte 32" 4K AHVA/IPS/PLS panels such as the Acer XB321HK (better for PC gaming), BenQ PD3200U and LG 32UD99 are definitely better, but they cost more and can not match the vibrancy and clarity of a glossy panel which brings panels alive, and are worth sacrificing a bit of performance for.

The Qnix scales 1280x720 and 1920x1080 without issue, and it does lack an HDMI Black Level setting which requires one to change the Xbox 360's Color Space setting to YCbCr709 to prevent the monitor from being washed out.

Xbox 360:

Spoiler (hover to show)

Use the following Image Settings

System Settings> Console Settings> Display> HDTV Settings>Select 1080p

Enable Display Discovery in the System Settings>Console Settings>Display Settings tab or

System Settings> Console Settings> Display> Reference Levels: Standard

System Settings> Console Settings> Display> Color Space>YCbCr709

Xbox One & Xbox One X

Not tested.

When set at the right height (top lines up with the top of the viewers head or is higher) no white glow can be seen* when viewing dark content, which is a rarity for AHVA/IPS/PLS panels since even the slightest off angle head movements result in white glow in the bottom corners being obvious.  All five of the 32" 4K AHVA panels I tested suffered from far less glow than 99% of AHVA/IPS/PLS panels aside from high end professional oriented monitors (Eizo) with A-TW polarizers and the glow free 2560x1440 Samsung LTM270DL06 PLS panel in my Qnix QX2710.   

Low glow 32" AHVA panels are the best all around monitors for watching content since VA panels suffer from horizontal gamma shift and black crush in the center which is obvious when viewing them slightly off center.  The UHD32R's silver bezel further helps reducing glow and low contrast perception LCD black looks darker compared to silver and grey than it does versus pure black bezels.

*Seen with my monitor brightness (140cdm/2 display brightness) and room lighting (2600 lumen 6500k ceiling light).

Some of the pictures look a bit different since I took the monitor apart and put silver tape under the main bezel to cover the inner black bezel.  Without the tape mod the perceived black depth and contrast of the UHD32R is excellent (when viewed correctly*), despite the low 700:1 contrast ratio.  The dark perceived black depth is a result of the glossy coating and silver bezel.  Even in the dark the silver bezel helps increase the perceived black depth and negate the need for very bright bias lighting, even though my unit suffers from obvious back-light bleed. 

*The top of AHVA/IPS/PLS panels need to line up or be higher than the top of the viewers eyes to avoid seeing glow, and sitting to close can also result in obvious glow in the bottom corners.  I sit around 2.5-30ft or 75-90cm away from the Qnix which sits on a box on my desk.  When on top of the box the top of the Qnix sits around 10cm above my head.  The photos are from my Back Light 25s Exposure album which contains photos of many more monitors.


The HP Spectre 32 has low gamma averaging under 2.1 resulting in washed out colors.



Qnix UHD32R Review: 4K Glossy* AUO AHVA Panel with AMD Free-Sync


Samsung UN43NU7100FXZC & Sony 43X750F Review x2: Semi-Glossy 4K VA & IPS

The Samsung reduces the brightness when displaying very dark content including this screen shot from the PS4 exclusive The Order 1886.  The sides of the Samsung look blue-ish, lighter and washed out since VA panels suffer from horizontal gamma shift which causes their gamma to decrease the further away from the center the image is.

Aside from being to green and yellow, the UHD32R offers great preset color accuracy suitable for all but professional color accuracy related work.  The UHD32R can fully cover the REC 709 & sRGB color space, has quite accurate preset *gamma, and is free from color dulling horizontal (VA) and vertical (TN) gamma shift.  Since I'm used to calibrated monitors I do not find the UHD32R to be beautiful since it's too green and yellow, and because I have encountered cheaper monitors which are more accurate out of the box, however, the Qnix comes in 2nd place out of the six 32" 4K AHVA panels I tested which are the Acer XB321HK, BenQ BL3201PH (1st), HP Spectre 32 and Qnix UHD3216R.  The BenQ BL3201PH has excellent preset color accuracy superior to the rest, and both Qnix monitors best the Acer and HP despite costing significantly less, though the Acer and HP do come with a 3 year warranty and can be easily returned and exchanged in most countries.   

*The gamma curve is a bet skewed and less linear than that of the BenQ, Prism and Qnix UHD3216R, but 0-30% white tracks close enough to 2.2 to prevent the UHD32R from looking washed out (sub 2.1 gamma), and prevent black crush (2.3+ gamma).  The preset gamma is closer to linear 2.2 for REC 709/HDTV than it is to an sRGB curve.  The Acer XB321HK's gamma causes some dark shades and colors to be washed out, and brighter colors and shades to be too dark.





Unlocking the color controls by switching the Color Temperature setting to User in the color menu decreases the color accuracy a bit since doing so results in Blue being de-saturated and the green tint becoming slightly more pronounced.