Any competitive gamer knows every second counts when you get to the wire. You don’t want a wireless controller or keyboard and mouse because there’s a chance your input will slightly lag behind someone using a wired input. That goes double when it comes to your monitor’s capability of churning out high-quality ultra-detailed images with nearly instantaneous refresh.
We had the chance to try out BenQ’s promising new MOBIUZ EX321UX Mini-LED monitor for review, and it makes for a very impressive-looking piece of hardware capable of catching the eyes of anyone who might take a look at your battle station. Get our full BenQ MOBIUZ EX321UX review below!
BenQ MOBIUZ 32″ Mini-LED Monitor (EX321UX)
Manufacturer: BenQ
MSRP: $1199.99 USD
The incredible design is the first thing we must discuss when we mention the BenQ MOBIUZ EX321UX. This monitor looks like it’s been manufactured to sit on a desk that you’d find in a futuristic space station. Though I’m not typically fond of white electronics, the white backing and arm, complemented by some light copper-colored accents (though the one on the center of the arm looks more silver), make this monitor incredibly aesthetic if you like the idea of future tech.
The monitor with its stand weighs around 21.5 lbs, with a little over 16 lbs being the bulk of the weight of this monitor, so make sure you have some study monitor mounts if you’re planning to put this thing on adjustable arms. The included remote control is nice, but it’s a little bit generic just being black plastic when so much attention went into the added pop of the white visuals. I would have loved a small spot on the back of the panel to store the remote away when not in use.
This is the first panel I’ve had access to that has the quantum dot film over it, so it was almost instinctive to try and remove the film from the monitor. Thankfully, BenQ realized this might be the case for many people and put a bunch of warnings all over the place when you open it to remind you that it’s supposed to be there and to leave it alone. I’m nervous about cleaning it for fear of damaging this film layer, so I’ve only used a lightly damp paper towel if anything touches the screen.
Throughout my testing of this monitor, I noticed some weird issues, such as the built-in KVM switch randomly disconnecting or the monitor not turning off its backlight while the screen is set to “sleep” in Windows. This was extremely stark since I had it sitting next to a 48″ Acer Predator CG48 OLED monitor that was super dark when it was on standby, and I often had to power the MOBIUZ monitor off until I was ready for the next use.
Thankfully, both of these issues have been addressed by a fix and a firmware update, and the KVM option has been lovely when swapping back and forth between my gaming rig, the PS5, and my Steam Deck. Updating the firmware was pretty easy, though it’s slow. I also had to power cycle the monitor once because I accidentally opened the tool that installed the patch for the KVM, and it froze the monitor response.
The only real complaint I have with this monitor is that I don’t really like the color swap software, nor do I like how it handles some of the AI color matching things, though I think the PIXSOUL technology is very promising. I often find it leaving some weird darkness on the screen when moving between certain images, making me deathly afraid of burn-in even though I know the image wasn’t on screen nearly long enough for it to be a concern.
Downloading custom profiles from the internet shared by websites and other users is a neat touch, but more often than not, my eyes aren’t a fan. The Diablo IV color preset looks awful, and it’s a straight up travesty that there’s not an HDR setting for Black Myth: Wukong. In fact, I felt like the HDRi setting “Sci-fi” seemed to be the most acceptable setting that looked good with almost everything I tested out on the monitor. While I preferred the darker “Cinematic” setting for movies, the Sci-Fi setting was good enough that I often didn’t bother swapping.
The automatic color setting did look considerably better on console than it did on PC, but that very well could be due to the lower quality of detail when comparing a console to the Radeon 7900 XTX in my gaming rig. This BenQ MOBIUZ EX321UX monitor really feels like the best possible choice for gamers who want a monitor for their consoles instead of using a TV for the higher refresh rates and lower input lag.
While this might be the intended purpose, I fear the MOBIUZ might be priced just a little too far out of that price range for console gamers. Sure, you won’t get 144hz at 4K with 1ms response time on the average TV, but there are quite a few TVs that aren’t terribly far off and larger than the 32″ display of the MOBIUZ EX321UX like the LG C4 OLED or the Acer Predator CG48 I have sitting next to it.
The added screen size might be the deal breaker for people who want the widest possible viewing area for games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 or Fortnite. But with that said, when price is no object for those who want to be on the bleeding edge of tech, the BenQ MOBIUZ EX321UX might be the best performing 32″ monitor you’ll currently find on the market.
BenQ’s MOBIUZ EX321UX was reviewed using a review unit provided by BenQ. You can find additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy here. The MOBIUZ EX321UX can be purchased from BenQ and other retailers for $1199.99.
