My home office got a ton better when the BenQ PD2710QC 27” QHD Designer Monitor arrived for review. It is a gorgeous monitor in its own right, but that’s not what makes this computer accessory so special. No, what makes this monitor special is the fact that it is both a great monitor and a powerful laptop dock.
I have a 27” iMac at work, but for my home, I decided to go with a 13” MacBook Pro. For a time I used the laptop with a single monitor. Raina, however, has a dual monitor setup in her office here at home and swears by it. So I decided to give that a try. I got an external dock that allowed me to connect two monitors. It worked well but was a bit cumbersome.
Then BenQ reached out and asked if I wanted to review their new BenQ PD2710QC 27” QHD Designer Monitor. I jumped at the opportunity and, for the past month, I have loved the setup it makes possible.
As BenQ explains:
BenQ Designer Monitor PD2710QC is a visually stunning 27″ 2K QHD monitor showcasing as BenQ’s first USB Type-C™ monitor. Dock a notebook to the external display’s built-in USB-C™ Docking Station, easily tapping into a range of connectivity options without having the inconvenience of cables and a separate docking station. With 100% sRGB color space coverage, IPS screen technology and an impressive range of modes, you can craft every detail until it leads to brilliant work.
Since this is, in fact, two products in one, it makes sense to look at each of the two parts independently. First, let’s look at the monitor as a monitor and then turn our attention to the dock built into it.
The monitor measures 24.6 x 24.14 x 10.97” and has a height adjustment of 180mm. It has a 27” IPS LCD, an aspect ratio of 16:9 and a maximum resolution of 2560 by 1440. For those of you who like numbers, other specifications include:
- Brightness: 350
- Native Contrast: 1000:1
- DCR (Dynamic Contrast Ratio): 20M:1
- Viewing Angle (L/R;U/D) (CR>=10): 178/178
- Response time: 5ms
- Display Colors: 16.7 Mil.
- Color Gamut: 100% sRGB/Rec.709
- Color Bit: 8bits
These numbers don’t mean all that much to a colorblind layman like me. All I know is that the 2K QHD Video Display looks fantastic. No, it doesn’t have the 5K display of my iMac but, to be honest, I don’t notice the difference. It looks good and gets the job done.
It comes in a number of parts and is simple to put together. The vertical support connects to the base, and then the monitor connects to the vertical support.
The bezel is thin, and it offers a wide range of adjustments. Tilt forward or back to get the best viewing angle possible.
Raise…
…or lower the monitor to get the proper height with a height adjustment of up to 18cm. (It can be raised high enough that a 15” laptop can be placed below it and the laptop left open as a second or third screen.) You can also use the height adjustment to raise the monitor and rotate the screen to portrait mode if that works better for you. As BenQ explains:
Smooth integration for a seamless visual experience: No more obstructing views! With your notebook wide open and connected to the docking station, let your design inspiration flow as your notebook’s contents seamlessly integrate with the elevated* display above. Enjoy greater productivity and an expanded screen space without having the need to move your head side to side between screens. When using the display in a vertical orientation, the monitor’s smart screen orientation detector will auto-pivot screen contents so you can enjoy viewing pictures in its full context.
This monitor doesn’t just deliver an excellent picture, however. The company went to great lengths to create a monitor that is as easy on your eyes as it is easy to use. It offers a number of settings which optimize the display depending on what you are doing at the given moment. Among the features baked into the BenQ Designer Monitor PD2710QC are:
- Animation mode: Dark areas of images often become a problem for designers working with intricate designs. Animation mode enhances the brightness of dark areas without over-exposing bright image areas. It offers ten levels of display brightness so you can see every detail clearly in any ambient lighting.
- Darkroom mode: Darkroom mode adjusts the brightness and contrast of images giving clarity and sharpness to details, creating the optimal setting for work in darker post-processing environments.
- Low Blue Light: BenQ’s Low Blue Light technology is designed to filter out harmful blue light, effectively diminishing eye fatigue and irritation.
- ZeroFlicker: Stable feedback technology prevents the harmful effects of flickering from tiring or damaging the eyes.
- Anti-Glare Display: An anti-glare, matte-finish display keeps distracting reflections to a minimum, so designers can work on tasks comfortably with well-improved efficiency – squint-free!
The result of all of this is a monitor that is a pleasure to use. (And I should know since I’ve already used it to write countless reviews and numerous sermons and article!)
Also, BenQ claims that “multitasking is made easy with desktop partition.” The free downloadable software can split the screen into multiple windows thanks to BenQ’s proprietary Display Pilot Software. This sounds great but, unfortunately, the software downloads only indicate that it is available if you are using a computer running Windows. Thankfully there are some apps available on the Mac App Store that can perform the same function.
BenQ has more to say about this monitor.
Make inspirations come alive: Invigorate your creative core and be emboldened to create. Simplify all your connections with the all new USB-C™ equipped BenQ Designer Monitor, delivering 2K QHD resolution, 100% sRGB color space coverage and an impressive range of modes to help you craft every detail until it leads to brilliant work.
- 2K QHD monitor: Enjoy greater image detail (109 PPI) and crystal clear pictures with 2K QHD (2560×1440) resolution which provides 77% more working space than a Full HD display.
- 100% sRGB and Rec.709: Work confidently in sRGB or Rec.709 color space from a wide viewing angle. All BenQ Designer Monitors in the PD series are Technicolor Color Certified, ensuring consistent and accurate colors for an impressive color performance.
In all, if this were everything there was to say about the monitor, and I finished the review here this would be a product I could easily recommend. Well, that’s not true. The BenQ Designer Monitor PD2710QC has an MSRP of $599 and is available on Amazon for $539. At that price, if the monitor were just a monitor, it would be a bit on the pricey side. Aside from the high price, however, it is a product I could easily recommend.
Thankfully, the price becomes justified when one considers the fact that this is not just a monitor. That, of course, leads us to the second “product” built into the BenQ Designer Monitor PD2710QC, the laptop dock.
The BenQ PD2710QC Designer Monitor sports a larger base than one might find on other 27” displays. The reason for this is the USB-C Docking Station build into it. The dock is the reason the BenQ PD2710QC Designer Monitor ships with two AC adapters. The first drives the monitor itself. The second powers the laptop dock and allows you to power and charge a laptop, tablet or mobile phone through a USB-C cable attached from the dock to the device. The dock offers up to 61W of power.
With the dock, you can display 2K QHD video using a single cable connecting the laptop to dock. (Of course, you also need a cable running from the dock to the display.) What stands out is the fact that, once the laptop is connected to the dock, the laptop not only outputs to the display but it is also charged. This eliminates the need for a separate power adapter when using the laptop at home.
The dock allows for multiple displays to be connected for a multi-display setup.
The BenQ PD2710QC is a daisy-chaining enabled display equipped with multi-stream transport technology (MST) allowing you to extend your notebook’s screen across several displays using DisplayPort output for a multiple monitor setup. Appreciate the boundless views from PD2710QC’s edge to edge design with minimal bezels on all four sides.
You can connect up to four displays at once… but that would be overkill, wouldn’t it?
The connections are fast and, depending on the accessories and cables you use, offer up to 5 Gbps speeds.
Ports are plentiful. In addition to the USB Type-C port it has four USB-A ports, a DisplayPort out, an Ethernet port, a headphone/audio out port and more.
And that’s in addition to the HDMI and USB-C port on the display itself. In all, it is a far cleaner and more efficient setup that it would be were you trying to attach some peripherals directly to the laptop. (And, with the loss of so many ports across the new MacBook Pro line, it is a must.)
In other words, this USB-C Docking Station is…
For those who strive for a clutter-free space, the slim and reversible USB-C cable and connector allows your notebook to tap into the dock’s wide range of connectivity options. Charge your device, transfer data, transmit audio and video, and connect to the Internet, all through the convenience of one cable.
In short, this is a monitor that offers:
- 100% sRGB and Rec.709 color space with IPS technology
- 2560×1440 QHD resolution
- USB-C Docking Station
- Darkroom, CAD/CAM and Animation display modes
- Eye-care technology
In all, the BenQ PD2710QC Designer Monitor is an impressive monitor. It has a minimal bezel design and space gray metal finish. The base is large enough to perfectly fit my 13” MacBook Pro when closed and placed on it. The height adjustments are flexible enough that it can be raised high enough for you to use the laptop as a second (or third) screen) or you can rotate the monitor and use it in portrait mode. It has plenty of ports and can both power and connect the laptop with a single USB-C cable. In short, this is everything you would hope for in a monitor, especially if you use a laptop in desktop mode at work or at home. It has a hefty price but, for what it delivers, I think it is justified. Had BenQ not sent me one for review I can honestly say it would be on my winter “Wish List” this year. Check it out here.
Source: Company Supplied Review Sample of the BenQ PD2710QC Designer Monitor
What I Like:An excellent monitor; Reflects a great deal of thought and innovation with regard to viewing; Ergonomic design offers plenty of adjustments; Has a USB-C dock built right into it; Base is the size of a 13” MacBook Pro when used in clamshell mode or you can open it and have an additional screen
What Needs Improvement: If compared to something that is only a monitor it looks overpriced; Not 4K
Seriously?! I have had more quality problems with this monitor than the previous 20-30 I have owned. It suffers from some very series QA/QC problems. And, ever try to get a warranty response form BenQ? Lol. Pathetic.
Because people do this for a living and off the largess of these companies, I suggest completely disregarding these reviews.