Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I was in the market for a long-term monitor upgrade, coming from an aging 1050P monitor (1680x1050). Given the prices and quality of 4K monitors (almost all 4K monitors are TN based panels -- the ones that aren't will cost you an arm and a leg), the amount of GPU power needed to drive a 4K monitor for games, and the aging status of 1080P as a resolution, I set my course to find the perfect 1440P monitor (in terms of price and quality). My price range for a 1440P monitor was around $300-$360 and most 1440P monitors come in at 27"-28"; that is what I was planning on -- but then I stumbled upon this monitor. A 32" 1440P monitor, produced by HP in collaboration with Beats Electronics at $500. I figured, a little over what I had in mind, but then again, it was proportionately better than a $300, 27" plain old monitor -- so I took the dive. Panel Review: [Update]: After a comment from another Amazonian and looking at the manual included in the support CD myself, this panel is without a doubt a AMVA+ (advance multi-domain vertical alignment) panel. WVA+ is just used to describe the monitor as having wide viewing angels, though it can include other types of panels. I'm not sure why HP is being so secretive as to the panel type used in this monitor. Despite being a WVA+ (wide viewing angle) panel, there is some color (contrast) shifting when viewing from different angles other than head-on; apparently it's common with AMVA+ panels. It's something to take into consideration if you plan to purchase this monitor as a multi-purpose TV/computer monitor (specifically for people that plan to use this monitor for photo-editing). Also, I'll add that the panel does lack some uniformity, most noticeable when the screen is fully black. So what's the quality of the panel itself? Meh... . It's decent, but I did expect more from a $500 computer monitor. As a TV/display, this monitor is great given the resolution; as a computer monitor (what it was designed to be), it's clearly lacking -- that is to say that fonts are not clear enough -- visibly blurry in some cases. Should you plan to use this monitor for extensive reading, CAD designing, photo-editing, etc., you will not be impressed and I'd suggest you look elsewhere. If you're looking for an attractive 32" gaming/media monitor, this is the monitor for you. I've tried the different "Quick View" options offered in the menus, included the "text" option, but to my surprise, it's even more blurry then the other options offered. In my opinion, the "multimedia" option is best all-round option for any use (without custom tuning with a monitor calibrator). There's also an "HP Enhance +" option in the menus, but it doesn't offer a better viewing experience. If anything, it just makes the screen bluish and, depending on the level of "enhancement," incredibly pixelated. Gaming and GPU Requirements: This monitor is beautiful when it comes to gaming. If you're coming from a 1080P monitor (or 1050P, which was the standard not too long ago for gaming), you just might feel tempted to relive the action of games you've already played at 1440P. This isn't your ideal gaming monitor for fast action games, being locked at 60Hz and no G-Sync/Freesync to support aging video cards that aren't up to the challenge of the latest games; but should you have a Radeon 7970/280x or a GTX 680/770, it should suffice for another year or so. Ideally, you'll have a R9 290 or a GTX 780 to push this monitor if you want all the eye-candy offered by PC games. Games look beautiful at 1440P stretched on a 32" panel -- and I just might find it impossible to backdown to a 27" monitor. As far as ghosting goes during gaming, it shouldn't be an issue, unless you're coming from a 144Hz monitor. If you just plan on using this monitor for the YouTubes and movies, any modern day computer should be enough. Audio/Speaker Quality: Since this monitor isn't simply about the 32" panel produced by HP, but the collaboration with Beats Electronics, I'll include a mini-review of the audio as well. The built-in BeatsAudio speakers are nothing to brag about. They're good, compared to most monitors with built-in speakers, but you're probably better off with any decent 2.1 speaker setup. The side audio jack, fed by BeatsAudio, is also not much to brag about either. I'm not sure if I prefer it over my motherboards Realtek ALC1150 audio decoder. In defense to BeatsAudio, the 1150 decoder on my motherboard is the latest and greatest from Realtek (a worthy contender to most add-on computer audio cards released to date) and it's amped-up with a 600ohm headphone amplifier -- so it really just comes down to the details and personal preference (audiophile territory). If someone were to force me to spill some differences, I'd say BeatsAudio sounds a little warmer/softer than and not as bright/harsh as the 1150 decoder; but again, it's in the details and personal preference. If you're already using the 1150 decoder with a built-in amp (common with most Intel Z87/Z97 motherboards), the only worthy upgrade is a decent external DAC with a headphone amplifier. It might be a worthy upgrade from Realtek's ALC898 decoder (and everything they released before that). [Update] Major Speaker Con: I have to list a major con for the built-in speakers. If the monitor falls asleep, the speakers turn off as well; so if you want to play music in the background, you'll have to change your computer's power settings to avoid your monitor falling asleep (given your media player isn't doing the job by preventing your monitor from falling asleep during media playback). Also, if you do change your monitor's power settings, you might want to make sure you have your screen saver turned on to avoid screen burn-in. Personally, I like letting my monitor fall asleep and letting music play in the background, but I guess I'm in the minority. This might be fixable through a firmware/software update, but I highly doubt HP will go through the trouble (as companies tend to fix their attention on new products over completed ones). Monitor Flexibility: One major con about this monitor is the lack of flexibility. While you can tilt the display about 15 degrees back and forth, you cannot fully rotate or swivel the display with the given stand. There is a 100mm VESA mounting plate included in the box -- but as far as the actual monitor arm to offer rotation flexibility, you're on your own. Power Usage: Using a Kill-A-Watt meter (a fairly accurate one I should add), it averages 44 watts at full brightness, 40 watts at 90% brightness (factory default), 36w at 75%, 31w at 50%, 25w at 25% and 20 watts at 0% (dim, but usable). Because power usage depends on what's being displayed (the darker the scene or image, the lower the power consumption), the numbers were taken with a plain white screen (a plain white screen consuming the peak amount of power). Packaging: The monitor is securely packaged. Unless your shipping carrier tosses this monitor over a fence or rams the wrong side of the box (there's a few inches of air cushion between the outer box and the panel), the monitor will not be damaged during shipping. The back, sides and bottom of the monitor are securely cradled and cushioned with custom packaging. What's Included in the Box: -Monitor -Base plate -Power cable -Remote -100mm VESA mounting plate -1 HDMI cable and 1 DisplayPort cable -Miscellaneous documents bundled with a support CD Final Comments: As a high-resolution 32" media display, this monitor is great. The BeatsAudio speakers and audio output, while not spectacular, complement the monitor. As a 1440P computer monitor, there are better options (even from HP). As a 32" 1440P monitor, the only other worthy contender (with a reputable name) is BenQ's BL3200PT monitor coming in at $675 (at the time of this review). The biggest downside to this monitor is the questionable 1-year warranty; from a company like HP, I'd like to see 3 years, even if only parts are covered. (Since there was some contradictions surrounding the warranty period on this monitor between sites, I contacted HP to clarify the story. It's a 1-year warranty, with the option to purchase an extra year or two, price depending on when you buy the warranty.) Also, should you ever decide to sell this monitor, there is a backlight hour-counter in the menus which just might depreciate the value of this monitor, depending on how much you use it. This is a review for an average consumer, coming from someone that's been in the tech/computer scene for over a decade. If you want a more thorough review (covering things like lag time, color gamut, uniformity testing, etc.), I'd suggest you cross your fingers and hope that a tech site like AnandTech does a review. [Update]: While trying to calibrate the monitor within Windows 8.1, I ran into "ClearType Text Tuner" -- something I hadn't seen in years. I ran through the simple questionnaire (five simple, "which one looks better," kind of questions) and as it turns out, the text on this monitor does look better. I don't have another 1440P monitor to compare it with, but I'd say that there is a noticeable improvement in text quality. [Update]: (Previously posted as a comment) I haven't been able to compare text within 1440P monitors, but I've concluded that the sharpness (or lack of) is due to two reasons: the matte coating on the screen and the fact that the monitor is a 32" 1440P monitor. It would be similar to stretching a 1080P monitor to 27", which most tech gurus would go against; in terms of sharpness, 24" is the limit with 1080P -- 27" being the upper limit. That being said, I will say that text sharpness isn't terribly bad (especially once you've gone through Windows ClearType). Despite initially wanting to return the monitor, I've decided to keep it, keeping in mind that there is a 30-40% screen area display difference betwen 27-28" monitors and a 32" monitor. If you're looking for sharpness, I'd suggest you consider a 27-28" 1440P monitor; if you're looking for "display real estate," go with a larger screen. The only way you'll find the sharpness of a 27" 1440P monitor in a 32" monitor is by going 4K. Some numbers to help you understand the difference between a 27" 1440P monitor and a 32" 1440P monitor: the pixel pitch of a 27" 1080P monitor is .311; of a 27" 1440P monitor, .231; a 32" 1440P monitor, .276; and a 24" 1080P monitor, .270. What does that translate to? In terms of sharpness (pixel pitch), a 32" 1440P monitor is just about the half-way point between a 27" 1440P monitor and a 27" 1080P monitor; it would par with a 24" 1080P monitor. So again, if display sharpness is your main criteria, go for a 27" 1440P monitor or a 32" 4K monitor. I might have just made this review more confusing than helpful. [Update]: Software (HP My Display) Installation is just like any other program. The software is fairly simple and intuitive. It allows for simple color calibration, offering three standard colors (Warm 5000K, Standard 6500K and Cool 9300K) and a Custom RGB option. Within the software, you could also adjust the contrast, brightness, audio level; you can also look over the information about your monitor, giving you the serial number, current timing (running resolution and the Hz it running at), the Plug and Play ID, etc. With the software, you can also enable Partitioning which allows for rapid screen partitioning of apps (see posted picture). You can also save custom profiles and re-apply them once they've been saved. The software is handy, but keep in mind it's INCREDIBLY SLOW for what it does; just launching the software from the notification area (as in the program is already running in the background) takes about 5 seconds -- and this is on a computer running a top-tier SSD. Most changes within the software take on average 5 seconds to occur, and your computer feels locked up and useless during that time. [Update]: Software (HP My Display) Installation is just like any other program. The software is fairly simple and intuitive. It allows for simple color calibration, offering three standard colors (Warm 5000K, Standard 6500K and Cool 9300K) and a Custom RGB option. Within the software, you could also adjust the contrast, brightness, audio level; you can also look over the information about your monitor, giving you the serial number, current timing (running resolution and the Hz it running at), the Plug and Play ID, etc. With the software, you can also enable Partitioning which allows for rapid screen partitioning of apps (see posted picture). You can also save custom profiles and re-apply them once they've been saved. The software is handy, but keep in mind it's INCREDIBLY SLOW for what it does. Simply launching the software from the notification area (as in the program is already running in the background) takes about 5 seconds -- and this is on a computer running a frequently trimmed top-tier SSD. Most changes within the software take on average 5 seconds to occur -- and your computer feels locked up and useless during those load-ups. Hope it helps. [Update - 11-19-2015 - Post-Warranty Issues]: Been meaning to add some pictures, and so I finally got around to it. That's a 17.3" HP laptop next to the 32" Envy. The battery cover to the remote cracked on me after falling 3-4 times on a tile floor from a height of about four feet. HP obviously wouldn't cover it. The cost to get a replacement? Since I can't simply get a replacement battery cover, I'd have to purchase a remote from HP's part store -- $22.80 for the remote + $11.25 for shipping. Kinda sucks since, though I realize it was my fault for having dropped it, I expected it to be a bit more sturdy (I've dropped my TV's remote dozens of times, and it still looks new). And in any case, I don't see why they couldn't just ship a 10 cent plastic battery cover through USPS for about $5. [Wear & Tear Issue] The buttons on the side of the monitor have been acting up on me as of late (just two weeks after the standard warranty ends -- go figure). I can access the menu, but I can't move up or down. The issue comes and goes. If it weren't for the fear that this monitor will someday just die on me within 3 years, I'd feel much more confidant about this monitor; but I'm on a standard 1-year warranty from HP (which recently expired). I'm regretting not having purchased a warranty plan, either through HP directly or through some other 3rd party. We'll see how it goes.