ViewSonic Elite XG321UG, are Mini LEDs the future? | Review

ViewSonic Elite XG321UG

Mini LEDs are the latest technological advance for monitors. Compared to a "classic" backlight, where the LEDs are arranged at the edges of the panel, or on a grid with a maximum of 512 zones, in the Mini LED monitors we have up to 1152 local dimming zones, which allow for example to greatly increase the contrast, for a better rendering of both SDR and HDR content. Among the Mini LED monitors on the market we also find the ViewSonic Elite XG321UG, which we will talk about here.

The Mini LED monitors available can be counted on the fingers of one hand and, as perhaps some of you have guessed since we are talking about cutting-edge technologies, they all have a common problem: they cost a lot. The Lenovo ThinkVision Creator Extreme, designed for content creators, is one of the cheapest and costs over 2700 Euros; for gamers we have the ViewSonic Elite XG321UG and the Asus ROG Swift PG32UQX, with prices respectively (at the time of writing) of 3290 euros and 3479 euros. Figures definitely not for everyone, in short, but that we know that some enthusiasts are willing to spend, in order to have the latest technological innovation at home.

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The Mini LED backlight offers 1152 zones for local dimming, capable of offering HDR contrast of over 70,000: 1 and a peak brightness that, in our tests, reached 1479 nits in HDR and 497 nits in SDR. Thanks to the presence of Quantum Dot technology, the coverage of the color range is also very wide: on paper we are talking about 100% sRGB and 98% DCI-P3, but we will talk about this aspect later, when we will show you the tests carried out with the colorimeter.

Do not miss the RGB LED lighting, placed both on the back and in the lower edge, so as to illuminate the desk. ViewSonic has also included in this Elite XG321UG some accessories that gamers will certainly find comfortable: on the left side we have a small hook for the headphones, while below, both on the right and on the left, there is a very comfortable rubber wire puller for wired mice. .

OSD menu

The OSD menu is accessible and navigable through the classic joystick, placed in this case not on the back of the monitor but on the lower edge, in the center. There are nine different image modes and, as often happens, the Standard one is the best in terms of quality. You can choose between four different color temperatures and five gamma options, you can enable automatic brightness and black level and adjust the classic brightness and contrast parameters. If you have the tools to calibrate your monitor, you can do it easily, thanks to the RGB channel adjustment options.



There is also an sRGB option, which makes it almost perfect colors in SDR mode. When an HDR signal is detected, the ViewSonic Elite XG321UG automatically switches to a wider color space, managing to cover 85.5% of the BT.2020 profile: it is a truly remarkable result, which translates into almost total coverage. of the DCI-P3 range.

Obviously, the options dedicated to gamers could not be missing, such as the viewfinders to be positioned in the center of the screen, as well as those for the G-Sync and Reflex Latency Analyzer. Among other things, it is possible to display an overlay showing the FPS, the monitor refresh rate and the input lag (in ms) recorded by the instrument when a mouse is connected.

User experience

The ViewSonic Elite XG321UG is an excellent companion for both play and work, ideal if you use your PC daily for your activities. Visually, any image is rendered in an excellent way, both in SDR and HDR, thanks also to the 1152 local dimming zones that make the colors more saturated. The high contrast then not only improves the image quality, but also the rendering of the texts, facilitating what on balance is our daily work.

Even watching movies and TV series is satisfactory, especially in HDR, thanks to a good rendering of even the most complicated scenes, such as particularly dark or hectic ones. The two integrated 5 watt speakers are slightly above average, but don't expect exceptional results: the advice is always to use a good pair of headphones.



Playing on the ViewSonic Elite XG321UG is something exceptional, especially in HDR. Our hours in the Elden Ring are not over yet and playing the Interregnum it seems alive, real, with saturated colors at the right point. The ability to cover almost all of the DCI-P3 space allows you to show virtually every nuance of color, improving the gaming and content viewing experience: the Mini LED technology is truly of the highest level and offers image quality that it is only surpassed by OLED panels, which however are even less widespread and present only in some professional solutions, not for gamers.

During our tests we also experimented with the different levels of Overdrive available, opting in the end (as is often the case) for the former. There are three options to choose from, but the other two (especially the third) cause marked and annoying ghosting, which ruins the overall use experience of the monitor. In this regard, there is also a strobe option, present on other screens and useful for eliminating ghosting in a very effective way.

Colorimeter test

As usual we have carried out measurements with the colorimeter using the Calman software, developed by Portrait Displays, to verify aspects such as maximum brightness, color range coverage, delta E and other aspects. We performed the tests in both SDR and HDR, since when the latter is active it not only increases the maximum brightness of the panel, but also the color space covered.



Tests carried out with Calman by Portrait Displays



We first ran the tests in SDR, using the standard ViewSonic Elite XG321UG profile without changing any parameters. With the factory settings the gamma curve is quite good in the initial part and the deltaE is contained on the grayscale, stopping at 2. The peak brightness measured in SDR stands at 497 nits, well exceeding the declared 400 nits. br>


sRGB coverage




DCI-P3 coverage



The coverage of the color gamut in SDR does not scream a miracle, stopping at 97.5% for sRGB and 71.9% for DCI-P3. As we will see shortly, however, the situation changes by activating HDR, which allows the monitor to show all the supported range. Finally, the average deltaE is 3.63, an acceptable value for daily use of the monitor but unsuitable for professionals, who need the most faithful possible reproduction of colors, characterized by a value lower than 2.



DeltaE measurement



Let's close with the HDR tests. The luminance curve is good in the initial part, only to move away from the ideal one from 400 nits onwards. The HDR is still rendered well and, with a maximum brightness of 1479 nits, the DisplayHDR 1400 specification enjoyed by the monitor is respected. Below you can also see one of the coverage tests of the color range: as we anticipated, enabling HDR allows the monitor to express itself at its best and reach 99% DCI-P3 coverage.



Test in HDR




DCI-P3 coverage with HDR

Verdict

The ViewSonic Elite XG321UG is an exceptional monitor, with one of the widest color gamuts ever measured. It integrates all the latest technologies, from the Mini LED backlighting to the G-Sync Ultimate and the Reflex Latency Analyzer, but all these features inevitably raise the price, absolutely not for everyone. 3290 Euros for a monitor is a lot and, despite the great qualities of this ViewSonic, they are really complicated to justify. But be careful, this does not mean that this specific monitor is overpriced: as we told you at the beginning, all Mini LED monitors are, right now, extremely expensive. The Asus ROG Swift PG32UQX we mentioned costs even more, while the Lenovo ThinkVision Creator Extreme is cheaper, but it has lower specs and fewer features as it is not intended for gaming.



The our experience of use has underlined that the ViewSonic Elite XG321UG is one of the best monitors ever tested for color coverage, contrast and overall image quality. Mini LED technology and 1152 Local Dimming zones make a very important difference, offering quality second only to OLED screens. If you are among those who always want the latest technology, no matter what the price, we struggle not to recommend it. Remember, however, that this is not a perfect monitor: the absence of HDMI 2.1 will prevent you from making the most of it with PS5 and Xbox Series X, and if you are a professional who works with images, you will have to calibrate it. As we showed you in our tests, the deltaE is slightly too high for professional use at the factory. But if these two aspects (and the budget) are not a problem for you, then you may have found your new gaming monitor.