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Today we are looking at the latest high end 24 inch monitor from Asus, the PA248Q. This monitor features a pre-calibrated LED backlit IPS panel with 1920×1200 resolution. The PA248Q ProArt display is said to guarantee industry leading colour accuracy and is shipped with a minimal colour differential at ∆E < 5. It is also the world's first monitor to be sold with four USB 3.0 ports.
The Asus ProArt monitors are designed primarily to render class leading colour accuracy, targeting the professional sector. Asus have incorporated technologies such as QuickFit, Splendid and a 5 way navigation key to enhance productivity.
To suit the more demanding target audience, the stand has full control over tilt, swivel, pivot and height adjustments.
Asus also have included the ‘QuickFit' virtual scale function which allows users to preview photos and documents on screen in their actual sizes prior to printing. It can activated via a hotkey on monitor and used as a guide to accurately view and edit photos.
Display Specifications:
Panel Size: Wide Screen 24.1″ (61.13cm) 16:10
Color Saturation : 72% (NTSC)
Panel Type : IPS
True Resolution : 1920×1200
Pixel Pitch : 0.270mm
Brightness(Max) : 300 cd/㎡
ASUS Smart Contrast Ratio (ASCR) : 80000000:1
Viewing Angle (CR≧10) : 178°(H)/178°(V)
Response Time : 6ms (Gray to Gray)
Display Colors : 16.7M
LCD ZBD Warranty : Yes
The Asus PA248Q monitor ships in a large black box with a list of specifications clearly visible underneath a high resolution picture of the panel. The box measures 681 mm x 439 mm x 292 mm (WxHxD) and weighs 9.9kg.
The bundle is very strong as Asus bundle a DisplayPort cable, VGA cable, DVI cable, USB 3.0 host cable and regional specific power cable. There is also a little user guide, felt cable ties and software disc. Strangely there is no HDMI cable included in the bundle.
Asus also include a color calibration report, highlighting results of inhouse testing of the panel, before it ships to the customer. Asus claim that each PA248Q is pre-calibrated in the factory to achieve the best colour accuracy. They measure the ∆E and gamma value and track gray-scaling. The panel also supports Gamma 2.2 for PC and Gamma 1.8 for Apple Macintosh computers.
Asus claim that “each PA248Q guarantees industry-leading color accuracy, having been calibrated to minimize color difference to ∆E (Delta E) of less than 5 – ensuring precise reading of color input, guaranteeing excellent color fidelity.”
The PA248Q is an attractively designed screen with a red ‘racing' trim visible along the bottom of the bezel. The screen weighs 6.4kg.
The display surround features the ‘ProArt' name top left, as well as the native panel resolution of 1920×1200. There is also information that the screen supports full HD Video at 1080p, in both interlaced and progressive formats. The HDMI logo is visible bottom left, and the ASUS logo in displayed centrally at the bottom, above the red trim.
The Asus PA248Q ProArt screen is an industrial, chunky design. There is no need to focus on creating a super slim unit as this is primarily targeting the professional sector. Along the side of the panel are four USB 3.0 ports, which is a world first according to the company.
The stand system on this screen is one of the best we have seen, it is extremely well built and is clearly designed to last a very long time. It ships attached to the screen rotated in portrait mode. This stand can be removed completely if you wish to use the VESA wall mount.
There are plenty of adjustments for height, almost touching the base at the lowest point and rising a good 6 inches to the maximum height.
This stand system offers full control over tilt (-5°~+20°), swivel and pivot and is stable on a flat surface, even with some extreme adjustments.
Facing the screen from the rear, there is a power switch and plug on the left. On the right is a full sized DisplayPort, HDMI port, DVI and VGA port. There is a USB 3.0 host connector alongside a headphone jack. A very comprehensive range of ports to cover all bases.
On this page we present some super high resolution images of the product taken with the 24.5MP Nikon D3X camera and 24-70mm ED lens. These will take much longer to open due to the dimensions, especially on slower connections. If you use these pictures on another site or publication, please credit Kitguru.net as the owner/source.
The interface menu is situated along the lower right side of the PA248Q bezel. These are physical buttons, and not touch sensitive switches which have been known to cause problems.
The very top button is a 5 way navigation key (joystick) which gives access to the QuickFit Virtual Scale function along with all OSD functions and settings. The ‘Menu' button is underneath this, and calls up the main menu panel.
Button 1 and 2 can be user configured, although by default they are set to ‘brightness' and ‘contrast' settings. The other buttons are used to turn the panel on and off and to manually select the video input connector.
The main navigation panels offer control over a variety of settings.
The Splendid panel gives direct access to the preconfigured panel settings, with two ‘user adjustable' modes listed at the very bottom.
The Color panel can be used to adjust brightness, contrast, Saturation, Hue, colour temperature and Gamma settings. Some of these options may be greyed out, depending on the primary active setting.
The Image panel can be used to increase the sharpness, and to tune the ‘trace' settings for fast moving content.
The PIP/PBP panel can be used when two devices are connected to multiple inputs. The position, size and source can be adjusted here.
The Input select panel is used to change input signal, depending on what is connected. There is also a fast access physical button on the panel for this, so you aren't forced to navigate multiple menu screens.
The System Setup panel can be used to adjust a variety of settings, including volume, demo mode and the On screen display panels.
To test today, we are using a LaCie calibration gun along with specific software to accurately measure the readings.
We also tested the PA248Q under ‘real world conditions' via the DisplayPort connector paired up with a high end Core i7 laptop featuring Nvidia Quadro 4000M discrete graphics.
The screen surface does not include a high gloss coating, but it is vibrant enough to ensure that high definition media is great to view. Thanks to the design decision it is not reflective, even with a fairly strong backlight situated behind the user.
We measured the Gamut out of the box and the PA248Q ProArt panel returned a reading of 2.21 which is an excellent result. We manually adjusted the gamma to 1.8 and the screen returned an accurate 1.79 result.
Colour response from this panel was exemplary, with only a very minor 0.9% red cast across the image area. Panel linearity was also exceptional. We measured 100% coverage of sRGB which indicates excellent colour performance for artists and designers.
Colour accuracy throughout testing was superlative and as good as the best 24 inch IPS panels we have tested. Off axis performance is strong and we measured 178° angles without any colour shift.
Asus have also incorporated a custom colour adjustment to allow the user to tweak six colours, red, green, blue, cyan, magenta and yellow. CMY (K-black key colour) is normally associated with physical press reproduction for magazines and newspapers, but by including this option it is possible to tweak the colours to improve the results without ruining the overall balance.
Asus highlight the above image by adjusting the red colour balance. On a ‘conventional' monitor this can influence the colour of the white background. As we would expect this is a rather dramatic visual representation, however there are some noticeable benefits when fine tuning colours on the PA248Q monitor.
Black Definition is excellent, well above average. We recorded a panel variance around 5% across the full width, with the outer region registering up to 10%, specifically in the corners. This may be noticeable in our visual representation, but under real world conditions it is extremely hard to notice, even with high definition media featuring black backgrounds, such as science fiction material. This is in the top 10% of results we have recorded to date.
We tested under real world conditions with the bluray disc of Sunshine and were impressed with the black consistency across the full width of the panel. There are several small patches close to the edges mid height which read around 8% – a couple of percent higher than the blackest sections, although they aren't noticeable to the naked eye.
Asus use a system called Smart Contrast Ratio which is said to deliver 80,000,000:1 and 300 Cd/m² of brightness.
White purity yet again registered as excellent. There is a 5 percent measurement across most of the panel, indicating very intense white reproduction with a variety of material. At the edges this rises to around 10% with some areas close to the corners around 13%. There is very little pooling, although is it recordable in the extreme edges, like almost every mainstream screen available today.
Uniformity was well above average and bleeding is not a concern. Colour Fluctuation is maintained very well across the full width of the panel, with close to 1% variance via the red channel.
For gaming, I didn't notice any concerns to the naked eye. ASUS rate the panel at 6ms (GTG). The colour reproduction of the screen is exceptional for gaming, especially when viewing three quarter tones, close to black. The detail is brought out exceptionally well and colours are both rich and well saturated. Lesser panels can have a problem with very dark scenes, losing detail in those zones completely.
We measured brightness of 302 cd/m².
The Asus PA248Q ProArt Monitor requires 56 watts after we calibrated it which is a decent result for an IPS screen.
The Asus PA248Q ProArt Monitor is one of the finest 24 inch screens I have tested this year. It is attractively designed and clearly built to survive the test of time within an active studio environment.
While it can sound somewhat superfluous I do feel the support mechanism is a very important facet of a monitor design. This PA248Q stand has tilt, swivel, pivot and height adjustments and it can be removed completely for VESA wall mounting. I welcome the fact that ASUS ship the monitor with the stand installed, in portrait position.
The bundle is reassuring, with ASUS including DisplayPort, DVI and VGA and USB cables. Negatively, I would prefer to see an HDMI cable included rather than VGA, as I doubt anyone now will be using this A+ IPS screen with an analog connector.
Technically, this monitor is excellent in all areas and is suitably equipped to satisfy designers and photo editors alike. It delivers 100% sRGB coverage with very wide viewing angles (almost 180°), ideal for direct presentations to a customer within a bureau.
Both black definition and white purity are superb and the panel delivered some of the best results this year, with only minor variance issues and backlight bleed. Colour consistency is fantastic and accuracy is perfectly suited to professional level requirements.
In real world terms, we enjoyed viewing high definition media bluray movies and first person shooter games. The panel refresh is fast enough to minimise any unwanted abnormalities and the colour rendition is rich, realistic and invigorating.
The non glossy coating also means that there are fewer problems dealing with light interference within close proximity. The four port USB 3.0 hub is the icing on the cake.
The price point is very aggressive, with Pixmania stocking the PA248Q for £319 inc vat and free delivery. For an IPS screen of this overall quality and consistency we have no hesitation recommending for a myriad of duties. There are certainly better screens on the market, but not A+ IPS with 1920×1200 resolution at this price point.
Pros:
- Colour rendition is superb.
- panel has a high level of consistency.
- black definition and white purity are close to class leading.
- perfect for a designer on a budget.
- USB 3.0 hub.
- built like a tank.
- stand has tilt, swivel, pivot and height adjustments.
Cons:
- No HDMI cable supplied.
- Not the slimmest panel on the market.
Kitguru says: A quality panel, built to produce clear, crisp highly saturated images at a competitive price point.
brilliant review, you made me want to but it. until I looked at my bank balance. perhaps next month.
I like the thicker design too, many of them now seem to focus on silly gimmicks like lighting.
Thats such a nice looking monitor. I can’t believe how much the price has dropped.
Although im saving for the ARIA 27 inch deal for £500, its only £200 more than this with much higher resolution. it will be all gone probably by the time i can afford it.
This is my next monitor,definetely.
Hello, can you please talk about how is this PA248Q compared to the PA246Q you reviewed last year?? Thanks
246Q is way better if you look for color accuracity and etcs. because:
PA26Q uses 10bit P-IPS + 12bit LUT instead of the 8bit e-IPS + 8bit LUT used in 28Q. Also 26Q uses WCG-CCFF which is also better to the cheap WLED.
WLED = White LED – cheap. It’s not RGB-LED
WCG-CCFL = Wide Color Gamut Cold Cathode Fluriscent Lamp = WIN
WLED is only better if we speak about power comsumption and sizes.
Also I can’t see CARD reader on the monitor, which is very important for the users that is aimed for this monitor. USB 3 is … anyways.
If you see the prices 28Q is cheaper a lot than 26Q and this is normal.
So for the end – 26Q outperforms the new 28Q which is orientated for mainstream designer/user.
Does anyone know how compatible this screen is with gaming systems like PS3 and Xbox360?
The resolution is 1900×1200, but, does this monitor have a scaler that readily converts 720p or 1080p up to 1900×1200?
If so, does it generate a noticeable amount of input lag, or create black bars?
Thanks for the review!
Ok, based on your review, I just purchased one from BestBuy using the 10% off on-line coupon. If it’s as good as you make it out to be at this price, I likely won’t have too much to complain about.
The matt screen is what would stop me from buying this monitor. I really hate AG coating on monitor panels, even if it is considered light. I am looking for a 16:10 IPS, PLS, (or similar), monitor…..with a glossy, semi-glossy, or anti-reflective screen. The choices are very limited right now, but I am hoping that manufactures will start listening to consumers….and start giving us that choice!
I wonder if the Black Definition is measured with dynamic contrast enabled? If that is the case, i.e. the black definition is measured with backlight turned OFF, the results are useless.
BTW, I hate it how low-end monitors are marketed with ridiculous dynamic contrast values such as 80,000,000:1 . Those numbers have nothing to do with reality. They are invented by the advertising department by just picking a number that is bigger than what competitors have advertised.