BenQ BL2711U UHD Designer Monitor Review

This was my first experience with 4K. I spent a good month with this monitor, a 27” BenQ BL2711U, and I’m still disappointed to be back to a 1080p display—the difference is immediately noticeable.

The BL2711U is designed for artists and creators. It boasts features like “100% sRGB and REC 709 color space with 10bits IPS technology”, and if you have any idea what that means, you’re a better nerd than I.

As someone who has only recently transitioned from laptops to desktop computers, the size of the screen was almost intimidating—both in terms of how much it displays at one time, and the actual physical presence of the thing. Thankfully, the BL2711U comes with an easily adjustable mount that gave it the height I needed to not knock everything else off my tightly organised desk. You can also alter the orientation from horizontal and vertical with ease (and automatically, with some software), the angle of the screen’s tilt, and the rotational pivot.

Being in games media, I primarily used the BL2711U for gaming. My initial issue was the colour display. Everything was either way too bright or way too blue, and I struggled for hours to find a balance. In the end, I did have to leave it at a higher brightness than I would like, but what it did for the colours was quite stunning. Intended for the designer more so than the consumer, the technical features of the monitor brought far more depth out of the colours than I could see before.

A word of warning though, for someone with little technical knowledge like myself: use a DisplayPort cable, not a DVI. I used the same DVI cable I use for my own monitor, and immediately noticed a stuttering in every movement, in-game and during other tasks. Through a DVI, this monitor will only display at 30Hz, rather than 60Hz. Get a DisplayPort cable.

Another issue I had was the menu interface. For a short while, I had no idea how to alter any settings. Rather than using standard buttons, the BL2711U uses a touch-sensitive alternative similar to what you’d find on a games console or some such. There are small lights on the different points, but they only light up *after* you’ve pushed them, which I thought was frankly insane.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience with the 27” BenQ BL2711U monitor, after arguably my own technical hiccups to begin with. Carrying an average price tag of £450, it’s a little on the expensive side if you’re just looking for an Ultra High Definition display for gaming, but for a designer, I’m sure the cost can be measured by its features. It definitely opened my eyes to the advantages of 4K.