AOC launches U32U4 with five-layer, 120Hz 4K QD-OLED panel and 96W USB-C
AOC has put the U32U4 on sale in China, a 31.5-inch monitor with a resolution of 3,840 × 2,160 pixels and a refresh rate of 120 Hz. The model uses a QD-OLED Penta Tandem panel from Samsung Display.
The proposal combines features for image editing and working with various equipment, such as factory calibration, KVM switch and powering a laptop via USB-C. It also supports adaptive sync for games, although its refresh limit remains at 120 Hz.
Five-layer Penta Tandem panel
The U32U4 uses a five-layer QD-OLED structureidentified on the product material as Penta Tandem and EL Gen.3. They are names of the architecture and materials of the panel; They do not indicate that the monitor has five screens or multiple backlight zones.
As corresponds to an OLED, the pixels generate their own light. This feature allows the emission to be controlled without depending on a common backlight behind the panel, a difference that especially affects the representation of dark areas next to bright elements.
AOC declares a HDR maximum brightness of 1,000 nits and contrast of 1,500,000:1. Brightness is a peak value and should not be interpreted as a brightness that the monitor can maintain uniformly across the entire surface with any image.
The five-layer structure seeks to improve the light emission and efficiency of the panel. The available information does not provide an independent test of consumption or durability of the U32U4 that would allow these advantages to be quantified in this specific monitor.
10-bit color and calibration with Delta E less than one
The panel supports native 10-bit color and a Advertised coverage of 99% DCI-P3, along with 100% sRGB. Color depth describes the levels it can represent, while coverage indicates how much of a color space it reaches.
They are different properties from precision. For the latter, the brand announces factory calibration with a Delta E of less than one, a measure of the difference between a reference color and the one reproduced by the screen.
That figure is a manufacturer specification, with no independent measurement provided at launch. It is also not a substitute for checking the image mode used and the system’s color settings when working with photos or video.
The surface incorporates a anti-reflective treatment to reduce the incidence of ambient lighting. Its presence does not allow us to deduce how much reflections are reduced or how the perception of black changes in a lit room without directly checking it.
120 Hz and declared response of 0.03 ms
The 120 Hz frequency doubles that of a 60 Hz display and allows the image to be updated every 8.33 milliseconds. The panel separately has an advertised gray-to-gray response time of 0.03 ms.
It is important to distinguish between the two figures: the refresh rate determines how many updates the screen can present per second and the response time describes the transition of the pixels. The 0.03 ms is not the total latency from button press to action.
The monitor incorporates Adaptive-Sync to adjust the update to the frame delivery of a supported system. This function does not raise its ceiling above 120 Hz nor does it by itself guarantee that a computer can generate games at 4K and that frequency.
96W USB-C for laptop and KVM for peripheral sharing
Connections include HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort and USB-C. USB-C power reaches up to 96 W and allows you to combine connection to the monitor and charging on a compatible laptop.
KVM switch allows you to share peripherals between connected computers. This feature is useful when switching between a desktop and laptop without manually switching the keyboard and mouse from one computer to the other.
PIP and PBP modes are also announced to present signals from different sources. The first places one image inside another and the second divides the surface to see them side by side. These are display functions other than the peripheral switching performed by the KVM.
The support allows adjust height and tilt, rotate the screen and position it vertically. The equipment includes two 5 W speakers, so you can play sound without connecting external ones.
The price of 6,499 yuan (about 878 euros) corresponds to the Chinese market. AOC has not confirmed a European price or a marketing date for the U32U4 in Spain.
