BenQ RD280UG monitor review: Not just for programmers

The BenQ RD280UG is the second generation of BenQ's RD280U programming monitor. That may, admittedly, sound torturously dull to some readers, but wait – don't click the back button quite yet. Even if you don't count coding amongst your talents, the RD280UG's very particular set of skills makes it a superb monitor for serious work.

This 28.2-inch monitor has a 4K+ (yes, 4K 'plus') resolution with an unusually square 3:2 aspect ratio, and if your idea of perfection is superlatively crisp text, rich colors, and a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, as well as useful USB-C connectivity, then this unconventional display may be just what you've been waiting for. It's rather brilliant in its own unique way.

BenQ RD280UG monitor: Design & Features

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Within a few seconds of turning the RD280UG on, it's quite clear that it isn't your average PC monitor. The large 28.2in panel's 3:2 ratio brings back memories of square, old-school CRT monitors, and that, combined with the 3,840 x 2,560 pixel resolution, makes for a wonderfully large, crisp desktop.

The 163ppi pixel density makes all the difference here, but BenQ has also used a more upmarket IPS panel with a claimed 2000:1 contrast ratio. It lacks the IPS Black label of similarly specified monitors, but it does the same job: black looks much less grey than it does on lower contrast IPS panels.

This combines with rich, saturated colors and an effective matte anti-glare coating, which adds just a slight subtle grain to the image. The result, though, is a monitor that's great for poring over text. Characters are perfectly crisp and precise – almost like perfect print on a page – and if you do need to work with images, the high pixel density provides oodles of crisp detail.

It's the extra vertical resolution which is most prized by programmers – more vertical space means more room for code – but the combination of a 4:3 panel and a high pixel density means that it's a great fit for productivity-focused and creative desks, too. Personally, I loved the ability to pin desktop browser windows to each side of the screen – it's like having two pixel-dense portrait displays side by side, as it's perfect for editing and writing documents on one side while researching and checking over test data and reports on the other.

In the world of programming, choosing the right monitor can allow you to work longer without risking eye strain. BenQ's RD family goes a little further than most, however, with a handful of picture modes designed to maximise text and code legibility, which work in tandem with various features designed to boost eye comfort for long days in the saddle.

Some are pretty familiar: the Low Blue Light mode softens the white background to a gentle yellowish shade, the Eye Reminder feature can be set to tell you to take a break from the screen in 30, 45, or 60-minute increments, and the Color Weakness option dials up the red or green bias to better suit the user's specific red-green color blindness.

The most unusual addition here is BenQ's MoonHalo. This ring-shaped LED light illuminates the rear wall behind the monitor – a technique known as bias lighting. This both helps to reduce eye strain from sudden brightness shifts on the monitor and also serves to boost the monitor's perceived black depth. For monitors or TVs with limited contrast, it can make a huge difference – and it's more comfortable for working late nights or (very) early mornings, too.

The MoonHalo works in tandem with the RD280UG's light sensor. The sensor detects both the ambient light levels and the color temperature of the surrounding light, and this allows the RD280UG's Visual Optimiser feature to automatically adjust both the brightness and color temperature of both the display and the MoonHalo light.

The Night Hours Protection feature also harnesses the brightness sensor and, when enabled, automatically dials the screen brightness right down when it detects low light conditions. Use this alongside the Local Contrast feature, which raises the brightness of darker tones to boost legibility, and this makes it possible to use the RD280UG at far lower brightness levels than most monitors. If you prefer working in very low light conditions, then this works really well in tandem with the MoonHalo light providing a gentle glow at the monitor's rear.

Our one piece of advice here is to turn off the color temperature control in the Visual Optimiser settings. The automatic color temperature adjustment seems to just dial up the low blue light mode, so makes the onscreen image look too yellow during daylight hours. Thankfully, it's not a global on or off control for Visual Optimiser, so you don't need to be constantly turning it on and off: you can enable or disable it on each of the monitor's picture modes if you prefer to set the brightness and MoonHalo color temperature manually.

It sounds a tad silly, but one of our favourite features of the RD280UG is a single button – BenQ calls it the hotkey. Just like the previous RD280U model, a little glossy function bar sits on the bottom bezel. Prod the embossed hotkey at the centre of the bar, and a quick menu pops up on screen to show you the current picture mode settings, and little backlit icons on the bar itself indicate which of the current Eye Care features are active. Press the hotkey again, and it cycles through the four picture modes, allowing you to quickly and lazily flit between picture modes for daytime and low-light coding, the paper color mode for reading, and the more vibrant, color-accurate User mode.

Connectivity is slightly improved over the RD280U. The DisplayPort 1.4 input remains the same, but you now get an HDMI 2.1 port which, with the appropriate hardware, is able to deliver the panel's full 3,840 x 2,560 resolution at 120Hz. The upstream USB-C port still supplies 90W of power and supports DisplayPort Alt mode, so you can pass video and power via a single cable. The downstream USB-C port now supplies 15 watts of power – double the previous model – and also supports daisy chain operation so you connect a second monitor up to the full resolution and refresh rate of the RD280UG.

As before, you also get an integrated KVM switch. Connect a laptop to the primary USB-C port, and another PC or laptop to the USB-B input, you can share the peripherals connected to the RD280UG's USB ports.

It is a bit of an odd choice not to put more of these ports at the rear of the monitor, though. BenQ has opted to keep them more accessible by placing the two USB-A ports, single USB-C port and 3.5mm headphone output underneath the panel's front edge, too. This is handy, but the positioning may prove awkward for more unusual setups.

For instance, if you have your monitor raised up on a stand, you won't be able to lower the monitor to its lowest height as the cables will hit the monitor's base. And if you're using the ports to connect a mouse and keyboard, we do wonder why they need to be positioned where they are – surely a couple of ports at the rear of the monitor for peripherals and a couple of quick access ports at the front would make more sense.

BenQ RD280UG monitor: Display quality

The RD280UG takes everything people liked about the previous model and adds a variety of upgrades across the board. At the heart of the RD280G is an upgraded IPS panel. It lacks the LG-specific IPS Black trademark, but touts a similar upgrade in contrast over standard IPS panels – a claimed 2,000:1, which is a sizable jump from the 1,200:1 of the RD280U. The refresh rate has doubled to 120Hz, too, and this is why the RD280UG now comes with a prominent AMD FreeSync Premium logo on the box.

Other specifications are identical. You still get a claimed maximum brightness of 350cd/m2 (or nits, if you prefer) in SDR; a DisplayHDR 400 certification; a panel which reproduces 95% of the DCI-P3 color palette; and a 5ms response time. The screen still sports BenQ's Nano Matte anti-glare coating, too, and this is no bad thing. It does a great job of controlling glare in even the brightest rooms, and unlike some more aggressive anti-glare coatings, it only adds a very slight grain to the image.

The RD280UG might seem more focused on legibility and eye-comfort than eye-popping visuals, but it's capable of delivering bright and fairly color-accurate images if you want it to. The BenQ didn't match its claimed 95% DCI-P3 coverage in our tests – we saw a coverage of 87.5% – but its overall performance is still respectable.

If you want to take advantage of the RD280UG's wider color palette, then you can leave it in User mode. Tested against a Display P3 target, this achieves an average Delta E of 1.8 which is fairly middle of the road for this price point. It does ultimately look pretty accurate to the naked eye, but the low gamma (around 2.1 rather than the ideal 2.2) means that colors often look a little lighter and more washed out than they should. The 6,345k white point is a little closer to the perfect 6,500k, though, and the 1,829:1 contrast ratio gives a bit more punch than cheaper IPS panels. Brightness tops out around 345cd/m2, although you're unlikely to leave this anywhere near maximum for its intended usage.

Switch over to the panel's sRGB mode, and you'll see a very slightly more refined performance. The average Delta E drops slightly to 1.48, and the white point of 6,400k is closer again to the ideal 6,500k. Contrast and brightness are almost identical, but so too is the slightly low gamma. Again, colors look just a tad more washed out than they should, as a result – we do mean a tad, though. This is not something that most users will even notice.

HDR is an option, but the RD280UG's static backlighting and IPS panel aren't capable of showing it at its best. In truth, the DisplayHDR 400 certification isn't really worth the cardboard it's printed on, as it tells you that the monitor manages a peak brightness of just over 400cd/m2 (or nits) – and with most HDR content mastered with 1,000 or 4,000nit peaks in mind, the BenQ just can't get bright enough to do it justice.

We are really pleased to see that the RD280UG has upgraded to a 120Hz refresh rate, though. This is arguably slightly easier on the eye than 60Hz panels, and it also makes scrolling and window animations far smoother and more fluid.

Games get a welcome performance boost, too, and while the panel isn't anywhere near fast enough to rival dedicated gaming monitors, it's quite usable once you turn the overdrive up. By default, the RD280UG's AMA overdrive circuit is set to the High mode, one step up from off. This is a good do-it-all setting – and most users can leave it there – but gamers would be advised to crank it up to the maximum Premium setting to tease out a little more detail on moving objects. It does add a tiny little bit of inverse ghosting, but it's very subtle – and that's an acceptable price to pay for the extra clarity.

BenQ RD280UG monitor: Is it worth it?

The RD280UG is not a monitor for everyone. With £600 to spend, you can choose from a wide variety of more traditionally proportioned monitors. If you're on a budget, then a much cheaper 27in 4K display will provide the same pixel density, and similarly priced rivals deliver a wider color palette and greater accuracy.

The clincher for the RD280UG, however, is how elegantly it ties together all of its talents. The pin-sharp text clarity, the ever-handy hotkey, the automatic brightness sensor, and helpful connectivity are all huge plus points. The 3:2 ratio is a breath of fresh air, too, both for coding, document-based work, and video or audio production. If those strengths appeal to you, then the RD280UG isn't just a brilliant alternative to a more conventional monitor – it's pretty much one of a kind.

BenQ RD280UG monitor specifications