Last night ASUS ran a London event showcasing its new range of ProArt monitors, and I left pretty excited on behalf of all digital creatives, and video editors in particular.
When I first arrived I was most interested in the last in a string of world firsts from the Taiwanese company. Back in 2013 ASUS launched the world's first IGZO 4K display. Over a decade later, it's releasing the world's first Mini LED 8K monitor – the PA32KCX. And it's a stunner!
In theory, it's only the second commercially available 8K monitor – well, it will be when it gets released this May. But in reality, its competitor, the Dell UltraSharp UP3218K is a little long in the tooth at this point. It came out in 2017, only has USB 3.0 (no HDMI?! DP?!), and maxes out at 60Hz with a contrast of 1300:1.
Bottom line? The new 8K PA32KCX monitor is an up-to-date pro HDR display, with a dazzling spec sheet that'll make it the only 8K monitor option in 2025. It will no doubt take the best 8K crown in our list of the best monitors for video editing.
But then, no one is going to buy it, so who really cares?!
Sure, 8K may be the future, but at present it's simply overkill for the majority of workflows out there. I chatted with a film producer at the event who told me that most films are still shot in 2K or 4K. 8K was very much absent from that conversation.
The headline news for the vast majority of digital creatives will be the release of the ProArt PA32UCDM – an OLED monitor that uses the same panel as some £10,000 pro monitors out there, but for a far less eye-watering £1,599. That will be on sale later in March, and with that pricing, and spec sheet, I can see it dominating not on our video editing guide, but also our list of the best monitors for graphic design.
The PA32UCDM is a 32-inch monitor that boasts 240Hz refresh rate, colour accuracy of Delta E < 1, 1,000 nits, and Dolby Vision.
No, this is not a perfect monitor – filmmaker, DaVinci Resolve expert and speaker Leon Barnard made the point that each brilliant monitor will have at least one 'weakness' to achieve excellence in other areas. For the PA32UCDM, that means it offers amazing colour, amazing contrast, but average brightness (compared to the $3,299 ProArt PA32UCXR, that is).
But then, for what it offers at £1,599, I can easily see this monitor becoming a best-seller for amateurs and pros alike – from schools and studios to freelancers. Especially when partnered up with an exceptional laptop for video editing.
