Porsche’s $1800 PC Monitor Is Actually Cheap For What You Get

Porsche Design’s new $1,800 PC monitor is certainly more expensive than a typical 32-inch 4K display, but the luxury panel is actually relatively inexpensive for the technology it uses.

As seen by DisplaySpecifications this week, Porsche Design has listed its latest monitor, and like its previous product, it’s a collaboration with AOC, which makes many types of monitors, including high-res panels, gaming monitors, and portable options, as well as other PC peripherals such as keyboards and headsets.

Porsche Design, a sub-brand of the German company known for its trendy sports cars, was founded in 1974. Currently, its electronics lineup only includes a $99 Bluetooth mouse, co-produced with Acer, but the company also makes a variety of luxury-focused everyday items. from $ 225 lighters to $1800 sunglasses.

porsche design

The Porsche Design AOC Agon Pro PD32M aims to be the Porsche of PC monitors, starting with a look that the brand says was inspired by Porsche vehicles. This includes an aluminum stand whose trapezoidal shape pays homage to the Porsche steering wheel.

However, you probably don’t see too many Porsches decked out in RGB lighting. The PD32M’s colorful lighting is on the back of the display, so there’s a good chance you won’t see it often unless the LEDs are bright enough to light up the wall behind the monitor. The Porsche Design product page also states that the PD32M can display an LED logo on the desktop, but no further details are available.

The monitor also comes with a remote control in case you want to use the display as a TV. While massive living room-worthy monitors often come with a remote control, they are less common on desktop-sized displays.

The choice of ports is quite extensive; you get HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort, USB-C, four USB-A (Gen 3.2) ports, and a headphone jack. The latter comes with a pair of hooks that come out of the left and side of the monitor to give you a place to hang your headset. This is especially handy for the bulky overhead cans popular with gamers. The panel houses a pair of 8W speakers.

Impressive performance

However, the real standout feature is the PD32M Mini LED Panel. Compared to the standard LED panels you’ll find on most PC monitors, mini LED monitors use smaller LEDs, allowing the panel to hold more LEDs. This may result in higher contrast, but it still doesn’t compare to what you can get from a good OLED screen. More blackout zones can also provide better contrast. Unfortunately, Porsche Design hasn’t announced how many dimming zones the PD32M has.

Contrast boost also helps HDR actually look different than SDR, and Porsche and AOC monitors validate their HDR capabilities with VESA DisplayHDR 1400 certification, ensuring it hits at least 1400 nits of brightness with HDR content. However, Porsche Design claims that the monitor can actually go as high as 1600 nits. Claimed color gamut is 97% DCI-P3.

From 4K resolution to 144Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time (GtG) and Adaptive-Sync, the PD32M delivers performance that most gamers deserve.

Not a bad price for a Mini LED

If all this doesn’t make the PD32M sound like a Porsche monitor, then the price will. The monitor’s MSRP of $1,800 is high for a 32-inch 4K monitor, even with its gaming specs. By comparison, the Dell G3223Q, a 32-inch 4K 144Hz monitor, sells for $1,100.

However, $1800 is actually quite inexpensive for a mini LED monitor. The Asus ROG Swift PG32UQX 32-inch Mini LED Monitor is currently priced around $2,895. Acer is also planning to launch multiple 32-inch mini LED 4K monitors with up to 165Hz refresh rates starting at $1,800. The Acer Predator X32 has 576 zones and is notably limited to DisplayHDR 1000 certification.

However, for those who don’t need a 4K or 32-inch screen, a cheaper Mini LED variant should also appear this year. The Cooler Master GP27-FQS 27-inch 165Hz Mini LED Monitor is expected to retail for $700.