For the last four years I have been using the same monitor and honestly, I thought I would not replace it with any other until it died. Key word: I thought… My monitor was a model, of a well-known company, that held the title of the best G-Sync gaming monitor until recently. The reason I use past tense is because it all changed a month ago, thanks to the Monster Aryond A32.
When I received the Monster Aryond A32, I disconnected my “main” screen and left it on the edge of my desk. Thinking that as soon as I finished the review, I will just reconnect it. Can you guess which screen is in the storage room in its box? I think that the price of the Monster Aryond A32 deceived me and I was expecting something “worse”. But it is not just its price that is hard to believe.
If you are looking for a new gaming monitor, just keep reading this review and I am sure that in the end you will click on the link to buy it.
Monster? I’ve never heard of them before…
Monster Notebooks is not known to most of you. Based in Turkey, they have started to expand to the rest of Europe (as well as Dubai), debuting in Germany. Taking a look at their stores, you can immediately understand that they came in order to stay.
Peripherals, gaming chairs, monitors and laptops are some of the products that they specialize in. Especially their gaming laptops start from low-mid range and can reach “dream” level. Their main feature is that they offer high quality products at low prices compared to their competition.
But their biggest asset, and what quickly made them famous, is their customer support. Something that can be a real pain point, even for world-class companies. Of course, quality and the product itself matter most, but what if I run into an issue? I do not want to cross the Everest every time I need support or service. That’s where Monster Notebooks excels.
In general
Unboxing
Unboxing the Monster Aryond A32, we will find the following:
- The monitor
- One arm
- An aluminum base
- One HDMI cable
- One DisplayPort cable
- One power cable
- The power brick
- The manual
- One tool for the screws
Design
Firstly, I have to say that the Monster Aryond A32 is not a monitor that goes unnoticed. The matte panel and the thin bezel are what attract the attention. Lower, in the center of the monitor, there is the MONSTER logo of the company and nothing else on the front.
The design of the back of the monitor is not so minimalist but every detail makes it beautiful. On the top left, the company logo is printed in green. At the top, two Λ-shaped RGB strips start, reaching down to the middle of the screen. The base for the arm is right in the center. The connection ports are located just below the base and around it, and there are engraved details in electrical circuit style. The power button comes in the form of an analog joystick and is located on the far left.
I really liked that the screen is not overloaded with buttons and everything is controlled via the power button.
The arm offers movement of the screen in height but also in inclination. It covers 9 cm in height, can tilt 5 degrees forward or 21 degrees backward. The slope to the back is sufficient for use as a standing monitor.
The surface of the monitor has a matte coating everywhere (even on the panel itself). Except for the RGB Λ on the back which is glossy.
RGB Master Race
The RGB lines are a nice touch on the back of the screen. The backlight that falls on the wall, in addition to the cool effect it leaves, also helps your eyes to rest. To be honest, I would have preferred the RGB strips to be slightly longer in length and cover the entire Λ. Thus, they would function more like ambient lighting and illuminate the area behind the monitor more. I would also like to be able to adjust the color myself and not just cycle through colors randomly.
The base
The monitor sits on a sturdy metal base with three “legs”. Their base is made of rubber so that it does not slip and scratch the surface of your desk. There is a hole and a tunnel in the arm for better cable management. The screen is compatible with Vesa and can be used with either a wall mount or wall arm (100x100mm).
The beauty lies in the details and the Aryond A32 has a lot of them
Functionality
Features and connectivity
The Monster Aryond A32 is a 32-inch 16:9 monitor that actually makes it 31.5 inches. The panel is curved, at 1500R. It’s the first curved screen I try. I have always been skeptical of curved screens. If you ask me now, I do not think I will go back to flat monitors. With the curved panel you feel that it hugs you and you can see everything around you. Mainly in FPS games. All you have to pay attention to is the alignment.
The edges of the monitor are less than 1 cm thick. For someone who wants to use multiple monitors, this is perfect. You will not have the annoying black space in between.
The power button has replaced the multiple setting buttons. Everything is done using the “Rocker“
| Move Up | Input Selection (HDMI, DP etc) |
| Move Down | Adjust the volume |
| Move Left | Game Plus settings |
| Move Right | Restore factory settings |
| Press of the button | Settings Menu (hold for turning it on/off) |
In the center of the back of the screen are all the connectivity ports. More specifically, the power supply port, a USB port, an HDMI 2.0, two Display Port 1.2 and a headphone port. I miss HDMI 2.1 on the monitor but to be honest, I have my Switch connected to HDMI and 2.0 is more than enough for that.
Another downside, for me at least, is that you can’t connect anything functional to the USB port. It is there to upgrade the monitor firmware. For this reason, the word Service is written just below it. An extra USB always helps on the monitor to fasten a webcam, a USB stick or even your mobile phone.
Picture Quality
The response time is 1ms and the refresh rate can reach up to 165Hz making the image playback almost non delay. The Monster Aryond A32 supports AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA G-Sync technology preventing tearing and ghosting. This means that even during very fast movements on the screen (racing games), everything appears clear and steady.
The VA panel of the Monster Aryond A32 offers QHD resolution (2560 × 1440), HDR10 (supported only via HDMI connection) and 3000 contrast. Due to the high RGB color space (119.9% SRGB), the screen is also suitable for graphic designers and photographers. Something I also appreciated is the built-in low blue light filter. Thus removing the blue light, which can tire the eyes during long sessions.
Through the on-screen options, there are 7 built-in profiles. Each option has a different purpose and use. These available profiles are: Standard, User, Film, Photo, RTS, FPS1 and FPS2.
| Screen structure | Widescreen, thin-edged (1500R) 31.5″ 16:9 |
| Display type | VA |
| Resolution | QHD (2560 × 1440) |
| Refresh rate | 165Hz |
| Screen field of view (HxV) | 697,344 (H) × 392,256 (V) |
| Glare protection | Yes |
| Point range | 0.2724 (H) × 0.2724 (V) |
| Brightness | 350 cd / m² |
| Contrast | 3000:1 |
| Viewing angle (CR ≧ 10) | 178° (H) / 178° (V) |
| Response time (MPRT) | 1ms |
| Number of colors | 16.7M |
| SRGB | Color Gamut85% NTSC / 119.9% SRGB |
| HDR | HDR10 (only through HDMI) |
| Vesa | Compatibility 100×100 |
| Sync technology | Freesync και G-sync |
| Anti flicker | Yes |
| Blue light filter | Yes |
| OSD | Yes |
| HDMI 2.0 | 1x Port |
| Display Port 1.2 | 2x Ports |
| Headphones port | 1x Port |
| Net weight | 6.20 Kg |
| Dimensions | 711 x 538.9 x 209 mm |
Our Verdict
I used this monitor with my computer playing different types of games but also for editing the photos of this review. Additionally, I used it for my Nintendo Switch and I have to one thing to say:
The Monster Aryond A32 is the most value for money monitor out there. Really, I could not find another monitor that offers all of this with a price close to that of the Aryond 32. Yes dude, but how much does it cost then? As shown in the photo below, the price of the monitor at the moment (there is a discount of 100 euro), is 299 euros and you can order it here.
299 euros for 32-inch curved screen, QHD, up to 165hz, FreeSync and GSync compatible. Beat this! If 32 inches is somehow inconvenient for you, you can find the same screen in 27 inches and buy it here at the price of 249 euros.
We would like to thank Monster Notebooks for providing the review unit we used for this review.