ViewSonic Gaming Elite XG321UG

OLED panels and 4K resolutions may reign supreme when it comes to top-shelf gaming displays, but one of the most exciting emerging technologies is actually mini LED. While most monitors consist of LCD backlights, mini LEDs boost peak output, improving both SDR and HDR content with broader contrast ratios and richer colors. ViewSonic’s latest 32-inch monitor, the Gaming Elite XG321UG, delivers on all fronts with an expansive contrast ratio, low input lag, and a solid coverage range of color gamuts right out of the box. Bleeding-edge tech often comes with a price to match, and you’ll have to settle the A$3,699 bill before getting your hands on ViewSonic’s mini LEDs, but this panel is more than an eyeful and a new Editors' Choice winner for high-end 4K gaming displays.

---

An Understated Design, Some Impressive Display Tech

The latest jumble of numbers and letters from ViewSonic isn't out of the ordinary among the many other monitors with unmemorable names, and the XG321UG looks about the same as most other 32-inch monitors do, too. Three razor-thin bezels help craft a borderless design around the monitor, while the bottom edge takes up very little space, allowing for a huge amount of screen space. It’s a bit chunky compared with what we’re used to from other premium gaming monitors, although the build is anything but flimsy. South of the screen, you’ll find an OSD control stick, along with a power button.

Despite its size, the ViewSonic Gaming Elite is reasonably dexterous on its T-shaped metal stand, with a 20-degree tilt, a 50-degree swivel, and an adjustable stand that climbs to about 4.8 inches. At 23.8 pounds and 19 by 28.6 by 10.4 inches (HWD), the monitor is much lighter than other 32-inch offerings like the Alienware 34 QD-OLED (AW3423DW), and only slightly heavier than the excellent MSI Optix MPG321UR-QD. Remove the stand, and you’ll shave the weight down to just over 17 pounds, ideal for a VESA mount.

Removing the back panel of the monitor reveals the ports, which include all of what you’d expect from a gaming model of this price range: three USB 3.2 Type-A ports, one USB 3.2 Type B, a DisplayPort, a 3.5mm audio port, and three HDMI 2.0 ports. While there are plenty of ports to go around, one might be bummed to discover the lack of a USB-C port or an HDMI 2.1 port, which would really give the monitor next-level connectivity appeal. Still, even without HDMI 2.1, users can reach those higher frame rates while maintaining 4K resolution via a DisplayPort connection.

You’ll also find some eye-catching RGB lighting wrapped in a hexagon around the center of the monitor's rear panel, as well as a touch of lighting along the bottom. But what’s even cooler than that? Cable management, of course. The Gaming Elite includes a hole in the stand through which you can funnel your cords, and a separate built-in anchor for your mouse cord. There's even a headphone hook to holster your favorite headphones. Two internal 5-watt speakers produce excellent sound, and they don’t decay in quality with the volume turned all the way up.

All that won’t matter without the panel itself, of course, and the ViewSonic Gaming Elite comes with an impressive one. The 32-inch 144Hz IPS screen has sterling supporting credentials, boasting near-perfect Quantum Dot technology with, according to ViewSonic, 100% sRGB coverage, 99% Adobe coverage, and 98% DCI-P3, as well as a DisplayHDR 1400 rating.

We’ll take a closer look at these claims shortly, but the mini LED technology is the real star of the show here. Normally LCD backlights consist of LEDs along the edge of the panel or a grid of LEDs, with up to 512 dimming zones. Dimming zones are adjusted individually (or locally) according to the image, dimming the darkest parts of the image to make the blacks look deeper, or brightening the brightest parts of the image. Mini LED utilizes 1,152-zone mini LED backlighting with full-array local dimming. With more range in your dimming zones, you're able to achieve richer colors, brighter whites, and deeper blacks.

Debuting in 2019 on the Asus ProArt PA32UCX content-creator monitor, mini LEDs have begun creeping into the market, hitting mainstream when they crept into Apple's MacBook Pro. We’ve seen them appear on televisions like the Samsung 65-Inch Class QN90B Neo QLED TV, and finally, they’ve begun their ascent into gaming monitors.

But is it all marketing fluff or is the technology truly a game changer? We’ll take a closer look in the next section.

---

Testing the XG321UG: Fine Visuals With a Few Tweaks

The ViewSonic Gaming Elite XG321UG has the makings of an excellent monitor, but what’s it like out of the box? Does that near-perfect color gamut exist, and just about how bright can this thing get? Using our Datacolor SpyderX Elite and its software to compare it with displays of similar size and resolution, here's what we found.

To begin, we test the monitor fresh out of the box in its default picture mode with an SDR signal. The ViewSonic Gaming Elite XG321UG reached a brightness of 516 nits and a black level of 0.18, which yields a contrast ratio of 3,150:1. The manufacturer suggests a static contrast ratio of 1,000:1, as well as a Dynamic contrast ratio of 120,000,000:1—this monitor’s got range.

Keep in mind, these numbers reflect the monitor's factory settings right out of the box. Gaming monitors with IPS panels typically shoot for a contrast ratio of 1,000:1 or better, so what we’re seeing here is essentially those mini LEDs at work. Contrast ratio is important because it indicates the luminance of the brightest white and darkest black that a monitor can produce.

Next, we re-run the brightness measurement after switching to HDR mode. This time, the ViewSonic Gaming Elite registered 504 nits, under its DisplayHDR 1400 rating. The HDR rating represents peak luminance levels, so while these are settings right out of the box, they can be adjusted to take better advantage of the device's range. In comparison, the MSI Optix MPG321UR-QD shines brighter out of the box but has a lower DisplayHDR level of 600 which results in a lower brightness ceiling.

Color accuracy proved impressive as well, with an uncalibrated Delta E (dE) level of 1.49. dE is used to measure the accuracy of the color displayed and how closely it matches what the human eye receives. The lower the number, the better. It's an important measurement to consider for content creators, for sure, but gamers will also appreciate the cleaner, brighter color range.

Media and Gaming Performance

Our final test for the monitor is probably the most important for hardcore gamers: measuring input lag, the amount of time that passes between sending a button press and the occurrence of a corresponding action on screen. Using an HDFury Diva, we measured input lag at less than 1 millisecond, an ideal number for those who play fast-paced shooters and the like. Coupled with Nvidia Reflex, players can use the new technology to get their input times even lower (as long as you have the necessary gear).

The monitor makes use of Nvidia G-Sync Ultimate, the highest tier of Nvidia G-Sync technology. G-sync Ultimate ensures that games run smoothly, repairing screen tears while optimizing picture quality. The returns are minor, sure, but they’ll make or break serious game sessions and are ideal for gamers who want to keep high performance without sacrificing resolution.

All of that amounts to a gorgeous picture when playing just about anything. Make sure you have a top-performing GPU and CPU—you’ll need them to fully appreciate what this monitor offers.

---

Verdict: A Stunning View From the Top

The ViewSonic Gaming Elite XG321UG is a premium monitor with a premium price tag. It's got excellent visual fidelity thanks to the mini LED tech, and it strikes a great balance between performance and resolution, too. This is a monitor for enthusiasts who want it all and are willing to pay for it, because at $3,699, it’s a hard sell for casual players.

Still, there’s no denying ViewSonic’s efforts here, and with a few tweaks to the settings, you’ll find a wide-ranging contrast rivaled by very few competitors, which helps it nab our Editors’ Choice award.