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Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors.
The PG32UCDM3 is one of the only gaming monitors that supports Dolby Vision with three dedicated picture modes. It also supports HDR10 with an automatic switch and four specific modes, which can be adjusted if you like.
HDR Brightness and Contrast
The peak white level is about the same for all the HDR10 modes, just over 504 nits. This is expected given its VESA DisplayHDR 500 certification. I measured a 25% window pattern to get that result. Smaller areas of the screen will probably hit 800-1,000 nits. The top three monitors push a little harder, but in practice, the difference is almost invisible. The PG32UCDM3 is very bright and dynamic with HDR content. I was unable to test Dolby Vision here, but I did view some content from a disc player, which you can read about earlier in this review on page one. Black levels and contrast cannot be measured, so on that score, all the screens are equal.
Grayscale, EOTF and Color
The PG32UCDM3 completely aced my HDR color tests. Grayscale is visually flawless with no errors over 3dE. The EOTF tracks almost perfectly with the reference, with slight darkness below 30%, but not enough to obscure shadow detail. Every step is fully rendered and visible. The tone map transition is at 70%, which is correct for the measured black and white levels. This is in the default HDR10 mode, Gaming HDR. I did not turn on Adjustable HDR because it would skew the luminance tracking without making the monitor brighter. It should only be used for personal preference since it is not technically accurate.
In the gamut tests, the PG32UCDM3 shows a linear and general oversaturation like other Quantum Dot OLEDs. Red and blue are a little more vibrant, while green is on point. There are no significant hue errors in the secondary colors. In the BT.2020 test, the PG32UCDM3 runs out of color at 90% red, 75% green, and 95% blue.
Test Takeaway: The PG32UCDM3 is an exemplary HDR monitor with high brightness and accurate color. Since it nails the EOTF test, it can be relied on to show every bit of fine detail at every point in the brightness range from the blackest black to the whitest white. It reminds one why OLEDs are the best display tech for HDR.
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