Asus ProArt PA32UCDM review: A 4K OLED monitor for creative pros

There’s no shortage of 32-inch 4K QD-OLED monitors available right now, and all of them are excellent for movies, games, and general use. But what about creative professionals? Though any QD-OLED can do the job, many such displays lack the design and feature set professional shoppers prefer. The Asus ProArt PA32UCDM fills that gap.

Read on to learn more, then see our roundup of the best 4K monitors for comparison.

Asus ProArt PA32UCDM specs and features

The Asus ProArt PA32UCDM’s spec sheet looks great, if a bit boring. It’s a 32-inch 4K QD-OLED monitor with 3840×2160 resolution, a 10-bit QD-OLED panel, and a maximum refresh rate of 240Hz. It also supports Adaptive Sync and is VESA DisplayHDR 400 True Black certified. These specifications are more or less identical to other 32-inch 4K QD-OLED monitors, like the HP Omen Transcend 32 and MSI MPG 32URXW.

• Display size: 32-inch 16:9 aspect ratio
• Native resolution: 3840×2160
• Panel type: 10-bit QD-OLED
• Refresh rate: 240Hz
• Adaptive sync: Yes, Adaptive Sync with VRR
• HDR: VESA DisplayHDR 400 True Black Certified
• Ports: 1x Thunderbolt 4-in port, 1x Thunderbolt 4-out (for Daisy Chain), 1x HDMI 2.1 port, 1x USB-C with up to 96 watts of Power Delivery, 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2
• Additional features: Ambient light sensor
• Audio: 2x 3-watt speakers
• Warranty: 3-year warranty
• Price: $1899.99 MSRP

The ProArt stands apart thanks to its connectivity, though not entirely in a good way.

It has a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports, one for Thunderbolt 4-in and a second for Thunderbolt 4-out (to be used to daisy chain to a second monitor). This is rare for any monitor, and especially rare for OLED. The inclusion of Thunderbolt 4 hints at the monitor’s professional intent but, as I’ll discuss, also leads to the omission of ports many shoppers will expect.

Asus ProArt PA32UCDM design

The Asus ProArt PA32UCDM is part of the ProArt line-up, obviously, but it doesn’t look like the ProArt devices you’ve most likely laid eyes on before. It ditches the simple black and charcoal look of more affordable ProArt monitors for an elegant, stylish silver look.

And it’s not just a look. The ProArt makes extensive use of metal across both the display panel and the stand. This helps the monitor offer a sleek profile while delivering a robust feel that very few competitors can match. Of all that I’ve tested recently, Samsung’s Odyssey OLED G8 is the only one that’s equally attractive.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Looks aside, the monitor’s design is functional. The stand ergonomically adjusts for height, tilt, swivel, and pivot. It also has an extremely narrow base, which minimizes the monitor’s footprint on a desk. As with most monitors, a 100mm x 100mm VESA mount is available for connecting the ProArt to third-party monitor arms and stands.

Asus ProArt PA32UCDM connectivity

The Asus ProArt PA32UCDM leans heavily on Thunderbolt 4 and USB-C. Perhaps too heavily.

First, about those Thunderbolt ports. There’s two, but they’re not equal. One is the primary Thunderbolt port with support for USB-C, DisplayPort, and Power Delivery. The second is a Thunderbolt-out port intended for daisy-chain connections to a second monitor. That means you can plug a laptop into the ProArt over Thunderbolt, then plug a second monitor into the ProArt.

However, the ProArt otherwise doesn’t offer much opportunity to tap into Thunderbolt 4’s bandwidth. It has just two downstream USB ports (one USB-C and one USB-A) and lacks an Ethernet jack or audio-out connection. Though it can technically function as a Thunderbolt hub, the ProArt’s limited range of downstream connectivity is a big downside.

Thunderbolt 4 aside, the monitor has just one additional display input: HDMI 2.1. Yes, that means DisplayPort is absent, and just two video inputs are available. I find that decision weird, as DisplayPort is the most universal video output for desktop video cards.

In summary, connectivity is the ProArt’s most significant weakness, and one that I find surprising. I expect shoppers will compare the ProArt to other high-end 32-inch 4K displays, such as the Dell UltraSharp U3225QE and BenQ PD3226G. The Asus has far fewer ports than either. Even the HP Omen Transcend 32 has superior connectivity, and it’s hundreds of dollars less expensive.

Asus ProArt PA32UCDM menus and features

A joystick control tucked just behind the Asus ProArt PA32UCDM’s bottom bezel provides quick, responsive access to the on-screen controls. I also like the menu system. It’s easy to navigate and has a larger font size than many competitors.

Alternatively, most monitor features can be changed with Asus’ DisplayWidget app, available for Windows 11/10 and MacOS. It’s no work of art, but it goes a bit beyond the bare necessities. For example, DisplayWidget automatically changes the look of the UI to match the branding of the Asus monitor you own.

Either way, you’re likely to spend a bit more time in the menu than with other monitors, because the ProArt has a truckload of features. We’re talking 15 SDR presets (including sRGB, DCI-P3, AdobeRGB, BT.2020, DICOM, and Rec.709) plus five HDR modes (including Dolby Vision). You’ll also find color temperature and gamma adjustments that target precise values and six-axis color calibration. Asus has its own calibration software to help users fine-tune the monitor.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Other monitor features include picture-by-picture and picture-in-picture modes, an on-screen ruler to help measure the size of objects on the screen, and a uniform brightness mode that limits the overall brightness of the display to achieve better luminance uniformity.

The monitor has an ambient light sensor that serves two functions. First, it can sync the brightness and color temperature of the display to fit your environment, which helps the monitor provide a consistent image quality experience. Second, it can dim the display when you move away from it to save power and reduce the likelihood of OLED burn-in. I think ambient light sensors are an underrated feature that improve day-to-day ease of use, so I’m glad to see one here. 

Speakers are included, too, though they don’t impress. The speakers provide enough volume to fill a small office with tunes, but the audio is thin and can become distorted when it attempts to deliver bass. 

Asus ProArt PA32UCDM SDR image quality

The Asus ProArt PA32UCDM is all about image quality. Yes, every monitor is better if it looks nice, but an expensive monitor like the ProArt must look amazing. If it doesn’t, then it doesn’t serve its purpose (or justify its price).

Matthew Smith / Foundry

We start off with brightness, where the ProArt reached an excellent peak SDR brightness of 294 nits. That’s not as high as IPS-LCD monitors, which can exceed 400 nits, but it’s very bright for SDR on an OLED monitor. It’s also far more than adequate for its intended purpose.

A display like the ProArt is best used in a room with light control, in which case the brightness is relevant. But if you do like to work with your shades drawn back, well, the ProArt will look more vivid than most 32-inch QD-OLED displays.

Note, though, that the ProArt has a glossy finish. You should expect to see reflections when viewing dark images in a brightly lit room.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

OLED panels can reach a minimum luminance of zero nits and can do so per-pixel. That translates to an incredible sense of depth and immersion, as well as deep and inky black levels in darker scenes. Moody movies and games, like Resident Evil 2 Remake or The Batman, look superb on an OLED display like the ProArt.

All OLED displays do well here, so the ProArt has no advantage (or disadvantage) against QD-OLED alternatives. However, as the graph shows, it comes out way ahead of IPS-LCD displays like the Dell Ultrasharp U3225QE.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Color gamut testing looks at the range of color a monitor can display. The ProArt does well here, with coverage of 100 percent of sRGB, 97 percent of DCI-P3, and 94 percent of AdobeRGB.

This is a very broad color gamut that’s well suited to professional creative work, but it’s not remarkable for a monitor in this category. That feels almost bizarre to say, because a color gamut this wide was hard to come by just five years ago. But, as the graph shows, most high-end monitors sold in 2025 offer a very wide color gamut.