BenQ RD280U 28.2” 4K 3840x2560 3:2 Programming Monitor, Eye-Care, Nano Matte Panel, Coding Modes, MoonHalo Backlight, 90W USB-C, KVM, VESA Mount, Developer Monitor

The BenQ RD240Q 24.1” WQXGA Programming Monitor has been a game-changer for my coding setup. The 16:10 aspect ratio is perfect for programming, providing extra vertical space for code windows and documentation. I love the Coding HotKey feature—it lets me quickly switch between coding modes, improving workflow efficiency.Picture Quality:The WQXGA resolution offers crisp text and sharp images, which is crucial for long coding sessions. The Circadian Mode is a nice touch, adjusting the display to reduce eye strain during late-night work. Plus, the Eye-Care Technology minimizes flicker and blue light, making it comfortable for hours of use.Design and Comfort:The ergonomic stand allows for easy adjustments to the height, tilt, and rotation, so I can set it up in a way that’s comfortable for me. The design is sleek and eco-friendly, which is always a plus.Pros:Great resolution and coding-friendly aspect ratioEye-care features for comfortable, long useCustomizable ergonomic settingsUSB-C for easy connectivityCons:The 24.1” screen might be a bit small for those who prefer larger displaysOverall, I highly recommend the BenQ RD240Q for programmers and developers. It’s a solid, ergonomic monitor that balances performance and comfort for extended coding sessions.

Everything works. No errors. No dead pixels.The RD280U/RD280UA 28.2" is the only high resolution monitor that has a 3:2 aspect ratio, aside from the (discontinued) Huawei MateView that had the same specs. It's becoming a winner for serious work, programming, media, multitrack production. It took a day or so to visually adapt. I'm using it as a middle monitor in a three monitor setup.FYI:1. You should have enough depth on your desk to place it further back for a comfortable field of focus.2. You need a DisplayPort cable if you're not using USB-C for display. It's an odd oversight by BenQ. To use the monitor in full native 3840x2560 resolution 60 Hz, you have to use the DisplayPort or USB-C connection. You can't use the HDMI port because it's HDMI 2.0 which lacks the bandwidth for full resolution at 60Hz. The odd part is that BenQ provides cables for all of these USB connections and HDMI, but not the DisplayPort cable. No problem. Get a DisplayPort 1.4 cable.The cable I got from UGREEN is perfect, 6.6 ft, braided, on sale for $7: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088GQM9CV --- OR --- Alternatively, if you don't have a DisplayPort on your GPU, but your GPU has an HDMI 2.1 port, get a "DisplayPort 1.4 to HDMI 2.1" cable.3. LED lights under it, in front, and in back can all be turned off, as you'd expect. Turn them off by hitting the toggle button (the middle button underneath) > Coding Booster > Function Bar > Power Key LED and the LED Indicator. MoonHalo settings are nearby.4. Yes, the speaker sound is expectedly bad. That's fine. No one buys monitors for the speakers. If it meant making the monitor rim smaller, I'd assume they not include it. On the other hand, it's a nice rudimentary backup selling point for sound, alerts, talk radio streaming.5. The adjustable MoonHalo is a genius add. Very handy to help eyes when you're in a darker area. I keep mine on all the time now with the 270 option. Nice adjustable glow as the sun sets.6. I was hesitant, thinking the extra grey bulk and notch at the bottom of the monitor would be distracting. I prefer pure black and uniformity, no weird notches, no flashy branding. Luckily, when you start using it, it mostly fades out of sight in contrast to the illuminated screen, both in daylight and night.7. To do firmware upgrades using the Display Quickit software, make sure your USB upstream cable (included) is plugged in and into the computer, with no other USB cables in the monitor, along with your DisplayPort cable, as the software will tell you: it only tells you all that just before an OK click initiates the attempt. The firmware upgrade takes a few minutes. Or, if you're using USB-C, I think that's all you need as the connection.8. 60 Hz isn't a problem whatsoever. Games will be fine for most casual folks. Video is good. Negativity surrounding 60Hz could be justified if your life is more focused on gaming, but then you're probably reducing your resolution anyway to achieve more frames and choosing a smaller monitor. If or when monitors in 3:2 go to 120Hz+, yes, that'll be great too, and I'm sure it will boost sales. That's probably no time soon. Even so, serious productivity, dragging windows, scrolling browser pages, reading, writing, production, and the like doesn't require higher refresh rates. The vast portion of your time spent interacting and reading is in the continual pauses between dragging and scrolling. You won't notice a deficit. It's good.9. BenQ, if you're reading this:- Keep making 3:2 monitors.- Also make 16:10 monitors with the same or better DPI at the 27/28" range. There are no serious 16:10 monitors on the market larger than the 24-inchers. I think most people would find 16:10 to be the sweet spot for general computing for work and entertainment. BenQ appears to have the only 24" 16:10 monitor with a higher resolution, also part of this "programming" product line: RD240Q. Great. Yet I've been using 24-inch 16:10 monitors for 17+ years. There's a crazy huge gap in the market that would buy every larger high resolution 16:10 monitor in sight. I'm not alone.- Remove extra stuff at the bottom of the monitor, the notch. Make rims uniform and black, not grey. I took a chance and found it's not a serious problem in practical use, but I prefer the cleanest look. If it means removing speakers, do so. Or do both. People are capable of choosing their own speakers or soundbars.- Linux. Hire Linux developers. Make all Linux software you produce open source. Take a serious presence in the Linux game. Calling yourself a "programming monitor" and not supporting Linux in your added software is a miss. You can run the monitor normally in Linux. It's just that the optional BenQ software (Display Pilot 2 and Display Quickit) that provides a GUI to tweak settings and firmware upgrades (settings you can still access through physical controls) doesn't run on Linux. Not a deal breaker.I hope to see more 3:2 monitors and larger 16:10 monitors in even higher resolution. Meanwhile, RD280U is a winner.

Pros:The text quality is outstanding sharp and clear, perfect for extended coding sessions.The monitor is heavy and pairs well with a strong monitor arm.The screen size allows for better productivity, displaying more lines of text at once.It reduces fatigue even after hours of work, making it ideal for tasks involving extensive text editing.BenQ Display Pilot 2 software works well on macOS.Cons:Although the monitor arm is sturdy, the monitor shakes slightly.The built-in speakers are of poor quality, with sound resembling mono output.The Display Pilot 2 software has minor glitches when used on Windows.A vertical line appeared on the left side of the screen, which seems to be a defect in this particular unit.Conclusion:Despite the defect in this unit, I would recommend this monitor to anyone working extensively with text due to its superior display quality and ergonomic design. I plan to exchange it for another one and give it another chance.

Pro’s: amazing vertical resolution on this monitor; those extra 256 pixels really come in handy. The aspect ratio makes it very useful to put side-by-side terminal windows for multiple machines. Quite a great monitor for productivity. The version with the Ergo arm has decent reach and makes it easy to turn to portrait orientation. Note that the portrait orientation only works in the counterclockwise direction, and that there is no way to set the monitor with the Ergo arm to the counterclockwise direction. While I originally expected to buy two of these monitors to use in portrait orientation, I no longer expect to do this given that a portrait orientation causes these monitors to be quite tall even at 28 inches. The last pro to mention is the beautiful and sturdy packaging of this monitor. BenQ makes incredibly intricate and robust packaging for all their products, from light bars to lamps.Cons: The color rendition of photos is quite lacking. There are often blown highlights compared to reference monitors like the Apple Studio display or the MacBook Pro m1 rscreen. The gamut of this monitor appears quite limited. Bright areas seem to have blown highlights rather quickly. I would not recommend using this monitor for any sort of photo or video editing. Many of my photos needed re-editing on a calibrated monitor despite using the Mac OS default color profile for this monitor. Other significant con would be that the price of this monitor has significantly increased over the last couple of months, possibly due to.