Asus Unveils 32-inch, 8K Pro Monitor With 4,096 Lighting Zones

Asus has unveiled what could be a very tempting monitor for photo and video-editing professionals. The company's newest monitor is called the ProArt PA32KCX, and it's being unveiled at the NAB trade show, which is fitting since that's a show for video pros. The monitor sports true next-generation specs, including 8K resolution, HDR support, DisplayPort 2.1, and a min-LED panel with 4,096 lighting zones.

Asus is billing the monitor as the "world's first 8K mini-LED monitor," and it's probably right about that. Most of the professional world is probably still on 4K, and mini-LED is also still pretty rare since many monitor makers are moving from LED to OLED. The monitor boasts top-tier color accuracy, with an average delta E value of less than one, which is about as low as it gets, meaning the color is as close to accurate as the human eye perceives.

The ProArt PA32KCX sports a ludicrously high 1,000 nits sustained brightness. Credit: Asus

It also covers 97% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, and Asus includes calibration hardware along with a built-in colorimeter so you can continue to ensure the monitor's accuracy in the future. It even offers self-calibration if you don't want to hassle with what can be a tedious process. You can even set the monitor to auto-calibrate itself on a pre-determined schedule.

Going back to the spec sheet, it offers 10-bit color designed to showcase HDR content thanks to its 1,200 nits peak brightness and 1,000 nits sustained brightness, which is extremely high. For context, the $4,999 Apple Pro Display XDR offers a 1,600 nits peak brightness but is only 500 nits for SDR content. Asus says the PA32KCX supports a variety of HDR content as well, including HLG and HDR10.

The monitor includes DisplayPort 2.1 and HDMI 2.1 connections and features dual Thunderbolt 4 USB Type-C ports, one of which provides up to 96W of charging power for attached devices. It also comes with an optional anti-glare hood, always appreciated by those working in too-bright environments.

Asus did not offer pricing for the monitor, but according to Videocardz, it could cost up to $8,000, which made us spit out our coffee.