NZXT Canvas QHD 32Q Curved Review

Introduction

Monitor stands are a funny thing. When you’re new to our hobby you don’t really care what a stand can do. Indeed unless you spend hours in front of your display then a lot of them are just fine. If you’ve ever browsed alternative stands it’s easy to come away with the idea that monitor stands must be made of solid gold to justify the price, and once you get in to the world of monitor arms, and particularly monitor arms that can actually hold a heavy display up without sinking, then prices become nearly the same as the monitor itself.

However, if you’ve ever needed a portrait orientation for photo editing, reading a particularly lengthy document or playing old arcade games that come in TATE mode, you’ll suddenly realise that a lot of the stands supplied with monitors are of dubious quality. Cost cutting is usually made to the stand first, after all.

So maybe you’ve invested in a new stand, or maybe even a monitor arm. The world of monitor arms in particular is one where the uninformed might wonder why a brand such as Ergotron costs significantly more than random brand from China. And then you use it and realise that instead of the claimed 32 inch monitor, it can barely support a sheet of paper without dropping down to your desktop. But if you have got a high end stand or arm then it is annoying to have to pay extra for a monitor for a stand you’ll never need or use.

Enter NZXT, who are rapidly expanding their brand range and now have added two Canvas QHD monitors to their armoury. The 27″ IPS flat and the 32″ VA Curved that we have on test today. Both are available in black or white chassis, and best of all both are available with an NZXT stand, no stand at all, or for an extra cost an NZXT monitor arm. The arm is one of the best we’ve ever seen, and is the real USP of this package. Let’s take a look.

Technical Specifications

NZXT are releasing both a 27 inch and 32 inch Canvas display, but it’s the 32 we have in the office for test. They are very similar, although the 27 inch is a flat IPS panel, whilst the 32 inch is a strongly curved (R1500) VA model. Otherwise the brightness, gamut, viewing angles, connection options and resolution are identical.