Westinghouse WH32UX9019 32-inch monitor review

 Two-minute review

The Westinghouse WH32UX9019 is a $379 (about £320, AU$640), 32-inch 4K monitor that checks a few of the boxes people might be looking for in a new monitor right now. It has some gaming extra perks, like a pop-out headphone holder, but otherwise offers up a fairly simple display that bets it all on three specs: size, resolution and price.

At its price, the Westinghouse WH32UX9019 is a lot cheaper than many of the best 4K monitors, even smaller ones. For instance, the $649 (about £490, AU$900) LG 27UD88-W is only a 27-inch display but costs nearly twice as much. The Westinghouse WH32UX9019 is even close to the price of the MonoPrice 27” 4K UHD, but still a significantly bigger screen. The  Philips Brilliance 328P may be stronger competition with a similar size screen and a few higher specs, but it costs about $655 (about £499, AU$925).

Clearly the Westinghouse WH32UX9019 is standing on firm ground when it comes to affordability. The story gets better. For gamers and users just after that simple 4K resolution for an extra sharp picture on a large display, the Westinghouse WH32UX9019 successfully delivers.

We love the crisp visuals we can get in games. We’ve been finally gliding through Batman Arkham Knight, and the 4K resolution combined with a fluid 60fps makes for a shockingly compelling gaming experience despite the age of that game. We don’t notice any latency. The solid contrast ratio of display aids experience. Movies and TV shows look great as well. It’s all even better when trying to get some work done. The 32-inch display effectively offers four laptop displays’ worth of space, and we can put a window in each corner of the display for some serious multitasking with each window getting its own 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. The display even supports 10-bit color depth.

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There’s a limit to how much a monitor this price can offer though. The 60Hz refresh rate can be a bit limiting on higher-end hardware. As there’s a lack of any variable refresh rate tech like FreeSync or G-Sync, we’re confronted with the occasional screen tearing on this display. Switching from Arkham Knight to Call of Duty: Warzone and Rainbow Six Siege, we quickly see how 4K’s offer can struggle to keep up with the allure of a high refresh rate. In faster-paced games, the sharp pixels are less noticeable than the lower frame rates.

You won’t find any special HDR features on the Westinghouse WH32UX9019 either, especially considering the monitor is rated at 220 nits. That brightness level isn’t a severe drawback though, as the anti-glare finish keeps the display perfectly visible in even a well-lit room.

The simplicity of the monitor also extends to its design. While the stand appears to be more functional, it actually just offers simple angling of the display up or down. There’s no rotation, swivel, or height adjustment – of course, a display this size stands pretty tall anyway. The wide-legged may offer good stability, but it also takes up an obnoxious amount of our desk. The controls on the back are as basic and obnoxious as any. On the plus side, there is high-speed USB passthrough, something even more expensive monitors can fail to include.

The Westinghouse WH32UX9019 definitely nails the fundamentals. At its price, it’s easy to overlook the features it lacks. It’s definitely 4K, it’s absolutely large, and it can do the job it’s meant to do. Its half-hearted targeting of gamers may be misguided, though.

 Buy it if… 

 Don’t buy it if…