Mastodawn

I've recently accepted 32" 4k as an acceptable size/resolution on Mac. Sure innocn a lot better, but also a ton more expensive. This innocn is pretty tempting, high refresh rate, great P3 color support (in SDR at least) and actually factory calibrated.

Probably pretty good for console gaming as well using the HDR mode. Seems like a good all in one style monitor.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BCK1K44F/ref=ewc_pr_img_1?smid=A2SHWIYMNRTTNZ&th=1

Amazon.com

Found a coupon code for 10% off the 32M2V, makes it a pretty crazy deal, too bad the one with the black border isn't on sale.

32M2V4KM

So far so good on this, colors look pretty nice, decent but not eye blowing brightness in SDR mode. Shows 4k 144Hz as an option via DP, which I didn't think it could do but seems to work fine. HDR on Mac seems to be limited to 60Hz, but expected that.

Here are the negatives on the 32M2V.

USB-C connectivity on Mac seems to be limited to 4k 60Hz, going to 120Hz causes it to output what I'm assuming is a 4:2:0 signal and looks terrible.
The external power brick is huge.
The inputs are way at the bottom of the monitor which means you can see the power adapter plug poking out the bottom.
The silver chin is a bit distracting.
Wake from sleep is slower than I'd like.

Nothing too terrible.

Seems like pretty good values after calibration, but DisplayCal is so funky on ARM I don't even know if I can trust it.

Phil Kim Jul 26, 2024

@paul Patterns by Portrait Displays is probably the next best bet? It costs $119 without any free trial though.

Adam Charron Jul 22, 2024

@paul does you Mac at least have and HDMI 2.1 port? I know my M1 Pro doesn’t. I’ve been able to get display port alt mode over USB-C to hdmi to work in the past using a special adapter and some EDID overrides but it was unfortunately very flaky.

@Charrondev M1 Ultra, no 2.1.

iklier Jul 23, 2024

@paul does the OSD have a DisplayPort version selector? You likely need DSC enabled for high refresh with higher subsampling. I've seen a lot of displays ship set to DP1.2 or some base mode for compatibility that limits to actual display output over USB DP-Alt mode and the DP ports.

chris overcash Jul 20, 2024

@paul are you using the included stand or a monitor arm? I saw a review suggesting it’s not VESA compliant.

@covercash just a standard vesa mount.

Ville Turpeinen Jul 20, 2024

@paul did you had to use BetterDisplay or some other third party app to create custom scaling resolution?

I think I had to do that with my P40w ultra wide, all default scaled resolutions were like under 80ppi equivalent and made everything too big.

@vinski no pretty sure those are standard options for a 32” 4k.

Sardo Jul 21, 2024

@paul I bought recently Samsung Viewfinity S9 5K, I love the screen but 60Hz is pain to use 😭

Leon Cowle Jul 18, 2024

@paul Bought. I’ll take the 30 days return window to decide if I really want it, but couldn’t pass up on that price. (And thank you for the extra coupon!)

Konrad Kołakowski Jul 17, 2024

@paul 4K on 27 inch is OK with 150% scaling (I have such setup) - but on 32 inch I don't know 🤔 You use any scaling at all then?

@kkolakowski @paul 4k at 32” is still too small for me. I usually run mine at 1440.

@kkolakowski scaled to 3008x1692 which causes the UI elements to be the correct size, similar to 2560x1440 on a 27”.

rstevens 🐳💨✅Jul 17, 2024

@paul does the mac support higher refresh rates on this one?

@rstevens I believe 120Hz in SDR mode.

Tyler K. Nothing Jul 17, 2024

@paul I have a 32” 4K Lenovo ThinkVision connected to my M1 Mini that works fantastic. I know it doesn’t have that perfect 5k scaling, but it looks nice and clear to me :D

@paul I have the 27” variant. I like it, isn’t perfect, but it meets a good gaming / work balance for me

@b3ll any Mac specific weirdness?

@paul occasionally not turning on when I hit the keyboard, needing to turn the monitor off / on again. HDR doesn’t seem reliable to enable, so I just keep it off and use VRR

@b3ll oof I hate that not turning on behavior…

@paul it’s definitely not a daily or weekly problem, just occasionally, but yeah. I’m used to it with PC monitors lol

@b3ll do you use the USB-C or DP connector for the Mac?

@paul I use a thunderbolt dock (caldigit ts4) and then that dock to the display via thunderbolt. Maybe that’s messing with it, but I’m not sure

Maxi 12x 💉Jul 17, 2024

@paul Oh wow, this is cheap for 4K @ 144 Hz!

Leon Cowle Jul 17, 2024

@paul Dammit, my wallet hates you.

Eli Perkins Jul 17, 2024

@paul I've had the Innocn 27M2V (27” 4K@144hz) since October 2023, as a dual-purpose work and gaming monitor.

It looks great for all uses, although you can see the dimming zones every now and then. Also, it can be a bit quirky on macOS with regards to available display modes (mainly a combo of VRR + HDR), but I think that's more macOS than the monitor.

Would recommend, if looks aren't a priority (the silver chin is... 🤢)!

Eli Perkins Jul 17, 2024

@paul Via DisplayPort:

- VRR works but no HDR
- Even at 144hz, no HDR
- At 60hz, HDR works again

@eliperkins yeah I guess they don't have DSC support. As someone who doesn't game on Mac I'll probably just stick it at SDR 120Hz and forget about it, unless I get really bored and want to watch a movie or something with HDR at 60.

Eli Perkins Jul 17, 2024

@paul What's odd is that DSC seems to work okay from Windows though 🤷‍♂️ I've got it hooked up to a TB4 KVM that both my MBP and Windows PC share. I get 4K@144hz HDR from my 3090 no problem, but no dice on macOS.

@eliperkins maybe on windows its running at a lower color depth, like 8bpp vs 10 on Mac?

Michael Cook Jul 17, 2024

@paul do Macs support > 60Hz on external displays? I’ve never been clear on that.

@foobarsoft I can't remember them ever not supporting that.

Michael Cook Jul 17, 2024

@paul Oh neat. I’ve never had a capable monitor (except the built in LCD) so I wasn’t sure.

Thanks.

Wayland Radin Jul 18, 2024

@paul I’m looking at 32” 4k as well and ordered the Dell Dell S3221QS 32 Inch Curved 4K with the VA panel for $250 because name brand. Do you think the innocn 60hz IPS for $200 would be better? Not gaming, but work like email, excel, web platforms, etc.

@wjradin on Mac for 1x resolution any IPS will look quite a bit better than any VA, I'd imagine it'd be the same on 2x.

Wayland Radin Jul 18, 2024

@paul thank you! Looks like I’ll have a few days with the Dell before the innocn arrives and can put it through its paces. Appreciate it!!

sen Jul 18, 2024

@paul @wjradin The IPS vs. VA thing on a Mac is ridiculous. Perfectly usable media and gaming VA display looks like utter crap with washed out colours.

Marcos Huerta Jul 18, 2024

@paul I just can’t do it. Retina or bust.

Rob Pratt Jul 18, 2024

@paul thanks for turning me onto this deal - sooo close to pulling the trigger, and torn between it and the OLED 60hz version 32Q1U which is currently discounted by 30% to $699. 🤔

@robpratt text clarity probably a good deal better on the LCD, specially if they are using WOLED on the other one.

@robpratt I guess forget what I said, it apparently uses an actual RGB OLED panel which I'd imagine looks pretty awesome.

Rob Pratt Jul 18, 2024

@paul thanks for the insight - didn’t know that OLED might have text rendering issues which would be important for work. I’m going to be watching INNOCN’s product line and see what else they come out with. Cheers!

Tadeas Kriz Jul 19, 2024

@paul I’ve almost pulled the trigger on it but then found https://www.pcgamer.com/mini-led-gaming-monitors-are-a-bad-idea-in-theory-and-in-practice-theyre-even-worse/. Probably gonna wait for Rtings review to see how it’s doing.

Mini LED gaming monitors are a bad idea in theory and in practice they're even worse

Don't be fooled, this is not the high-end screen tech we've been waiting for.

PC Gamer

@TadeasKriz https://www.rtings.com/monitor/reviews/innocn/27m2v

INNOCN 27M2V Review

The INNOCN 27M2V is a 27-inch, 4k monitor with Mini LED backlighting. Competing mainly with the Cooler Master Tempest GP27U, it has 1,152 local dimming zones to ...

RTINGS.com

Tadeas Kriz Jul 19, 2024

@paul Thanks, stupid me. I used their search and I just found discussion for it and assumed it's not yet reviewed 🤦

Tadeas Kriz Jul 19, 2024

@paul Oh I see, this is the 27” and I was looking for the 32” (number of dimming zones is the same so I wanted to know how much it changes the HDR quality).

@TadeasKriz I didn't get this for HDR/gaming quality, I got it because of color accuracy, brightness, refresh rate, etc...

If I was focusing on gaming I'd go with one of the new 4k 32" OLEDs.

YouTube has some good reviews of the 32" variant, The Display Guy is a good one to start with.

Tadeas Kriz Jul 19, 2024

@paul Makes sense. I was hoping to replace my Gigabyte M32U which I use it for both work and gaming.

I was considering the 4k 32" OLED, but I'm too afraid of the non-standard subpixel matrix and how it'd display code.

E.J.Jul 22, 2024

@paul I’ve had this monitor for about a year now. It’s got its quirks (some that originate with macOS) but I love the image quality. Use it in a dual environment with a gaming PC & it’s been great with HRR/HDR on Windows 11. Innocn’s quality control is poor (case gaps, dead pixels) but their customer service eventually got me a good unit. Best sweet spot monitor available, IMHO.

E.J.Jul 22, 2024

@paul … & though I hated the tacky silver shell at first, on a 3rd-party monitor arm the 32M2V makes a great aesthetic pairing with my Mac Studio.