INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Every single segment of the market is always divided into several different target audiences/groups, based primarily not just on their needs but also cost. Take monitors for example, gamers and enthusiasts tend to go for the latest ultra-wide GSync/FreeSync gaming models whereas casual users grab pretty much whatever's in front of them (cost based decision usually). There's a 3rd category however which is also divided into several different ones, professionals. Two of the most common groups are photographers who are looking for the best possible (not to mention reliable) color reproduction and office workers who also place quite a bit of weight on image quality and of course reduced eye strain. EIZO has always catered to the needs of both and today with me i have a model which should cover a good percentage of these groups (not everyone obviously), the FlexScan EV3285.

   EIZO (TSE:6737), which means image in Japanese, is a visual technology company that develops and manufactures high-end visual solutions to enrich people in their professional and personal lives. EIZO offers total imaging solutions with a range of monitors, software, video capture, processing, and distribution solutions, cameras, and advanced integrated technologies, to meet the specialized needs of customers in business, creative fields, healthcare, air traffic control, maritime, security & surveillance, and more. Headquartered in Hakusan, Japan, EIZO has R&D and manufacturing facilities in Japan, China, Germany, and the United States, and representation in more than 90 countries.

   The EIZO EV3285 is a 31.5" (80.1cm diagonal) monitor (currently available in black and white colors) that follows the typical 16:9 aspect ratio and uses a LED-backlit IPS 8-bit panel (178 degrees horizontal and vertical viewing angles) that sports a maximum resolution of 3840x2160p (4k UHD) with a vertical refresh rate of 60Hz. Other panel specifications include a response time of 5ms (GTG), maximum brightness level of 350cd/m2, 1300:1 contrast ratio, 140ppi (pixels per inch) pixel density and a color space set at 100% for sRGB and 75% for Adobe RGB. The energy class A EV3285 monitor is packed with several interesting features as well including a 60W USB-C port (can be used to transmit audio and video and power/recharge devices), light sensor (auto brightness control), EcoView (power and CO2 reduction), TUV flicker free viewing, TUV low blue light content, non-glare matte panel, stereo front facing speakers (1W each) and picture by picture and picture in picture functionality (PBP/PIP). Finally, EIZO covers the EV3285 with a very generous 5 year warranty (and a zero bright pixels warranty for a period of 6 months) and has equipped it with two HDMI ports (v1.4/2.2), single DisplayPort v1.3 port, single USB-C port (60W output), two USB-A ports and a single 3.5mm headphone mini jack.

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EIZO is the very first company to send a monitor packed inside not one, but two thick cardboard boxes the first of which has their logo on both the front and rear and the Made in Japan on the sides (details like the cloth handles are also something i haven't seen in the past).

 

 

The main cardboard box also has the EIZO logo on both the front and rear but this time over it also has stickers with the model name on all 4 sides.

 

 

Both the screen and its bundle are wrapped inside bags and placed in and/or between two thick foam spacers.

 

 

Along with the EV3285 monitor and its power cord EIZO also packs an HDMI cable, DisplayPort cable, USB-C cable, cable management adapter, vesa mounting screws, user's manual, precautions paper, warranty and contact information papers and the TCO certification paper.

 

 

THE EV3285

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It may be almost 32" in size but thanks to its limited bezels the EV3285 actually looks small.

 

 

Instead of placing it somewhere on the screen the EIZO logo is located on the round base.

 

 

The bezels are roughly 4mm at the top, left and right and roughly 7mm at the bottom.

 

 

EIZO has placed 4 touch buttons on the lower right end of the screen.

 

 

The two holes you see on the lower left and right are of the build-in stereo speakers.

 

 

If you don't have much available height on your desk you may be happy to learn that the lower height of the EV3285 is just 11mm from the desk.

 

 

On the other hand, the maximum height is roughly 163mm.

 

 

The screen also has a tilt function of up to 35 degrees up and 5 degrees down.

 

 

Turning the screen around we see its weirdly looking stand, a large cut at the top which also acts as a handle and a sticker with its factory rollout date and serial number.

 

 

All available connectors are also located at the rear so here we see the on/off switch, power port, two HDMI ports (v1.4/2.2), DisplayPort v1.3 port, USB-C port (60W output), two USB-A ports and a 3.5mm headphone mini jack.

 

 

By default, the EV3285 comes with a compact cable holder which you can replace with the larger cable cover.

 

 

Also, worth pointing out is that thanks to the round base and its mechanism you can turn the screen left and right (swivel) effortlessly.

 

 

EV3285 MENUS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can access the OSD of the EV3285 from the far left touch button as seen above.

 

 

The screen comes ready with 4 presets plus 2 user presets.

 

 

From the second tab you can enable/disable the EcoView function and check to see what power and CO2 savings this has resulted.

 

 

You can also adjust the volume of the front facing stereo speakers and the brightness levels from here.

 

 

From the main menu you can adjust the color mode, brightness and contrast levels, temperature, gamma and enable super resolution (worth pointing out is that the screen can go all the way up to 10k temperature).

 

 

Inside the advanced settings tab you can enable the overdrive feature (could be useful in games so check it out) and adjust the hue, saturation and gain levels.

 

 

Screen ratio, color format and input range can all be accessed from inside the signal tab.

 

 

The end user can also change the USB mode (normal/charge only), enable/disable the power save feature, enable/disable the power indicator, adjust the music output and reset the monitor to its factory settings from the preferences tab.

 

 

As you can see the OSD is available in 9 different languages.

 

 

Some information related to the screen can be found inside the information tab.

 

 

SCREEN INSTYLE SOFTWARE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you connect the EV3285 to your system via USB-C you can access some of its features (and more actually) via the Screen InStyle software (you can download it from the official support page).

 

 

From here you can adjust the color settings, volume (if supported by your model), enable/disable the eco settings and sync your settings with other EIZO connected screens.

 

 

You can also use the color briefcase (user modes), enable/disable auto color mode (ties specific settings to specific applications), enable/disable the dimming schedule, enable hotkeys, access the power management features, connect to the server version of the InStyle Software (centralized) and check the software version.

 

 

VIEWING ANGLES / PICTURE QUALITY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Viewing angles aside (very good results there as well) what really stands out is image quality so with that in mind i am including the full quality pictures taken with my brand new Nikon D3500 camera.

 

 

Needless to say, even though image quality is great (and that improves everything, games included) the EV3285 is not a gaming monitor so if you are used playing at a 100Hz+ model and you go to this EIZO you will need quite a bit of time to get used to it (even though i didn't encounter any serious lag issues yes this isn't really suited for gamers, especially those used to higher refresh rates).

 

 

TEST RESULTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DATACOLOR SPYDERX ELITE MEASUREMENTS

By using the SpyderX Elite Colorimeter by Datacolor i measure both the color gamut (SRGB and Adobe) and the brightness levels of the monitor at hand.

 

 

Here you can see results for Color and Luminance Screen Uniformity (instead of just listing results at 100% brightness I’m listing all of them - 50/67/83/100%).

 

 

Datacolor rates monitors based on their overall results so it was decided to include this chart as well.

 

POWER CONSUMPTION

Power consumption may not be what most people look for when out to get a brand new monitor but at the end of the day it's still an important factor so i do hope this is of interest to some of you.

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   My very first encounter with EIZO was back in 1999 with their award winning (and quite expensive) T965 CRT model. Of course, back then 21 inches were considered a lot for a PC screen so to many the T965 was too much. Unfortunately, that was the extend of my experience with EIZO so I really wanted to see what they’ve been up to lately and that’s why I requested to test the FlexScan EV3285 which as you can see from the rest of the review didn’t fail to impress. Yes, this isn’t a gaming monitor so if you’ve been using something with a higher refresh rate it will be hard to get back to 60Hz but if you’re not then you’ll really enjoy playing on the EV3285. Where the EV3285 really shines however is image quality and color reproduction and here it doesn’t have much competition. Yes, it may not deliver the highest Adobe RGB color space numbers but pictures don’t lie and it’s clear that EIZO delivers the same top-notch IQ as they’ve done in the past. And then we have all the other features like the light sensor, versatile stand, USB-C input / charging and eco modes (not to mention the paper mode) all of which can produce the optimal result for professionals, primarily office workers.

   At the time of this review the FlexScan EV3285 4k UHD Monitor retails for USD1498 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 1190.70Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) a price tag which can be easily explained just by the name EIZO. That being said there are many people who will say that this is an overpriced screen and that just might be true to an extent. However, considering all the things you’re getting in return (size, image quality, color reproduction, resolution, features, warranty) not to mention all the small details there are certainly those who will go the extra mile without paying much attention to price. Personally, I think EIZO still has what put them at the top back in the late 90’s and as for the EV3285 well it’s a top notch monitor aimed towards demanding office workers and since it delivers it certainly deserves the Golden Award.

PROS

- Very Good Build Quality
- 4k 3840x2160p UHD Resolution
- LED Backlit IPS Panel
- Excellent Image Quality
- Features (Light Sensor / Eco Mode / Color & Brightness Adjustments)
- 5ms GTG Response Time
- 5 Year Limited Warranty / 6 Months Zero Bright Pixel Warranty
- Versatile Stand (Tilt / Swivel / Height Adjustment)
- 2 USB 3.0 Ports / USB C Port (60W)
- Stereo Speakers (1W Each)
- Available Connectors (HDMI v1.4 / v2.2, DisplayPort v1.3, 3.5mm Mini Jack)
- On / Off Power Switch
- Available In Black & White Colors
- Power Consumption

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Not Ideal For Gaming
- Adobe RGB Color Space (For Some)