Unlike other brands that have united all monitors for photo and video processing under a common flag, Taiwanese manufacturer BenQ believes that these are different classes of goods. They produce monitors for designers in the PD series, displays for editing and video processing come with the PV index, and options for photo processing have the abbreviation SW in the title. It is about them now and will be discussed.

It should be noted right away that most SW models are one or two steps higher than the usual monitors for "creatives". And they cost accordingly. This is due to the scrupulous attitude to even the smallest nuances. For example, their additional equipment most often includes both the familiar USB hub with fast charging, and removable side curtains and a separate card reader.


If you look at the big picture from a height, then the use of an honest 10-bit colour (not in all models, but still), the full coverage of the Adobe RGB colour triangle, which is usually guided in printing, and Pantone certification, will immediately catch your eye, which is the industry standard in the printing industry. It’s no coincidence that the BenQ SW321C won the 2020 TIPA Awards Best Photo Editing Monitor of 2020.

But that's not all. Many BenQ SW monitors are also capable of displaying the full DCI-P3 and Rec.709 colour spectrums that are widely used in video production. Spice it up with high resolution, HDR support (not everywhere), hardware calibration, and optional CalMAN certification, and you've got top-notch photo editing tools that won't beat many modern monitors when it comes to video content.