HP E32k G5 Review: You Don’t Need Anything More

Looking for a screen that offers versatility, productivity, and comfort during long workdays? With the HP E32k G5 monitor, you get exactly what you need: nothing more and nothing less.

For those with an office job, many hours are spent daily looking at a screen. A quality monitor tailored to your needs is far from an unnecessary luxury. In this test, we work with the E32k G5 4K USB-C monitor from HP. This is a no-frills business monitor that does what it needs to do, but also gives you the freedom to find a setup that works for you.

Robust Gymnast

The ideal size for a monitor is different for everyone. Some prefer a compact screen, while for others, it can’t be wide enough. With a size of 32 inches, HP seeks the golden mean. A 32-inch monitor offers you enough space to simultaneously sort multiple apps in an organized way, while you don’t completely disappear behind your screen. The thin screen edges ensure that no space is wasted, only in the bottom edge does HP allow itself room for a subtle logo.

The HP E32k G5 stands firmly on its feet, literally. The base looks like a concrete block and feels like it too: the total setup weighs 8.4 kg. The screen needs a solid push to knock it off balance. The monitor is a sturdy chunk, but also a flexible gymnast: you can adjust it in height, tilt it, and rotate it horizontally to find the right position. Rotating 180° to a vertical setup is not possible because you hit the base.

In terms of ports, you’re not lacking anything: the expected connections are present on the back. We find 1x HDMI, 3x USB-A, 2x USB-C, and 1x DisplayPort. Only the cable could have been a bit longer. Via the USB-C ports, the monitor provides power to connected devices, up to 15 W power delivery. That’s enough to keep your laptop alive or give your smartphone a short power boost. For longer charging sessions of your smartphone, it seems less suitable: after more than half an hour, our device started to feel worryingly warm.

Sharp Image

The HP E32k G5 gets to include the word ‘4K’ in its name, which immediately tells you the maximum resolution, namely 3840 x 2160. These are distributed in a pixel density of 140 pixels per inch. The IPS panel offers a viewing angle of 178°. Gamers won’t get excited about the 60 Hz refresh rate, but we’re looking at the screen from a professional perspective. 60 Hz is good enough for standard office work.

Through the HP Display Center app (available via the Microsoft Store), you can still play with the image settings. Not much manual work is needed, as the screen is already well-adjusted out of the box. Artificially increasing the sharpness can lead to an overly ‘brushed’ effect.

Color Book

With an average DeltaE of under three, colors are also well calibrated. A value of two or less is nearly perfect, and the HP E32k G5 is not far from that. We see the highest deviation on bright red shades, which can be reduced with manual tuning. The deviations for deep black values, often a weakness of IPS screens, remain within acceptable ranges. Out of the box, you have a balanced color gamut.

HP wants to jump on a few trends, and it stumbles a bit there. It emphasizes the presence of an Eye Ease mode with blue light filters. Despite every monitor manufacturer making blue light out to be the arch-enemy, there is no conclusive scientific evidence that it is actually so harmful and that such filters have any use. HP also describes this monitor as ‘environmentally friendly’, but it fails badly on energy efficiency, which is not unusual for IPS panels.

The HP E32k G5 has much of what a monitor should have, but not everything. There is no integrated webcam in the screen. You do have dual 3 W speakers, but don’t expect stereo quality from them.

Conclusion

When choosing a monitor, there are many aspects to consider. The HP E32k G5 will meet many of your requirements. This screen provides what you need out of the box, and for those who feel the need, there’s room to customize the screen to their liking. This monitor will shine in various setups.

HP E32k G5 4K USB-C – 483 euros incl. VAT – 3-year warranty