Eizo ColorEdge CG3100X monitor review

Most of the monitors we review are mid-range to premium models built with color accuracy in mind. We select these as they should hopefully be reliable displays on which to edit images or video. But the Eizo ColorEdge CG3100X goes beyond our usual definition of "premium". It's designed for professional creatives and includes features you simply don't find on most other high-end displays. Naturally, a no-compromise display like this doesn't come cheap, so let's see if it can differentiate itself enough from cheaper competitors to justify its price.

Specifications

Display area: 30.5 inches
Aspect: 17:9
Panel type: IPS
Panel bit depth: 10-bit
Display colors: 1.07 billion
Resolution: 4096 x 2160
Pixel density: 152 ppi
Refresh rate: 60Hz
Response time: 15ms
Brightness: 500 cd/m2
Contrast ratio: 1800:1
Color space coverage: 100% sRGB, 97% AdobeRGB, 99% P3
Video inputs: HDMI, USB-C (DP Alt Mode), DisplayPort

Read more:
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Key features

The CG3100X replaces the ColorEdge CG319X in Eizo's monitor range, and though it's slightly smaller (30.5 inches vs 31.1 inches), it has more modern features like USB-C single-cable connectivity to an attached laptop, as well as a higher 500-nit max brightness that qualifies it as an HDR display.

Probably the most obvious difference with the CG3100X compared to other monitors is its DCI 4K resolution. Where the vast majority of 4K monitors have a resolution of 3840 x 2160, the CG3100X runs at 4096 x 2160. DCI 4K is almost exclusively used in professional filmmaking, so if that's your preferred recording resolution, the CG3100X is ideal for reviewing your footage full screen with no black bars top and bottom, as would be the case with a conventional 4K display. If you don't record in DCI 4K, the CG3100X's resolution can still be useful, as it results in a slightly wider than normal 17:9 aspect ratio. This gives you more horizontal work area for displaying pallets alongside a 3:2 still image in Photoshop, or extra room for split screen multitasking. On the downside, it means every standard 16:9 video you ever watch will have black bars down the left and right sides when viewed full screen.

Other, more subtle features that set the CG3100X apart include its support for HDR, hybrid log-gamma and the perceptual quantization (PQ) curve for film production and streamed content. The latter allows you to display areas of an image that are clipped when displayed at a specified brightness level. These areas can be highlighted in yellow or magenta to make them easily visible. Additional viewing aides include 4K Zoom, whereby you can enlarge a chosen area of the screen to examine fine detail, simply by pressing one of the monitor's front touch buttons. It's also possible to set up and customize a Safe Area Marker within which captions or other information will appear, ensuring they are visible during broadcast.

In keeping with its video focus, the CG3100X is able to display an impressive 99% coverage of the DCI-P3 video gamut, and it supports the BT.2020 standard used in broadcasting. Photo editors will also appreciate the high 97% AdobeRGB color space coverage.

To ensure the CG3100X continually displays accurate color, not only does it have built-in hardware calibration, it also has its own colorimeter. This means it can self-calibrate without the need for you to place a separate monitor calibrator on the screen. It achieves this by using a small motorized colorimeter arm that pivots out of a slot in the top bezel.

Build & handling

First off, the CG3100X is heavy, or at least heavier than I'd expect for a monitor of its size. That bodes well for its build quality, and while I can't yet comment on the long-term longevity of the CG3100X, I do have an old Eizo 20-inch 4:3 monitor in my office which is around 20 years old and still going strong, though it's long since been retired from front-line duty.

The CG3100X won't win any style awards: its thick black bezels look clunky and dated, and the hefty stand is equally bland. But pandering to style trends is the antithesis of what Eizo CG-series monitors are about. These are screens 100% focussed on function over form. They're designed to be used by professionals who need the best possible image quality and long-term performance, not ultra-slim bezels or a sleek stand. The CG3100X delivers where it counts: its touch buttons along the lower bezel are super-sensitive and function perfectly...

...and thanks to being back-lit and on the front of the screen, there's no fumbling around the side or rear of the display to find the controls, as can often be the case with other monitors. That said, a row of buttons isn't totally intuitive - BenQ's joystick control, while mounted on the rear of some of its monitors, is arguably a more intuitive means of navigating through on-screen menus.

The CG3100X's stand, if not much to look at, is exceptionally solid. I would like a little more height adjustment though, as I couldn't quite get the screen to my preferred viewing height.

Connectivity includes HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C. The latter enables a one-cable connection with a laptop, supplying it with up to 94W of power. You also get a RJ45 LAN port, headphone jack and multiple USB-A ports on the side of the display.

Eizo supplies a shading hood with the CG3100X. Unlike some Eizo monitors of old, this one is a simple fold-out affair that snaps instantly to the display using magnets.

When it's time to calibrate the CG3100X, the process is surprisingly unobtrusive. I was expecting the monitor to display full-screen test patches that would require me to stop work, but not so. Only the screen area directly in front of the pop-out colorimeter is used for calibration, so you can continue using the monitor.

The calibration process is slower than with an aftermarket Calibrite or Datacolor colorimeter, taking around 10 minutes (and that's in addition to the required warm-up time), but this is of little concern when you can use the monitor during calibration. Alternatively, you can schedule the calibration to take place at a time more convenient to you. Once calibrated, the updated color settings are stored in the monitor, so they stay with it regardless of the computer you're using.

Performance

I've reviewed dozens of high-end monitors, and they almost always impress straight out of the box. But Eizo CG-series displays have that little bit extra. They're not ultra-vibrant or anything similarly attention-grabbing. Rather, it's how supremely comfortable they are to view which sets them apart. The balanced color and contrast, along with near-flawless brightness uniformity, give the impression that you could be looking at a perfectly lit print rather than a backlit LCD display. It's a subtle difference compared to other premium photo-editing monitors, but it's noticeable.

The CG3100X has multiple color pre-sets, including common stills and video color gamut standards, but even left in the default 'User' pre-set I couldn't fault the picture quality. Even so, to get a truly objective measure of the CG3100X's image quality, the human eye just won't cut it - you need a colorimeter, commonly known as a monitor calibrator. My device of choice is Datacolor's Spyder Pro, which in addition to calibrating a monitor can also measure key aspects of its display output, to see whether the CG3100X actually performs on par with Eizo's advertised specifications.

Lab results

Color gamut:

Eizo claims 99% DCI-P3 coverage, and 97% Adobe RGB coverage. We couldn't quite match the latter, recording 94%, though this is still a very high percentage of such a wide color gamut. As for DCI-P3; we recorded a full 100% coverage, so slightly higher than Eizo's advertised P3 figure.

Color accuracy:

For the amount of money the CG3100X costs, you'd expect it to be pretty darned color-accurate out of the box. Thankfully, our test sample didn't disappoint. A Delta E deviance from perfect color of just 0.26 is a phenomenal result, and is one of - if not the - best scores we've ever recorded.

What's more, where other monitors may get close to this with a decent overall Delta E result, one particular test color - usually cyan, ID 1F - may tend to have a much higher Delta E than the other colors. This one anomaly won't raise the overall Delta E score by much, however it will produce a visible cool color cast to the overall image quality. That may be acceptable for average users who believe a cool, crisp white tone is a marker of superior screen quality, but it's no good for color accuracy. Eizo evidently hasn't tuned the CG3100X to have an artificially cool color cast, and it pays dividends for its color reliability.

Brightness uniformity:

Another metric of high image quality is the uniformity of a screen's brightness across the entirety of the display area. Eizo has traditionally been strong in this area, and the CG3100X continues the trend. A maximum difference between the brightest and dimmest screen regions of 6% is a very respectable score, and this variance is consistent whether the monitor is set to 100% brightness, or a more usable 67%. This isn't quite the best uniformity score we've recorded - that honour goes to Eizo's CG2700X with its 3% figure - but in real-world use you won't see any brightness inconsistencies with the CG3100X.

Color uniformity:

Color uniformity is also excellent, varying by a maximum Delta E deviation of 2.4 between the most and least color-accurate regions of the display. Again, that's not quite as impressive as the score we recorded from the CG2700X, but reduce screen brightness to 67% and the Delta E deviation drops to an impressive 1.4.

Brightness and contrast:

Eizo specifies a 500-nit peak brightness for the CG3100X. We recorded 485 nits, which is close enough to spec, and frankly unless your office/studio is outdoors, you wouldn't want to edit at anything close to this brightness anyway.

Verdict

Along with its smaller sibling, the ColorEdge CG2700X, the CG3100X is the most accurate monitor for image or video editing I've ever used. Its image quality is as close to flawless as you'll find from an LCD monitor, with exceptional color accuracy, gamut coverage, and excellent uniformity. Then there's the plethora of premium features like hardware calibration with a built-in colorimeter for fully automated calibration, and the unusual DCI 4K resolution with its resulting 17:9 aspect ratio. They give the CG3100X special appeal to professional videographers, and the same can be said for the screen's HDR ability with support for hybrid log gamma and perceptual quantization.

As is probably becoming clear though, the CG3100X isn't intended to compete with typical consumer monitors of this size; rather, it's a no-compromise tool for professionals, and its price reflects this. If you're after a decent quality display for photo or video editing at home, it simply doesn't make sense to spend anything like this much money - other monitors will get close to the CG3100X's performance for a fraction of the cost. But if you need an utterly dependable display for mission-critical production work, a screen that produces near-perfect image quality and should reliably continue to do so for many years, then the CG3100X will be worth the investment.