Multiple ASUS PG32UCDM3 monitors arrive cracked, buyers cite weak box protection
Multiple buyers of ASUS’s new ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM3 are reporting that the monitor arrived with a cracked panel, with several posts pointing to the same likely cause, the retail packaging. The affected display is ASUS’s new 32-inch 4K 240Hz QD-OLED model, currently listed at US$1,299 on the company’s US store.
The complaints surfaced on Reddit, where users shared photos of units damaged out of the box, even with fractures concentrated around the lower-right area of the panel. Buyers said the monitor ships with limited internal cushioning and little protection between the outer box and the screen itself. Several users also said they had already started the RMA process for replacements.
A separate teardown-style Reddit post by user winterbegins focused on the packaging design rather than the panel. That post says the PG32UCDM3 uses molded cardboard inserts instead of thicker foam-style protection, and claims the box itself is thinner and smaller than expected for a 32-inch premium monitor.
I’m sure you will be pleased to learn that someone had the great idea to literally make a cutout in the lower half of that said cardboard – basically right where the panel sits. So the only thing that protects said panel is the outer box and the wrapper around the monitor. The whole box is also not much bigger than the one of my KTC M27P6 which is only a 27 inch model and basically only 1/3 of the price of the Asus.
— winterbegins
Source: Reddit
That is a problem for a monitor in this price range, especially because ASUS markets the PG32UCDM3 as a top-end model with a 32-inch 3840 x 2160 QD-OLED panel, 240Hz refresh rate, 0.03 ms response time, DisplayPort 2.1a, and BlackShield film. On paper, this is one of ASUS’s most advanced gaming monitors this generation.
We already covered the PG32UCDM3 when ASUS first leaked and later officially introduced the monitor, so this is the first large issue tied to the product after launch. At this point, the scale of the problem is still unclear, but there are now enough similar user reports to raise questions about whether ASUS needs to revise the shipping box or add another protective layer for retail units.
Source: Reddit
