Gawfolk 32 Inch 4K Curved Gaming Monitor Review 2026: Affordable 4K Gaming Display Tested

The Gawfolk 32 Inch 4K Curved Gaming Monitor arrives in a crowded budget 4K gaming market where promises often exceed performance. With a 32-inch curved VA panel, 4K resolution, and competitive pricing, this monitor targets gamers wanting the pixel density of 4K without breaking the bank. But does it deliver where it matters, or is this another case of impressive spec sheets masking mediocre real-world performance?

Gawfolk 32 Inch 4K Curved 1500R PC Gaming Monitor

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.2 (1,370 reviews)

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Specs Overview: What You’re Actually Getting

The Gawfolk sports a 3840×2160 resolution across 32 inches, giving you 137 PPI pixel density. That’s the sweet spot where 4K actually makes sense without needing to squint at tiny text. The 1500R curve is subtle enough not to feel gimmicky but adds a touch of immersion for gaming sessions.

The 165Hz refresh rate is respectable for a 4K display at this price point, though you’ll need serious GPU horsepower to actually hit those frame rates at native resolution. The VA panel choice immediately tells me we’re looking at excellent contrast but potential motion clarity compromises. If you’ve read my AOC C32G2ZE review, you’ll know VA panels are a mixed bag for gaming.

Panel Quality: The VA Trade-Off

The VA panel delivers exactly what you’d expect: deep, inky blacks with a native contrast ratio around 3000:1. That’s triple what you’d get from an IPS panel like the MSI MAG 322URDF. Dark scenes in games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Alan Wake 2 look properly atmospheric without the greyish black levels that plague cheaper IPS displays.

Colour coverage is adequate for gaming. The 99% sRGB coverage means colours look punchy and accurate enough for general use, though the 85% DCI-P3 coverage falls short for serious content creation work. Out of the box, colours skew slightly cool with a colour temperature around 6800K rather than the ideal 6500K. Nothing a quick calibration can’t fix if you’ve got a colorimeter, but most buyers won’t bother.

Peak brightness at 320 nits is acceptable for indoor use but nothing special. You won’t have issues with ambient light in typical room conditions, but forget about using this in a brightly lit office with windows behind you. The anti-glare coating is decent, diffusing reflections without adding excessive graininess to the image.

Here’s where VA panels show their weakness: viewing angles are mediocre. Sit more than 20 degrees off-centre and you’ll notice contrast shift and colour desaturation. For a single-user gaming setup, this isn’t a dealbreaker, but it makes the monitor unsuitable for collaborative work or casual viewing with others in the room.

Motion Performance: The VA Smearing Reality

Let’s address the elephant in the room: that claimed “4ms response time” is marketing nonsense. In real-world testing with moving UFO patterns and fast-paced gameplay, grey-to-grey transitions average 8-10ms, with dark level transitions pushing 12-15ms. This is standard VA behaviour, not a Gawfolk-specific issue.

What does this mean practically? In fast-paced competitive shooters like Valorant or CS2, you’ll notice trailing and smearing, especially in dark areas of the map. Moving from a bright corridor into a shadowy corner produces visible ghosting that can obscure enemy positions. If you’re serious about competitive gaming, an IPS or TN panel like the KTC 32 inch 170Hz would serve you better.

For single-player games, the motion handling is perfectly acceptable. Playing through Red Dead Redemption 2 or Elden Ring, the slower pace means you’re less likely to notice the response time limitations. The excellent contrast actually enhances the experience more than fast pixel transitions would.

The monitor includes overdrive settings (Off, Normal, Fast, Extreme). Normal mode provides the best balance with minimal overshoot artifacts. Fast mode introduces slight inverse ghosting on high-contrast transitions, whilst Extreme mode is unusable with severe coronas around moving objects. Stick with Normal for best results.

At 165Hz, motion is noticeably smoother than 60Hz, assuming your GPU can push those frames at 4K. The adaptive sync (FreeSync and G-Sync compatible) works reliably within the 48-165Hz range, eliminating tearing without adding input lag. VRR flicker in low frame rate scenarios is minimal, which is better than some budget displays I’ve tested.

HDR Performance: Marketing Badge, Not Real HDR

I’ll be blunt: the HDR implementation is worthless. With peak brightness barely reaching 350 nits and zero local dimming zones, enabling HDR mode actually makes content look worse than SDR. Highlights get clipped, midtones become washed out, and you lose the VA panel’s excellent native contrast.

Testing with HDR game content from Forza Horizon 5 and The Last of Us Part I, the experience is consistently disappointing. Bright scenes lack the punch of true HDR, whilst dark scenes lose shadow detail. The tone mapping is aggressive and poorly calibrated, crushing blacks despite the panel’s capable contrast ratio.

This isn’t unique to Gawfolk. Most monitors under £500 slap an “HDR compatible” badge on the box whilst delivering nothing close to a genuine HDR experience. Real HDR requires VESA DisplayHDR 600 certification minimum (ideally 1000), with local dimming zones and peak brightness above 600 nits. This monitor has none of that.

My advice: ignore the HDR toggle entirely. Leave the monitor in SDR mode and enjoy the excellent native contrast the VA panel provides. You’ll get better image quality and won’t waste time fiddling with HDR settings that fundamentally can’t deliver.

Connectivity: Adequate But Unexciting

Port selection is basic but functional. Two HDMI 2.0 ports and one DisplayPort 1.4 cover most use cases, though I’d prefer HDMI 2.1 for future-proofing with PS5 and Xbox Series X. DisplayPort 1.4 provides sufficient bandwidth for 4K at 165Hz with 8-bit colour and compression, which is fine for gaming.

The lack of USB-C is disappointing but expected at this price point. If you’re connecting a modern laptop for work-from-home duties, you’ll need a separate USB-C to DisplayPort cable. No USB hub means you can’t use the monitor as a connectivity expansion point for peripherals.

Audio output via 3.5mm jack is present for connecting external speakers or headphones. The monitor includes built-in speakers, but they’re predictably awful. Tinny, lacking bass, and maxing out at uncomfortably low volumes. Use them only in emergencies; invest in proper speakers or headphones.

The OSD (on-screen display) is controlled via a joystick on the rear bottom edge, which is far superior to the button-based systems on cheaper monitors. Navigation is intuitive, though the menu design looks dated with low-resolution icons and clunky fonts. Accessing common settings like input selection and overdrive modes is straightforward enough.

Stand & Ergonomics: Basic But Functional

The included stand is better than expected for a budget monitor. Height adjustment provides 120mm of travel, enough to get the screen at proper eye level for most desk setups. Tilt adjustment offers -5 to +15 degrees, adequate for eliminating reflections and finding a comfortable viewing angle.

The stand base has a reasonably small footprint considering the 32-inch panel, though it still occupies significant desk space. Build quality feels solid with minimal wobble during typing or desk movement. The matte black finish resists fingerprints and looks professional enough for office environments.

Missing swivel and pivot adjustments are noticeable omissions. If you need to occasionally turn the screen to show something to a colleague, you’ll be rotating the entire base. Portrait mode isn’t an option without a VESA mount, though realistically few people use 32-inch monitors vertically anyway.

VESA 100×100 mounting is supported if you prefer a monitor arm. This is my recommended approach for serious setups, as a quality arm like an Amazon Basics or Ergotron LX provides full positioning flexibility the stock stand lacks. Cable management clips on the stand help route cables neatly, a small touch that’s appreciated.

Alternatives: How Does It Compare?

Context matters when evaluating value. The KTC H32S17 costs less but drops to 1440p resolution. If you’re primarily gaming and your GPU struggles with 4K, the KTC might actually provide a better experience with higher sustained frame rates and similar motion performance.

The MSI MAG 322URDF offers 4K IPS at similar refresh rates but costs £100-150 more. You’re paying for superior viewing angles, better motion clarity, and more reliable build quality. If competitive gaming matters, that premium is justified. For casual gaming prioritising contrast and immersion, the Gawfolk holds its own.

The AOC C32G2ZE targets pure competitive gaming with 240Hz refresh but only 1080p resolution. At 32 inches, 1080p looks noticeably pixelated. The Gawfolk’s 4K panel provides far better image quality for productivity and single-player gaming, though the AOC wins for esports titles.

For ultrawide alternatives, the MSI MAG 342CQR E2 offers immersive gaming at 3440×1440, though at a higher price point. Ultrawide versus 4K 16:9 is largely personal preference, both have merits depending on your gaming library and productivity needs.