Dough Spectrum Black 32 OLED review

Our VerdictDough’s 32-inch 4K OLED is beautifully built and sports LG’s latest WOLED panel tech plus a lovely Gorilla Glass cover. But the calibration needs attention before this monitor isn’t quite ready to be on sale.

Our Verdict

Dough’s 32-inch 4K OLED is beautifully built and sports LG’s latest WOLED panel tech plus a lovely Gorilla Glass cover. But the calibration needs attention before this monitor isn’t quite ready to be on sale.

ForLovely build and designWOLED 4K panelGorilla glass is greatAgainstCalibration needs workNo USB hub

ForLovely build and designWOLED 4K panelGorilla glass is great

AgainstCalibration needs workNo USB hub

PC Gamer’s got your backOur experienced team dedicates many hours to every review, to really get to the heart of what matters most to you.Find out more about how we evaluate games and hardware.

No price informationCheck AmazonWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

No price informationCheck Amazon

Amazon

No price informationCheck Amazon

No price information

We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

Recent updatesUpdate December 16, 2024:There was an error in the original review which stated that the USB Type-C port on this version of the Spectrum 32 was buggy, but we have been informed that the port on the ‘nohub’ displays is purely for firmware updates and not for any form of video or power output. We have amended the specs box accordingly. This Glass ‘nohub’ version therefore only has the video outputs for the “minimalist users”.

Recent updates

Update December 16, 2024:There was an error in the original review which stated that the USB Type-C port on this version of the Spectrum 32 was buggy, but we have been informed that the port on the ‘nohub’ displays is purely for firmware updates and not for any form of video or power output. We have amended the specs box accordingly. This Glass ‘nohub’ version therefore only has the video outputs for the “minimalist users”.

Original review December 13, 2024:Formerly known as Eve,Dough is the kindof company you want to like. It’s an independent startup with a self-styled community angle rather than a sprawling, faceless corporate entity. And that shows in its monitors, both for better and worse. Notably, there have been some serious missteps when it comes to actually shipping its products. Arguably, that goes with the startup territory.

That startup mentality is also absolutely evident with the Dough Spectrum Black 32 OLED, the brand’s very latest PC monitor. It ups Dough’s ante to fully 32 inches of glorious 4K OLED action and,just like the original Spectrum, you sense the effort and investment, in terms of design and careful attention to elements like the design aesthetic and build quality, that’s gone into this new OLED panel. You just don’t see that from the bigger brands.

Where models from more mainstream monitor makers tend to feel a bit cheap, plasticky and mass produced, even at this premium end of the market, the Dough 32 OLED sports a lush metal rear chassis and a gorgeous, beautifully engineered alloy stand, albeit that latter feature is an optional $100 extra.

Add in the slick Corning Gorilla Glass screen cover and minimalist design and you have easily the most physically desirable 4K OLED we’ve yet reviewed. It makes most of the alternatives feel like cheap, disposable toys.

Dough Spectrum Black 32 OLED specs(Image credit: Future)Screen size:32-inchResolution:3,840 x 2,160Brightness:275 nits full screen, 1,000 nits max HDRResponse time:0.03 msRefresh rate:240 HzHDR:DisplayHDR 400 True BlackFeatures:LG WOLED panel, Adaptive Sync, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.1, Gorilla Glass 3Price:$1,099 (without stand)|£1,299 (Hub model)

Dough Spectrum Black 32 OLED specs

(Image credit: Future)Screen size:32-inchResolution:3,840 x 2,160Brightness:275 nits full screen, 1,000 nits max HDRResponse time:0.03 msRefresh rate:240 HzHDR:DisplayHDR 400 True BlackFeatures:LG WOLED panel, Adaptive Sync, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.1, Gorilla Glass 3Price:$1,099 (without stand)|£1,299 (Hub model)

(Image credit: Future)

Dough Spectrum Black 32 OLED

Screen size:32-inchResolution:3,840 x 2,160Brightness:275 nits full screen, 1,000 nits max HDRResponse time:0.03 msRefresh rate:240 HzHDR:DisplayHDR 400 True BlackFeatures:LG WOLED panel, Adaptive Sync, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.1, Gorilla Glass 3Price:$1,099 (without stand)|£1,299 (Hub model)

It’s also mostly well specified. Dough has gone for the LG WOLED option as opposed to Samsung’s QD-OLED tech. There are pros and cons to both panel types, but the LG panel in 4K format is the company’s third generation WOLED technology and, importantly, it closes the gap to Samsung for full-screen brightness.

Actually, if anything it’s a bit brighter full-screen for white tones, though QD-OLED probably still has the edge for color brightness. That’s because WOLED, as the name implies, has an additional white subpixel to boost brightness that obviously does its best work with white tones.

Anyway, Dough has specced this panel up at 240Hz like most 4K OLEDs and its 275 nit full-screen and 1,000 nit peak HDR (in a 3% window) brightness ratings are largely par for the course, as is the claimed 0.03ms response performance.

(Image credit: Future)

Dough Spectrum Black 32 OLED

To that you can add both HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 connectivity, plus a USB-C interface with 100 W of power delivery for slick single-cable connectivity, although the 100 W rating, while at least equal to that of most comparable displays, means that there’s not enough power for a genuine gaming laptop. The only arguable exception to that is the newHP Omen Transcend 32 OLED with its 140 W USB-C interface, which is just about enough for some low-spec RTX 4060 laptops.

Anywho, while there is USB-C for video input and device charging, there’s no USB hub for peripheral connectivity. At least, there isn’t with this model which goes for $1,099, or $1,199 with the stand. A so-called “Hub” model which adds that functionality and a few other features is coming, but will be priced at $1,299without the stand. Ouch.

(Image credit: Future)

Dough Spectrum Black 32 OLED

Out of the box, the sRGB calibration in SDR mode looks great.

That’s a pity, because the USB-C interface without a hub rather undermines the whole single-cable connectivity notion. If you’re not going to have a hub, it probably makes sense to ditch USB-C altogether and hit a lower price point. Still, at $999 with a stand, the Dough Spectrum Black OLED is actually pretty attractively priced given the overall feature set and clear build and design quality edge it has over the competition. If it performs well, it could be a no brainer as our pick of the current 32-inch 4K bunch.

Sadly, that’s not quite the case. Out of the box, the sRGB calibration in SDR mode looks great, with accurate colors and plenty of punch with the brightness cranked up. There is a little ABL-driven brightness variation depending on how much of the screen is being ignited. But it doesn’t distract to anything like the extent that ABLs or automatic brightness limiters did with earlier generation LG WOLED-equipped monitors.

Image1of4(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

Image1of4

(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

Dough Spectrum Black 32 OLED

(Image credit: Future)

Dough Spectrum Black 32 OLED

(Image credit: Future)

Dough Spectrum Black 32 OLED

(Image credit: Future)

Dough Spectrum Black 32 OLED

The Gorilla Glass cover is likewise very sweet, enabling a sense of heightened contrast but without excessive reflectivity. In fact, it makes for the best glossy implementation of an OLED we’ve seen. You really would have to be using this monitor in incredibly bright ambient conditions to choose the matte version Dough will also be offering starting at $899 with no stand and no USB-C port.

The problems begin when you enable HDR.

As an SDR panel, then, this thing really pops, the pixel density thanks to the 4K resolution is fab, and then you’re getting all the usual OLED upsides including ridiculously fast response times, great viewing angles and perfect per-pixel lighting. However, the problems begin when you enable HDR.

For starters, despite updating to the latest firmware that supposedly fixes an HDR brightness issue, our review sample wasn’t producing the full HDR performance.

(Image credit: Future)

Dough Spectrum Black 32 OLED

Meanwhile, SDR tone mapping in HDR mode is essentially broken. That means you have to switch between SDR and HDR modes depending on content type. Not the end of the world? Nope. But it’s a problem lots of HDR monitors used to have but latterly far fewer exhibit and contributes to a broader impression of a monitor that’s not quite ready for retail availability.

(Image credit: Future)

Dough Spectrum Black 32 OLED

On that note, the USB-C interface in its current state is essentially broken and only works intermittently with the multiple laptops with which we tested. This should be a fairly straight forward fix for Dough, just like the SDR tone mapping in HDR mode. But as we write this review, actual customers are receiving monitors and they really shouldn’t be shipping out with these fairly basic flaws.

Buy if…✅You want the best looking 4K OLED around:The Spectrum Black is beautifully built and designed.

Buy if…

✅You want the best looking 4K OLED around:The Spectrum Black is beautifully built and designed.

Don’t buy if…❌You want something polished and free from flaws:Dough needs to put a little more work into the calibration and ironing bugs with the USB-C interface.

Don’t buy if…

❌You want something polished and free from flaws:Dough needs to put a little more work into the calibration and ironing bugs with the USB-C interface.

This is, frankly, a little disappointing. At $999 with the stand, this could be our favourite 4K OLED. The design and build is lovely and the LG WOLED panel is fundamentally fabulous. Fix the SDR tone mapping and the USB-C interface and this will be a killer product. As it is, the Dough Spectrum Black 32 very much a hold rather than a buy.

If you’re interested, our advice is tokeep a weather eye on the Dough Reddit forumand jump in when it’s clear all the issues have been sorted. They very likely will be, at which point the Dough Spectrum Black 32 OLED with Gorilla Glass will be very appealing, albeit at a price.

Ideally, we’d like to see a Gorilla Glass version with the arguably redundant USB-C ripped out and offered for about $100 less. That would be a very compelling proposition. As it is, we’d counsel caution for now. In its current state, the Dough Spectrum Black 32 OLED isn’t quite ready to be bought.

Dough Spectrum Black 32: Price Comparison

No price informationCheck Amazon

Amazon

No price informationCheck Amazon

No price information

We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

The Verdict75Read our review policyDough Spectrum Black 32Dough’s 32-inch 4K OLED is beautifully built and sports LG’s latest WOLED panel tech plus a lovely Gorilla Glass cover. But the calibration needs attention before this monitor isn’t quite ready to be on sale.

The Verdict

75Read our review policyDough Spectrum Black 32Dough’s 32-inch 4K OLED is beautifully built and sports LG’s latest WOLED panel tech plus a lovely Gorilla Glass cover. But the calibration needs attention before this monitor isn’t quite ready to be on sale.

75Read our review policy

Dough Spectrum Black 32Dough’s 32-inch 4K OLED is beautifully built and sports LG’s latest WOLED panel tech plus a lovely Gorilla Glass cover. But the calibration needs attention before this monitor isn’t quite ready to be on sale.

Dough Spectrum Black 32

TOPICSHardware

TOPICS

LatestThe 11 big FPS games of 2025Wormhole is an impeccable arcade revival of Snake that plays like it fell off the back of Derek Yu’s vanMy Summer Car, the absurdly detailed Finnish life sim about vehicle maintenance and drinking in your underpants, smashes into 1.0 after nearly a decade in Steam early accessSee more latest►

Latest

The 11 big FPS games of 2025Wormhole is an impeccable arcade revival of Snake that plays like it fell off the back of Derek Yu’s vanMy Summer Car, the absurdly detailed Finnish life sim about vehicle maintenance and drinking in your underpants, smashes into 1.0 after nearly a decade in Steam early access

Doom: The Dark Ages screnshot

The 11 big FPS games of 2025

Wormhole

Wormhole is an impeccable arcade revival of Snake that plays like it fell off the back of Derek Yu’s van

The protagonist of My Summer Car smoking a cigarette outside while a truck in the background pumps out a septic tank.

My Summer Car, the absurdly detailed Finnish life sim about vehicle maintenance and drinking in your underpants, smashes into 1.0 after nearly a decade in Steam early access

See more latest►

Most PopularTurtle Beach Stealth Pivot reviewIkea Matchspel gaming chair reviewASRock DeskMini X600 reviewZotac Zbox Magnus EN374070C reviewMinisforum AtomMan G7 Ti reviewSamsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra reviewNoctua NH-D15 G2 reviewGulikit KK3 Max reviewBallionaire reviewMarvel Rivals reviewBe Quiet! Dark Rock 5 review

Our Verdict#

Our Verdict