BenQ released a Linux version of its Display Pilot 2 software at the end of 2025, but I only heard about this week when reading about the launch of the company’s latest coding monitor.
Priced at $699/£599, the BenQ RD280UG is a 28-inch, 3:2 monitor with ‘nano matte’ panel. It runs a 4K+ (3840×2560) resolution at a 120 Hz refresh rate. Also available are a number of monitor-level features controlled by the official Display Pilot 2 software.
BenQ RD280U, RD280UA and RD280UG: what’s different?
All three are 28-inch monitors in the ‘programmer’ series, but there are differences to note.
RD280U is the original; RD280UA is the original packaged with an ‘ergo’ arm instead of a regular stand.
The new RD280UG is a spec bump: 120Hz with VRR (up from 60Hz); 2000:1 contrast ratio (up from 1200:1); higher peak brightness; and built-in 3W speakers (previously 2W).
Input is HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4 or USB-C with DisplayPort Alt Mode with 90W Power Delivery, plus 1 USB-C with DisplayPort MST and up to 15W PD (for daisy-chaining monitors). There is also 1x USB-C with 7.5W PD and 2x USB type-A ports.
Display Pilot 2 has been available on Windows and macOS for a while – on macOS it allows keyboard brightness keys to control the monitor too – so to find out it’s now available for Linux was a nice surprise.
However, the Display Pilot 2 Linux app only supports BenQ’s RD-series monitors, whereas the Windows and macOS versions support other ranges too.
Per the official software spec page, Linux support is ‘exclusively’ for its 24-inch RD240Q; 28-inch RD280U, RD280UA and RD280UG; and the 32-inch RD320U and RD320UA.
Catchy names, eh?
On Linux, the software lets users assign the monitor’s coding and browser shortcut buttons to take actions without interrupting their flow.
They can also adjust the ‘MoonHalo’ rear bias lighting, including brightness, colour temperature and available lighting modes.
BenQ say Display Pilot 2 for Linux is supported on Ubuntu 24.04.2 LTS with GNOME 46 under X11, but it will also work on Wayland via X11 (using -platform xcb or QT_QPA_PLATFORM=xcb), though a handful of issues have been reported under this.
I don’t have a compatible BenQ monitor to test, so I can’t say how well it does (or doesn’t) work on Ubuntu.
If the idea of a 3:2 4K monitor sounds ideal, the higher-spec’d RD280UG is listed as “coming soon” at many online retailers, including Amazon US (ETA: April). In Europe, the UK and Australia, it’s already available to buy if you fancy it.
If you do own a supported monitor (and you missed word on the Linux support) there’s an AppImage waiting for you on BenQ’s Display Pilot 2 download page. Do read through the release notes PDF for additional details on currently known issues.
While Display Pilot 2 for Linux is fairly new at v1.1.0 – only the second release since December 2025 – it’s worth keeping in mind that Linux support exists because BenQ decided to build it. Useful feedback is what will make v1.2, v1.3, and greater feature parity more likely.