When you spend a lot of time online — whether working, playing games, watching videos, or just surfing the web — it’s a good idea to have a monitor to make the experience more comfortable and immersive. Depending on your intended use, you should assess features such as resolution, screen size, speed, and color quality.
Multi-monitor inventory is low because so many people are working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, but we’re still finding the best options available for a variety of uses and budgets. While some are dedicated to productivity and others to gaming, there are some that are great for both, so they can do double duty in your home office.
1. Dell Ultrasharp U2719DX 27-Inch LED Monitor
This Dell UltraSharp monitor strikes a great balance of size, price and performance. The large 27-inch display might even rival a monitor in your office, while the slim stand won’t take up too much desk space.
With a 16:9 aspect ratio, 2560 x 1440 resolution, and a 60Hz refresh rate, this display offers great performance at a reasonable price for its size and capabilities.
Plus, it’s hard to beat its adjustable mount, thin bezels, port variety, and three-year limited warranty.
2. Samsung CF390 27-Inch FHD Curved Monitor
The curved monitor provides a more immersive viewing of videos and games, and the Samsung CF390 monitor is a great value.
Its features — such as Full HD (FHD), 1800R ultra-curved display, and FreeSync 2 technology — improve color accuracy and contrast. With a refresh rate of 60hz, it is smoother than many other gaming monitors.
However, the large 27-inch design remains simple and sleek.
3. ViewSonic VX2457-MHD 22-Inch Monitor
This ViewSonic proves that budget options don’t have to sacrifice performance, ports, or design. Despite its subtle appearance, it’s actually designed as a gaming monitor, so the display is packed with features like full HD 1080p resolution, a blue light filter, and a two-millisecond response time for fast-moving video — though it does interfere with some color accuracy and viewing angles.
It is equipped to support AMD FreeSync and has black stabilization for better visibility of dark scenes. Compatible with both PC and Mac, ViewSonic has many ports and cables included such as HDMI and audio.
While it comes in 24 and 27-inch sizes as well, the 22-inch version priced at around $120 will offer the best for most people.
4. LG UltraGear 27-Inch IPS LED Monitor
Another gaming monitor with a design that won’t stand out in your home office, the LG UltraGear has serious color accuracy and sharp contrast with a 1,000:1 contrast ratio.
Its features designed for gameplay — such as a fast 144Hz refresh rate and a one-millisecond response time — will also allow for smooth transitions between creative work like editing videos or just watching movies and playing games. It also has two HDMI and DisplayPort inputs.
If you work from home all day and play games at night, LG monitors will be more pleasing to the eye with their anti-glare screen, multiple viewing angles, and brightness.
5. Asus ZenScreen MB16AC 15.6 Inch Portable Monitor
A portable monitor like this Asus will free you from having to work at your desk. You may not be able to go to your local library or coffee shop right now, but you can take it to the couch for extra screen space.
The ZenScreen is one of the most popular portable options, as it weighs just under two pounds with its 15.6-inch display. It’s also slim enough to fit in your backpack along with a laptop, and includes a cover/holder and a smart pen holder. With USB-C and Type A ports, it is compatible with almost all laptops.
Unlike traditional desktop monitors, this monitor can switch between landscape and portrait modes. Although the stand blocks your ability to raise the monitor to eye level, it reduces flickering and blue light to reduce eye strain.
6. HP Business Z27 27-Inch LED Monitor
If you run your own business and/or work from home around the clock, not just during in-home orders, this HP monitor is a worthy investment.
Wirecutter named it the best 4K monitor for most people thanks to its superior color accuracy, thin bezels, and customization. While slightly more expensive than many other productivity-focused monitors, professionals who need something for photography, video editing, and other design work won’t be disappointed.
The static contrast ratio is a decent 1,300:1, the brightness is an astonishing 350 cd/m², and the 4K IPS display has LED backlighting for increased color range and contrast. In addition to the standard HDMI and display ports, it also includes three USB 3.0 ports, one USB type C, and an audio-out port.
7. Acer Predator XB271HU 27-Inch IPS Monitor
Acer Predator computers, laptops and accessories are favorites among gamers — and their monitors are no exception. Now at $500, the XB271HU can hit an impressive 165Hz for the smoothest gameplay yet.
It includes four options to reduce flicker, blue light, and brightness to keep your eyes comfortable for hours on end. Beyond performance, the Predator monitor has super-thin bezels and a stand that can rotate, tilt, move up and down, and even rotate 90 degrees to portrait mode.
Monitor Features to Consider
Before you buy a monitor, you should check all its specifications to make sure it includes the features you want. If you can’t afford a 4K screen, you should aim for a wide 16:9 aspect ratio and Full HD display. Most of the best monitors are LED-backlit LCDs; however, OLED technology is finally coming — along with its self-lit pixels (no backlight needed) and better contrast — to monitors too.
If you need color accuracy for work like photo editing, check out features like High Dynamic Range (HDR), high contrast ratio, and In-Plane Switching (IPS) panels, all of which help enhance visuals.
If you’re a gamer, you’ll need a graphics card designed for faster action, like AMD’s FreeSync or Nvidia’s G-Sync, which smoothes video and reduces latency.
Ideally, the response time for a gaming monitor is about five milliseconds or less. A 60Hz refresh rate is the most common, but most premium gaming monitors can go as high as 200. Whether you’re shopping for gaming or work or both, also make sure that the monitor has ports and cables that are compatible with your laptop and other accessories, or you’ll need to buy one too. adapter.
How We Choose
To select these seven monitors, we surveyed the market and considered user and professional reviews from trusted publications such as Wirecutter, CNET, and PC Mag.
We evaluate each option based on value, performance, design and connectivity to ensure a wide variety of options to suit most intended uses and consumer preferences.
