top lcd monitors supplier
STONE Technologies is a proud manufacturer of superior quality TFT LCD modules and LCD screens. The company also provides intelligent HMI solutions that perfectly fit in with its excellent hardware offerings.
STONE TFT LCD modules come with a microcontroller unit that has a 1GHz Cortex-A8 CPU. Such a module can easily be transformed into an HMI screen. Simple hexadecimal instructions can be used to control the module through the UART port. Furthermore, you can seamlessly develop STONE TFT LCD color user interface modules and add touch control, features to them.
Becoming a reputable TFT LCD manufacturer is no piece of cake. It requires a company to pay attention to detail, have excellent manufacturing processes, the right TFT display technology, and have a consumer mindset.
Now, we list down 10 of the best famous LCD manufacturers globally. We’ll also explore why they became among the top 10 LCD display Manufacturers in the world.
In 2019, BOE’s yearly new-patent applications amounted to 9657, of which over 90% are invention patents, amounting to over 70,000 usable patents in total. Data from IFI Claims also shows that BOE has ranked 13th among the Top 50 USPTO (The United States Patent and Trademark Office), Patent Assignees, in 2019. According to the 2019 International PCT Applications of WIPO, BOE ranked No.6 with 1,864 applications.
LG Display is a leading manufacturer of thin-film transistor liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCD) panels, OLED, and flexible displays.LG Display began developing TFT-LCD in 1987 and currently offers Display panels in a variety of sizes and specifications using different cutting-edge technologies (IPS, OLED, and flexible technology).
With innovative and differentiated technologies, QINNOOptoelectronics provides advanced display integration solutions, including 4K2K ultra-high resolution, 3D naked eye, IGZO, LTPS, AMOLED, OLED, and touch solutions. Qinnooptoelectronics sets specifications and leads the market. A wide range of product line is across all kinds of TFT LCD panel modules, touch modules, for example, TV panel, desktop and laptop computer monitor with panels, small and medium scale “panels, medical, automotive, etc., the supply of cutting-edge information and consumer electronics customers around the world, for the world TFT – LCD (thin-film transistor liquid crystal display) leading manufacturers.
AU Optronics Co., LTD., formerly AU Optronics Corporation, was founded in August 1996. It changed its name to AU Optronics after its merger with UNIOPtronics in 2001. Through two mergers, AU has been able to have a full range of generations of production lines for panels of all sizes.Au Optronics is a TFT-LCD design, manufacturing, and r&d company. Since 2008, au Optronics has entered the green energy industry, providing customers with high-efficiency solar energy solutions.
Sharp has been called the “father of LCD panels”.Since its founding in 1912, Sharp developed the world’s first calculator and LIQUID crystal display, represented by the living pencil, which was invented as the company name. At the same time, Sharp is actively expanding into new areas to improve people’s living standards and social progress. Made a contribution.
BYD IT products and businesses mainly include rechargeable batteries, plastic mechanism parts, metal parts, hardware electronic products, cell phone keys, microelectronics products, LCD modules, optoelectronics products, flexible circuit boards, chargers, connectors, uninterruptible power supplies, DC power supplies, solar products, cell phone decoration, cell phone ODM, cell phone testing, cell phone assembly business, notebook computer ODM, testing and manufacturing and assembly business, etc.
From the introduction of Japan’s original washing machines, refrigerators, and other household appliances, to the world’s first laptop, the first 16MB flash memory, the world’s smallest 0.85-inch HDDs; Create advanced HDDVD technology; Toshiba created many “world firsts” in the research and manufacture of new SED displays and contributed to changing people’s lives through constant technological innovation.
Tianma microelectronics co., LTD., founded in 1983, the company focus on smartphones, tablets, represented by high order laptop display market of consumer goods and automotive, medical, POS, HMI, etc., represented by professional display market, and actively layout smart home, intelligent wear, AR/VR, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other emerging markets, to provide customers with the best product experience.IN terms of technology, the company has independently mastered leading technologies such as LTPS-TFT, AMOLED, flexible display, Oxide-TFT, 3D display, transparent display, and in-cell/on-cell integrated touch control. TFT-LCD key Materials and Technologies National Engineering Laboratory, national enterprise Technology Center, post-doctoral mobile workstation, and undertake national Development and Reform Commission, The Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and other major national thematic projects. The company’s long-term accumulation and continuous investment in advanced technology lay the foundation for innovation and development in the field of application.
Cookies policies do not apply to third party websites Please note that this Cookie Policy does not apply to the privacy practices of third party websites and we are not responsible for them that may be linked to this website. Viewing a different resolution requires either a video scaler that causes blur and jagged edges, or running the display at native resolution with 1:1 pixel mapping, which either does not fill the screen (letterbox display) or runs from the bottom or right edges of the screen. Although the microfiber should pose little to no risk to the screen, avoiding cleaning in small circular motions avoids the risk of creating stains or swirl marks on the surface of the screen by avoiding cleaning in small circular motions. Custom pixel response time is also important because all displays have inherent latency when displaying an image that can be large enough to create visual artifacts when the displayed image changes rapidly. The LEDs can be placed: Along the bottom The top and bottom of the left and drive side of all four sides of the are not local dimming functions in edge-lit displays, so they cannot create images as high quality as those created by full array LEDs. This means training your children not to smash their snacks covered hands against the TV to reach Bob the Builder, and train your spouse, not tapping the pad of their finger on the laptop screen to emphasize what they are trying to show you. You will have seen a pop-up to this effect on your first visit to this website; although it will not normally appear on subsequent visits, you can revoke your consent at any time by following the instructions below. If the applied voltage is large enough, the liquid crystal molecules in the middle of the layer are almost completely turned off, and the polarization of the incident light is not rotated when passing through the liquid crystal layer. Cookies collect information in an anonymous form, including the number of visitors to the website from which visitors and visitors came to the website, and the pages they visited. Each pixel has three separate backlights that can shine through the red, blue, or green color filter — so a pixel can emit a specific color. They are also less susceptible to “bleeding” or “clouds” at the edges of the screen, which use such screens good candidates for movie lovers and beautiful for general work. A color range that exceeds the content displayed on the screen has no benefits, so displays can only run within or below the range of a specific specification. Most of the time you will look at brighter and more colorful shades, where these displays stand out, but it"s always worth looking beyond figures on paper. The physics of the blue phase mode LCDs suggest that very short switching times (about 1 ms) can be achieved, so that sequential color control can be realized and expensive color filters would be outdated. The less you need to clean your screen, the better, and things like skin oil and other attachments are so much harder to get than simple things like dust particles. The choice of resolutions, less price and color performance expands their attractiveness beyond the “color-critical” work, making them attractive candidates for other applications, including gaming and general desktop work. By controlling the voltage applied over the liquid crystal layer in each pixel, light can pass in different quantities and thus form different shades of gray. When liquid touches the edge of these finely layered screens, this liquid can easily enter the layers by capillary action, just as water quickly moves over a piece of fabric that touches it. If the organization setting the cookie provides an automated deactivation tool for its cookies, we list the name of that organization, the category of cookies it sets, along with a link to its automated deactivation tool. Disabling cookies If you do not agree to the use of these cookies, please disable them by following the instructions for your browser available at http://allaboutcookies. While the names can be confusing for those who wade through specifications to find the best monitor, once you break it, it"s easier to.
Liquid-crystal display (LCD) monitors are the most common today. They generally consist of a liquid crystal panel and a fluorescent backlight system located at the back of the screen. The images are shown when the light from the feedback system hits the screen.
LCD monitors are characterized by their flat, thin, and durable screens. Besides, they have had integrated LED feedback for some years now, which is why manufacturers often talk about LED LCDs. These monitors generally have low energy consumption and are affordable.
LCD monitors have many benefits to offer. As we just mentioned, they have extremely low energy consumption, and you can find very affordable models. They also allow you to enjoy very vivid colors and high definition levels.
You will have to evaluate a series of key criteria before you can choose the LCD monitor that best fits your needs. Since we want to make your life easier, we have selected the most important aspects to consider and have detailed them in the following section. This will help you sort through the wide array of options on the market, and you will know how to pick a monitor that offers the performance and value for the money you’re looking for.
You won’t want the same type of monitor if you often play video games on your computer or if you only use it for browsing the internet and office tasks. This is why the very first aspect you should think about is how exactly you plan on using your LCD monitor.
The screen size of a monitor is generally expressed as a function of the length of its diagonal in inches. The size of the screen you choose should, in part, be determined by the area of your home or office where you want to fit the monitor. That being said, the vast majority of LCD monitors currently vary between 24 and 27 inches in size.
Did you know that LCD, called liquid-crystal display, means that electrical pulses form the basis for the alignment of the crystals, which produce different colors due to their uneven light transmission?
As we briefly mentioned earlier, there are three main types of panels for monitors and TVs: TN, IPS, and VA. Each one has its own features and is more tailored to a specific type of use.
If this is your case, you should start your search by looking at monitors with 4K resolution. Do keep in mind that a high-quality LCD monitor isn’t enough; you still need to have a powerful enough computer. Since more and more 4K content is being released, you may also be interested in these monitors if you are a cinephile.
High dynamic range (HDR) technology has become increasingly common in monitors and televisions in the last few years. It makes it possible to offer colors that are much closer to those we can see in reality. Another fantastic benefit of HDR is that it can independently illuminate different areas of the monitor.
The greatest advantage of the HDMI port is that it also allows you to transmit audio. DVI ports, on the other hand, support higher refresh rates. You may also think about the DisplayPort connection as it offers the best bandwidth. As you can imagine, it’s never a bad idea to have an LCD monitor with a couple of USB ports as well.
If you are an avid gamer, on the other hand, you may also be interested in the 1440p resolution, which won’t be so heavy on your graphics card. Don’t hesitate to go for an HDR 4K monitor if you have a desktop computer with a powerful graphics card or a gaming console. The latest video games will be perfect for you to make the most of this resolution.
The most expensive panels are currently the IPS models, although their price has dramatically decreased in recent years. Also, the image resolution and HDR technology are factors to consider in the final cost of an LCD monitor. If you are looking for a gaming model, keep in mind that they often integrate specific technologies to offer better in-game performance and are, therefore, more expensive.
Most laptops feature a VGA or HDMI connector through which you can connect them to a monitor. In any case, you can always establish the connection using a USB Type-C port. This will allow you to enjoy one of two different things: a larger screen or the possibility of having a dual-screen setup.
Six Sigma capable, ISO 9001:2008 & ISO 14000 certified manufacturer of LCD, computer and video monitors. Features vary depending upon models and include front USB interfaces, 256 K or 16 million color displays, wall mounts, analog resistive touch-panels, serial/USB touch interfaces, on-screen display menu for brightness and contrast controls. Available with a 2-year warranty. Markets served include industrial, automotive, oil & gas, water/wastewater, semiconductors & agriculture. Modbus-IDA, OMAC & ODVA affiliated. Products are UL® listed, CSA® approved, and ATEX & CE certified. Products are RoHS compliant.
Based in South Korea, Samsung has become one of the world"s leading electronic brands. Like many companies in this list, their monitors mainly focus on gaming. Their models are unique since they don"t primarily use IPS panels, as many have VA panels with a high contrast ratio and curved screen. Although VA panels look great in dark rooms, the main downside is that they have narrow viewing angles, which isn"t ideal for sharing your screen with others. They"ve even started including Mini LED backlighting on some models, which further improves the picture quality, peak brightness, and dark room performance. It helps that Samsung already produces TVs with this Mini LED technology, so they"ve become an industry leader for monitors with it.
Instead, we’ll cover the best-selling monitors by the most popular brands and briefly go over the company, what they do right, what could be improved, etc.
Additionally, these were the first monitors with an aggressive 1000R screen curvature that’s meant to match the natural curvature of the human eye for an improved viewing experience, but not everyone’s a fan of such steep screen curvature.
Another thing worth noting is Samsung’s firmware updates, which have on many occasions fixed or at least improved the performance and/or image quality of their monitors.
We mentioned brightness flickering. This issue is often associated with high refresh rate VA gaming monitors regardless of the panel manufacturer (Samsung, AUO, CSOT, etc.).
Samsung finally acknowledged the issue on their Odyssey models, and they’ll hopefully do the same with their other gaming monitors capable of firmware updates.
Keep in mind that this issue only affects some units of monitors. So, one unit of the S27R750, for instance, might have noticeable brightness flickering, but another unit may not suffer from this issue at all.
Since VA panels aren’t used for serious color-grading anyway due to gamma/saturation shifts, this is usually not deal-breaking to most users, but it can be if you’re buying one of Samsung’s wide gamut IPS monitors, such as the
What LG does better than most manufacturers is the sRGB emulation mode. All of their newer wide-gamut monitors, usually with 98% DCI-P3 or 135% sRGB, have proper sRGB clamps that restrict the color output to ~100%.
ASUS also offers excellent monitors for color-critical work from their ProArt series, ranging from budget to high-end professional models, such as the ASUS PA248QV and the ASUS PA32UC.
When it comes to mid-range gaming monitors, their models are usually more expensive than the competing displays due to the ‘premium ASUS branding’, especially when it comes to the ROG variants with plenty of proprietary RGB lighting and other gimmicky features.
What’s more, their wide gamut monitors usually have a well-calibrated sRGB mode, but brightness is often not adjustable and it’s locked to a very high setting.
Some ASUS gaming monitors feature the exclusive ELMB-Sync technology. It’s one of the rare MBR (Motion Blur Reduction) implementations that can work at the same time as variable refresh rate.
One thing we’d like to see improved on Acer monitors is their overdrive implementation. It usually has three modes: Off, Normal, and Extreme. On most of their monitors, you can’t change the overdrive mode when VRR is enabled as it’s locked to ‘Normal.’
AOC offers excellent budget gaming monitors. They’re affordable and offer excellent image quality and performance; further, AOC doesn’t skimp on design quality and features.
AOC’s popular budget monitors have strong build quality and even a good range of ergonomics, whereas the counterparts by other manufacturers usually just offer tilt-only and plastic stands for the same price.
The On-Screen Display of AOC’s monitors includes a well-calibrated sRGB mode, but just like with ASUS displays, it’s locked to a high brightness setting.
Further, navigation through the menu via the monitor’s usual clunky hotkeys isn’t a nice experience. We’d really like to see more AOC monitors with joysticks.
This adjusts the strobe length allowing you to find the best trade-off between picture brightness and motion clarity for you. Most monitors don’t have this much customization for backlight strobing, there are usually just two to three options, or just one.
BenQ’s ZOWIE line-up of monitors is usually the #1 choice for professional gamers and if there’s a competitive gaming tournament going on, you’ll most likely see BenQ’s ZOWIE displays – and there’s a good reason for that.
Gaming monitors such as the BenQ ZOWIE XL2546K don’t compromise on performance; they deliver impeccable input lag and response time performance, as well as the impressively tuned DyAc+ (Dynamic Accuracy) backlight strobing technology with minimal brightness penalty and strobe crosstalk.
Dell’s mostly known for their UltraSharp series monitors with excellent color accuracy and factory calibration, which makes them very popular among professional designers and photographers.
Their monitors are also often a bit more expensive, but you do get a better image quality out of the box as well as premium build quality and decent ergonomics in return.
Sadly, their wide gamut monitors don’t feature sRGB emulation modes, which is disappointing for a company known for being one of the top choices of professional colorists. Their latest model, the AW3423DW, does have an sRGB mode, so hopefully, all future models will follow suit!
MSI offers several gaming monitors we highly recommend, such as the MSI MAG274QRF-QD and the MPG321UR-QD. These monitors offer better image quality, performance and features than equally priced (or even more expensive) alternatives by other manufacturers.
We’re glad that they listened to their users and started implementing sRGB modes on their monitors. They also add other modes, such as Adobe RGB and DCI-P3, if the monitor has a wide enough coverage of those color spaces. Further, they don’t lock brightness settings!
The electronics arm of the group (Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.) produces a variety of electronics including computer monitors, televisions, home entertainment systems, computers, mobile phones, semiconductors, and display components. The company also makes parts for other manufacturers under contract. Its subsidiaries include Samsung SDS Co., Ltd., Samsung Corning Precision Materials Co., etc.
In 1960, the company started selling TVs, VCRs, and other appliances in South Korea. In 1994, Samsung introduced mobile phones for the first time. In the next 20 years, it launched Samsung monitors, televisions, digital cameras, washing machines, Camcorders, MP3 players, etc.
Samsung"s brand equity is huge in the electronics sector today. Their products are well received by customers all across the globe despite fierce competition in the global market.They are considered to be leaders in computer monitors, washing machines, mobile phones, TV units, refrigerators, computers, LCD screens, DVD players, and various other products. No matter where you are in the world today, chances are that Samsung will have an office built to serve its clients.
The following are the best monitors of Samsung due to their ability to produce stunningly detailed, cinematic picture quality. Their performance is also good as they have high refresh rates, high resolution, wide viewing angles, and a wide color gamut.
Samsung Electronics is the largest electronic company worldwide, with a market share of 23%. The second-place electronics company is USA Apple - see monitors for Mac Mini - which has a 21% market share.
The company produces a comprehensive portfolio of LCD monitors, LED monitors, interactive touch screen monitors, notebooks, tablets, all-in-one PCs, datacom displays, large screen displays, and related accessories.
In 1978, it was renamed AOC international. In 1988, it opened offices in China, Europe, Brazil to sell AOC monitors. From 1999 to the present, the company has opened stores in over 100 countries.
Designed to enhance the viewing experience, the company’s monitors have become widely popular among PC enthusiasts and gamers (see racing games monitors) alike due to their color accuracy, great response time, contrast ratio, high refresh rates, and other amazing features. The advanced displays are used in desktop computers, notebooks, workstations, medical equipment, surgical applications, and also in other industrial fields.
The founder of AOC is Ross Siragusa. She and her team of engineers and researchers have been designing and manufacturing computer monitors and televisions for years and can say they know them better than anyone else.
The market share of AOC is 19.5% market share globally. This is the highest it has achieved, with gaming monitors contributing to an increase in its sales volume globally (see monitors for Xbox Series X).
By continuing to innovate day after day, LG is now one of the largest producers of color TVs, computer monitors, refrigerators, washing machines, and other household products."
LG has become one of the most recognized consumer brands worldwide. And this is no mistake; they"ve built their brand equity the right way, one step at a time, by delivering the best computer monitors that make life simpler and better through continuous innovation.
This is a compilation of the best monitors made by LG over the years. All the displays in this list are 19″ or larger, have good resolution, have connection ports, have at least one port, have a refresh rate of 60 Hz or greater (see top 120Hz monitors), and are VESA compatible. This list consists of both current and older monitors by LG.
Dell offers a wide range of products and services, including PCs, computer monitors, IT consulting, data security, tablets, servers, storage devices, PC peripherals, printers, etc.
Online sales contributed to its success. By now, it was making computers, color notebooks, lithium-ion batteries, digital cameras, televisions, computer monitors, and other peripherals.
DELL"s brand equity comes from its ability to provide customers with high-quality products, excellence in customer service, and low prices (see best overall budget monitors). These three attributes are the basis of their brand equity. For customers, choosing DELL is an easy decision since the benefits of the products they get are normally worth more than the price.
Many Dell monitors provide accurate colors, wide viewing angles, sharp images, and more. This makes Dell monitors an outstanding choice for all of your computing needs.
Currently, the market share of Dell is slightly more than 17 percent. With a shipment of 105 million PC monitors so far, Dell is a major force in a quickly expanding industry.
ASUS is another renowned monitor brand. This brand mainly caters to gamers, business people, and entertainment seekers. Gaming monitors are the most notable products in the line of Asus products. The ASUS gaming monitors are designed specifically for serious gamers and make games like CS: GO much more immersive. On a related note, our Asus mb168b review and Asus ZenScreen Touch post proved that Asus also make great portable monitors for gaming and other purposes (see also "13.3-Inch Elecrow Portable Monitor Review").
When you hear ASUS, what do you think? ASUS as a brand has been around for some time now. It started as a motherboard manufacturer and now has grown to become one of the top players in the computer monitor market.
Known for being high-quality, Asus monitors are used across the globe by professionals all over the world. The ASUS PA248Q ProArt series, in particular, is a popular series of 24 inch and 27-inch monitors which have received recognition for their amazing colors, resolution, and design features.
HP products include personal computers, monitors, printers, personal digital assistants, blood pressure monitors, servers, virus protection, and data storage solutions. The company"s software products include operating systems, business applications, and management tools, as well as software development tools.
Its first computer was HP 2116A which was manufactured in 1966. Later the company made printers, calculators, PC monitors, which are recognized worldwide for their great performance.
BenQ Corporation is a Taiwanese multinational electronics company specializing in the manufacture and marketing of consumer electronics which include personal computers, monitors, projectors, digital cameras, mobile phones, and other multimedia products and enterprise solutions.
BenQ was a subsidiary of another tech giant- Acer but later established itself. Currently, it has grown to over 100 countries with over 1 million active monitors under its name.
The company announced that BenQ would be a global leader in making and selling monitors and projectors. Other products that the company deals with include printers, projectors, virtual reality headsets, and wearable technology.
BenQ is the second largest provider of LCD screens, the third-largest provider of monitors, and the fifth largest provider of projectors in the world. It entered the smartphone market in 2014 and is making its mark there as well.
Acer"s products include desktop PCs, laptops, tablets, servers, monitors, storage devices, networking devices, peripherals, e-business services, and software.
Acer was established in 1976. Its initial investment was $25,000 and the first-named start-up Multitech International. The company’s first products were semi-conductors, games, and later PCs and monitors.
Acer is the number 5 seller of computer monitors in the world with a market share of 7.3%. They are number 1 in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Best PC monitor brand for gaming-MSI or Micro-Star International is well-known for developing the best gaming monitors. It has its headquarters in New Taipei City, Taiwan.
It designs and builds computer hardware, and products such as computer monitors, motherboards, laptops, PCs, industrial computers, computer peripherals, and graphics cards.
However, its laptops, industrial computers, and servers are not well known as those of its competitors, Dell and HP. Its gaming monitors and laptops are famous though.
The best MSI monitors offer a wide range of features and accessories. They have fast refresh rates, high resolutions, various connectivity ports, just to name a few
The following are the best MSI computer displays in the market today, including gaming monitors, business monitors, and work monitors (see monitors for web design and monitors for music producers).
In later years, the company would introduce other products such as solar LED lights, horticulture lighting, DJ mixers, wireless speakers, computers, headphones, cardiology informatics, the IntelliSpace family of solutions, computed tomography, ultrasound, radiography, computer monitors, air fryer, blenders, just to name a few.
Through its various subsidiaries, Philips manufactures a wide variety of products in health care, electronics of various sectors, energy-efficient lighting solutions, computer monitors, among numerous other products. Due to their diversification, the company has a larger market share of 11%.
The company’s products include award-winning PC LCD, LED monitors, cameras, computers, projectors, PC peripherals, digital photo albums, televisions, smart displays-all these to better people"s lives.
The company was established in 1987 as Keypoint Technology Corporation but later changed its name to Viewsonic. Its first products were computer peripherals such as keyboards and power supplies, then later computer monitors.
The founder of ViewSonic is James Chu, a native of Taiwan. His focus was to provide a great alternative to expensive CRT monitors that were already there in the market, and this led to the introduction of the VP 201, 200 series, and 700 series monitors.
ViewSonic is a company that has been around for 30 years making PC monitors and displays. It is a very well-known and respected name in the monitor business.
Every ViewSonic monitor is designed to maximize your productivity by providing crisp images, outstanding color accuracy, extended screen performance, reliable performance. These are qualities that make ViewSonic one of the best brand pc monitors.
This is another company that manufactures a range of monitors, including IPS series, flat series, ultrawide monitors, gaming series, curved series, and 2k/4K series. It is a good brand that is also known for its digital media players, televisions, earphones, computers, and home theaters systems.
Sceptre has created an image of quality and value through its use of high-quality components, superior engineering, and a commitment to building monitors that last.
With over 30 years in the industry, the company has gained invaluable experience and knowledge that they apply to all their products, and that’s why it appears in our list of the best desktop monitor brands.
Lenovo is a world-famous computer brand from China. Its portfolio of high-quality products and services includes PCs, computer monitors, laptops, workstations, servers, smart TVs, smartphones, and tablets.
Lenovo has always been known as a manufacturer of personal computers and monitors (see "Lenovo Thinkvision m14 Review"), as well as the ThinkPad, one of the most successful series of laptops in history.
Lenovo sells its products in 180 countries. This means that if you live somewhere in the world, there is a good chance that you will be able to go to a nearby Lenovo store and buy an IdeaPad laptop or an Ideapad tablet.
Viotek makes monitors, projectors, soundbars, gaming headsets, and beyond. Viotek goes through testing and verification from highly regarded third parties to ensure that when you make a purchase from them, you are getting a product worth your valuable time.
Viotek was started by a group of gamers in their quest to upgrade gaming monitors that were already there on the market. Viotek"s gaming monitor has all the features you need for an immersive experience without sacrificing its performance.
The company was founded in 1986, with its factory located in Taipei, Taiwan. In 1989, it started to sell motherboard products under its own name. It expanded to selling LCD monitors, PC peripherals, mobile phones, etc.
Many people have heard of Gigabyte, but not everyone knows that they are one of the manufacturers of motherboards. They are also considered one of the leading manufacturers of monitors and computers.
There are over 2000 different companies that manufacture computer displays, and Gigabyte is in the top 20, making it one of the largest manufacturers of computer hardware. This is based on units sold.
As we head into the new year, we"re going to see a lot of new monitors and display technology coming out of CES 2023. From high refresh rates to mini-LED panels and more, there are going to be a lot of exciting monitor tech to come in 2023. If you"re not all into that razzle-dazzle though, this is also great news since many of the best monitors, including the best 4K monitors from 2022, are going to get some healthy price cuts as the new models get announced and retailers have to make room for new inventory.
Whether you"re looking for the best 5K and 8K monitors for creative work or the best cheap gaming monitor deals for some casual esports, we"ve tried and reviewed just about all of them.
And, below we"ve broken down our top picks of the year – from the best 144Hz 4K monitors and the best high refresh rate monitors to the best monitors for video editing – and compiled them in this handy guide to make your buying decision easier than ever. We"ve also written up a guide for how to pick the best monitor to help you find what you"re looking for, no matter what your need or budget might be.
If you’re in the cinematography or photography sphere, that’s exactly what you need. And, that’s on top of all the other features this monitor boasts. This is among the best monitors for photo editing you’ll find, and the best part is you’re getting it for cheaper than all others.
The Dell S3221QS is a gorgeous monitor inside and out. Its simple yet elegant silver design gives it a unique look that sets it apart from all the gamer-centric or boring black office monitors you"re most likely to find. It comes with a stunning 4K VA panel to match, making everything from movies to gaming a pleasure to watch.
We don’t usually run into technology that’s so far ahead of the curve that we’re left dumbfounded, which is why the Dell UltraSharp UP3218K has impressed us even more. Finding one of the best monitors that can reach the raw gorgeousness this one can should be next to impossible. It’s not just the resolution, either.
The LG 32UN880 UltraFine Display Ergo has done something cool. Instead of going for the same homogeneous mount and stand that all monitors have, it has opted for a C-Clamp, One Click Mount that allows it to extend, retract, go high, go low, tilt and pivot like no other. That’s versatility turned up to 11.
It also boasts incredible color accuracy and beautiful picture quality. The best part is that you’re getting all that without burning a massive hole in your pocket. This is, without a doubt, among the best monitors out there, especially if you"re looking for an arm-supported display rather than one on a static stand you typically find on the shelves.
If you"re on a high-end gaming desktop with the best graphics card on the market, then a 4K monitor or even an 8K display might be more of what you"re looking for. 4K monitors are only just now starting to get higher refresh rates like 120Hz and 144Hz, so these are definitely the 4K panels that you need to keep an eye out for.Which monitor brand is most reliable?There are a lot of PC monitor brands out there making everything from cheap, portable office monitors to high-end gaming PC monitors with ultrawide aspect and 1000R curve rating, 1ms pixel response, and blazing fast refresh rates.
If you"re just a typical PC gamer looking for the best image quality, getting a 4K monitor with 144Hz refresh is going to make your games look fantastic. If you"re an esports competitor (or want to be someday), then the only thing that matters is pixel response and refresh rate. Even a 1080p resolution is acceptable so long as it has at least 1ms pixel response or lower. The refresh on 1080p monitors can go as high as 360Hz or even higher with the very latest monitors coming onto the market.
We review monitors based on a number of factors including price, design, and performance. We consider the size of each display, as well as the number and type of ports on each monitor to determine who each display would benefit most. Each monitor is used in a variety of scenarios, so we use it for work, media consumption and gaming to test what it’s best suited to.
Performance is also evaluated by how well the actual screen tech works and its refresh rate. Frames per second are especially important in gaming monitors because you’ll want a high refresh rate during competitive games so you don’t miss a minute of the action.
Like other tech items, monitors have been subject to supply chain issues that make many models unavailable and tend to drive up prices. However, you can still find a good deal if you’re flexible about your choice of model and can take the time to shop around. Here are some things to consider before you buy.
More screen real estate is always a good thing, and we recommend buying the largest screen you can afford and find room for. So the decision comes down to what fits your space and how much you want to spend. Most 1080p monitors range from about 21 to 24 inches, with prices for the smaller ones around $100. Expect to pay $200 to $300 for larger (around 27 inches) 1080p monitors. Typically, 4K monitors start around $350.
The 16:9 aspect ratio of 1080p monitors is great for video content but not necessarily as well-suited for scrolling up and down through documents. If you find yourself using Gmail, Facebook, or Microsoft Word for most of the day, a monitor with a more square resolution of 1920x1200 (which has an aspect ratio of 19:10) may be more useful because you’ll have more screen real estate at the top and bottom to work with. These are not as common as 1080p monitors but can still be found at most online retailers. Note: 4K monitors, which measure 3840x2160, maintain the 16:9 aspect ratio of 1920x1080 monitors.
Almost all new monitors tilt up or down for a quick adjustment. For extra flexibility, look for a monitor that lets you adjust the height as well. Such models may also be able to rotate 90 degrees, from landscape to portrait mode, which is especially useful for viewing a larger portion of web pages or text documents.
Many monitors come with a three-year warranty on parts and labor, but others have only one year of coverage. It’s worth looking for the longer coverage, especially if you’re purchasing a more expensive model. Another consideration is the manufacturer’s defective-pixel policy. Some consider a certain number of stuck or dead pixels acceptable; others will replace a monitor during the warranty period if it has even a single faulty pixel.
LG Display is currently the world"s number one LCD panel manufacturer, affiliated to the LG Group, headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, and has R & D, production and trade institutions in China, Japan, South Korea, the United States and Europe.
INNOLUX Optoelectronics is a professional TFT-LCD panel manufacturing company founded by Foxconn Technology Group in 2003. The factory is located in Shenzhen Longhua Foxconn Science and Technology Park. INNOLUX Optoelectronics has a strong display technology research and development team, coupled with Foxconn"s strong manufacturing capacity to effectively play the benefits of vertical integration, which will make an instructive contribution to improving the level of the world flat panel display industry. In March 2010, it merged with Chi Mei Electronics and Tongbao Optoelectronics.
Founded in April 1993, Chinese mainland is the largest manufacturer of display panels and a provider of Internet of things technology, products and services. At present, BOE has reached the first place in the world in the fields of notebook LCD screen, flat panel LCD screen, mobile phone LCD screen and so on. With its successful entry into Apple"s supply chain, it will soon become the top three LCD panel manufacturers in the world.
A list of top monitor manufacturers. These are the best companies in their field. If you"re looking to purchase a monitor then these are the companies and brands you should be looking at. As easy as buying a prebuilt computer can be, there is a definite satisfaction that comes with building your own PC. Beyond the obvious monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers that sit on your desk.
The computer itself requires a CPU, motherboard, RAM, graphics card, sound card, network card, power supply, hard disk drive, power supply, and a case to put it all in. Some motherboards may also have those separate expansion cards already integrated. If you"re careful, you may even be able to build your own custom machine for less money that it would cost for a pre-built model. When you upgrade your hardware, you can also sell the individual components to help offset your costs. If you"re looking specifically for an LCD monitor I suggest reading these expert LCD monitor reviews before making any purchase.What are some examples of monitor manufacturers? Take a look at this list if you"re hunting for a monitor and hopefully you"ll get some answers.
LCD manufacturers are mainly located in China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan. Almost all the lcd or TFT manufacturers have built or moved their lcd plants to China on the past decades. Top TFT lcd and oled display manufactuers including BOE, COST, Tianma, IVO from China mainland, and Innolux, AUO from Tianwan, but they have established factories in China mainland as well, and other small-middium sizes lcd manufacturers in China.
China flat display revenue has reached to Sixty billion US Dollars from 2020. there are 35 tft lcd lines (higher than 6 generation lines) in China,China is the best place for seeking the lcd manufacturers.
The first half of 2021, BOE revenue has been reached to twenty billion US dollars, increased more than 90% than thesame time of 2020, the main revenue is from TFT LCD, AMoled. BOE flexible amoled screens" output have been reach to 25KK pcs at the first half of 2021.the new display group Micro LED revenue has been increased to 0.25% of the total revenue as well.
Established in 1993 BOE Technology Group Co. Ltd. is the top1 tft lcd manufacturers in China, headquarter in Beijing, China, BOE has 4 lines of G6 AMOLED production lines that can make flexible OLED, BOE is the authorized screen supplier of Apple, Huawei, Xiaomi, etc,the first G10.5 TFT line is made in BOE.BOE main products is in large sizes of tft lcd panel,the maximum lcd sizes what BOE made is up to 110 inch tft panel, 8k resolution. BOE is the bigger supplier for flexible AM OLED in China.
Technology Co., Ltd), established in 2009. CSOT is the company from TCL, CSOT has eight tft LCD panel plants, four tft lcd modules plants in Shenzhen, Wuhan, Huizhou, Suzhou, Guangzhou and in India. CSOTproviding panels and modules for TV and mobile
three decades.Tianma is the leader of small to medium size displays in technologyin China. Tianma have the tft panel factories in Shenzhen, Shanhai, Chendu, Xiamen city, Tianma"s Shenzhen factory could make the monochrome lcd panel and LCD module, TFT LCD module, TFT touch screen module. Tianma is top 1 manufactures in Automotive display screen and LTPS TFT panel.
Tianma and BOE are the top grade lcd manufacturers in China, because they are big lcd manufacturers, their minimum order quantity would be reached 30k pcs MOQ for small sizes lcd panel. price is also top grade, it might be more expensive 50%~80% than the market price.
Established in 2005, IVO is located in Kunsan,Jiangshu province, China, IVO have more than 3000 employee, 400 R&D employee, IVO have a G-5 tft panel production line, IVO products are including tft panel for notebook, automotive display, smart phone screen. 60% of IVO tft panel is for notebook application (TOP 6 in the worldwide), 23% for smart phone, 11% for automotive.
Besides the lcd manufacturers from China mainland,inGreater China region,there are other lcd manufacturers in Taiwan,even they started from Taiwan, they all have built the lcd plants in China mainland as well,let"s see the lcd manufacturers in Taiwan:
Innolux"s 14 plants in Taiwan possess a complete range of 3.5G, 4G, 4.5G, 5G, 6G, 7.5G, and 8.5G-8.6G production line in Taiwan and China mainland, offering a full range of large/medium/small LCD panels and touch-control screens.including 4K2K ultra-high resolution, 3D naked eye, IGZO, LTPS, AMOLED, OLED, and touch-control solutions,full range of TFT LCD panel modules and touch panels, including TV panels, desktop monitors, notebook computer panels, small and medium-sized panels, and medical and automotive panels.
AUO is the tft lcd panel manufacturers in Taiwan,AUO has the lcd factories in Tianma and China mainland,AUOOffer the full range of display products with industry-leading display technology,such as 8K4K resolution TFT lcd panel, wide color gamut, high dynamic range, mini LED backlight, ultra high refresh rate, ultra high brightness and low power consumption. AUO is also actively developing curved, super slim, bezel-less, extreme narrow bezel and free-form technologies that boast aesthetic beauty in terms of design.Micro LED, flexible and foldable AMOLED, and fingerprint sensing technologies were also developed for people to enjoy a new smart living experience.
Hannstar was found in 1998 in Taiwan, Hannstar display hasG5.3 TFT-LCD factory in Tainan and the Nanjing LCM/Touch factories, providing various products and focus on the vertical integration of industrial resources, creating new products for future applications and business models.
driver, backlight etc ,then make it to tft lcd module. so its price is also more expensive than many other lcd module manufacturers in China mainland.
Maclight is a China based display company, located in Shenzhen, China. ISO9001 certified, as a company that more than 10 years working experiences in display, Maclight has the good relationship with top tft panel manufacturers, it guarantee that we could provide a long term stable supply in our products, we commit our products with reliable quality and competitive prices.
Maclight products included monochrome lcd, TFT lcd module and OLED display, touch screen module, Maclight is special in custom lcd display, Sunlight readable tft lcd module, tft lcd with capacitive touch screen. Maclight is the leader of round lcd display. Maclight is also the long term supplier for many lcd companies in USA and Europe.
If you want tobuy lcd moduleorbuy tft screenfrom China with good quality and competitive price, Maclight would be a best choice for your glowing business.
In both LCD and OLED displays, producing these cells – which are highly complex – is by far the most difficult element of the production process. Indeed, the complexity of these cells, combined with the levels of investment needed to achieve expertise in their production, explains why there are less than 30 companies in the whole world that can produce them. China, for instance, has invested more than 300 billion yuan (approximately $45 billion USD) in just one of these companies – BOE – over the past 14 years.
Panox Display has been involved in the display industry for many years and has built strong and long-term partner relationships with many of the biggest OLED and LCD panel manufacturers. As a result, we are able to offer our clients guaranteed access to display products from the biggest manufacturers.
Founded in 2001, AUO – or AU Optronics – is the world’s leading TFT-LCD panel manufacturer (with a 16% market share) that designs, develops, and manufactures the world’s top three liquid crystal displays. With panels ranging from as small as 1.5 inches to 46 inches, it boasts one of the world"s few large-, medium -and small-sized product lines.
AUO offers advanced display integration solutions with innovative technologies, including 4K2K ultra-high resolution, 3D, ultra-thin, narrow bezel, transparent display, LTPS, OLED, and touch solutions. AOU has the most complete generation production line, ranging from 3.5G to 8.5G, offering panel products for a variety of LCD applications in a range of sizes, from as small as 1.2 inches to 71 inches.
Now Sharp is still top 10 TV brands all over the world. Just like BOE, Sharp produce LCDs in all kinds of size. Including small LCD (3.5 inch~9.1 inch), medium LCD (10.1 ~27 inch), large LCD (31.5~110 inch). Sharp LCD has been used on Iphone series for a long time.
Beside those current LCDs, the industrial LCD of Sharp is also excellent and widely used in public facilities, factories, and vehicles. The Sharp industrial LCD, just means solid, high brightness, super long working time, highest stability.
Truly’s factory in Shanwei City is enormous, covering an area of 1 million square meters, with a net housing area of more than 100,000 square meters. It includes five LCD production lines, one OLED production line, three touch screen production lines, and several COG, LCM, MDS, CCM, TAB, and SMT production lines.
Its world-class production lines produce LCD displays, liquid crystal display modules (LCMs), OLED displays, resistive and capacitive touch screens (touch panels), micro camera modules (CCMs), and GPS receiving modules, with such products widely used in the smartphone, automobile, and medical industries. The LCD products it offers include TFT, TN, Color TN with Black Mark (TN type LCD display for onboard machines), STN, FSTN, 65K color, and 262K color or above CSTN, COG, COF, and TAB modules.
In its early days, Innolux attached great importance to researching and developing new products. Mobile phones, portable and mounted DVD players, digital cameras, games consoles, PDA LCDs, and other star products were put into mass production and quickly captured the market, winning the company considerable market share.
Looking forward to the future, the group of photoelectric will continue to deep LCD display field, is committed to the development of plane display core technology, make good use of global operations mechanism and depth of division of labor, promise customers high-quality products and services, become the world"s top display system suppliers, in 2006 in the global mobile phone color display market leader, become "Foxconn technology" future sustained rapid growth of the engine.
Founded in June 1998, Hannstar specializes in producing thin-film transistor liquid crystal display panels, mainly for use in monitors, notebook displays and televisions. It was the first company in Taiwan to adopt the world’s top ultra-wide perspective technology (AS-IPS).
The company has three LCD factories and one LCM factory. It has acquired state-of-the-art TFT-LCD manufacturing technology, which enables it to achieve the highest efficiency in the mass production of thin-film transistor liquid crystal display production technology. Its customers include many of the biggest and most well-known electronics companies and computer manufacturers in Taiwan and overseas.
TCL CSOT actively produces Mini LED, Micro LED, flexible OLED, printing OLED, and other new display technologies. Its product range is vast – including large, medium, and small panels and touch modules, electronic whiteboards, splicing walls, automotive displays, gaming monitors, and other high-end display application fields – which has enabled it to become a leading player in the global panel industry.
Tianma Microelectronics was founded in 1983 and listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 1995. It is a high-tech enterprise specializing in the production of liquid crystal displays (LCD) and liquid crystal display modules (LCM).
After more than 30 years of development, it has grown into a large publicly listed company integrating LCD research and development, design, production, sales, and servicing. Over the years, it has expanded by investing in the construction of STN-LCD, CSTN-LCD, TFT-LCD and CF production lines and module factories across China (with locations in Shenzhen, Shanghai, Chengdu, Wuhan and Xiamen), as well R&D centers and offices in Europe, Japan, South Korea and the United States.
JDI (Japan Display Inc.) was established on November 15, 2011, as a joint venture between the Industrial Innovation Corporation, Sony, Hitachi, and Toshiba. It is dedicated to the production and development of small-sized displays. It mainly produces small- and medium-sized LCD display panels for use in the automotive, medical, and industrial fields, as well as personal devices including smartphones, tablets, and wearables.
Computer monitors keep evolving rapidly, with new technology like OLED Flex, QD-OLED and built-in smart platforms just in the last year alone. That’s on top of big improvements in things like color accuracy, image quality, size and resolution.
The choice is nice but overwhelming, as there are a lot of products in this market and a lot of features. Buyers looking for computer monitors now have to consider things like HDR, brightness, color accuracy, type of display technology, input lag and more. And then there are the usual considerations like size, adjustability, inputs and so on.
The cheapest monitors are still TN (twisted nematic), which are strictly for gaming or office use. VA (vertical alignment) monitors are also relatively cheap, while offering good brightness and a high contrast ratio. However, content creators will probably want an IPS (in-plane switching) LCD display that delivers better color accuracy, image quality and viewing angles.
If maximum brightness is important, a quantum dot LCD display is the way to go — those are typically found in larger displays. OLED monitors are now available and offer the best blacks and color reproduction, but they lack the brightness of LED or quantum dot displays. Plus, they cost a lot. The latest type of OLED monitor, called QD-OLED from Samsung, just came out in 2022. The most notable advantage is that it can get a lot brighter, with monitors shown at CES 2022 hitting up to 1,000 nits of peak brightness.
Nearly every monitor used to be 16:9, but it’s now possible to find 16:10 and other more exotic display shapes. On the gaming and entertainment side, we’re also seeing curved and ultrawide monitors with aspect ratios like 21:9. If you do decide to buy an ultrawide display, however, keep in mind that a 30-inch 21:9 model is the same height as a 24-inch monitor, so you might end up with a smaller display than you expected. As a rule of thumb, add 25 percent to the size of a 21:9 monitor to get the vertical height you’d expect from a model with a 16:9 aspect ratio.
One new category to consider is portable monitors designed to be carried and used with laptops. Those typically come in 1080p resolutions and sizes from 13-15 inches. They usually have a lightweight kickstand-type support that folds up to keep things compact.
HDR is the buzzy monitor feature to have these days, as it adds vibrancy to entertainment and gaming – but be careful before jumping in. Some monitors that claim HDR on the marketing materials don’t even conform to a base standard. To be sure that a display at least meets minimum HDR specs, you’ll want to choose one with a DisplayHDR rating with each tier representing maximum brightness in nits.
Where televisions typically offer HDR10 and Dolby Vision or HDR10+, most PC monitors only support the HDR10 standard, other than a few (very expensive) models. That doesn’t matter much for content creation or gaming, but HDR streaming on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and other services won’t look quite as punchy. In addition, most models supporting HDR600 (and up) are gaming, rather than content creation monitors – with a few exceptions.
Refresh rate is a key feature, particularly on gaming monitors. A bare minimum nowadays is 60Hz, and 80Hz refresh rates and up are much easier on the eyes. However, most 4K displays top out at 60Hz with some rare exceptions and the HDMI 2.0 spec only supports 4K at 60Hz, so you’d need at least DisplayPort 1.4 (4K at 120Hz) or HDMI 2.1. The latter is now available on a number of monitors, particularly gaming displays. However, it’s only supported on the latest NVIDIA RTX 3000- and 4000-series, AMD RX 6000-series GPUs.
There are essentially three types of modern display inputs: Thunderbolt, DisplayPort and HDMI. Most monitors built for PCs come with the latter two, while a select few (typically built for Macs) will use Thunderbolt. To add to the confusion, USB-C ports may be Thunderbolt 3 and by extension, DisplayPort compatible, so you may need a USB-C to Thunderbolt or DisplayPort cable adapter depending on your display.
The other aspect of color is the gamut. That expresses the range of colors that can be reproduced and not just the number of colors. Most good monitors these days can cover the sRGB and Rec.709 gamuts (designed for photos and video respectively). For more demanding work, though, you’ll want one that can reproduce more demanding modern gamuts like AdobeRGB, DCI-P3 and Rec.2020 gamuts, which encompass a wider range of colors. The latter two are often used for film projection and HDR, respectively.
Though the pandemic has eased, monitor supply is still a bit tighter than pre-pandemic levels due to supply and demand issues. To that end, you may have trouble finding monitors at Amazon, B&H or elsewhere for the suggested retail price. For our guide below, we’re basing our picks on the MSRP, as long as the street price doesn’t exceed that by more than $25.
The $330 28-inch HP U28 4K HDR monitor is a great all around choice, especially for content creators. The 60Hz IPS panel and factory calibration delivers excellent color accuracy and it’s a nice size for creative or business work. It comes with DisplayPort, HDMI and three USB 3.0 ports, along with a USB-C port with 65W of charging for a laptop or tablet. And it’s easy to set just right, thanks to height, swivel and pivot adjustment.
If gaming is more your thing, the $300 Gigabyte G27QC is a top pick. The 27-inch, 1440p curved monitor has an ideal size and resolution for gaming, and it has a quick 165Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time. You can connect via HDMI 2.0 or DisplayPort 1.2 connections and get HDR support – albeit, without DisplayHDR certification.
Dell’s P3223QE 4K USB-C Hub monitor is productivity-oriented, thanks to the wired Ethernet connectivity and USB-C ports that offer up to 90W of power delivery for laptops. It’s a 4K IPS panel with a 178-degree viewing angle and 350 nits of brightness and support for a billion colors (8-bit + FRC). It offers height, pivot, swivel and tilt adjustment, a VESA mounting interface and DisplayPort/HDMI inputs.
Ultrawide 21:9 monitors are a great option for some types of content creation, games (particularly driving and flight sims) and productivity work. The best model this year is LG’s 34GP950G-B, a 34-inch 3,440 x 1,440 curved monitor. The curved IPS panel supports HDR10 with 400 nits of brightness and maximum (via overclocking) 180Hz refresh rate. It’s also G-Sync and FreeSync compatible (the latter over DisplayPort only).
ASUS still holds the prize for best luxury monitor, but it discontinued the previous mini-LED $4,000 ProArt PA32UCX monitor and replaced it with the $5,000 PA32UCG-K display. It uses the same mini-LED tech, but ups the ante with 1,600 nits of brightness via 1,152 backlight zones, an HDMI 2.1 port, 4K 120Hz resolution, 10-bit, 98 percent DCI-P3 coverage and an impressive 85 percent Rec.2020 coverage. Oh, and it’s one of the few monitors out there that supports Dolby Vision, along with HDR10 and HLG.
On top of this model, ASUS now makes several slightly less bright and less expensive variants, namely the $4,180 PA32UCX-PK, (plus -P, and -K variants with slightly different features), offering 1,200 nits of brightness and a 60Hz (not 120Hz) refresh rate. Specs are nearly identical otherwise.
Why you can trust Tom"s HardwareOur expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.What’s your monitor’s purpose?If it’s gaming, you’ll generally want something with a high refresh rate (ideally 100Hz or more), low response time and AMD FreeSyncor Nvidia G-Sync for fighting screen tears at low framerates. For general use, look for high contrast, and for creative work prioritize color accuracy.What resolution do you want? More pixels means a sharper image. No one should be buying anything under 1080p/FHD (1920 x 1080) these days. But if your budget can handle it, 4K is as sharp as it gets at a reasonable price. Many gamers find 1440p/QHD (2560 x 1440) a good compromise between price and high-refresh-rate performance.Contrast and color.We consider contrast the most important factor in image quality, with 1,000:1 being solid. Color errors are particularly important avoid for content creators, and