diy alternatives to lcd displays for sale

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Projectors have become a popular way to watch movies without a television. The awesome thing about these devices is you can set them up virtually anywhere, as long as you have a screen.

Projector screens can be made using homemade materials. Some examples of what you can use for your display include a blank wall, a bedsheet, wrapping paper, and projector paint. Most DIY projects can be used inside or outdoors and are relatively cheap and quick to make and assemble.

Today, we are going to look at seven cheap projector screen alternatives so you can still watch movies without investing a ton of money into an expensive projector screen. We will also discuss each options’ pros and cons so you can have a clear understanding of which option is the best choice for your needs.

A projector is a device that projects images from the machine onto a surface. These devices have been around for years, but they are only recently used for everyday personal use.

A projector needs an appropriate background, or screen to display your images correctly. For the best results, your background needs to be a smooth, flat surface. You will want to be sure the surface is plain, without any type of decorations.

Lighter colored items will work than dark colors. White works best, but you can use a colored material if it is not too dark. Pick something pale but bright, so the images are not washed out.

Many people prefer to do DIY projector screens rather than spend a bunch of money on one that is pre-manufactured. Most DIY projects are easy to do and do not cost much money.

Some screens can be made with items you already have lying around your house. We have multiple suggestions for homemade projector screens using everyday household items.

Projector screens can be set up indoors, or you can assemble them outside for a movie under the stars. Depending on your design, setup can be as quick as positioning your projector, or it may take some time.

Some people prefer to set their projector screen upon a mount. When they are ready to use it, they can simply position the screen where they want, and they are ready to go. This option works great if you are using a bedsheet or wrapping paper.

But there are also options for permanent screens, such as painting your wall with specific paint designed for screens. Or you can apply this paint to a solid surface that can store away when you are not using it.

One of the easiest DIY options you can use for a projector screen is a bare wall. This option is the most cost-effective solution possible, and it’s incredibly versatile.

You can set your projector up anywhere you go, and it won’t cost a penny. And an even more impressive feature of using a blank wall as your screen is that you don’t have to worry about your image being cut off due to size.

Your image can be as large as you want, within the boundaries of your projector, that is. When you use a real projector screen, you will have limits to the size of your images. And let’s face it, we’d all prefer a giant screen over a small one.

However, if you decide you want to use a bare wall for your screen, there are some factors to consider. For the best image quality, you’d do best with a solid white or light-colored wall.

Many people find that using a blank wall results in a dark picture that might be difficult to view certain scenes. And the quality will lack what you would get out of a real projector.

Another issue that can affect the quality of your images is texture. For the best results, you want to use an entirely smooth wall. Textured walls can cause your image to appear grainy or distorted.

A simple bed sheet is an effective and cheap solution to use as a projector screen. Read my article to know about the advantages and disadvantages of this.

When you use a sheet for your background, you may notice that your images aren’t as bright as they would be with other experiences. If you want a vivid picture, you may want to consider other alternatives.

To create your screen using a sheet, you can hang it up anywhere you want to watch your movie. You can place your sheet over a bare wall or build a frame that can work as a stand.

Sheets work great as a travel screen because you can fold or roll them up for easy transporting. And the setup doesn’t take long, so you can be ready to watch a flick in just a few minutes.

The thread count of your sheet will play a significant factor in how well your images will display. The lower the count, the thinner the layer, which means more light will filter through, disrupting the displayed images.

Or you can also choose to paint the background behind the sheet a dark color so light can’t bleed through the fabric. But most people want to use a darker colored fabric to place behind the layer. You could also use a piece of cardboard.

When using a sheet for your projector screen, you want to be as picky about the color as you would if it was going on your bed. Look for a plain sheet without any patterns or decorations, as this would be too much noise for your images.

A white sheet gives you the brightest images, but you will lose out on the darker parts of the picture. What this means is you won’t see the entire movie without missing some parts. If your projector is bright, you may not have a good picture.

One of the biggest problems you can face with using a sheet as your projector screen is wrinkles. If your cloth is not entirely flat and smooth, it can affect the way your images are shown.

For the best results, iron your sheet before hanging it up. When you’re storing your sheet screen, roll it up instead of folding it, so you have fewer creases.

You also want to be sure you hang your sheet up stiff and tight, so there’s no movement. Bungee cords work great for stability. Wind or any type of disruption can distort your images.

Wrapping paper is another product that you frequently have just lying around your house. If you don’t, you can certainly pick some up for a low price at any store.

You want to be sure you pick a thick, sturdy wrapping paper with a glossy white bottom. Do not use wrapping paper if it is thin and tears easily, or if the white side is dull or unshiny.

To use wrapping paper as your screen, tape appropriately sized pieces to a wooden frame or onto a piece of cardboard. The issue with using wrapping paper as a projector screen is that it is incredibly flimsy so it can tear easily.

A slight wind will cause rips or tears in the paper, distorting your final picture. Any damage to the paper, even just a wrinkle, will show up on your screen.

And you absolutely cannot get this type of screen wet, as water will damage the material, which makes it limited to use outdoors or around areas where there’s water.

Window shades can also be used as a makeshift projector screen. Roll down shades are a great option because they can pull double duty and keep your room dark while displaying your movie.

Using window shades, you will get a decent picture quality, but don’t expect it to stand up to the high quality you would get using a real screen. You’ll need either white or pale gray shades.

This option is more pricey than some of the others at around $25 to $50. But the final costs will still be lower than what you would spend on an actual screen. For the best results, you need to ensure your shades overlap your windows by at least 6″ so no light bleeds through the sides.

And since most people prefer to have window treatments, that money is well spent. When you’re not watching a movie, your shades will still be functional by providing you privacy.

Blackout shades are a mix of shades and blackout cloth. These shades will keep all the light out of your room when closed, keeping your room cooler and helping you sleep better. And because they’re blacked out, they also work best as a projector screen.

Blackout cloth is an excellent material to use for a DIY projector screen. This material is specifically designed to block out light, making it an attractive backdrop for movies.

This material is thick and sturdy, so you don’t have to worry that it will rip or tear if there’s a lot of movement. Once you’ve pulled the material tight against the frame, it holds tight, so there’s no wrinkles or creases.

Another great option to use as a projector screen is a photo backdrop. These backgrounds are typically white, with finished edges and a non-reflective surface.

Light cannot shine through a photographer backdrop, making it ideal to use for a projector screen. This material is sturdy enough to be moved around without being damaged, so it’s great for watching movies on the go. You can take it camping or set it up in your backyard.

And it usually comes rolled up, so it’s easy to transport. Set up is pretty simple, depending on which product you buy. Some are already mounted, so all you have to do is unroll it. Others may require you to set up your frame.

This type of paint is specifically designed to create a projector screen. And you get great quality images similar to what you would expect from an actual screen.

There are different paint colors and glosses available, so you want to know what type you need. We’ve broken down the best recommendations for gloss and color.

For the best results for your projector screen, you’ll want to use flat or matte paint, as a glossy would be too reflective. Semi-gloss is also not recommended.

Since a projector uses light to display the images from the machine to your screen, it’s essential to ensure your paint isn’t shiny and reflective. Otherwise, your picture can appear washed out or too dark to make out certain tones.

When it comes to the color, you will first need to consider the brightness of your projector. In rooms with little ambient light, a projector with 1500 lumen will suffice for a good image.

But in bright rooms where it’s hard to block out the ambient light, you’d want a projector that has a higher lumen, such as 2500 or higher. For gray paint, you’ll need a projector with lumens higher than 3000.

The ambient light in the room also affects which paint color you should choose. For bright rooms with lots of ambient light, white paint would work best. White can reflect enough light to keep your images from becoming dull or washed out.

But gray screens work better with a projector that puts out more than 3000 lumens. Gray paint would work in rooms where there is less light, as it is dark enough to not reflect all the ambient light in the room, from sources such as the walls or ceiling.

Projectors can be an expensive device to purchase, so it makes sense that many people prefer to use DIY projects as cheap projector screen alternatives. In this article, we have given you seven great and simple solutions to design your own screen.

Each of these options will allow you to enjoy projector movies, regardless of if you are indoors or outside. However, there are some downsides to using a homemade projector screen. The biggest problem is that in most cases, you won’t have excellent picture quality.

Out of all the options we have listed, you will get the best results using a screen made of blackout cloth or projects that use projector paint. Using a sheet should be your last resort. Although cost-effective, sheets often wash out most of the images. Happy streaming!

Editors" note, Aug. 14, 2018: Originally published July 2, 2017, this article has since been updated to include new DAKboard features and an open-source alternative to DAKboard, MagicMirror.

The ideal board for the job is the £9.30 or AU$14.96) for the board. To set up and connect the Raspberry Pi, you will need a short HDMI cable and a microSD card of at least 8GB.

The most important thing you need is an old monitor -- preferably a slim model with HDMI. Some computer monitors will work better than others. Specifically, those that have the connection ports facing downward instead of straight out from the back work much better.

You will also need an extension cable with at least two plugs at the end. Take note of whether your monitor"s power supply needs a two- or three-pronged plug and buy the appropriate extension cord.

Finally, you will need supplies to mount the Raspberry Pi, the monitor"s power supply, all the cables and the female end of the extension cord on the back of the monitor. I used two-sided mounting tape. And I used duct tape to keep the excess cord attached as tightly to the back of the monitor as possible.

Typically, there isn"t enough room to install a Raspberry Pi inside the original backplate -- unless you"re using a Pi Zero W. Even then, the excess cords and the power supply for the monitor won"t fit. The monitor will sit closer to the wall without the back cover, so it"s best to discard it.

Connect the Raspberry Pi to the HDMI port on the monitor and -- without plugging in the extension cord -- connect the power cables to both the Raspberry Pi and the monitor. Use this to figure out the best layout of all the parts to keep everything as slim as possible.

As for the picture-hanging wire, there were no decent places to connect on the Dell monitor I used, so I drilled one hole on either side of the rear bezel that held the back cover on. This is where you might have to get creative, since no two monitors are the same.

DAKboard is the web interface used to display all the information on the monitor. It can be set up from the Raspberry Pi or from a computer, phone or tablet.

Just go to dakboard.com and create an account. Then begin configuring the layout to your liking. There are five different screen configurations to choose from:Top/Bottom

Next, you must configure DAKboard to suit your needs. For instance, start by choosing your time zone, selecting either an analog or a digital clock. Select a date-and-time format.

For background options, you can choose between a host of different sources, such as Instagram, Google Photos, Dropbox, OneDrive, Bing, Flickr, etc. After that, you can connect up to two ICAL calendars for free, select between Yahoo and AccuWeather for the forecast source, add a single RSS feed for rotating headlines, and connect Todoist, Wunderlist or Microsoft To-Do as a task manager to display and add a custom message to the DAKboard.

By upgrading to DAKboard Premium, which starts at $4.95 per month (no specific info about international pricing and availability), you can unlock the ability to add additional calendars, set a Vimeo, YouTube video or website as the background, select

The idea is that, when powered on, the Raspberry Pi will automatically boot to your DAKboard. If you want to hang the monitor vertically instead of horizontally, you will also need to rotate the display.

First, power on the Raspberry Pi, open Terminal and type in sudo raspi-config. Once in the configuration tool:Go to Boot Options > Desktop Autologin Desktop GUI and press Enter.

Next, you will want to edit the config.txt file to rotate the screen 90 degrees. In Terminal, type sudo nano /boot/config.txt and press Enter. This opens the config file in the nano text editor. Add these lines to the end of the file (without the bullet points):# Display orientation. Landscape = 0, Portrait = 1

Finally, to force the screen to stay on and automatically boot with dakboard.com loaded in Chromium, type sudo nano ~/.config/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart and press Enter. Inside nano, add these four lines (without the bullet points):@xset s off

Once the Raspberry Pi has fully rebooted, use a connected mouse and keyboard to log in to DAKboard. Click Login and enter your credentials. Your DAKboard should load with your previously configured settings. If you want to change anything, click the settings cog in the upper right corner of the display (move the cursor to make it appear).

Hang the monitor on the wall and you"ll have yourself a digital clock and calendar, the week"s forecast, important headlines and beautiful pictures on display all day.

If you would prefer the monitor to turn on and off at different times to save power, DAKboard includes instructions on how to set that up with a script.

DAKboard is a great way to set up a Raspberry Pi display in a hurry. It"s easy and user-friendly and it looks great. However, it has its limitations and encourages users to upgrade to Premium to unlock the best features.

That"s why MagicMirror is a fantastic alternative for those willing to get their hands dirty and spend a little more time and effort setting it up. MagicMirror is open-source and entirely free. It"s also installed with a single command and you can install modules for clock, calendar, weather, news, alerts and tons of third-party modules that include smart home integrations. You can even make your own modules if you"re so inclined.

Adding a display to your Arduino can serve many purposes. Since a common use for microcontrollers is reading data from sensors, a display allows you to see this data in real-time without needing to use the serial monitor within the Arduino IDE. It also allows you to give your projects a personal touch with text, images, or even interactivity through a touch screen.

Transparent Organic Light Emitting Diode (TOLED) is a type of LED that, as you can guess, has a transparent screen. It builds on the now common OLED screens found in smartphones and TVs, but with a transparent display, offers up some new possibilities for Arduino screens.

Take for example this brilliant project that makes use of TOLED displays. By stacking 10 transparent OLED screens in parallel, creator Sean Hodgins has converted a handful of 2D screens into a solid-state volumetric display. This kind of display creates an image that has 3-dimensional depth, taking us one step closer to the neon, holographic screens we imagine in the future.

Crystalfontz has a tiny monochrome (light blue) 1.51" TOLED that has 128x56 pixels. As the technology is more recent than the following displays in this list, the cost is higher too. One of these screens can be purchased for around $26, but for certain applications, it might just be worth it.

The liquid crystal display (LCD) is the most common display to find in DIY projects and home appliances alike. This is no surprise as they are simple to operate, low-powered, and incredibly cheap.

This type of display can vary in design. Some are larger, with more character spaces and rows; some come with a backlight. Most attach directly to the board through 8 or 12 connections to the Arduino pins, making them incompatible with boards with fewer pins available. In this instance, buy a screen with an I2C adapter, allowing control using only four pins.

Available for only a few dollars (or as little as a couple of dollars on AliExpress with included I2C adapter), these simple displays can be used to give real-time feedback to any project.

The screens are capable of a large variety of preset characters which cover most use cases in a variety of languages. You can control your LCD using the Liquid Crystal Library provided by Arduino. The display() and noDisplay() methods write to the LCD, as shown in the official tutorial on the Arduino website.

Are you looking for something simple to display numbers and a few basic characters? Maybe you are looking for something with that old-school arcade feel? A seven-segment display might suit your needs.

These simple boards are made up of 7 LEDs (8 if you include the dot), and work much like normal LEDs with a common Anode or Cathode connection. This allows them to take one connection to V+ (or GND for common cathode) and be controlled from the pins of your Arduino. By combining these pins in code, you can create numbers and several letters, along with more abstract designs—anything you can dream up using the segments available!

Next on our list is the 5110 display, also affectionately known as the Nokia display due to its wide use in the beloved and nigh indestructible Nokia 3310.

These tiny LCD screens are monochrome and have a screen size of 84 x 48 pixels, but don"t let that fool you. Coming in at around $2 on AliExpress, these displays are incredibly cheap and usually come with a backlight as standard.

Depending on which library you use, the screen can display multiple lines of text in various fonts. It"s also capable of displaying images, and there is free software designed to help get your creations on screen. While the refresh rate is too slow for detailed animations, these screens are hardy enough to be included in long-term, always-on projects.

For a step up in resolution and functionality, an OLED display might be what you are looking for. At first glance, these screens look similar to the 5110 screens, but they are a significant upgrade. The standard 0.96" screens are 128 x 64 monochrome, and come with a backlight as standard.

They connect to your Arduino using I2C, meaning that alongside the V+ and GND pins, only two further pins are required to communicate with the screen. With various sizes and full color options available, these displays are incredibly versatile.

For a project to get you started with OLED displays, our Electronic D20 build will teach you everything you need to know -- and you"ll end up with the ultimate geeky digital dice for your gaming sessions!

These displays can be used in the same way as the others we have mentioned so far, but their refresh rate allows for much more ambitious projects. The basic monochrome screen is available on Amazon.

Thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal displays (TFT LCDs) are in many ways another step up in quality when it comes to options for adding a screen to your Arduino. Available with or without touchscreen functionality, they also add the ability to load bitmap files from an on-board microSD card slot.

Arduino have an official guide for setting up their non-touchscreen TFT LCD screen. For a video tutorial teaching you the basics of setting up the touchscreen version, YouTuber educ8s.tv has you covered:

With the touchscreen editions of these screens costing less than $10 on AliExpress, these displays are another great choice for when you need a nice-looking display for your project.

Looking for something a little different? An E-paper (or E-ink depending on who you ask) display might be right for you. These screens differ from the others giving a much more natural reading experience, it is no surprise that this technology is the cornerstone of almost every e-reader available.

The reason these displays look so good is down to the way they function. Each "pixel" contains charged particles between two electrodes. By switching the charge of each electrode, you can influence the negatively charged black particles to swap places with the positively charged white particles.

This is what gives e-paper such a natural feel. As a bonus, once the ink is moved to its location, it uses no power to keep it there. This makes these displays naturally low-power to operate.

This article has covered most options available for Arduino displays, though there are definitely more weird and wonderful ways to add feedback to your DIY devices.

Now that you have an idea of what is out there, why not incorporate a screen into your DIY smart home setup? If retro gaming is more your thing, why not create some retro games on Arduino?

Hi, I just received my first ebike, RadRunner1, I would like to replace the LED display to an LCD display. The upgrade LCD they sell at Radpowerbikes.ca is $130+tax+shipping which is around $160. I"ve checked aliexpress and they sell a whole bunch of LCD displays for cheaper. Anyone know the model of the controller on the Radrunner1 (Canadian version)? Thanks

Who this is for: A dual-monitor setup is usually the best option if you want to have a bunch of app windows open at once. But an ultrawide model might be a better choice if you need a ton of unbroken horizontal space, or you don’t want monitor bezels in between windows.

Why we like it: The Dell P3421W has a sturdy adjustable stand, lots of ports (including a USB-C port that can handle power, display, and data over a single cable), and a three-year warranty. And it has a built-in KVM switch that allows you to easily swap your keyboard, mouse, and video between two computers. The 1440p display has a 60 Hz refresh rate, which is great for typical office work, web browsing, and casual gaming.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: If you use your display in direct sunlight, this monitor might not be bright enough for you. It can also provide 65 W of power over USB-C, but some laptops require more. If you have a laptop with an Nvidia GeForce RTX GPU or an Intel Core i7 processor, you might need to keep the laptop plugged in to a separate charger or use a Thunderbolt dock that can provide the extra power.

Most ultrawide monitors are also curved. This design helps minimize viewing-angle problems—when you’re sitting centered, things on the far edges of the screen won’t look as washed out as they would on a flat display of a similar width. But this also makes ultrawide monitors inaccurate for precision tasks requiring straight lines, such as drawing, photo editing, or similar design work.

If you’re looking for a less expensive 24-inch monitor, we recommend the Asus VA24DCP, typically priced around $170. It also has a USB-C connection that can charge most laptops, but it lacks features like a fully adjustable stand, and it doesn’t have a USB hub or the ProArt’s great color accuracy.

The USB-C port on the Asus ProArt PA247CV makes it a fantastic 24-inch 1080p IPS display to use alongside a notebook PC. The 65 watts of charging over USB-C means it will charge most laptops, and the sturdy, adjustable stand means you can use the monitor in a variety of configurations. It’s fairly color accurate out of the box, with great contrast and especially nice reproduction of white and grays, so you shouldn’t notice weird tinges of color when staring deeply into your blank Google Doc page. It also has a USB hub that can add four USB ports to your laptop.

For less than $175, the Asus VA24DCP is a capable 24-inch 1080p IPS display that has full USB-C charging at 65 watts. It’s a great basic monitor for those who want something to hook up to their laptop or PC to browse the internet and get some office work done, as its colors look good for day-to-day use, and it has better contrast than many higher-cost monitors. For $100 less than our top pick, you’re giving up a better, more adjustable stand, a USB hub, and some color accuracy, but if those aren’t important to you, this is a nice monitor for a great price.

The Dell UltraSharp U2421E is a 24-inch monitor with a 1920×1200-pixel resolution, rather than the typical 1920×1080. These extra 120 vertical pixels mean a little less scrolling in large documents or spreadsheets, and more room for your apps and games without taking up more space on a desk. The U2421E comes with a higher price than our 1080p picks, but it has incredibly accurate colors, a USB-C port with 90W of charging for high-powered ultrabooks and the MacBooks Pro, and a USB hub that includes an additional USB-C port.

Smart displays can act as hubs for your smart home devices, like security cameras and bulbs, so you can control everything with your voice and quickly call up video feeds. And because they"re made to be displayed, you don"t have to get an extra stand—as you would if you wanted to use an iPad in this way, for example.

The biggest pro for me (Medea) is the ability to see and hear recipes when I"m getting my hands dirty in the kitchen. Before trying a smart display, I was scrolling through my phone with greasy fingers, continuously unlocking and locking it. Seeing the step-by-step instructions displayed prominently on the 10-inch screen of the Nest Hub Max in my kitchen is a step above what my smart speaker can do.

Better yet, if you connect your Google Photos account to Google-powered displays, you can cycle through your pictures and memories, like a slightly less sophisticated digital picture frame. (You can do this on Amazon"s smart displays too.)

The biggest con I found in almost all smart displays is the fact that they have to be plugged in. I"d love to be able to move my display around from room to room when I need to. If you think the same, and aren"t interested in buying a Portal from Facebook, take a gander at our favorite tablets.

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The new line of 3.5” TFT displays with IPS technology is now available! Three touchscreen options are available: capacitive, resistive, or without a touchscreen.

The Apple Studio Display is the company"s "affordable" monitor, aimed more at mainstream consumers than the $4,999 Pro Display XDR. However, at $1,600, it"s still an expensive display. Luckily, plenty of high-quality monitors on the market match — or even exceed — Apple"s display at a much lower cost.

Whether you"re looking for an external display for your MacBook Air or a monitor for the new Mac Studio, these displays will give you an Apple-level experience without breaking the bank.

Take one look at the Samsung M8 Smart Monitor, and it"s immediately apparent why it tops this list. The M8 is a great StudioDisplay alternative because it looks almost exactly like it. Samsung took some obvious nods from the modern Apple lineup when designing this monitor, but it isn"t just a cheap knockoff of the Studio Display, either. The M8 has a 32-inch display, which makes it larger than the Studio Display, at an admittedly lower 4K resolution. The video quality still looks great on the M8 though, and with HDR10+ support, colors are bright and vibrant. The M8 also has a built-in SmartTV hub that works right out of the box. It even supports AirPlay, so the M8 will work seamlessly with your other Apple devices.

It isn"t perfect by any means. It has fewer ports, isn"t as bright, and has a wonky webcam. However, at $700 (less than half the cost of the Studio Display), its flaws are more forgivable. The M8 also comes in several colors, so you can pick the one that fits your setup the most or use it as a statement piece. Plus, the M8 has a height- and tilt-adjustable stand without requiring you to pay extra.

When the Apple Studio Display released, it was quickly criticized for seemingly being an LG Ultrafine 5K display in an Apple shell. That means if you want something almost exactly like the Studio Display, you can save a few hundred bucks by opting for the LG Ultrafine 5K 27MD5KL-B. This 27-inch monitor has a 5K (5120 x 2880) resolution that will give you a Retina Display experience right out of the box. It also has three USB-C ports and one Thunderbolt 3 port with an impressive 94W power pass-through to charge your devices when you connect it. The lack of Thunderbolt 4 and the Apple design are the biggest distinguishing factors between the LG Ultrafine and the Studio Display.

However, the 27MD5KL-B still has the exceptional color accuracy found on Apple"s product. This makes it a great reference monitor for photographers and video editors. At 500 nits peak brightness, it doesn"t get quite as bright as the Studio Display, but in the proper light conditions, that shouldn"t be a huge issue. If you"re looking for hands down the best 5K monitors for Mac and still want to save some money, the LG Ultrafine 5K 27MD5KL-B is a great option. At $1,300, it"s still expensive, but it"s a bit easier to swallow than the $1,600 for the Studio Display.

Finding something just like the Studio Display can be a costly endeavor. However, there are plenty of monitors out there that can deliver a great display experience without replicating the Studio Display, and the BenQ PD2705U is a great example. Retailing at $600 (and frequently on sale), it"s nearly a third of the price of the Studio Display, but the BenQ PD2705U is no slouch. This 27-inch monitor has a 4K display and 99% color accuracy in the sRGB color gamut. It also has a healthy selection of ports, offering USB-C and HDMI connections (and USB-B, oddly enough).

The BenQ PD2705U"s stellar color accuracy makes it a great option for creatives, though it doesn"t have the same color range as other monitors on this list. The monitor can also be mounted with a VESA adapter, so you can adapt it to your space without spending an arm and a leg. The PD2705U is quite a bit bulkier than the Studio Display and other monitors on this list, so if you"re looking for that thin industrial look, this monitor will stick out. However, for the price, this is a great monitor for budding creative pros who don"t need all the bells and whistles of the Studio Display.

The ASUS ProArt Display PA279CV is another quality affordable display. ASUS"s ProArt range delivers solid quality monitors that appeal to budding creatives and professionals alike. The PA279CV definitely leans closer to the budding creative side, but don"t take that as a knock on the monitor"s quality. It has a 27-inch 4K display with 100% sRGB/Rec. 709 color accuracy. It also has an excellent amount of ports with one USB-C connection, DisplayPort 1.2, and two HDMI 2.0 ports. It also has two USB-A ports to connect other devices.

The PA279CV also has a solid base that supports height and tilt adjustments. However, the PA279CV has a pretty egregious chin that looks outdated compared to modern monitors, especially the Studio Display. However, it might be a worthwhile trade-off, especially when you compare the prices of the two devices. At $500, you could buy three PA279CVs for the price of one Studio Display. For the price, this is a great option for anyone looking for a robust and color-accurate monitor, and the excellent height and tilt adjustments makes this a compelling option for Studio Display alternatives.

The Dell UltraSharp U2723QE is another great 4K monitor that does well enough as a Studio Display alternative on its own and then slashes the price in half. For $700, you get a 27-inch 4K display with 100% sRGB color accuracy that supports HDR 400. The HDR performance on this monitor isn"t nearly as good as that on the Studio Display itself, but it"s also half the cost. Aside from its solid display, though, the main selling point of the U2723QE is the built-in USB hub. Users get two USB-C ports, an HDMI 2.0 port, and two DisplayPorts. There are also four USB-A ports and an Ethernet jack. This all but eliminates the need for a dongle on modern Macs, and it neatly hides all your cabling behind the monitor itself. The stand is also sturdy and supports full height, tilt, and swivel adjustment.

The display itself is an IPS panel utilizing IPS Black technology that basically gives the panel an improved contrast ratio. It certainly helps, but it isn"t anywhere near other non-IPS HDR displays, especially since the monitor doesn"t get too bright. However, you do get the excellent 178-degree viewing angles you find on IPS panels, and at half the cost of the Studio Display, the U2723QE more than justifies its price tag, especially thanks to the robust USB-C hub.

If you"re shopping for a new monitor for your Mac, there are a few things you want to consider, namely the way MacOS scales and adjusts with different resolutions. MacOS looks its best at roughly 110 or 220 pixels per inch (ppi). At these pixel densities, the operating system and windows look like they would on any Apple display, like an iMac or MacBook Pro. Anything in the 220 ppi range is what Apple would consider a Retina display, which is Apple"s term for HiDPI.

No matter what monitor you are considering, you will want to keep in mind the pixel density. The farther you stray from the 110 or 220 thresholds, the wonkier things will become. There is some math involved in this, but the fastest way to find the PPI of any monitor is using this calculator tool. For the most part, a 27-inch 4K monitor is the way to go. 5K monitors are preferred, but there are fewer options and they are usually quite a bit more expensive. Scaling a 4K 27-inch monitor to QHD (2560 x 1440) will give you that Retina display look.

Native 27-inch QHD displays do hit 110 ppi, but a lot of users have complained about text size and clarity. Most of them recommend the 4K scaling mentioned above for the best results.

We considered ppi a lot when selecting these options. The 32-inch monitors are closer to 140 ppi than 110, but with proper scaling, you can get the right look. Another way to make scaling easier is using a tool like BetterDisplay.

The most important thing to look for in a Studio Display alternative is the ppi/resolution issue listed above. However, there are still a few things to look out for when trying to find the best alternative monitor.

Let"s start with what you are probably giving up when you decide not to buy the Studio Display. Apple pitches the display as "more than just a monitor," and the company is correct with that assertion. With built-in Siri support, the 12MP camera with Center Stage, and the robust six-speaker setup, the Studio Display does a lot more than what most monitors offer. That"s also why it"s twice as expensive as some of the options on this list.

From a display standpoint, the Studio Display stands out because of its wide color gamut and color accuracy. To find a suitable alternative, you will want to find a monitor that also has great color accuracy and HDR support. Complete accuracy in the sRGB gamut is a baseline, but ideally, the monitor is also accurate in the wider P3 color gamut.

Size wise, the Studio Display is a 27-inch display, so finding an alternative that"s the right size shouldn"t be an issue at all. Lastly, consider tilt and height adjustment on the stand. Apple wants you to pay $400 for a fully adjustable stand, but many premium monitors have excellent tilt and height adjustment built into their standard stands.

In the simplest terms, yes, Apple makes the best displays for its OS. The Studio Display, combined with the A13 chip inside it, works seamlessly with Macs and offers a lot of functionality you simply will not find on other monitors.

However, that doesn"t mean the Studio Display is the best overall. It depends on precisely what you want to do on the monitor. For video and photo editing, the Studio Display is tough to beat and definitely among the best available. If you"re gaming on your Mac (for whatever reason), it may not be a good fit, though. The Studio Display only boasts a 60Hz refresh rate, which is fine for most computing tasks. For online/competitive gaming, though, you would be better suited with a monitor with a much higher refresh rate.