lcd monitors reviews factory

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.

The Asus ProArt Display PA278CV has a great-looking screen with good enough color accuracy for most people and all the ports you need to hook up desktop or laptop PCs. The PA278CV’s stand can tilt, swivel, and pivot the screen and raise and lower its height, its USB-C port can provide enough power to charge most 13-inch laptops, and it comes with a three-year warranty and a good dead-pixel policy. Its QHD resolution (2560×1440) means it isn’t as sharp as a 4K screen, but it’s also hundreds of dollars cheaper than comparable 4K monitors.

The Dell S2722QC is a 3840×2160 display that’s great for anyone who watches 4K content or casually edits photos or video. However, if most of your time is spent on general office work or browsing the internet, you don’t really need to spend the extra cash. The S2722QC has a USB-C port with 65 watts of charging, so it can power most laptops except higher-end devices like the Dell XPS 15-inch or the 16-inch MacBook Pros (which are picks in our guide to the best laptops for video and photo editing). For more powerful 4K displays, check out our guide for the best 4K monitors.

Luke Larsen is the Computing Editor at Digital Trends and manages all content covering laptops, monitors, PC hardware, and everything else that plugs into a computer. Luke joined Digital Trends in 2017 as a native Portlander, happy to join a media company that called his city home. His obsession with technology is in observing the ebb and flow of how technological advancement and design intersects with our day-to-day experience of it. From digging into the minute details to stepping back and seeing the wider trends, Luke revels in telling stories with tech.

I"m very pleased with this monitor. Like all monitors of this type, the best image quality is produced in its native display resolution; I found this one wonderfully sharp at 1920x1080. I didn"t even have to install any software or change any Windows settings when using this to replace a Dell monitor that had failed.

For people with special visual needs, or even those who simply like to fine tune the display to suit their taste, the clear and easy-to-use menus allow detailed adjustment of brightness, contrast, sharpness, tint and more. The factory settings were too bright for me, but it was easy to tone them down. So many LCD monitors display more dimly at the top than bottom, but this one does not suffer from that problem, and instead provides a highly uniform brightness and contrast.

First, let me tell you about the quirk. As with most modern LCD monitors, this one came from the factory with the brightness set just about as high as you can get it. I believe they do this so that if the monitor ends up being on display in a big box store it will appear bright and clear compared to the others on the shelf.

While reading some of the other reviews of this monitor on Amazon, I noticed that a few users considered the monitor stand to be a little on the flimsy side. Perhaps the particular units they reviewed had different stands, but I found the one on my monitor to be quite stable. This could be one of those things that get “fixed” over time due to customer feedback.

The best touch screen monitors allow you to interact with your desktop computer via tap, swipe and pinch-to-zoom. Alternatively, you can install it as a secondary monitor to use with an office-based laptop.

In this article, we"ve gathered together the best touch screen monitors available today – in a range of sizes from 21 inches to a special ultrawide monitor(opens in new tab) that"s 49 inches. If you"re after a smaller secondary monitor that can be carried with your laptop for use on the go, see our list of the best portable monitors(opens in new tab). (Portable monitors can also be had with touch sensitivity, but they"re smaller and are powered by your laptop"s battery, so they don"t need their own power supply.)

If you"ve already researched the best monitors for photo editing(opens in new tab) or the best video editing monitors(opens in new tab), you may have realized that none of them are touch screen monitors. But why not? Why would you consider choosing a new monitor without touch sensitivity?

The ViewSonic TD2230 boasts upmarket image quality thanks to its IPS LCD display that provides better color and contrast consistency, regardless of your viewing position, while the 1920 x 1080 screen res is high enough for crisp image clarity when spread across the 21.5-inch panel size. 250 cd/m2 max brightness and a 1000:1 contrast ratio are pretty typical, while HDMI, DisplayPort and analog VGA connectors ensure you"ll be able to hook this monitor to pretty much any computer running Windows 10, Android or Linux.

At 21.5 inches, the Asus VT229H is one of the smaller touch screen monitors on this list, but it still sports the same Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution as larger 24 and even 27-inch touch screen displays, meaning you get more pixels per inch and slightly crisper image quality. This is also an IPS LCD, with wide 178 x 178-degree viewing angles and reliably consistent color and contrast, regardless of your viewing angle.

Most touch screen monitors are just that: a monitor, with a touch interface. But this 21.5-inch display also adds a pair of 2W stereo speakers for sound output, along with dual-array microphones and a built-in webcam for video conferencing. The IPS LCD display panel ensures decent color and contrast uniformity, while the Full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution is easily enough to for crisp image quality on a screen this size.

The obvious drawback with a touch screen monitor is the aforementioned size restrictions because if you want one larger than 27 inches, you"re out of luck. The next step up in size for touch screen monitors are 50+ inch displays designed for corporate presentations rather than home computing.

Even most 27-inch touch screen monitors have the same Full HD 1920 x 1020 resolution as their smaller 21-24-inch stablemates. So you"re not actually getting more pixels, only bigger ones. This can make your images just look more blocky unless you sit further away from the screen.

It"s not just outright screen resolution where touch screen monitors can fall short of their non-touch alternatives. Top-end screens designed for image and video editing are often factory color calibrated: they use LCD displays that can display a huge range of colors, or feature fast refresh rates for smoother video playback and gaming. However, touch screen monitors aren"t intended for color-critical image or video work: they tend to be all-purpose displays designed for more general applications like web browsing and basic image viewing.

Connectivity also tends to be compromised on touch screen monitors. You can forget about USB-C hubs(opens in new tab) with Power Delivery, and even DisplayPort connections can be a rarity.

However, resistive technology doesn"t support multi-touch and won"t give the same fluid sensitivity as the touch screens we"re now accustomed to on phones and tablets. Consequently, most modern touch screen monitors use capacitive touch screens supporting 10-point multi-touch. These operate exactly like a phone or tablet"s touch screen, requiring only a light tap, swipe, or pinch to register inputs. All the monitors on this list use 10-point capacitive touch screens.

Put simply, even the best iMacs(opens in new tab) and MacBooks(opens in new tab) don"t support touch screen monitors. Consequently, all the touch screen monitors on this list will only work with Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and some Linux and Android operating systems.

Not all LCD monitors are created equal. LCD displays use three types of construction - IPS (In-Plane Switching), VA (Vertical Alignment), and TN (Twisted Nematic). Each one of these three LCD types exhibits noticeably different image quality characteristics, clearly visible to the average user.

For image and video editing, TN-based monitors should really be avoided. These are the cheapest to manufacture and deliver compromised image quality thanks to their restrictive viewing angles. This results in highly uneven color and contrast across the screen, effectively hiding shadow and highlight detail in your images. IPS-based monitorsare the gold standard for image quality. These produce color and contrast that doesn"t shift depending on which part of the screen you look at, making image editing much more precise. Most of the touch screen monitors on this list are IPS-based, and the rest are VA-based monitors. These can"t quite match the image quality of an IPS monitor but are much more color-accurate than a TN screen.Round up of today"s best deals

This is a shorter format review but we have included as much of our normal testing and results as we can, especially in relevant areas for this screen. We will of course still be carrying out our normal full, detailed reviews for the most interesting, complex and exciting new screens, but using this short format helps us cover a few additional models in the meantime. An explanation of the results and figures discussed in this short format review can be found at the bottom of the page.

If you enjoy our work and want to say thanks, donations to the site are very welcome. If you would like to get early access to future reviews please consider becoming a TFT Central supporter.

RGB Balance and colour temperature – the RGB balance graph shows the relative balance between red, green and blue primaries at each grey shade, from 0 (black) to 100 (white). Ideally all 3 lines should be flat at the 100% level which would represent a balanced 6500k average colour temperature. This is the target colour temperature for desktop monitors and the temperature of daylight. Where the lines deviate from this 100% flat level the image may become too warm or cool. Beneath this RGB balance graph we provide the average correlated colour temperature for all grey shades measured, along with its deviance from the 6500k target. We also provide the white point colour temperature and its deviance from 6500k, as this is particularly important when viewing lots of white background and office content.

Gamma – we aim for 2.2 gamma which is the default for computer monitors. A graph is provided tracking the 2.2 gamma across different grey shades and ideally the grey line representing the monitor measurements should be horizontal and flat at the 2.2 level. Depending on where the gamma is too low or too high, it can have an impact on the image in certain ways. You can see our gamma explanation graph to help understand that more. Beneath the gamma graph we include the average overall gamma achieved along with the average for dark shades (0 – 50) and for lighter shades (50 – 100).

Gamut coverage – we provide measurements of the screens colour gamut relative to various reference spaces including sRGB, DCI-P3, Adobe RGB and Rec.2020. Coverage is shown in absolute numbers as well as relative, which helps identify where the coverage extends beyond a given reference space. A CIE-1976 chromaticity diagram (which provides improved accuracy compared with older CIE-1931 methods) is included which provides a visual representation of the monitors colour gamut as compared with sRGB, and if appropriate also relative to a wide gamut reference space such as DCI-P3.

All of the variations use the same 5K 27-inch 60Hz IPS LCD panel that promises full coverage of the Display P3 color gamut (DCI-P3 with a D65 white point), for a base price of $1,600. That will get you the standard glass version with either a tilt-adjustable stand or a VESA mount. Spend an extra $400, and you can upgrade to a nicer stand with a height adjustment mechanism similar to the one you found on the Pro Display XDR, albeit without any rotation. And if you want to go all out, you can spend another$300 for the Nano-texture glass.

The speakers deserve their own paragraph. There are obviously limitations to what you can do with a 5-speaker array build into a 27-inch monitor, but the sound quality from the Studio Display is mind blowing when you compare it to anything other than a dedicated set of desktop computer speakers. They"re extremely loud, with a resonant bass response and crystal clear reproduction that makes the typical 6W or 9W speakers that are built into most monitors sound like hot garbage.

Apple also confirmed this is not a true 10-bit panel. There were several mentions of "over 1 billion colors" during the presentation, but it"s an 8-bit panel with temporal dithering (AKA Frame Rate Control) just like the LCD panels in the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros. The only true 10-bit panel is Apple"s lineup is still the Pro Display XDR, and it"s safe to assume that it will stay that way.

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.

The BenQ PD3200Q shares its looks and features with the PD3200U, whose main difference is ts IPS panel that has a 4K resolution. The brand released more contemporary-looking monitors like the PD2720U, but this current aesthetic will still suit many tastes. The device sports a sleek proportions and a matte black design that goes really well with any kind of display.

One characteristic some may complain about is that the BenQ PD3200Q isn’t bezel-free. However, the plastic borders look very thin and unnoticeable against the large screen. They also do a good job of hiding most of the inner panel borders which are known to be thicker on VA-based monitors.

If that’s not enough, you will also find a connectivity hub on the side of the chassis. This handy layout includes two more USB 3.0 downstream slots, a 3.5mm jack for audio, and a card reader which becomes useful if you use gadgets that rely on SD cards for memory. We’d love to see this kind of functionality on all prosumer monitors, but BenQ is only one of the few who makes this kind of consideration.

One thing that makes the proposition of the BenQ PD3200Q is the availability of 4K variants in different price segments from the brand itself. Most would go with a more future-proof package after all, especially since 4K is in full swing nowadays. However, we highly recommend the BenQ PD3200Q if you can overlook that, since its one of the best multimedia monitors we’ve seen to date.

Paolo is a gaming veteran since the golden days of Doom and Warcraft and has been building gaming systems for family, friends, and colleagues since his junior high years. High-performance monitors are one of his fixations and he believes that it’s every citizen’s right to enjoy one. He has gone through several pieces of hardware in pursuit of every bit of performance gain, much to the dismay of his wallet. He now works with Monitornerds to scrutinize the latest gear to create reviews which accentuate the seldom explained aspects of a PC monitor.

Be sure to read the reviews below to familiarize yourself with what panel type, resolution, refresh rate and other features (such as HDR and VRR) best suit your preference, budget and PC rig or console. Also, feel free to leave us a comment below if you’re on the fence between two or more gaming monitors!

The contrast ratio amounts to 1,000:1, which is standard for IPS panel monitors. So, blacks won’t be quite as deep as that of VA panels (with a ~3,000:1 contrast ratio). It’s mainly in dark rooms that blacks appear a bit grayish in comparison to VA panels, but the image is still quite vibrant overall. Besides, VA panels have flaws of their own.

In contrast, VA panel monitors at this price range have significantly slower response time speed, resulting in noticeable smearing in fast-paced games. Moreover, most units are affected by VRR brightness flickering.

We recommend these 24″ 1080p 144Hz IPS monitors if you can find them for ~$180. In the $220 – $250 price range, you can actually find 25″ 1080p 240Hz IPS models, which we’ll get into next.

The Dell S2522HG is one of the best 240Hz gaming monitors with an IPS panel; it offers stunning motion clarity and responsiveness as well as gorgeous colors and wide viewing angles!

The Gigabyte G27QCA and G32QCA are 1440p 165Hz gaming monitors with curved VA panels for a more immersive gaming experience, but a weaker performance when it comes to fast-paced gaming.

So, the picture will be sharper on the 27″ model, but the overall viewing experience is more immersive on the 32″ version due to the larger screen. Some users find 32″ monitors to be too big for desktop use though.

With both monitors, you get a high contrast ratio (3,000:1) and a wide ~90% DCI-P3 color gamut, which along with the curved screen, greatly improves the visual aspect of the gaming experience.

However, the monitors have a slower response time speed, resulting in more noticeable ghosting and trailing in fast-paced games, mainly in darker scenes.

The monitors are equipped with the Aim Stabilizer MBR technology, which can remove ghosting to an extent, but the 1ms (GtG) response time of fast TN and IPS panels still provides better performance in fast-paced games.

Both monitors offer height adjustment (up to 130mm for the 27″ model, and up to 100mm for the 32″ version), tilt by -5°/20°, and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility.

In the past, we were much more inclined to recommend 1440p 144Hz VA gaming monitors as budget options. Nowadays, you can find affordable IPS models too, such as the Acer XV272UV – it doesn’t have as high contrast ratio, but you won’t get any dark smearing or VRR brightness flickering.

Buying the Gigabyte G32QCA makes more sense. At ~$300, it’s only slightly more expensive than the 27″ variant – and if you want a 32″ 1440p 144Hz monitor with an IPS panel, you’ll have to invest at least $400. More information about the best 1440p 144Hz IPS monitors and alternatives below.

All of the above-mentioned 27″ 1440p 144Hz+ IPS gaming monitors offer similar image quality, performance and features. We find that the XV272UV offers the best value for money though.

The Samsung Odyssey G7 monitors allow you to enjoy both a high 2,500:1 contrast ratio for deep blacks without IPS glow and a fast response time speed for no ghosting in fast-paced games!

The Samsung Odyssey G7 monitors feature NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatible certification, and they offer smooth VRR performance as long as you have the 1009.3 firmware (or newer) installed.

The monitors have a steep 1000R screen curvature, which is more pronounced on the 32″ version. Some users love the deep curvature, others despise it. It’s a matter of preference. Also, some can get used to it over time, and some cannot.

The MSI MAG301RF is one of the most affordable ultrawide gaming monitors yet it’s equipped with a high 200Hz refresh rate and a rapid 1ms GtG response time speed!

At its usual $1,425 price, the Dell AW3821DW offers the best value for money among these ultrawide monitors. Since the prices of all models fluctuate, feel free to leave us a comment below if you’re unsure which one to buy.

Essentially, it’s equivalent to two 27″ 1440p monitors put side by side, just without the gap in-between — but the Samsung C49G95T has more tricks up its sleeve!

Unlike most monitors with direct-lit LED backlights, the backlight of the G9 is edge-lit. This allows the monitor to be so slim and light despite its enormous size.

In this category, you’ll find the best 4K monitors for both PC and console gaming. Keep in mind that in order to run PC games at 4K UHD with decent frame rates and picture settings, you will need a powerful CPU and GPU.

There are only a few dimming zones, so you’re not getting the ‘true’ HDR viewing experience, but the picture is still excellent and significantly better than that of entry-level HDR monitors.

Although not a monitor, LG’s OLED TVs deliver an otherworldly gaming experience for both immersion and responsiveness. They’re actually cheaper than some worse big format gaming monitors.

Just like LED LCDs, OLEDs use the sample-and-hold method to display images, so some motion blur will always be visible with fast-moving objects. To reduce the perceived motion blur, there’s the BFI (Black Frame Insertion) feature called OLED Motion with three different intensity levels, which you can find under the TruMotion settings; BFI and VRR can’t be active at the same time though.

– Revamped the buyer’s guide – reduced the number of recommended monitors from 30 down to 17 for compactness and better readability. All the noteworthy monitors that were removed are now moved to ‘Alternatives.’

The MSI Optix MAG274QRF-QD and the LG 27GP850-B are similar 1440p, 27-inch monitors, but there are a few differences. The MSI has a few extra features for office use, like an ergonomic stand and a USB-C input that supports DisplayPort Alt Mode. However, colors look oversaturated, and the color accuracy is much better on the LG. The LG is also slightly better for gaming because it supports DP 1.4 bandwidth, allowing you to reach a higher refresh rate, and the motion handling is a bit better with lower frame rate signals.

The LG 27GP850-B and the Samsung Odyssey G5 S27AG50 are both excellent gaming monitors with similar features. They both have a 1440p resolution with native FreeSync support and a 165Hz refresh rate, but you can overclock the refresh rate to 180Hz on the LG. Motion handling is superb on each, and they both have low input lag for gaming, but there are a few differences in other areas. The LG displays a wide color gamut for HDR content, which the Samsung doesn"t, but it doesn"t add much because neither deliver a satisfying HDR experience. The LG also has two USB 3.0 inputs, while the Samsung has a USB input for service inputs, but the Samsung has much better ergonomics because you can swivel it.

The LG 27GN950-B and the LG 27GP850-B are both great gaming monitors from the same lineup, with similar designs and gaming performances. The main difference is that the 27GN950-B is a 4k model with a 160Hz refresh rate, while the 27GP850-B is a 1440p model with a 180Hz refresh rate. In HDR, the 27GP850-B has a much wider color gamut, but the 27GN950-B gets a lot brighter to make highlights pop.

The LG 27GP850-B and the Razer Raptor 27 165Hz are both great monitors. They each have a 1440p resolution with a 165Hz native refresh rate, but you can overclock the LG to 180Hz. Motion looks better on the LG thanks to the quicker response times, and its stand can rotate into portrait mode. On the other hand, the Razer"s stand can tilt a full 90 degrees backwards, and it has a better selection of inputs because there"s a USB-C input.

The LG 27GP850-B and the Dell P3223DE are different types of 1440p monitors. The LG is a gaming monitor with a high 180Hz refresh rate and VRR support for a tear-free gaming experience. Because of that, it also has a quicker response time for smoother motion handling. On the other hand, the Dell is an office monitor with two more USB 3.0 ports compared to the LG, it has a USB-C input, and it has much better ergonomics that make it easier to place in an ideal position.