best lcd monitors for lapop work use on eye sight free sample

The best monitors for eye strain those that are easy on the eyes, so an easy way to counter the harmful effects of staring at your computer all day is to switch to using a curved monitor. Curved monitors provide less distortion, a wider field of view, and better viewing angles to prevent you from tiring out your eyes.

Bottom Line: If your eyes hurt from staring at computers all day, consider getting a curved monitor that lets you take in the whole picture at once without straining your eyes. We recommend the ViewSonic® VP3881 or VP3481.

If you’re one of the millions of people who spend long hours in front of the computer, chances are you’ve probably experienced eye strain. Digital eye strain (also known as computer vision syndrome) occurs when your eyes become “tired” from staring at digital devices for an extended period of time.

In this article, we’ll cover what digital eye strain is and how it’s harming both employees and businesses, the best type of monitor for eye strain, and our top three choices for monitors that prevent eye strain.

According to the American Optometric Association, digital eye strain encompasses a wide range of symptoms. In addition to visual fatigue, digital eye strain also includes symptoms such as:

Digital eye strain also costs businesses thousands of dollars in lost productivity every year. According to the Optometry Times, eye-focusing problems cost businesses more than $2000 annually per employee.

While people normally blink an average of 12 times a minute, when staring at a computer screen, blinking drops down to five times a minute. This lowered rate of blinking can cause discomfort and lead to dry eyes.

One often-cited anecdote for reducing eye strain is to limit screen time. While this is a sound tip, it’s also impractical for the millions of people that use computers daily for work.

According to research performed by Harvard Medical School, participants who used curved monitors reported experiencing less eye strain than subjects who used flat monitors. Blurred vision was also 4x less common in users of curved monitors than users of flat monitors.

Curved monitors are monitors that come with a curved screen to provide users with a more immersive experience and a wider field of view. These monitors help relieve eye strain by enabling viewers to take in the entire monitor display at once without straining.

Curved monitors minimize the image distortion that traditionally occurs on the edges of flat panel screens. Due to the unique nature of their curvature, they also improve depth perception and cover a larger portion of a user’s field of view, resulting in images that appear larger and are easier to see.

When searching for a curved monitor, you’ll notice that certain monitors have deeper curves than others. These curvature ratings are measured in terms of “r” or radius.

This means that the lower the rating, the more pronounced the curve. For example, a monitor with a 1800R curvature rating will have a sharper curve than a monitor with a 3000R rating.

As long as you’re using a curved monitor, and your eyes are easily able to take in the entire display without straining, curvature rating is more of a personal preference rather than a health-related one.

Using ergonomic monitors is critical to maintaining your health as non-ergonomic monitors can lead to eye strain, stiff necks, sore backs, and a host of other ailments.

Rather than craning your neck and straining your eyes to look up at the monitor, ergonomic monitors can be easily adjusted to your ideal viewing angle. When searching for an ergonomically curved monitor to help you fight off eye strain, try looking for a monitor with swivel, tilt, and height adjustment features.

Blue light is a type of short-wavelength, high-energy light emitted by computer monitors and other digital screens. Studies have shown that in addition to exacerbating eye strain, blue light can also have a negative effect on sleep.

Blue light is most disruptive at night, where it can suppress the secretion of melatonin – the hormone responsible for making us tired and sleepy. When looking for a monitor to combat eye strain, try searching for monitors that come with a blue light filter to preserve your circadian rhythm and ease the burden on your eyes.

In contrast with other types of panels, the liquid crystals in IPS monitors shift horizontally in order to create better viewing angles, impressive image quality, and precise color accuracy.

Though ViewSonic’s curved monitors are optimized for a wide array of uses from gaming to business, these monitors can help relieve digital eye strain no matter what task you’re performing.

The VP3881 monitor is perfect for workers who spend long hours in front of the screen. It comes with a stunning 3840 x 1600 resolution and provides an unprecedented level of immersion.

Its 2300R curvature and anti-glare coating enable you to comfortably view the entire screen from up to two meters away without straining your eyes, while its ergonomic design empowers you to adjust it to your preferred viewing level. Give your eyes a break and use the VP3881 to quickly finish your day-to-day tasks.

Created to provide all-day comfort for office workers looking at their computer screens, the 34” VP3481 monitor comes with an impressive 3440 x 1440p resolution and a 21:9 aspect ratio.

With its incredibly precise color accuracy, the VP3481 is perfect for professionals such as video editors, graphic designers, photographers, and others for whom color accuracy is critical.

The VP3481 lets users take in the big picture in one visual sweep, while its ergonomic mount enables users to adjust the monitor to their preferred height.

This high-performance monitor also comes with optimized viewing presets, so you can choose between categories such as games, movies, web surfing, or text to achieve the ideal viewing experience.

In this post, we went over the causes and symptoms of eye strain and covered why curved monitors are essentially one of the best defenses you can have against digital eye strain. We broke down the key elements to look for in a curved monitor and highlighted some of our top choices. To learn more about ViewSonic’s monitors, click here.

If you spend any time working in an office (home or otherwise) you’re likely going to spend long periods of time staring at a screen, which can leave you feeling extra worn down at the end of a day. You can help to mitigate this by investing in a monitor that helps actively reduce the amount of strain your eyes have to endure. Increasingly, companies offer monitors designed to help you end your workday without feeling like a zombie. As with all monitors, trying to find a selection amongst the various offerings can be difficult, so we’re here to help you make the most informed selection. This list of the best monitors for eye strain reduction could improve how you feel in front of and away from your desk.

As monitor technology has progressed over the last decade or so, the screens have only gotten more impressive. That leads to a slew of options to consider. I’ve covered consumer technology products for more than three years, and the PopSci editors have decades of experience writing about displays and other gadgets.

In order to source our selections, we leveraged our monitor testing program, consulted opinions from pundits at various outlets and compiled consumer feedback across the web. We also drew heavily upon our own informed knowledge of monitors to compare hard specs. We selected monitors to fulfill a handful of critically important categories. While these monitors can get expensive, the options on this list top out around $800.

No matter if you choose to go big or small, gaming or non-gaming, trusted brand or scrappy newcomer, you’ve got plenty of strong options to consider with our selections. After doing the work and research, we strongly believe these six options to be the best you can get right now across a handful of options. Dive into our choices below.

You won’t find a monitor with more eye health features than this one. At first glance, it’s a typical 27-inch 1440p screen with thin bezels and a 60Hz refresh rate. But, there’s a lot of eyeball-friendly tech hiding under the surface. As you’d expect from a monitor on this list, it offers both blue light reduction and a completely flicker-free display. Beyond that, BenQ has added some more advanced protections. An infrared sensor knows how long you’ve been staring at your screen and can suggest occasional breaks to let your peepers rest.

BenQ’s adaptive brightness technology senses the ambient light in your room and automatically adjusts the brightness in order to keep viewing and eye health in the optimal range. A screen that’s too bright in a dark room can be just as bad for your eyes as a screen that’s too dim in a bright room. They both cause strain.

This display even offers a simulated e-paper mode, which emphasizes contrast for text without cranking up the brightness on the white paper. It makes the screen easy to read, but it won’t bombard your eyeballs with unnecessary photons for the entirety of your reading session. If you’re truly worried about eye health, this is the monitor to get.

The sheer largeness of the Samsung Odyssey G7 Series 32-inch WQHD extends to just about everything in this monitor. The extensive curve on it makes it feel as if you’re surrounding yourself with whatever content is on screen. While the G7 doesn’t have any dedicated eye strain features, having a large and curved monitor such as this is a considerable upgrade over any sort of existing monitor you may have already. The G7’s curve is 1000R, which actively matches the curvature of the human eye, which not only helps to pull you further into the screen but helps to ensure minimal eye strain along the way. Samsung was one of the pioneers of screens with this much curvature.

Where the real value comes from is in just how many other features the monitor manages to pack into its frame. Gamers will likely love the G7, as its 240Hz refresh rate renders images with lightning-fast precision, while the 1ms response time ensures you don’t miss anything coming from the graphics card. With G-Sync and FreeSync, the images from your graphics card will perfectly match the monitor, providing a perfect mix between frames. The 32-inch display, bolstered by Samsung’s WQHD resolution, ties everything together in a beautiful package. So while you may miss dedicated eye strain features like flicker-free and blue light reduction, the Samsung Odyssey G7 Series 32-Inch WQHD ties everything together in a stunning package that’s nearly out of this world and is a monitor you can buy and be set for the future with.

As the name would suggest, the 27-inch Full HD ASUS Eye Care+ monitor packs in features specifically focused on reducing eye strain and improving your monitor viewing experience. An ergonomic design, anti-glare surface, and 75Hz refresh rate with AMD Sync technology ensure crisp, comfortable, flicker-free playback within the 178-degree viewing angle. Customizable Color Augmentation mode can help those with color-vision deficiency, while adjustable TÜV Rheinland-certified and Low Blue Light technologies make sure high-energy blue-violet emissions are kept in check and viewing is comfortable no matter your vision. And a Rest Reminder helps users manage screen time.

Why it made the cut:The LG 29WNG600-W’s ultrawide display comes with strong eye-strain reduction features, including a dedicated reader mode that will be handy for desk job workers.

The LG 29WN600-W 29-inch ultrawide monitor certainly lives up to its name, as it has handily earned a spot on this list for being the best ultrawide monitor. At 29 inches, there’s plenty of real estate for you to watch your favorite show, work on a variety of different documents, see all of your colleagues on a Zoom call, and more. The nearly borderless design allows you to take full advantage of that sizable 29-inch display, so there’s no wasted space like you may find on other monitors. The back of the monitor also includes pretty much every port you could want, including two HDMI ports, an audio jack, and one standard display port.

The other thing about the LG 29WN600-W 29-inch ultrawide monitor that we like is its dedicated reader mode, which provides “optimal conditions” for reading by not only reducing blue light but incorporating flicker-free technology as well. The flicker-free isn’t as strong as it is on other models, but you can easily switch over to reader mode whenever you’re settling in for a long day’s worth of work. Additional features worth mentioning are the ability to split your screen into different workspaces with the click of a mouse from the toolbar, AMD FreeSync to end any framerate choppiness, see rich black tones in your media content thanks to LG’s Black Stabilizers ability, and much more.

Why it made the cut:A high resolution with HDR and built-in eye care features make this gaming monitor as fun as dropping into your favorite battle royale game.

When it comes to gaming, most players will want to follow the Daft Punk philosophy: harder, better, faster, stronger. The ASUS Rog Strix XG27AQ 27-inch monitor fulfills every single one of those pillars, providing fantastic value for gamers who might also use that monitor for work as well. Diving into the gaming-oriented specs and you’ll see there’s pretty much everything they’d want here; the 27-inch screen size is just slightly larger than the monitor pro gamers use while the 1ms response rate yields crispy visuals at extensively high framerates. Additionally, G-Sync functionality makes it so you won’t see any screen tears from dropped frames. HDR allows for even richer and more vivid colors while providing richly textured blacks.

On the eye strain side of things, the Rog Strix is missing any sort of blue light filter (a filter would reduce the overall image color) but does include flicker-free technology and a wide viewing angle to better translate the full image. Additionally, that HDR can reduce how bright you need the monitor to be overall in order to get a punchy image. With plenty of ports, an eye strain feature that won’t alter your display, and plenty of other features to ensure you don’t miss a second of your favorite game, this is a monitor that’s worthy of your beefy gaming tower—and one primed to make Daft Punk proud.

Priced under $200, the ViewSonic VX2257-MHD 22-inch eye strain monitor is a little on the smaller side but it’s still a great option for work or as a secondary display. While the flicker-free and blue light filter technology is a critically important feature for an eye strain monitor, there are also plenty of other bonuses here which further serve its overall impressiveness. The 75Hz refresh rate represents a slight improvement over the typical 60Hz number. Plus, it offers AMD FreeSync to ensure the monitor isn’t dropping any frames, a feature you’ll find in many of the best gaming monitors. Additionally, the 170-degree viewing angle provides plenty of real estate for whatever activity you might be doing, whether it’s for work or for play.

As a budget pick, however, there are some drawbacks. The monitor is just a standard 1080p output, the build is a little on the chunkier side relative to most other monitors on this list. Additionally, there isn’t much in the way of ergonomics, which may require you to get creative with how and where you place the monitor in order to get the best eye line on it, as that will be important to also help in the reduction of overall eye strain. However, if you’re on a tight budget and just want to give your eyes some relief, the VX2257 is well, well worth it.

When looking to purchase the best monitor for eye strain reduction, you’ll want to keep a few different things in mind. If you’re having eye problems that include itching or blurring, headaches, discomfort, or just overall tiredness, you’re likely in the space to consider one of these monitors after talking to a healthcare professional. And while the harm-reduction features are important, you still want a well-performing screen. These variables and features are worth considering when you make your choice.

Eye strain reduction monitors are going to leverage a handful of different technologies in order to help your eyes feel less impacted. The key ones to look for include automatic brightness adjustment, blue light filters, and flicker-free abilities.

If you’ve used an Amazon Kindle or iPad before, you’re likely used to seeing automatic brightness adjustment work in real-time. Light sensors built into a device, in this case, your monitor, help to better regulate the brightness of your monitor screen by scaling up the brightness of the screen relative to the ambient light around you. So if it’s darker inside your room, the monitor will automatically brighten up, or if it’s too bright. It will tone it down if it’s dark in the room. Not only does it save you from having to make that adjustment on your own, but your eyes also won’t have to constantly strain to adjust to the lighting in a given space.

Blue light has gotten increased attention in the last half-decade or so as we’ve spent more and more time with technology in our lives. For those not familiar, however, a monitor can produce blue light, a short-wavelength but high-energy light that some people believe can make your eyes more prone to strain. Exposure to it at the wrong times can affect your sleep schedule. Blue light filters are now being built into a lot of monitors to actively block out that specific type of light and reduce the overall strain on your eyes.

Typical monitors adjust their brightness by flickering or cycling through its light sources. As this occurs, the screen actually flickers at a very rapid rate. This, in turn, causes your eyes to do the same, as your pupils move from large to small or vice versa. If this is happening multiple times throughout the day, imagine all the muscles that are working overtime to support that bodily function. By opting for flicker-free functionality, your monitor maintains a single, steady stream of light to avoid having to cycle through those brightness levels.

Ergonomic design allows you to move and adjust the monitor as you see fit, so it’s positioned at your eye level. After all, not having to strain your neck is important too. If you’re trying to really dial in your ergonomic setting, consider getting a monitor with VESA mounting capabilities and an adjustable monitor armso you can arrange your screen comfortable in front of you without the need to tilt your neck up or down.

When it comes to the actual display on the monitor, having a high-resolution panel (at least 1080p, if not 4K), along with strong RGB color accuracy settings, and a non-LED panel help to ensure your eyes are seeing everything clearly, without having to squint to do so. Sharper edges on text make it physically easier for your eyes to read, which can really add up over time.

You’ll also want to consider the display panel the monitor is using. We recommend looking for either IPS or VA panels. IPS (in-plane switching) panels focus on the liquid crystals inside the display. These crystals move and shift horizontally, which results in better viewing angles, more realistic colors, and improved overall quality. VA panels use those same liquid crystals but align them between panes of glass to create a darker display with higher contrast.

Curved monitors can also be helpful here. While expensive, a curved monitor helps to reduce the overall image distortion that can sometimes happen at the ends and edges of a flat-screen monitor. The curve can also help to improve depth perception by covering a larger area of your field of view. That translates to seeing images that are, overall, larger and therefore easier to see and look at for extended periods of time.

You’ll also want to consider how and when you’re using your monitor. If you’re primarily working a desk job in an office, your needs will be different than if you’re a Twitch streamer who is gaming all day long. For the majority of users looking to purchase an eye strain monitor, you’ll want to select a monitor with key features like flicker-free, a blue light filter, and a decent display resolution. For gamers, you may want to forgo the blue light filter so you can see the full richness of the game worlds you’re in and will also want to reach for a monitor that’s got a high refresh rate and a high (ideally) 4K resolution.

In this particular circumstance, there’s no limit to size. Most desktop monitors aren’t any bigger than about 24 to 30 inches (with the latter being on the upper side of that), so these displays all fall into that range. Just keep in mind you’ll need the desk space to warrant it, but these monitors come with stands, so you should be able to accommodate them accordingly. Plus, the bigger the monitor, the more likely it is to prevent you from squinting all the time.

A general rule of thumb for screen positioning suggests you should extend your arm and hand straight out from your shoulder and place the screen right at the end of your fingertips. This will reduce strain caused by focusing on objects that are too close to you without requiring you to squint or struggle to read small text on the display. Of course, everyone is different and you may find that a little closer or farther away more comfortable for your specific biology.

If you’re using a smaller screen with very high resolution, on-screen text can appear very small, which taxes your eyes when reading. If you’re using a smaller screen, you may want to enlarge the text on the display, which may require more scrolling, but less squinting.

The best monitors for eye strain reduction may require an investment up-front—depending upon what features you’re looking for—but the long-term benefits could be well worth it. With more and more of us working from home (and working longer hours) that extra bit of recovery makes all the difference. While no one product is ever a perfect fit, we’re confident our selections are about as perfect as you can ask for—but if something isn’t quite up to what you imagined, it’s better off to save for something that is. If you’re having eye issues, don’t assume these displays will fix it and absolutely consult a medical professional.

The Asus ProArt PA248CNV blends a sharp 1080p display with features such as 90-watt USB-C charging, a USB hub, and a sturdy stand for less than $300. The monitor also impressed us with its grayscale accuracy, as its shades of white and gray weren’t noticeably tinged with red, green, or blue.

We previously recommended an older version of this display, the Asus ProArt PA247CV, as a top pick in this guide. Both monitors are fantastic, but the newer PA248CNV offers a larger, more accurate display and a higher charging wattage for only around $40 more, an extra expense that we think is worth paying. If the PA248CNV is out of stock or has jumped in price when you’re shopping, or if you don’t have a high-powered laptop that requires 90 W charging, we recommend getting the PA247CV instead.

That said, the PA248CNV is an especially good monitor for a wide swath of laptop owners. It has a USB-C port with 90 W of charging output, which can charge most laptops at a normal rate, even some higher-powered laptops like the Dell XPS 15 and MacBook Pro. The PA248CNV also has a USB hub with four USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, perfect for connecting more devices to a laptop over the USB-C connection. (We like these ports for adding accessories such as webcams and wireless mouse dongles.)

We also like the ProArt PA248CNV’s stand, which is sturdy and fully adjustable. You can tilt or swivel the monitor, lift it up or push it down, and rotate it into portrait mode. A small clip on the back of the stand helps with cable management, as well.

Like all of our picks in this guide, the PA248CNV is a 24-inch IPS display. We measured a contrast ratio of 1017:1, which makes images with variation between light and dark look realistic and vibrant. The monitor can reach 300 nits of brightness, about the threshold for getting a good-looking picture in a typical office with some sunlight.

This monitor has accurate-enough color for most uses, especially for those writing documents, making presentations, and doing other office work. This is where the grayscale accuracy factors in—when you’re staring at a blank page wondering how to start that paragraph, at least you won’t be noticing a strange red tint that sends you down a Google rabbit hole and further delays that project you were supposed to turn in last week. Luckily, this display is exceptionally color-accurate, even better than our previous Asus ProArt pick. It even rivals our upgrade pick in some areas, though the Dell monitor still wins out for creatives because it offers more adjustability in calibrating the display in professional settings. The table below outlines the color accuracy of this monitor in comparison with our other picks.

The ProArt PA248CNV also has a few extra features that are nice, such as a 75 Hz display with FreeSync. This makes the monitor marginally better for casual gaming, as movement and animations seem smoother than on a typical 60 Hz display. If you’re gaming online or playing more competitively, you should choose a display with at least 144 Hz.

For those who are considering a multi-monitor setup, the ProArt PA248CNV also supports daisy-chaining up to four displays. One DisplayPort cable connects your desktop to your first monitor, and then you can run a cable directly out of that monitor to the next one. You can link up to four PA248CNV units together this way (though you can’t mix in other monitor models). This flexibility is great if your desktop has only one DisplayPort, and it can reduce the nest of cables coming from your PC.

Asus covers the PA248CNV with its Zero Bright Dot policy: The company will swap out your monitor if any stuck bright pixels appear on the display during the three-year warranty period. One of the best warranties in the industry, this policy helps guard against one of the most annoying monitor defects.

If you’ve been reading our other monitor guides lately, you might notice that this is the 24-inch version of the top pick in our guide to the best 27-inch monitors. Although many home-use displays under $500 have fallen short of their advertised color accuracy, contrast, and brightness in our tests, we’ve found that the ProArt line often lives up to its claims (or at least gets much closer than the competition). It also prioritizes features that are essential, such as USB-C charging for laptop owners and sturdy, adjustable stands.

We generally like this monitor and haven’t found issues with it. However, as we mention in our How we picked and tested section, if you’re planning on using this monitor as your main work display, you might want to consider a higher-resolution 27-inch monitor. (Our top pick in our guide to the best 27-inch monitors is just a larger, higher-resolution version of this same monitor.) On that kind of monitor, you have more screen space, and text is a bit sharper and easier to read. But if you’re already working on a 1080p laptop screen or monitor and satisfied with the image quality, that’s great! The Asus ProArt PA248CNV will be a quality replacement or upgrade.

Working from home has become the new normal for many people, so finding the best computer monitor is more important than ever. After all, you want to see the best visual quality from your coworkers" best webcams, right? And while many PC components are still enduring depressing shortages, performing a screen upgrade is one of the most accessible and impactful changes you can make to your gaming rig at the moment.

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 anything with a Delta E (dE) greater than 3 may show visible errors.Panel tech:When it comes to image quality, TN< IPS< VA. VA monitors typically still have better contrast than even the best IPS panels, although IPS panels are also known to be very colorful.What size do you want?These days, 24-inches is on the small side and 27 inches is mainstream, while 32-inches is a good large size for those on a budget. Anything bigger than 43 inches probably won’t fit on a regular desktop. For portable monitors, stay in the 17-inch range or under. Anything bigger isn"t really all that portable.sRGB or DCI-P3? In most cases, you’ll either be getting a monitor made for the sRGBcolor space or the more colorful DCI-P3 one. Technically, Windows, the web and non-HDR games and video all use sRGB, but if you want an extra colorful screen, an accurate DCI-P3 monitor is more appropriate.

Before we get into our primary list of picks, here is an amazing deal on one of our favorite tested monitors below. Sure, it"s more of a TV than a monitor, but it"s hard to pass up a big OLED screen for $600 (after an admittedly annoying $200 mail-in rebate).

This excellent 48-inch 4K OLED monitor/TV with 120Hz Refresh Rate, 1ms (GTG) Response Time, HDMI 2.1, and support for FreeSync Premium has had an amazing $900 cut from its original price.

Just know that to get the last $200 off, you"ll have to deal with an old-school rebate (where you have to mail in the original UPC). Other features include 10-bit color / 98% DCI-P3 / 130% sRGB, and a KVM feature with USB Type-C to control multiple devices. Check out our Aorus FO48U review to see why we gave it our Editor"s choice award.

Earning a 5-star rating from Tom"s Hardware, the Samsung Odyssey G7 32-inch is the best computer monitor. For gamers, it boasts the strongest curve currently available, 1000R, for incredible immersion, along with speedy gaming numbers. The 240Hz monitor has a 1ms (GTG) response time and put up a 5ms response time score in our testing, beating some 165Hz screens by 2ms. In addition, benchmarking showed input lag at 20ms, a full 6 to 10ms faster than some 165Hz screens we’ve tested, including the Dell S3220DGF also on this page.

This is also a strong work monitor. Its 32-inch panel offers plenty of height for productivity, like working on long spreadsheets in a way that’s easier than on a 32-inch ultrawide. And at a 2 to 3-foot viewing distance, we don"t have any distortion issues with that dramatic curve. Just be sure to bring your own audio because, despite the price, there are no speakers here.

The Dell S3222DGM is the best gaming monitor for many gamers. This follow-up to the highly-rated S3220DGF(opens in new tab) boasts a 32-inch VA(opens in new tab) panel, QHD resolution and 165 Hz refresh rate with Adaptive-Sync(opens in new tab) support. Other perks in its favor are 85 percent coverage of DCI-P3 and a display curve with an 1800mm radius.

However, Dell really knocks it out of the park with the S3222DGM"s contrast ratio(opens in new tab). VA panels are known for their excellent contrast, but the S3222DGM is rated at an impressive 3,000:1, easily blowing away IPS competitors. But our sample managed to better that figure by a third, coming in at 4,000:1 in instrumented tests.

This 32-inch monitor offers plenty of vertical screen real estate without the need for scrolling and 1440p resolution(opens in new tab), the current sweet spot between image quality and gaming performance. And while the S3222DGM is targeted primarily at gamers, we found that it is also great for general productivity and anything in between.

While the S3222DGM lacks HDR(opens in new tab) support, its excellent contrast doesn"t detract from that missing "bullet point" and its overall performance is hard to beat at this price point. Throw in Dell"s usual solid build quality, and this represents a great monitor for enthusiasts looking to build out a mid to high-budget gaming PC.

With a 1ms (GTG) response time and 144Hz refresh rate, the LG 27GN950-B is the best computer monitor for 4K gaming. If you’ve got the graphics card, ideally one of the best graphics cards, you need to handle 144 frames per second (fps) at 4K; this monitor will ensure that power doesn’t go to waste. In our testing, the monitor showed a 7ms response time, keeping up with pricier 4K, 144Hz screens, like the Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ, and even beating some when it came to input lag. Plus, FreeSync Premium Pro and G-Sync Compatibility will fight screen tears for those times when framerates drop below 48 fps.

Although VA panels are known for their high contrast, this IPS monitor can hold its own, hitting 1,034.7 before calibration and 8,475.3:1 with HDR, based on our benchmarks. Those who want the most accurate color may find the sRGB mode too saturated, but the 27GN950-B proved accurate when it came to the more colorful DCI-P3 space.

eSports players and hopefuls rely on the fastest peripherals available to attenuate the delay between deciding on in-game action and when that action happens on screen. 360 Hz is the fastest refresh rate PC monitors have today, and the MSI Oculux NXG253R is the fastest of them all. Yes, the NXG253R is the fastest display we’ve ever tested, making it the best computer monitor for eSports you can buy.

The NXG253R outperformed other 360 Hz monitors by 1-3ms (depending on the rival screen) in our absolute input lag test. It also matched all its 360 Hz rivals in our response time test with a 3ms score. The monitor also fights screen tears down to a 1 Hz refresh rate with G-Sync and includes the Nvidia Reflex latency analyzer to help fine-tune your eSports performance further.

If you want an affordable screen with many pixels, the Samsung UR59C is the best budget 4K monitor for you. The VA panel delivers contrast (2590.5:1 after calibration), making everything from photos to videos to games look better. This is clearly not a high-end gaming monitor with a 60 Hz refresh rate, 4ms (GTG) response, and noFreeSync or G-Sync. But casual gamers can make do, thanks to the combination of high pixel density and high contrast, keeping games looking realistic.

Curves are generally more effective on ultrawide screens, but the UR59C’s 1500R curvature was effective and beneficial for this 32-incher, such as when multitasking with multiple windows. And if you don’t mind calibrating, you can get rid of the UR59C pesky color errors, which, unfortunately, were visible out of the box. Our calibration settings reduced the error from 4.3dE to 0.9dE.

Making HDR pop over SDR is all about contrast, and for the ultimate contrast, there’s nothing better than OLED. The Aorus FO48U’s massive OLED panel not only delivers immeasurably high contrast, but we recorded 107.7% coverage of the DCI-P3 color space and near-flawless grayscale tracking. As a result, you get a rich image that’s also accurate out of the box. However, it’s not as bright as a premium LCD (399 nits with HDR, according to our testing).

Aorus’ OLED monitor is fit for high-speed HDR gaming on both PCs and consoles, thanks to DisplayPort 1.4 with Display Stream Compression (DSC) and HDMI 2.1, respectively. The monitor held its own against 120Hz and 144Hz rivals in our speed tests, only falling 4ms behind its OLED gaming rival, the Alienware AW5520QF. Unfortunately, you don’t get Dolby Vision or support for the 50p and 24p TV formats, but the monitor has two 15W speakers and one 20w speaker for outstanding audio quality.

Asus has gone all out with the ProArt PA32UCG, combining 1152 dimming zones in its full-array Mini-LED backlight. A quantum dot film covers a considerable color gamut, almost 78% of Rec.2020. And it is the brightest monitor we’ve ever tested at over 1700 nits peak. To that, it adds precise out-of-box accuracy for every color mode in use today. Though it includes many calibration options and a bundled colorimeter, it’s ready for work or play, with no tweaking necessary.

A lot of us are finding ourselves working in tight spaces these days. If you’re looking to add another screen to your space, the Lenovo ThinkVision M14 is the best portable monitor. Its most standout feature is a critical one: a reliable, strong kickstand that’s easy to use, thanks to two flip-out feet. While many portable monitors are stuck with flimsy sleeves that double as stands, you can intuitively prop up the ThinkVision M14 at a -5 to 90-degree tilt or even in portrait mode. Unfortunately, its travel case isn’t as tough.

According to our benchmarks, with 244 nits max brightness and 98% coverage of the sRGB color space, the ThinkVision M14 is perfect for surfing the web or watching a movie in SDR. USB-C connectivity, meanwhile, means it won’t run out of battery when plugged into a laptop. It can also deliver as much as 65W of power to a device if plugged into a wall adapter. But those whose PC or device, such as a Raspberry Pi, doesn’t have a USB-C port with DisplayPort 1.2 Alt Mode and USB PD 2.0 or better will be out of luck.

With a 240Hz refresh rate, 3ms (GTG) response time, and even FreeSync, the Asus ROG XG17AHPE stands high above the competition and easily snags the best portable gaming monitor crown.

However, the XG17AHPE is as expensive as it is unique. In fact, you can buy a much larger desktop-sized monitor with the same amount of speed for cheaper than this, over $400 17.3-incher. And the origami-style cover Asus includes isn’t sufficient for protecting this expensive piece of hardware or providing a reliable stand.

The HP Omen X 65 Emperium is the best computer monitor to replace your living room TV. First, it’s massive. It also comes with a remote and powerful audio that’ll fill your space, thanks to four 4-inch woofers, two 1-inch tweeters and a pair of passive radiators. The inclusion of Nvidia Shield means access to the apps you’d want on a smart TV, including Netflix and YouTube, plus access to hundreds of free games.

This is also a top-of-the-line gaming monitor. It fell just 1ms behind smaller 144Hz rivals in our response time test and even beat a 144Hz alternative during input lag testing.

Image quality, whether enjoying SDR or HDR, is also impressive. Contrast is an impressive 4,463 but can go higher with a variable backlight and hit 52,141:1 with HDR.

If you want something a little smaller and cheaper, theAlienware AW5520QF is excellent and offers even higher contrast with its OLED panel but is much dimmer than the Omen X 65 Emperium.Round up of today"s best deals

If you"re experiencing the symptoms of eye strain, the best solution is to spend less time looking at screens. However, if you can"t afford to take your eyes off of your monitor, there are ways to reduce the effect they have on your eyes,

Your monitor is likely made up of lots of little Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). To preserve your eyes, these LEDs can be dimmed to reduce the light they emit.

There are two different ways that LEDs are dimmed: via pulse width modulation (PWM) or direct current (DC). In PWM, the LEDs are turned on and off very rapidly, and the more time they spend in the "off" mode, the dimmer they appear.

PWM has been used in LED monitors for a long time, and it works well. Unfortunately, it can also cause flickering, which can strain the eyes. It"s especially noticeable when your monitor is at very low levels of brightness.

DC dimming takes a different approach. Instead of turning the LEDs on and off at full power, it regulates the power going into the diodes. When there"s less power flowing through, the LEDs aren"t as bright. As a result, there"s no flickering.

Many modern monitors have DC dimming (you"ll sometimes see it labeled as "PWM-free"). It was once an expensive addition and would burn out the LEDs faster. However, as technology has improved, it"s gotten easier to find monitors with DC dimming.

Monitors that are too bright can cause eye strain. While it"s fairly easy to adjust the brightness yourself, lots of new monitors come with automatic brightness adjustment. If you"ve used one of the backlit Kindles, you"ve seen this feature before.

These monitors include light sensors and always adjust the brightness to an optimum level. Some even let you customize how they work. It saves you a step and keeps you from forgetting to make the adjustment yourself.

If your monitor doesn"t have brightness adjustment, there are ways to replicate it on the software level. For instance, there"s both Windows 10"s night light and f.lux, both of which we compared in our guide on f.lux vs. Windows 10.

If your monitor is glossy and tends to reflect a lot of light, your eyes are doing more work than they need to. Glare and reflections make it hard to focus and add to eye strain from monitors. Fortunately, it"s easy to find monitors with anti-glare coatings.

There are full-matte monitors, but these tend to look a little washed out. Semi-glossy and coated screens reduce glare without making it difficult to see details. These are perfect for offices or desks that get some sunlight or tend to reflect overhead lights.

It"s getting more difficult to find a monitor without glare reduction or anti-reflective coating, but make sure to double-check when you"re shopping around.

Curved screens are increasingly common. It can take a while to get used to a curved monitor, as they curve around your head for a more immersive experience.

But are curved monitors better for your eyes? They feel strange at first, and you might feel like it"s actually making your eyes do more work. However, research tells us the opposite is true.

As your eyes shift from the center to the peripheries of a flat-screen, the distance between your eyes and the screen changes, requiring you to quickly refocus. If you regularly perform actions that require your eyes to move back and forth between the center and the side of your screen, it causes a lot of refocusing.

A curved screen keeps the focal distance more uniform, obviating the need for countless quick refocuses. As such, when you"re shopping for a curved vs. a flat monitor, be sure to check out the former for better eye focus.

Some monitor manufacturers are taking steps to reduce eye strain by limiting the amount of blue light emitted by their screens. BenQ, for example, has some cool blue-light filtering tech in their monitors:

Windows 10 has a built-in feature to do the same thing. Mac users can take advantage of a similar feature with Night Shift, while macOS Mojave offers a dark mode for your apps which also helps reduce eye-strain.

Older monitors, especially really old CRTs, had almost no adjustability. But you can easily adjust the height, viewing angle, and even orientation of modern monitors. Getting a monitor at the right angle is crucial for a comfortable workplace.

According to ErgoBuyer, the best viewing angle is between 20 and 50 degrees below horizontal. Interestingly, looking straight ahead at your monitor is good for your neck, but places additional strain on your eyes.

They point out that this angle below horizontal is similar to the angle used when people read books---so think of it that way when you"re setting up your workstation.

If it"s been a long time since you last upgraded your monitor, it might be time. Especially if you spend hours looking at your screen every day. Many of the features listed above might seem pretty minor. But they make a difference, especially if your old monitor only had one or two of them.

If you think you have eye strain, there are some symptoms to keep your eye out for (no pun intended). Knowing the early warning signs can help you tackle the problem before it gets too out of hand.

The shift to remote work has sent millions scrambling to improve their home office. There are many ways to do this, but the most important upgrade is the most obvious: the monitor.

A monitor is key. You’ll use it hour after hour, day after day, year after year. Monitors even have the audacity to resist obsolescence, so the monitor you buy today might be the one you’re still using in a decade. (My editor and I both have decade-old Dell U2412 monitors that are still going strong.)

It’s an important decision, but not a difficult one, as there are dozens of great monitors to choose from. This guide will help you pick the best for your home office.

I’ve reviewed monitors and laptop displays for over a decade. While different monitors suit different owners, I believe the idealhome office monitor has a 27-inch screen and 4K resolution. It uses an IPS panel, reaches a brightness of at least 250 nits, and can display 99 percent of the sRGB color gamut. Around back you’ll find a USB-C port that can deliver enough power to charge a laptop, along with HDMI and DisplayPort, plus an ergonomic stand that can adjust for height and attaches to a VESA mount.

Finding a monitor that ticks most of these boxes won’t be too difficult. LG’s UltraFine line, Dell’s USB-C hub monitors, BenQ’s PD2720U and PD2725U, and HP’s U28 can check them all. Only the price may be higher than you hope; snagging any of the above will cost at least $450.

But like I said, different monitors suit different owners. These monitors are ideal for work, but they’re expensive. They also lack features you’ll crave when it’s time to clock out and fire up a round of Valorant. This guide will help you navigate the monitor world’s many caveats and find one that’s a fit for you.

Most standard-width monitors come in one of three sizes: 24-inch, 27-inch, and 32-inch. Bigger is not necessarily better. A large display may look more impressive, but I find it uncomfortable when placed close to my eyes. There are also practical considerations like perceived pixel density. A big monitor will look fuzzier than a smaller monitor of the same resolution unless you move it further away — which isn’t always an option.

That’s why a 27-inch monitor is my go-to recommendation. It’s large enough to look impressive on a typical home office desk but isn’t excessive. In my experience, 32-inch monitors should be reserved for unusually large and deep desks, or corner setups where it’s possible to position the display around four feet away from your face. This is especially true for 32-inch monitors with a resolution below 4K, which look grainy to me at a distance of three feet.

For the same reasons, 24-inch monitors work better if you have a small, slim desk (say, around 24 inches deep or less) or otherwise bring the monitor closer to your face. A 24-inch monitor may sound small, but it’ll look reasonably large because it’s so close. They’re also a great way to save money. You can buy a decent all-around monitor like the HP 24mh for less than $200. It won’t wow you, but it works in a pinch.

You can be creative with size if you mount a VESA-compatible monitor to an arm, as this will let you move it to your preference (including the proper ergonomic height). If you’re just doing it to move a large monitor farther away, though, give it a second thought. Why spend more for a larger monitor, and a monitor arm to position it farther away, instead of buying a smaller display to start?

If you’re looking to stretch more screen across your field of view for multitasking, you might consider an ultrawide monitor instead. There, I think the choice is clear: go for a 34-incher.

Smaller models lack vertical space. A 29-inch ultrawide has less vertical display space than a 24-inch widescreen. Larger models generally have the opposite problem. Many are too big for a typical home office desk, not only because of their screen size, but because of the large stands used to stabilize them (some are several feet wide). You might need to rearrange your desk around a 38-inch or 43-inch monitor or add a top-tier monitor arm to make it work.

What about super-ultrawides, like the 49-inch Samsung Odyssey G9 series? These monitors can offer a commanding view and are a good alternative to a double or triple monitor setup but, like big ultrawides, you’ll need to build your setup around it.

Resolution is key. A higher resolution means more pixels, and more pixels means a sharper, crisper image. More pixels also adds flexibility. You can use scaling features in Windows and MacOS to increase content size for readability, or crank it down to show more content at once.

4K resolution (3,840 x 2,160) looks fantastic and is widely available on 27-inch and 32-inch displays. It’s not that expensive, either. Budget 4K 27-inch monitors like the Dell S2721QS can get you 4K for $350 or less.

With that said, settling for 1440p (2,560 x 1,440) can save money. It’s a bit disappointing on a 32-inch display, unless you move it far away, but it’s workable. A 27-inch 1440p display can look reasonably sharp and is a good choice if you personally don’t care about having the sharpest picture possible.

You should probably avoid 1080p (1,920 x 1,080) in a 27-inch or 32-inch monitor, however. It will look grainy and pixelated. Small fonts and interface elements (such as buttons) can become difficult to see.

Twenty-four-inch monitors are a different story; 4K is rare, and 1440p is often the premium option. In fact, most monitors of this size are 1080p. It’s not ideal but it’s acceptable, as decreasing size increases pixel density. A 24-inch 1080p monitor is noticeably sharper than a 27-inch 1080p monitor.

Want a 34-inch ultrawide? Look for 3,440 x 1,440 resolution. This leads to a pixel density nearly identical to a 27-inch 1440p monitor (about 109 pixels per inch). A handful of super-budget ultrawides use 2,560 x 1,080 resolution which, like 1080p on a large monitor, isn’t pleasant. LG’s 5K Ultrawide line is the sole option if you want 4K-equivalent pixel density in a 34-inch ultrawide, but you’ll typically pay $1,500 or more. LG’s well-reviewed 38-inch with 3,840 x 1,600 resolution costs even more at $1,600 and, though it might offer more screen, is equal in pixel density to a 3,440 x 1,440 ultrawide.

Super-ultrawides also don’t offer much choice. All 49-inch super-ultrawides I’m aware of use the same 5,120 x 1,440 resolution which, again, roughly equals the pixel density of a 1440p 27-inch display.

Most monitors have HDMI and DisplayPort. There’s no great reason to prefer one over the other for remote work. The huge majority of monitors sold today offer both, so the port you use will likely come down to what’s available on your PC.

What about HDMI 2.1? It’s not necessary for remote work, and productivity monitors with HDMI 2.1 aren’t yet a thing. Be warned that HDMI 2.1 could get messy in 2022 due to the standard’s lax certification. It’s key only if you want to connect a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X game console.

If you’ve got extra cash to spend, the galaxy-brain move is to ignore HDMI and DisplayPort entirely and leap to USB-C and/or Thunderbolt. USB-C and Thunderbolt are great because they allow a single-cable solution for modern laptops that support the standard. You can plug in the laptop and charge it from the monitor while sending video to the monitor simultaneously. The best USB-C monitors even act as a hub with multiple extra ports like USB-A, USB-C, and ethernet.

The underside of this 27-inch Dell USB-C Hub Monitor is bristling with connectivity, much of it accessible via a single USB-C cable that also provides 90W of charging. Image: Dell

Just make sure you check the fine print. Look for USB-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and Power Delivery, or Thunderbolt with Power Delivery (the standard has DisplayPort baked in). Those sorts of USB-C ports aren’t exactly uncommon on laptops: even the modest ThinkPad E545 I bought a few years back includes them.

But you’ll also need to make sure the monitor you buy provides enough electricity. Power Delivery currently maxes out at 100 watts, so even the most powerful monitors can’t fully power laptops like a top-spec Razer Blade or high-end MacBook Pro 16, but a monitor that delivers 60 watts or even 45 watts might be enough if you have a thin-and-light laptop like a Dell XPS 13 or MacBook Air. The higher the better, but if the USB-C monitor doesn’t deliver as much power as your laptop’s power brick, your battery might only charge when it’s idle or even powered off.

USB-C monitors are also expensive. The benefits often add several hundred dollars to the price when compared to an otherwise similar monitor that lacks USB-C. It’s worth the money, though: in 2019, I purchased a Viewsonic VG2455-2K for a sweet one-cable connection to USB-C capable laptops, and find it ideal for swiftly connecting my laptop to a larger screen.

Any monitor worth your attention will have a stand that at least adjusts for height, usually along a range from 100 to 150 millimeters. Sure, you can stack it on books or buy a plastic riser, but that’s added hassle and clutter.

Many monitors also adjust for tilt and swivel, and some pivot 90 degrees into portrait orientation. That can be particularly handy when a monitor is used as a second display. For example, you could swivel a monitor to directly face you while doing detailed work, like editing a photo, and swing it away when it’s just displaying Slack or Discord. Tilt is similar but on the vertical axis, and especially handy if you have a standing desk, as you may need to tilt the monitor up while the desk is standing.

But if your monitor doesn’t have enough range of motion, or you want to free up space on your desk, you could instead add a VESA-compatible monitor arm to get it off the ground. Look for monitors with a 100mm x 100mm VESA spacing pattern. This is an extremely common feature found in all but the most affordable monitors, and you only need to worry about the 100mm spacing pattern. Others exist, but are relevant to other types of displays (like televisions).

A monitor arm is rarely a necessity, but it’s great for multi-monitor setups that place secondary displays around and above your main monitor, or for positioning an especially large and bulky monitor. Unfortunately, monitor arms can also be a bit expensive. A basic monitor arm off Amazon can run $30 to $50, but I’ve been burnt on their quality in the past. A good arm like those from Jarvis or Ergotron will start around $130.

Larger, heavier monitors will need a beefier, more expensive arm: the model Ergotron recommends for the 49-inch Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 is currently $379 (and, at the time I wrote this, sold out!)

Color accuracy is critical to image quality. An inaccurate monitor will look unnatural, flat, and dull, with strange swings in quality depending on what you’re viewing and the precise colors that are inaccurate (it’s common for monitors to be less accurate in blue or cyan than other colors, for example). A monitor with terrible color will disappoint you every time you sit down to use it.

The good news? Accuracy is low-key the greatest advancement in monitors over the last decade. Noticeably inaccurate displays were common when I began testing monitors well over a decade ago. Today, most midrange monitors have reasonable accuracy straight out of the box.

Still, there is a difference between midrange and premium monitors. Those who want great color accuracy should look for a “factory calibrated” monitor, which typically includes a calibration report in the box. This doesn’t guarantee color accuracy is perfect, but it at least shows the company put the monitor through an extra layer of quality assurance. Also check reviewers to see if the monitor lives up to its claims.

Color gamut, which describes the spectrum of colors a monitor can display, is also good enough on most monitors. The majority of content on a computer targets a color gamut called sRGB. Modern monitors display at least 95 percent of this gamut, and many display it all. Other gamuts also exist. DCI-P3 is the most advertised, though you may see Rec.709 or Adobe RGB as well. These gamuts are important if your work requires them, though if that’s the case, I’m guessing you know that. As with color accuracy, buyers concerned about gamut should read reviews to verify a monitor lives up to its claims.

Odds are your home office has some form of light control, whether it’s shades or simply a room that’s naturally a bit dim. The ideal brightness will vary based on the lighting in your home office, but a monitor’s brightness rarely needs to exceed 200 nits. In fact, most monitor calibration tools (like a SpyderX Elite I use) have a built-in luminance sensor used to recommend a brightness based on ambient light. I’ve never seen it recommend more than 200 nits.

That’s not a big ask, but budget monitors can’t always manage it, so be careful if you’re shopping on a tight budget. Manufacturers also tend to choose a best-case scenario when quoting brightness, so the listed brightness may not always be available. Buy a monitor that promises a maximum brightness of at least 250 nits (aka cd/m2).

Why would you want a brighter monitor? Well, if you’re viewing SDR content, there’s no particular reason (aside from using a monitor in a very, very bright room which, though rare, does happen). Viewing SDR content at a high brightness (say, 300 nits or more) might look nice at a glance, but can cause image quality issues like disappointing dark levels and reduced overall contrast.

High Dynamic Range, aka HDR, is a different story. This standard supports a way higher range of luminosity than SDR. HDR10, the most common standard, technically allows for a peak brightness up to 10,000 nits. Brightness does matter for HDR because the content includes additional luminance data that only HDR-compatible displays can show.

If you are looking for an HDR monitor, DisplayHDR certification labels could help, but know that “peak luminance” means “a tiny region on screen can get that bright,” and DisplayHDR 400 is barely HDR at all. Screenshot by Sean Hollister / The Verge

However, HDR is a bit of a minefield on the PC and can be counterproductive for work. Turning on HDR in Windows will often block a number of monitor controls you may need, including brightness, color gamut, and color temperature settings. The resulting image can appear eye-searingly bright and you’ll have less leeway to adjust it to your preferences.

Also, most content viewed in Windows or MacOS is not designed for HDR. You can still view it, but the result will be less accurate than if you stuck with SDR.

Entertainment and gaming is where HDR redeems itself. Most streaming platforms now offer a method for viewing HDR content on a PC and many new 3D games include HDR support. Windows 11 even has an auto-HDR feature that can add HDR to games that don’t officially support it. This makes HDR a nice addition to a monitor that you’ll use for work and play — though I’d recommend leaving HDR off until you clock out.

Nearly all monitors sold today use an LCD panel based on one of three technologies: twisted nematic (TN), in-plane switching (IPS), and vertical alignment (VA).

The least expensive monitors often use a TN panel. Avoid them. TN panel monitors will display an image, but that’s about it. They look achingly dull next to IPS and have astoundingly bad viewing angles.

A majority of monitors use IPS. Monitors based on IPS have very accurate color and can support a wide color gamut at a reasonable price. IPS struggles with dark scenes, however, because it can’t achieve a convincing shade of black. This is the dreaded “IPS glow” you may have heard of, which can look unappealing when watching movies or playing games. However, gamers still enjoy IPS monitors because some IPS panels have low response times and very high refresh rates.

What about VA? This panel type has the best contrast ratio and dark scene performance of the three, which makes VA a great go-to choice for entertainment and gaming. This is especially true of high-quality, modern VA panels, which have mostly solved the color accuracy and motion smearing issues of some past VA monitors.

The choice between IPS and VA has no clear answer, as both have their perks. When it comes to work, though, you may find the choice is made for you. A huge majority of productivity monitors use an IPS panel. VA is an option, but you’ll want to lean your search toward gaming monitors if you crave the high contrast a quality VA panel can provide.

AMD and Nvidia have successfully convinced gamers that a 360Hz monitor is ideal. But what if your day includes more Excel than Counter-Strike? You might still see some benefits from a refresh rate higher than the traditional 60Hz.

Gaming is often thereason to buy a monitor with an enhanced refresh rate. Higher refresh rates lead to smoother, more fluid motion and reduces input lag. That said, the benefits of refresh rate are not restricted to games. Higher rates make motion feel more fluid on the desktop as well, which is why Apple’s newest MacBook Pro 14 and 16, and many Windows laptops, now offer a refresh rate of 120Hz or more.

I feel it’s nice to have, but far down on the list of features you need to consider. Also, you probably shouldn’t pay extra for a 75Hz monitor — it’s not much gain over 60Hz.

High-refresh gaming displays aren’t especially expensive, with 24-inch, 144Hz models sold for as little as $200. But you’ll typically trade something away for refresh rate: that $200 monitor might use an iffy TN panel (rather than IPS or VA) or feature a low resolution. It’s possible to snag a 4K display for a reasonable sum, or one with a high refresh rate, but going for 4K at 144Hz means looking at monitors that cost as much as big televisions.

Also, USB-C with Power Delivery is rarely found in gaming monitors, and I haven’t seen a USB-C gaming monitor that doubles as a USB-C hub. That could be an issue if your work setup involves a lot of wired peripherals.

Mini LED adds a twist. The fundamentals remain similar, but the backlight is divided into hundreds of zones that can turn on and off independently. This allow