The 6 Best Monitors for 2024 | Reviews by Wirecutter

By Dave Gershgorn

Dave Gershgorn is a writer covering monitors, laptops, and tablets. He is a certified display calibrator through the Imaging Science Foundation.

After new testing, we have a new 27-inch monitor, 4K upgrade, and portable monitor pick.

Whether you’re buying a first or second monitor for your desktop computer or buying a big screen to use with your laptop at home, a good monitor is a wise investment. There’s no single monitor that will work best for everyone, but our monitor guides cover all different sizes, uses, and prices, from basic, 24-inch budget models to big 4K screens to high-refresh-rate gaming monitors. Here we discuss the best ones you can buy as well as what you might need them for.

If you watch 4K content or work with high-resolution media, 4K monitors are for you.

Generally, 27-inch monitors offer the right balance of size and price for most people.

Ultrawide monitors are good alternatives to dual displays for gamers or multitaskers.

If you’re low on desk space, or you just don’t want to spend a ton, 24-inch monitors will do the trick.

The U2723QE looks sharp, has great contrast, and can charge a MacBook Pro over USB-C.

Who this is for: Great 4K monitors make text sharper and show more detail in images. And they can give you extra desktop space so you can fit more stuff on your screen at once.

Why we like it: The Dell U2723QE uses a new display technology called IPS Black, which gives much better contrast than monitors we’ve recommended in the past. You’ll notice more detail in shadows when watching dimly lit shows, and colors will look vibrant and rich. This new screen is the centerpiece of the monitor, but it also has all the features we look for in a general-purpose monitor: a USB-C port with 90W of power, so your laptop will charge while it’s plugged in through the single cable, and a KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) feature to automatically switch your peripherals between computers (if you hook up more than one to the monitor).

Flaws but not dealbreakers: We think the U2723QE is a fantastic monitor, but we would suggest calibrating it before undertaking color-critical work.

Learn more in our full review of the best 4K monitors.

This 2560×1440-resolution 27-inch monitor has good color accuracy, a USB-C port with 90 W of power delivery, and a fast refresh rate for gaming.

Who this is for: This size and resolution make for a great all-purpose monitor that doesn’t cost as much as a 4K display. A 27-inch monitor has significantly more screen space than a 24-inch model but takes up less space on a desk than a 32-inch display.

Why we like it: We’ve recommended Asus’s ProArt line of monitors for years because they’re sharp, accurate, and affordable. The Asus ProArt Display PA278CGV adds a 144 Hz refresh rate, which makes it a pretty good gaming monitor, too. With a USB hub and a KVM switch, this display can automatically swap peripherals between inputs, such as for a work laptop and a home PC. The USB-C port can deliver 90 W of power, which is enough to keep most laptops charged up. This monitor also has a three-year warranty with a good dead-pixel policy.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: The stand on the PA278CGV is a bit more wobbly than the stand on previous models in the line. We didn’t notice it while typing, but when we pressed buttons or adjusted the display, the stand felt less sturdy than those of its predecessors.

Learn more in our full review of the best 27-inch monitors.

The VA24DCP is an affordable and reasonably color-accurate monitor with a USB-C connection and 65 W of charging. Its main flaw is its basic stand, which tilts the monitor up and down only, but that’s typical of almost all inexpensive monitors.

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Who this is for: This is for anyone who has limited desk space, prefers a smaller screen, or has less than $200 to spend, and for those who don’t mind giving up nice-to-have features such as an adjustable stand. A 24-inch monitor is a lot bigger than even the largest laptop screen, but it takes up much less room on your desk than a 27-inch monitor.

Why we like it: The Asus VA24DCP is a 24-inch, 1080p monitor with a USB-C port capable of 65 W of charging, making it a great budget option for those who need a basic monitor to connect to their laptop. The color accuracy and contrast are suitable for office work or watching videos, and it’s nicely priced. For desktop users or those with older laptops, it also has an HDMI port.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: This is a budget monitor, so you’re giving up a few features like an adjustable stand and a USB hub. These are nice to have, but they don’t affect daily use for many people, so we think that’s a fine compromise. However, the speakers on this monitor aren’t great, and we don’t recommend using them.

Learn more in our full review of the best budget monitors.

Asus’s 31.5-inch OLED monitor offers superb contrast and color, a 240 Hz refresh rate for gaming, and 90 W USB-C charging.

Who this is for: This is a large, expensive monitor for people who want the best image quality and gaming performance and are willing to pay for new technology. But it looks terrific and comes with a good warranty.

Why we like it: The Asus ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM is one of the first large 4K OLED computer monitors available, and it offers a significant jump in contrast and general image quality over IPS monitors. In OLED displays, individual pixels can turn on and off, creating much darker shadows and black tones compared with IPS displays, which use a backlight to illuminate an image from behind. Aside from a truly great display, the PG32UCDM also gives you a USB-C port with 90 W of power delivery, a USB hub and KVM switch, and the ability to control it via software.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: The PG32UCDM is expensive. It’s one of the first 4K OLED monitors to become widely available, so you’re paying a premium for a new technology.

Also, the ability to control the monitor’s settings through an app—and even assign hotkeys for certain settings—is a nice feature, but the one setting that you can’t control via software or hotkey is the monitor’s input, which is arguably the most important setting. Asus says it will fix this oversight in a software update in coming months.

Learn more in our full review of the best 4K monitors.

The Asus ProArt PA348CGV is a full-featured ultrawide with a flat screen, rather than a curved one like many other ultrawides.

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 Asus ProArt PA348CGV is color-accurate for any kind of creative work, has a USB-C connection with 90W of charging, and a 120 Hz refresh rate that’s fast enough for most gaming. While many ultrawide displays curve their corners in to make them more immersive, we found that we didn’t miss it on the PA348CGV's flat display. A flat screen also means you can do design or video editing, and lines won’t be warped by the curve of the monitor.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: You’ll have to use DisplayPort or USB-C if you want the 120 Hz refresh rate, as the monitor’s older HDMI 2.0 ports can’t handle all that data.

Learn more in our full review of the best ultrawide monitors.

This portable monitor offers impressive image quality for the price and is also good for gaming.

Who this is for: Portable monitors can be helpful if you commonly work on a laptop away from an office, such as in coffee shops, coworking spaces, or hotel rooms. If you already have a set workspace, you would get more value from other monitors on this page.

Why we like it: The Arzopa Z1FC surprised us with its image and build quality, especially for its low price. We almost couldn’t believe it, so we ordered two more to make sure we didn’t just get a good unit. But all three monitors exhibited the same good color accuracy and gaming performance, even at a 144 Hz refresh rate. It has both USB-C and Mini HDMI connections, and it works well with game systems such as the Valve Steam Deck and the Sony PlayStation 5.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: One Arzopa Z1FC portable monitor that we bought arrived with an issue that caused it to emit a noticeable whine when powered on. Arzopa quickly replaced the monitor when we went through normal customer support channels, so we feel a bit more confident in saying that even if you get a lemon, the company will make it right.

Learn more in our full review of the best portable monitors.

We look for monitors with adjustable stands to accommodate the widest range of postures and desk setups. But if you need an even-more-adjustable mount for your monitor to achieve better ergonomics, we recommend picking up a monitor arm. All of our monitor picks are VESA-compatible and will work with our monitor-arm picks.

This article was edited by Signe Brewster and Caitlin McGarry.

If you’re a video-editing pro or love to watch high-res movies, the best 4K monitor is the Dell UltraSharp U2723QE.

We researched and tested cheap monitors and found options that are good enough for most people.

Ultrawide monitors are appealing for viewing documents or browser windows side by side, and they make video games more immersive.

For those who have the desk space, 27-inch monitors hit the sweet spot of screen size and resolution, and we have recommendations for almost every scenario.

If you need to get work done on the go, our portable monitor pick is an excellent second screen.

Dave Gershgorn

I am based in Seattle and responsible for Wirecutter’s computer monitor coverage, as well as all our guides to Apple laptops and desktops. I also review higher-powered laptops, such as business laptops and laptops for photo and video editing. Plus, I write our reviews for all-in-one computers, ergonomic keyboards, and home 3D printers. If it has a screen, sits on a desk, and isn’t a basic Windows ultrabook, I’m usually the person to try it out.