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is now because of its great three-year warranty, its good all-around color accuracy, and its useful selection of ports, including a USB-C port that can provide up to 65 W of power to a connected laptop. Show more. is now because of its great three-year warranty, its good all-around color accuracy, and its useful selection of ports, including a USB-C port that can provide up to 65 W of power to a connected laptop. We also have a; can save you a lot of money if you don’t need an adjustable stand, USB-C, or a USB hub. The is the 4K monitor to get, especially if you have a USB-C laptop. In addition to one of the most color-accurate screens we tested and a highly adjustable ergonomic stand, it lets you charge your laptop from the same USB-C connection it uses to display video and connect the two USB 3.0 ports—a feature most of the monitors we tested lack that drastically reduces the number of cables on your desk.
It has thin bezels, which means the screen appears larger and the monitor takes up less space than some other monitors. (Thin bezels also just look better.) The Z27 also comes with a three-year warranty and a that should be a comfort to anyone buying a 4K monitor. The proved about as color-accurate as our top pick in testing, it offers a similar amount of adjustability to accommodate different postures at work, and it has a range of ports. It’s a little bit cheaper than the HP Z27, but in most cases, we think the Z27’s USB-C connectivity is worth paying a little bit more for.
The U2718Q comes with a useful three-year warranty as well as a Premium Panel Guarantee that covers defective pixels; if there’s even one bright pixel, Dell will replace the whole monitor. If you buy the Dell U2718Q, make sure it’s running firmware version or newer and update it if necessary; older firmware versions had visibly inaccurate greens and yellows that are fixed by this firmware version. If you want a monitor that’s big enough to run 4K without scaling—which can help you avoid blurriness and other issues with third-party apps—we recommend the. Its color accuracy is comparable to our top picks, it has plenty of ports and an SD card slot, and it has interesting features like a built-in KVM switch, which allows you to connect two computers to its dual upstream USB ports and use a single keyboard and mouse to control both. The PD3200U costs nearly a couple hundred more dollars than our pick at the moment and takes up significantly more space, but if you want to avoid scaling or you’re running a two-computer setup, it’s an excellent choice. Without a USB-C port, it’s not the one-cable solution our main pick is.
Best USB-C Monitors for MacBook and MacBook Pro (2016 - 2018) We're a virtual company made up of tech experts from around the globe. We know that USB-C is the future and a USB-C monitor is perfect for your MacBook. The best USB-C monitor for most people. This 4K monitor is hands-down the best USB-C monitor you can buy to complement your Mac experience. Via one cable, USB-C, you can power your MacBook, transfer video, and use the monitor as a USB hub, with the ability to interface with any peripheral you plug into the UD88's two USB 3.0 ports.
If you don’t have room on your desk for a 27-inch monitor but you still want a good 4K screen, get. The P2415Q is about 3 inches smaller than our 27-inch top pick, with extremely accurate colors and similar features. It has HDMI and DisplayPort connections, plus four USB 3.0 ports, and its stand is just as adjustable as the HP Z27.
The relatively thick bezel around its screen makes it look chunky next to with newer monitors, but it’s still the best 4K 24-inch model we’ve tested. It comes with the same dead-pixel policy and warranty as the Dell U2718Q. It doesn’t have USB-C support, but we didn’t find a 24-inch 4K monitor that does.
If you want to edit 4K-resolution photographs or video on your Mac, the is a great option. It had very precise colors in our tests—even better than our main picks, and unlike them, it also covers 99.45 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut—and its 27-inch, 5120×2880-pixel display gives you room for native 4K content plus taskbars and user interface. 5K monitors are still rare and usually use wonky multi-cable setups, not unlike 4K monitors from a few years ago, but the UltraFine 5K can get a display signal, charge a MacBook Pro, and connect other USB-C accessories with a single Thunderbolt 3 cable. But the UltraFine 5K Display is expensive, and only Thunderbolt 3 Macs from 2016 or later can run it at its full resolution. Anyone buying a monitor in 2018 should consider a 4K monitor first, since they aren’t as expensive or as difficult to set up as they once were—these days, good 27-inch 4K monitors don’t cost much more than.
If you’re viewing or editing 4K-resolution pictures or videos at native resolution, or even if you just want sharper text and images on your screen, it’s worth investing in a 4K monitor. 4K is a loose term that indicates the approximate number of pixels horizontally across the screen; the actual 4K resolution is 3840 pixels by 2160 pixels. That’s four times the pixels in a 1080p display and 2.25 times as many as a 2560-by-1440-pixel display. The pixel density in a 4K display allows for sharper, more detailed images and videos, as well as an increase in usable desktop space—which means you can view a bunch of information on the screen at once—but 4K monitors need a newer computer to run at 60 Hz refresh rates. Your computer needs to support DisplayPort 1.2 or later or HDMI 2.0 or later; most things released in or after 2015 should display your desktop and apps at 60 Hz just fine, though your graphics processor and Internet connection will also determine whether games and streaming video can run at 60 Hz.
Streaming and displaying 4K video also takes more processing power and bandwidth than lower-resolution content, though that can vary depending on encoding and other factors., for instance, requires a seventh-generation Intel Core processor or Nvidia’s 120-series graphics cards, the Microsoft Edge web browser, and an Internet connection of at least 25 Mbps. Requirements can vary widely, so check your hardware’s capabilities and your software’s system requirements before buying to make sure that your computer can handle what you want to display.
Anyone buying a monitor in 2018 should consider a 4K monitor first, since they aren’t as expensive or as difficult to set up as they once were—these days, good 27-inch 4K monitors don’t cost much more than non-4K monitors with similar features. If you can’t afford a 4K monitor or have an older computer, we have guides for lower-resolution and, which are still great for browsing the web, multitasking, and gaming at your desktop.
Buying either right now will save you one to two hundred dollars. How we picked. These are the features you should look for in a 4K monitor:. Size: A 27-inch monitor is large enough to take advantage of some of 4K’s extra screen resolution without being too large to use on a desk. We didn’t look at monitors bigger than 32 inches because they take up too much desk space. Panel type: Your monitor’s display should be, not (nor ), because IPS panels provide far better viewing angles and color reproduction.
Ports: HDMI and DisplayPort connections are both requirements for any good monitor. HDMI is one of the most common ports in not just computers but also game consoles, and other electronics. DisplayPort is a similar standard that also allows you to compatible monitors. Great monitors should also include a USB 3.0 hub so you can connect peripherals to your computer while minimizing the number of cables running to a computer sitting under your desk. We considered USB-C an extra rather than a requirement; it allows for the transmission of both data and power over a single cable, which reduces cable clutter on and under your desk.
Although the ports are starting to show up on everything, they’re not common yet. Color accuracy: Monitors that come calibrated from their manufacturers will have better color accuracy than ones that don’t. And since most people don’t calibrate their monitors, out-of-the-box color accuracy is key. For the best image quality, your monitor should also cover as much of the as possible; the more gamut coverage a monitor provides, the wider the range of colors it can accurately represent. If you’re doing professional image work on the monitor, we recommend either calibrating it yourself or hiring a professional to do it. Though factory-calibrated monitors’ accuracy is generally great, professional calibration can usually improve it. Adjustability: Many of us spend hours at a time in front of our monitors; if they aren’t able to be properly aligned for correct posture, our bodies can pay the price.
The most ergonomic option, and a requirement for our picks, is the ability to attach the monitor to a via a VESA mount. Good monitor arms can be an additional $100 to $200, though, so we prioritized monitors with stands able to tilt, swivel, and pivot; height adjustments are a great start, too. Warranty and customer service: A good dead-pixel policy that protects your purchase from bright-pixel defects is important. Three-year warranties are common among 4K monitors, although we did come across a couple of models that offered less-extensive warranties.
Responsive customer service is important, too, in case you run into any problems. Refresh rate: A 60 Hertz (Hz) refresh rate over either HDMI 2.0 or DisplayPort 1.2 will keep things smooth and prevent laggy, frustrating, mouse movements. Older versions of HDMI and DisplayPort topped out at 30 Hz for 4K monitors or relied on MST (multi-stream transport) to achieve 60 Hz. You can now buy 4K monitors with up to 144 Hz refresh rates, but they’re much more expensive than 60 Hz monitors and most people don’t need them.
On-screen display: Your monitor’s on-screen display should make it easy to change settings such as text size or brightness. Its buttons—whether capacitive or physical—should also be easy to use. Adaptive sync: While adaptive sync helps reduce screen tearing, it’s mainly aimed at gamers, so we look at its inclusion as a bonus, rather than a requirement.
“Screen tearing” happens when the number of frames being rendered per second by the graphics card is misaligned with the refresh rate of the monitor. Adaptive sync locks the refresh rate of the monitor to the frame rate of the video card. FreeSync, which is compatible with AMD graphics cards, uses DisplayPort’s adaptive-sync feature. Nvidia has its own version, G-Sync, that requires a Nvidia chip inside the monitor, but those monitors tend to be more expensive. We looked through the websites of 4K monitor manufacturers like, and and found around 50 models to consider. We eliminated models from the running that didn’t meet our criteria, weren’t readily available through established retailers, or were too expensive for the other models we considered. In 2018, we found six new monitors to test alongside the three monitors we’d already tested.
The, and were in competition for our top pick; the, and were candidates for our larger upgrade pick; and the and the were both promising candidates for a budget pick. The 24-inch continues to be a great 4K 24-inch monitor and the is an even higher-resolution option for newer Macs, but there aren’t any new competitors in those categories since the last time we tested. How we tested. We used customized tests in the CalMAN 2017 software calibration suite and high-end hardware to test the color accuracy of each monitor’s display. Shown is our ColorChecker test, which runs through more than 100 colors. Video: Rozette Rago Most people don’t change their monitor settings, and even fewer calibrate their displays, so default performance is critical. We worked with Chris Heinonen, Wirecutter AV writer, to test the color accuracy of each monitor’s display using an and an colorimeter, as well as customized tests in the CalMAN 2017 software calibration suite.
The CalMAN tests produce DeltaE 2000 numbers for each screen which show how close the displayed color is to what it’s supposed to be; the lower the number, the better. A DeltaE value under 1.0 is perfect. Under 2.0 is good enough for print-production work, and you wouldn’t notice a difference if you had a perfect reference to compare against. Ratings above 3.0 mean you’d probably see a difference with your naked eye. Color gamut, or the range of colors that a device can accurately represent, is also important—color accuracy doesn’t mean much if your screen shows only a portion of the colors meant to be displayed—so we used our CalMAN tests to determine how much of the sRGB color gamut each monitor’s screen could reproduce. The ideal score is 100 percent; our numbers don’t go past that, because reporting numbers larger than 100 percent can give the impression of full gamut coverage even in cases where that isn’t true—for example, if the monitor displays many colors outside the gamut without displaying all the ones inside it. For each round of tests, we adjusted the monitor’s brightness to 140 cd/m²—a good value for everyday use—and set its contrast as high as it could go without losing white details.
We left every other setting at the default value. While we tested for picture quality, we used each of our finalists for a few days to get a feel for their features. Our pick: HP Z27. The is the best 4K monitor for most people because it has accurate color; easy ergonomic adjustments that allow you to tilt, swivel, pivot, and adjust the height of the monitor; plus a wide variety of useful ports like USB 3.0 and USB-C. The USB-C port lets you transmit data and video and charge a USB-C laptop at 65 W all over a single cable.
Many of the monitors we tested are about as color-accurate as the HP and have similar features, but the USB-C port gives it the edge over the competition. It also has tiny bezels around the side and the top, and and it comes with a three-year warranty and dead-pixel policy. The HP Z27’s DeltaE 2000 values in most of our CalMAN tests were fantastic; we found its color points at 2.31, ColorChecker at 2.68, and saturation sweep at 2.42.
Its grayscales were more technically accurate than most of the competition, at 2.97; for reference, our runner-up pick’s grayscale score was 3.88, almost an entire point worse, although we couldn’t spot a practical difference between the two with our naked eyes. Contrast ratio is the measurement of a fully lit white screen versus an unlit black screen at a fixed brightness level. The contrast ratio of the HP Z27, at 1002:1, was one of the highest of all the monitors we tested. This is an excellent number for a monitor, especially an IPS panel, and it means the bright parts of the screen will look vibrant and really pop out next to blacks. The HP Z27’s saturation sweep score was impressive, too, at 2.42. The HP comes in two pieces that are straightforward to assemble and can be attached without additional tools.
Its four ergonomic adjustments—tilting, swiveling, pivoting, and adjusting its height—work securely and steadily. It tilts 5 degrees forward and 23 degrees backwards, and it can swivel and pivot in a 90-degree rotation. Its height-adjustable stand makes it easy for you to customize it to your liking. If you prefer to use a in place of the Z27’s stand, it allows for that, too. The addition of USB-C allows for the transfer of data, video, and 65 W of power over a single cable.
The HP Z27 has very thin side bezels and top bezels, though its bottom bezel is significantly larger. Navigational buttons can be found on the underside of the screen, and using them to quickly scroll through menu options is simple. The HP Z27 has one HDMI 2.0 port, one DisplayPort 1.2 port, a Mini DisplayPort input, as well as USB 3.0 and USB-C ports for further connections. The addition of USB-C allows for the transfer of data, video, and 65 W of power over a single cable; this is will be incredibly handy for owners of USB-C laptops, and it’s a feature that none of the competition for our top pick shared.
The Z27 comes with a three-year standard limited warranty and —HP will replace your monitor if it has even one bright pixel or subpixel, or if it has more than four dark subpixels. The is a great 4K monitor because it has good color accuracy, it offers a wide range of adjustability, it has a bunch of useful ports like USB 3.0, and it has thin bezels. It doesn’t offer USB-C connectivity like the HP Z27, but it’s generally a bit less expensive, and it comes with a solid three-year warranty that includes a: if you find even one bright pixel on your U2718Q, Dell will replace the panel for you. (Unlike HP, Dell explicitly does not cover dark or dead pixels or subpixels, only bright ones, but dark pixels are hard to spot even on lower-resolution monitors, so we don’t think this is a huge deal.).
The Dell fared expertly in its saturation sweep test, measuring at 2.01. The U2718Q’s DeltaE 2000 values in most of our CalMAN tests were accurate, about as good as the HP Z27: When testing at our routine 140 cd/m2 setting, we saw the Dell’s color points at 2.28, ColorChecker at 2.13, and saturation sweep at 2.01. Its accuracy fell to a value of 3.88 when we tested the monitor’s grayscale tracking, though, which means that you may be able to occasionally notice a blue, green, or red cast to shades of gray; ideally we’re looking for a score under 3.0, which means that everything on the screen appears as the creator intended. Its contrast ratio is good, too, at 1,097:1, which means you’ll see a big difference between white and black on your screen. It was the highest contrast ratio of all the monitors we tested.
The U2718Q comes with Dell’s three-year limited warranty, which covers defects in materials and workmanship, and a Premium Panel Guarantee that allows for a replacement if even one bright pixel is present. Dell excels at build quality and ergonomics, and this monitor is no exception. It’s easy to assemble without tools. You can adjust the height by 5.1 inches; the stand tilts up to 5 degrees forward and 21 degrees back, and it swivels 45 degrees to the left and right.
It can pivot into a portrait orientation either clockwise or counterclockwise. The stand can also detach completely, like our top pick’s, if you prefer to use a VESA monitor arm. Like recent monitors from HP and LG, the U2718Q has thin bezels around its screen. Four tactile menu buttons and a dedicated power button sit along the underside of the bottom-right bezel. Like our top pick, it’s easy to navigate with its buttons.
Assignable, tactile menu buttons reside underneath the bezel instead of along the front.,Photo: Kyle Fitzgerald The U2718Q has one HDMI 2.0 port, one DisplayPort 1.2 port, and a Mini DisplayPort input; a line-out to connect speakers; and a USB 3.0 hub. The hub, when connected to a computer’s USB 3.0 port with the included cable, enables four USB ports on the monitor: two on the back of the monitor and two on the left side for easier access. One of each pair can charge a device, such as a smartphone, with a power draw of up to 2 amps. The Dell is missing the USB-C connectivity that our top pick has, and for this price, we think the HP’s ability to transfer data, video, and power over a single cable puts it ahead of its competition. In addition to multiple video inputs, the Dell has a USB 3.0 hub with four ports (two, not pictured, are along the side). Photo: Kyle Fitzgerald The U2718Q comes with Dell’s three-year limited warranty, which covers defects in materials and workmanship, and a that allows for a replacement if even one bright pixel (a stuck pixel that continually allows backlight to shine through) is present. Dell’s Advanced Exchange Service means Dell will ship out a replacement the next business day if the company deems it necessary and you still fall within the limited warranty.
Upgrade pick: BenQ PD3200U. If a 27-inch monitor isn’t big enough for you, consider the 32-inch. It combines good color and grayscale measurements, four display inputs, a USB hub that can be used by more than one computer, and a puck-style controller that lets you easily switch between picture modes or connected computers on the fly. It’s also big enough that you may be able to use it without needing to scale text to make it readable. However, it costs several hundred dollars more than our top picks, lacks USB-C, and needs significantly more physical space than a 24- or 27-inch screen. The PD3200U ColorChecker measurements are some of the best we measured at 2.08.
The PD3200U is factory-calibrated, and its measurements are comparable with those of the HP Z27 and the Dell U2718Q. Grayscale tracking DeltaE comes in at 2.77, with the darker values measuring especially well. The six color points—red, green, blue, yellow, cyan, and magenta—average to a DeltaE of 2.67, with red being a bit oversaturated but not excessively so. The saturation sweep is even better (2.02), and the ColorChecker result of 2.08 is better than the HP’s, though the numbers are fairly close and you won’t see a difference between them with your naked eye. The average contrast ratio doesn’t quite hit the 1,000:1 mark that our top picks did, averaging out at 966:1, but the difference is negligible.
Grayscale tracking is very good; its measurements are a little better than both of our top picks. The connections are split between three different areas. At the center of the back are four side-facing input ports: two HDMI 2.0 ports, a DisplayPort 1.2 input, and a Mini DisplayPort 1.2 input. Two downstream USB 3.0 ports, an SD card reader, and a headphone jack sit flush with the right bezel on the side of the monitor. And facing down on the back of the monitor are two more downstream USB 3.0 ports, two upstream USB 3.0 ports, a line-out jack, and a Mini-USB for the Hotkey Puck (get it?) on-screen display controller. When the two upstream ports are connected to different computers, it allows for one keyboard and mouse pairing plugged into the USB hub to be used for both computers. All four USB ports work with both upstream ports.
The puck can be used to quickly switch between picture modes or control which upstream USB port and input are active or any other menu options. It’s stored on a cradle in the base. Left: Along the right-side bezel are easily accessible ports for SD cards, USB accessories, and headphones. Center: Two computers can connect to the down-facing USB 3.0 hub, allowing a single keyboard and mouse to control both computers.
Right: All the video inputs are in a third area on the right side that’s more out of the way. Photo: Kyle Fitzgerald The bezel, though fairly slim, is considerably larger than our main pick’s—10 mm around the top and sides and 18 mm along the bottom.
In addition to the menu buttons, the bottom bezel also houses a sensor that can automatically adjust the backlight and shut off the monitor when it detects you’ve left the computer, though both of these options are disabled by default. The PD3200U has a 5.9-inch range of height adjustment up to a max height of 25.13 inches from the desk to the top of the monitor. It can tilt 5 degrees forward or 20 degrees back, swivel 45 degrees left or right, and pivot 90 degrees to a portrait position. The monitor has VESA-compliant mount points you can use to replace the built-in stand with a monitor arm or another mount.
The Acer KA270HK’s DeltaE score in the saturation sweep was excellent: 1.89. The Acer KA270HK scored well in our CalMAN tests, showing accurate colors all around.
It had a DeltaE value of 2.16 for grayscales, 2.47 for color points, 2.37 for ColorChecker, and an excellent 1.89 value in the saturation sweep portion of our CalMAN testing. It has a middling 831:1 contrast ratio, though, which isn’t a huge deal: what this does mean is that colorful images won’t stand out against black on its screen as much as on the more expensive 27-inch monitor picks we’ve chosen. The only monitor we recommend with a lesser contrast ratio is our 24-inch monitor pick, the Dell P2415Q, whose ratio is 648:1. The Acer KA270HK offers one HDMI port, one DisplayPort and one mini DisplayPort connection, as well as one DVI port (no USB 3.0 or USB-C ports to be found here, to its detriment), and its stand tilts—five degrees forward and 15 degrees backwards—but that’s as ergonomic as it gets with the Acer. It’s VESA compatible, though, and it comes with the same-length warranty as our other picks, three years. The Acer KA270HK y kicks in if, during the length of your regular warranty, at least two bright pixels appear on its screen.
The Acer’s side and top bezels are extremely thin. Its thicker bottom bezel is home to its on-screen controls, which include five menu buttons and a power button. The menu controls were simple to navigate, although sometimes we found the Acer’s buttons required more force than the buttons on our other picks. A smaller pick: Dell P2415Q. Of all the 24-inch monitors we tested, the Dell P2415Q had the best average DeltaE 2000 value during our saturations test, posting a value of 0.7666.
The Dell P2415Q’s factory-calibrated picture performed very well in our testing. It had a DeltaE value of 1.2166 for grayscales, measuring more than 2.0 only at its blackest points; it also recorded a 0.8324 value for the ColorChecker test, and at 0.7666, it recorded the best saturation DeltaE value of. It covered 98 percent of the sRGB color gamut, too. This is a huge improvement over the other 24-inch 4K monitor we tested, the, which had DeltaE values of 2.4576, 3.704, and 2.9383, respectively.
The LG monitor did have a higher contrast ratio and darker black levels than the P2415Q, but we didn’t notice a difference in contrast when we compared the two monitors with our naked eyes, and the Dell did better than the LG in every other test. The Dell P2415Q’s stand is very adjustable; this is what it looks like rotated into a vertical position. Photo: Rozette Rago The Dell P2415Q offers two HDMI 1.4 ports, three DisplayPort 1.2 connections (one Mini DisplayPort and two full-size DisplayPort), and four USB 3.0 ports. Its stand is height-adjustable, and it tilts, rotates, and pivots, just like our runner-up pick. It’s VESA-compatible, and it has the same great Premium Panel Guarantee and three-year warranty from Dell.
For Mac owners: LG UltraFine 5K Display. If you have a Thunderbolt 3–equipped MacBook Pro or iMac from 2016 or later and you need to edit 4K video or photos at their native resolution, the is a great option for you, though not for anyone else. Its color reproduction is excellent, and because it uses, it can display a wider range of greens and reds than our other picks (which use sRGB). This will mostly appeal to professional video editors, but even modern smartphones can now take pictures that use this wider color gamut. It has one Thunderbolt 3 port to connect to your computer (it can also charge your MacBook from that port), and three USB-C ports for accessories.
It doesn’t have on-screen display; all settings are controlled through the operating system software. Don’t buy it to use with a PC: Even if you have a Thunderbolt 3 port, the monitor runs in 4K mode. We recommend our other picks for PC users. As the name suggests, the monitor has a 5K native resolution; 5K means 5120×2880 pixels, while 4K means 3840×2160 pixels. If you’re editing 4K photography or video, you can display your content at full resolution and still have space on-screen for menus or toolbars. There is one Thunderbolt 3 input (which will also charge your MacBook while the monitor is connected), and three USB-C ports.
It’s USB-C or nothing with the UltraFine. The Thunderbolt 3 port, right, takes a display signal from your MacBook and charges it at the same time. The three ports on the left are USB-C, but not Thunderbolt. Photo: Kyle Fitzgerald The monitor uses a, which is about 25 percent larger than the sRGB gamut seen on our other picks, and it covers 99.45 percent of the P3 gamut on our tests. Grayscale average DeltaE measured 2.36, and color points (1.70), ColorChecker (2.11), and saturation sweep (1.94) were all better than our top pick, making the UltraFine 5K a great choice for professional editing. The grayscale tracking average DeltaE of 2.36 on the UltraFine 5K is better than our top pick’s or runner-up’s. This monitor is a Thunderbolt 3 display.
This means that it uses USB-C ports, but Thunderbolt 3 has a throughput of 40 Gbps and requires a separate chip usually found only in more expensive laptops. Non-Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports top out at 5 or 10 Gbps (the UltraFine’s ports for accessories are rated at 5 Gbps).
Don’t buy the LG UltraFine 5K to use with a PC: Even if you have a Thunderbolt 3 port, the monitor runs in 4K mode. In order to get full functionality out of the monitor it needs to be connected to a Thunderbolt 3-enabled Mac for esoteric technical reasons. Like older multi-stream transport (MST) 4K monitors, the UltraFine 5K creates a single high-resolution image by combining two separate DisplayPort signals. But although 4K MST screens actually used two cables to do this, Apple is sending those two DisplayPort signals over a single Thunderbolt 3 cable, and most PCs will only send a single DisplayPort signal over a Thunderbolt 3 cable. As a result, Windows PCs connected to the UltraFine 5K via Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C will get only a 4K image. The top bezel has a built-in camera and microphone for video conferencing. Photo: Kyle Fitzgerald The LG UltraFine 5K has a webcam and microphones built into the top bezel, as well as speakers (although we recommend getting some instead).
Surprisingly, the monitor doesn’t have controls or menus like most monitors; everything is controlled by software. There isn’t a power button, either, so the monitor will only wake up and go to sleep as the connected Mac does. The stand has a height-adjustment range of 4.3 inches, can tilt 5 degrees forward or 25 degrees back, and has fine pivot adjustment but cannot be used in portrait mode, and there is no swivel adjustment. Included in the box is a VESA design cover that can replace the attached stand and connect to a VESA-compliant mount. Unlike our top picks, the UltraFine 5K has a one-year labor/parts warranty instead of three years.
Additionally, LG does not have a bright/dead-pixel policy. Even though it’s sold through the Apple site, Apple does not service or support products that are not Apple-branded, and the Apple Limited Warranty does not apply. Care and maintenance. Factory-calibrated monitors are generally pretty accurate, so you don’t need to buy a to calibrate your display unless you need absolute perfection (as professional photographers, graphic designers, or video editors do). You should adjust the monitor’s brightness to your liking. We use a colorimeter to set our monitors to 140 cd/m² for our testing, but you have no real way to tell your monitor’s exact luminance just by eyeballing it. If your monitor is too bright, you could experience discomfort after extended computing sessions.
Too dim, and it’ll look lifeless and drab. Just use a setting that feels good to you. It’s worthwhile to take some time to read your monitor’s manual to understand the features. For example, if your monitor has a dynamic contrast feature, turn it off. You’ll get a higher contrast ratio when it’s on, but your screen’s brightness will shift up and down depending on how dark or light a particular scene is. That effect can get annoying. If your monitor’s screen gets dirty or smudgy, on it (no Windex).
Don’t use a paper towel, either. A microfiber cloth and some distilled water (not tap) will work just fine. And don’t spray the screen when cleaning it—spray the cloth, and then wipe the screen. What to look forward to. Viewsonic’s new is a 27-inch monitor that supports HDR10, USB-C, HDMI 2.0, and DisplayPort.
It’s on our list to test, but HDR10 content and hardware that supports it isn’t common yet, and at around $900, it’s nearly twice as expensive as our top picks. The recently finalized spec allows for a third adaptive-sync option in addition to FreeSync and Nvidia’s G-Sync, Game Mode VRR. It will also be capable of resolutions up to 10K with frame rates up to 120 Hz. The spec should start showing up in more products in the coming year. The competition. The was our previous top pick.
Although it’s less expensive than our top pick and our runner-up and it has great CalMAN scores, the LG lacks USB 3.0 and USB-C ports and only comes with a —even shorter than the warranty on our budget pick. It’s a good monitor, but when you’re spending this much money on a 4K screen, it’s important to ensure that what you’re buying offers enough support to last you a few years. Similar to the 27UD68P-B, LG also offers a that has a white case and silver-colored stand, and the, which has a stand without height or pivot adjustments and which is a good choice if you already have a monitor arm. Like the 27UD68P-B, they provide one-year warranties, lack USB ports, and only offer surface-level differences otherwise, so we dismissed them. The was our previous runner-up pick. It has a great stand plus VESA support, and it also comes with a built-in USB 3.0 hub.
It has fat bezels and it lacks USB-C or an HDMI 2.0 port, which means it can’t display a 60 Hz 4K signal over HDMI, but if you don’t care about those things and you can find it for significantly less than either of our main picks, it’s still a solid monitor. The was a contender for our budget pick, as it only costs around $290 at the time of writing.
Unfortunately, it performed poorly in CalMAN testing, it has even fewer ports than our budget pick, the Acer KA270HK, and it has a shorter, one-year warranty. We tested the and the against our upgrade pick, the BenQ PD3200U. While the ViewSonic VP3268-4K scored well in CalMAN testing, it doesn’t offer the same number of useful ports that the BenQ does, and it costs around $70 more. The had worse scores than both the BenQ and the ViewSonic in our CalMAN testing; with a DeltaE value of 3.55, its ColorChecker score was the worst of all the monitors we’ve tested this year. Although it offers a range of useful ports (including USB-C), it costs more than our upgrade pick. Was a bit disappointing.
The color measurements were off significantly, especially the color points DeltaE at 4.26. It’s more expensive than our 32-inch pick, and the image quality is drastically inferior. The is similar to our pick with an additional USB 3.0 port, but it didn’t perform as well in the past, particularly in grayscale measurements, and costs a lot more.
Is the company’s first 4K HDR monitor, and Dell did a stellar job with its design, which is beautiful. But at three times the price of our pick, we would recommend the monitor only to someone who is editing HDR content professionally. The is color-accurate and has FreeSync, but it costs more than our pick and past testers have found its configuration menu difficult to understand and navigate. The shares some of its features with our 32-inch pick such as the Eco sensor.
But it has visible color irregularities and a high gamma. We didn’t find many 24-inch 4K monitors during our research, but we did test the against the Dell P2415Q. The LG’s screen was less accurate than the Dell’s by a wide margin, though. This model also has fewer ports (two HDMI ports and one DisplayPort connection), and it offers limited adjustability—it only tilts—compared with the P2415Q, which tilts, rotates, and swivels. And the 24UD58-B comes with only a one-year warranty, less than the P2415Q’s three-year coverage.
. Best Overall:, “The best option on the market to pair with a MacBook Pro.”. Best Budget:, “ A great monitor that won’t break the bank.”. Best for Gamers:, “ Its clear and detailed 4K Ultra HD resolution looks fantastic from even inches away.”. Best for Design Professionals: “This huge 32-inch frameless ultra-wide 4K monitor delivers lifelike colors.”. Best Space-Saving Monitor:, “A stylish and budget-friendly solution at only 23 inches.”. Best Value:, “Comes fully equipped with 3840 x 2160 resolution – that’s four times more detail than Full HD resolution.'
Our Top Picks. The BenQ PD3200U 32-inch 4K designer monitor is the best option on the market to pair with a MacBook Pro. This award-winning monitor was built with advanced IPS technology so that all types of professionals can work confidently in 100 percent sRGB and Rec.709 color spaces with brilliant color, wide viewing angle and 4ms response time when viewing pictures or videos.
The BenQ monitor’s dual view function allows you to work in two separate modes at once such as sRGB, CAD/CAM, animation display mode or Darkroom mode without needing two screens. Apart from the cool included ports, the monitor itself has some fantastic features including OnScreen control, which allows you to make quick adjustments to screen configurations and display settings in just a few moves so you can create custom workstations. A fun-to-use Screen Split feature includes a handy picture-in-picture mode for multi-tasking. If you crave color accuracy, you know sRGB is the standard color space of ideal color reproduction. Providing over 99 percent coverage of the sRGB spectrum, this LG monitor is a great choice for photographers, designers, event planners or anyone else who needs their colors to be on point.
Best of all, this monitor has a fully ergonomic design to make viewing pain-free. Adjust the height and tilt of the display to provide the best user experience for every person in the family or at the office. For a budget-friendly monitor, the Samsung UE590 series 28-inch LED 4K UHD monitor has some top-shelf features. Despite a very affordable price tag, it had one of the fastest response times we found at just 1 ms. This speedy response time keeps quick-moving images in your favorite video games and movies from blurring and ghosting while preventing color streaking. The 60Hz refresh rate also helps preserve the clarity of the picture for gaming and other fast-moving media.
The 100,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio provides accurate color and sharp contrast for improved picture quality. Coming in at under $600, the LG 4K UHD 27UD88-W 27-inch LED-lit monitor is a great value for the price. Though less expensive than other options, its clear and detailed 4K Ultra HD resolution looks fantastic from even inches away. It maintains color consistency with sRGB coverage over 99 percent so you never have to worry about inaccurate color when creating presentations, editing photos or designing your own graphics. The USB Type-C port lets you display stunning 4K video, transfer data and charge a laptop or mobile device all from the same place. If you’re a design professional, you need a monitor that can live up to your exacting standards. The View Sonic VP3268 4K monitor won’t let you down.
This huge 32-inch frameless ultra-wide 4K monitor delivers lifelike colors and nearly perfect color accuracy ideal for graphic design, photography, or video. With screen-wide sRGB color uniformity and 4.39 trillion colors, you'll always make the right choice and never have to worry about color inconsistency no matter what part of the monitor you are viewing. The four-sided ultra-thin bezel minimizes distractions and is especially handy when working with more than one monitor. Not everyone has the luxury of working in front of a huge monitor. For those with limited workspace or if you're just looking something a little smaller, this Lenovo monitor is a stylish and budget-friendly solution. At only 23 inches, this monitor squeezes neatly into compact workspaces or home offices.
Despite the smaller size, the wide-view display still provides a great viewing area. The minimal-frame design, narrow bezel and the absence of color distortion, ghosting or irritating reflections make this a solid overall display.