10 best monitors and displays on the market 2016
Ten years ago, monitors were nothing more than necessary accessories. Today, they can be luxury items that dramatically improve all aspects of computing and content consumption. There are so many types of monitors that suit so many different needs.
Screen resolution, response time, panel weight: everything should be considered when choosing a personal device or an enterprise fleet. Unfortunately, all of these specs can be confusing. We've compiled this roundup to help you sort through the abundance of options available.
1. Philips Brilliance BDM3490UC
Screen size: 34-inch | Aspect ratio: 21:9 | Resolution: 3440 x 1440 Brightness:340 cd/m2 | Response time: 14ms | Viewing angle: 172/178 | Contrast ratio:1000:1 | Colour support: SRGB 100% | Weight: 7.9kg
Great picture Super build quality
Relatively good value
No G-Sync or FreeSync
The Philips Brilliance's BDM3490UC is the best cinematic monitor we've tried yet. This massive panel has a bright and attractive IPS display with wide viewing angles, which makes it great for watching movies or being productive on the desktop. Its extra-wide 21:9 curved form factor is especially great for gaming even in the absence of G-Sync or FreeSync frame-smoothing tech. The Brilliance is also a little cheaper than rival cinematic 21:9 panels, which certainly doesn't hurt.
2. Acer Predator X34
Acer Predator X34
Screen size: 34-inch | Aspect ratio: 21:9 | Resolution: 3440 x 1440 Brightness:300 cd/m2 | Response time: 4ms G2G (grey-to-grey) | Viewing angle: 178/178 |Contrast ratio: 100 million:1 | Colour support: SRGB 100% | Weight: 9.9kg
Aggressive design
Perfect color accuracy
Limited port selection
Underpowered speakers
Cinematic monitors are a great alternative to 4K ones when it comes to gaming. In fact, you might say they're even better due to their ultrawide 21:9 aspect ratio. The Acer Predator X34 certainly looks the part, featuring an eye-catching aluminium bezel and angular, crow's foot-shape stand. It comes with a number of gaming mod cons in tow, including Nvidia's G-Sync frame-smoothing tech, an immersion-boosting curved shape and fantastic color reproduction that brings games to life. Short of strapping on a virtual reality headset, the Predator X34 is about as immersive as gaming gets.
3. Philips 258B6QJEB
Thin bezels feature on this well-connected QHD monitor
Screen size: 25-inch | Aspect ratio: 16:9 | Resolution: 2,560 x 1,440 |Brightness: 350 cd/m2 | Response time: 14ms | Viewing angle: 178/178 |Contrast ratio: 1000:1 | Colour support: SRGB 87% | Weight: 15.4 pounds
Image quality
Adjustability
Small footprint
High response time
Tinny speakers
In terms of price, size and sharpness, QHD often hits the sweet spot, and Philips' 258B6QJEB is one of the most stylish 25-inch models arouund. Packing a pixel-resolution of 2,560 x 1,440, it provides more than enough room on the desktop to get productive, and because the monitor is compact it won't take up much room on your desk. It's versatile too thanks to its built-in rotate and height adjustability
Philips loaded the 258B6QJEB with an abundance of connectivity options that include two USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 ports (one with a high-current output), VGA, DVI-D, DisplayPort, HDMI, a 3.5mm audio-in and headphone output sockets.
4. Samsung UD970
Get ready for ultra high-def on your desktop
Screen size: 31.5-inch | Aspect ratio: 16:9 | Resolution: 3840 x 2160 |Brightness: 280 cd/m2 | Response time: 8ms | Viewing angle: 178/178 |Contrast ratio: 1000:1 | Colour support: SRGB 100% | Weight: 30.14 pounds
Colour accuracy
Landscape/portrait rotation
Hardware button menu navigation
Cost
A 4K display that's factory-calibrated for great colour accuracy and image quality, which makes it ideal for digital designers, CAD/CAM engineers or videographers who aren't put off by the high-price tag.
5. LG UltraWide 34UC97
Great for work, games, and movies – but it's costly
Screen size: 34-inch | Aspect ratio: 21:9 | Resolution: 3440x1440 | Brightness:300 cd/m2 | Response time: 5ms | Viewing angle: 178/178 | Contrast ratio:1M:1 (DFC) | Colour support: SRGB 99% | Weight: 19.8 pounds
Good speakers with bass
Great contrast and colour reproduction
Expensive
The LG's curved design, high resolution and huge diagonal make it a high quality replacement for single 4K panels or a pair of 1080p screens, and the form factor means it's tempting for work, games and movies.
6. Acer S277HK
A bezel-less beauty
Screen size: 27-inch | Aspect ratio: 16:9 | Resolution: 3840 x 2160 | Brightness:300 cd/m2 | Response time: 4ms | Viewing angle: 178/178 | Contrast ratio:100,000,000:1 | Colour support: SRGB 100% | Weight: 11.9 pounds
Bezel-less design
Refresh rate
No USB ports
Height not adjustable
A gorgeous IPS screen and bezel-free design make the S227HK a stunning display by itself or an even more impressive and immersive member of a multi-monitor setup.
7. Viewsonic VP2772
What this professional monitor lacks in style it makes up with exceptional picture quality
Screen size: 27-inch | Aspect ratio: 16:9 | Resolution: 2560 x 1440 | Brightness:350 cd/m2 | Response time: 12ms | Viewing angle: 178/178 | Contrast ratio:1000:1 | Colour support: SRGB 100% | Weight: 18.8 pounds
Bezel-less design
Refresh rate
No USB ports
Height not adjustable
A rich set of features, great picture quality out of the box and hassle-free setup make the VP2772 an attractive monitor.
8. Dell UltraSharp UP2414Q
A superb display, but you're paying through the nose for a mere 24-inches
Screen size: 24-inch | Aspect ratio: 16:9 | Resolution: 3840 x 2160 | Brightness:350 cd/m2 | Response time: 8ms | Viewing angle: 178/178 | Contrast ratio:1000:1 | Colour support: SRGB 100%; Adobe RGB 99% | Weight: 10.58 pounds
Super display
Great features
Very expensive
Just 24-inches
A fantastic monitor that's a little ahead of its time in terms of GPU and operating system support.
9. Acer B326HUL
Big, bold and accurate colours from a TV-sized monitor
Screen size: 32-inch | Aspect ratio: 16:9 | Resolution: 2560 x 1440 | Brightness:300 cd/m2 | Response time: 6ms | Viewing angle: 178/178 | Contrast ratio:100,000,000:1 | Colour support: SRGB 100% | Weight: 15.35 pounds
Colour accuracy
Port selection
No MHL
Viewing angles
Acer's larger-than-life B326HUL comes with great colour accuracy out-of-the-box, easy-to-use menu controls and good build quality, but its above-average response time, lack of MHL and price point may make you want to look elsewhere.
9. BenQ BL2710PT
Aimed at CAD/CAM professionals, this feature-packed 27-inch monitor delivers
Screen size: 27-inch | Aspect ratio: 16:9 | Resolution: 3440x1440 | Brightness:350 cd/m2 | Response time: 12ms | Viewing angle: 178/178 | Contrast ratio:1000:1 | Colour support: SRGB 99% | Weight: 23.8 pounds
Port selection
Flicker-free backlight
Design
Touch controls
A feature-packed and well-connected monitor that offers plenty for the asking price. It may not be exciting to look at and the menu controls suffer from a lack of labeling, but these are minor caveats that don't detract from an overall worthy investment.
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