Best Computer Monitors

Dell UltraSharp U2725QE sits at #1 in the S tier of our consolidated board, ranked across independent research runs over current expert reviews. The total package: Wirecutter's favorite 4K monitor wrapped in a 3-year advance-exchange panel warranty and enterprise support. Nothing in this category is safer to live with for five years.

Dell UltraSharp U3225QE ranks #2 (A tier). Identical ownership virtues at 32 inches, losing the top spot only on price-to-value and early QC reports of unit-to-unit uniformity variance.

Our research places BenQ RD280U, LG 27UP850-W, Dell S3221QS, Samsung 32-inch M8 Smart Monitor (M80D), Dell 27 Plus (S2725HSM) in the bottom tiers (D/F). A well-built niche tool with a 3-year warranty; last among picks only because its 3:2 niche and modest brand support network limit its broad appeal.

27 inches is the safe size for a desk: it fits 4K or 1440p at a comfortable text size and most of our top picks are 27-inch panels. Go to 32 inches only if you sit a little further back or want more room for side-by-side windows. On our board the Dell UltraSharp U3225QE is the 32-inch version of the top pick and loses only on price-to-value. A 40-inch ultrawide like the Dell UltraSharp U4025QW replaces two monitors, but it is heavy, costly and a bigger single point of failure if it ever needs replacing.

No, not for work. 1080p stretched across 27 inches gives visibly fuzzy text, which is why the Dell 27 Plus (S2725HSM) sits in F tier on our board. At 27 inches you want 1440p as a minimum and 4K if you read a lot of text. 1080p is fine at 24 inches, which is why the BenQ GW2486TC still earns a place as a budget or secondary screen.

Dell's UltraSharp line has the best ownership record on our board. The Dell UltraSharp U2725QE and Dell UltraSharp U3225QE carry a 3-year Premium Panel Exchange warranty with advance replacement and zero-bright-pixel coverage, backed by enterprise-grade support. ASUS ProArt monitors also carry 3-year warranties, but reviewers found ASUS support logistics a step behind Dell's advance-exchange process. BenQ gives a solid 3-year warranty with a smaller support network.

A good IPS monitor should serve for five years or more, and the monitors at the top of our board were picked with that lifespan in mind. The IPS Black panels in the Dell UltraSharp U2725QE and its siblings have no burn-in risk, and the built-in Thunderbolt hub stays useful across several computer upgrades. The parts that age fastest are software and fashion: the Samsung 32-inch M8 Smart Monitor (M80D) relies on streaming apps that will be abandoned long before its panel wears out.

Not for general desktop use. Static toolbars, taskbars and document windows sit in the same place for hours, which is the worst case for OLED burn-in. Every monitor on our board uses IPS, VA or mini-LED, and the ASUS ProArt Display PA32UCXR gets reference-grade HDR from mini-LED with no burn-in exposure at all. OLED makes more sense on our Gaming Monitors board, where the content moves.

If you use a laptop, yes. One cable carries video, data and charging, so the monitor becomes a dock. The Dell UltraSharp U2725QE has a Thunderbolt 4 hub and the ASUS ProArt Display PA278CGV delivers 90W over USB-C, enough for most laptops. The Dell UltraSharp U2724DE is the fullest dock on the board, but you pay a substantial premium for those ports, which only pays off if single-cable docking is your daily habit. Desktop PC users can skip the feature and save the money.

Turn the monitor off and wipe the screen with a dry microfibre cloth. For marks that will not shift, dampen the cloth lightly with distilled water, never spray liquid onto the panel. Do not use window cleaner, alcohol or paper towels, which can strip anti-glare coatings and scratch the surface. The matte finish on the ASUS ProArt Display PA27JCV was chosen partly because it ages better than glossy glass in real offices.

Three things: the length, whether they ship a replacement before you return the faulty unit, and the dead-pixel policy. Dell UltraSharp monitors give 3 years with advance exchange and a zero-bright-pixel promise, which is the benchmark on our board. The Apple Studio Display (2022) offers only a 1-year standard warranty on a flagship-priced panel, and that gap is the main reason it sits in C tier. The Dell 27 Plus 4K (S2725QC) is great value but its consumer-line warranty is shorter than UltraSharp's.

No. Built-in apps, remotes and forced account logins are the parts of a monitor that age worst, and the Samsung 32-inch M8 Smart Monitor (M80D) wraps them around an ordinary 60Hz VA panel while costing as much as a Dell UltraSharp U2725QE. A monitor should outlive its software. Buy a well-warrantied screen and plug in a streaming stick if you want TV apps.