Best monitors 2021: Top 5 monitors for every budget

It’s never been more important to have a monitor, with the increase of home working driving up the demand for desktop PC setups. But what are the best monitors for the job?

We’ve rounded up the best monitors you can currently buy, from budget-friendly panels to widescreen goliaths. We’ve also made sure to cater for as many budgets as possible.

If you’re looking for a display for gaming purposes, we recommend checking out our Best Gaming Monitor roundup instead. It may also be worth checking out our Best Laptop guide, if you fancy a more portable computing setup. But if you want a monitor that excels at day-to-day tasks, check out our list below.



How we test

Learn more about how we test monitors We use every monitor we test for at least a week. During that time, we’ll check it for ease of use and put it through its paces by using it for both everyday tasks and more specialist, colour-sensitive work.We also check its colours and image quality with a colorimeter to test its coverage and the display’s quality.










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Acer ConceptD CP7



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Pros


Superb sRGB and Adobe RGB image quality
Good features for work and play
Bold, great-looking physical design




Cons


Not brilliant in HDR mode
No USB Type-C or card reader
Extremely expensive




£1999$1663







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AOC 24P2C



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Pros


Loads of helpful office features
Solid mainstream image quality
Decent looks and a low price




Cons


Colours are over-saturated
A slow OSD with soft buttons
Tinny speakers




£180







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HP E27d G4



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Pros


Loads of USB connectivity
Ample adjustment options
Good everyday image quality




Cons


Expensive
Can’t handle creative work
Mediocre build quality




£450$644







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HP S430c Curved Ultrawide Monitor



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Pros


Impressive screen-sharing options
Great connectivity
Solid mainstream image quality
Robust build quality




Cons


Not good enough for colour-sensitive work
Higher resolutions available elsewhere
No DCI-P3 or Adobe RGB ability





£959$999







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Samsung Smart Monitor M7



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Pros


Versatile monitor that can also be used as a smart TV
Solid performance for home office workers
TV mode makes it an ideal option for people in small or shared acommodation




Cons


Not a great fit for gamers or creatives






£399













Samsung Smart Monitor M7

Best overall monitor



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Pros

Versatile monitor that can also be used as a smart TVSolid performance for home office workersTV mode makes it an ideal option for people in small or shared acommodation

Cons

Not a great fit for gamers or creatives

The Samsung Smart Monitor M7 is a display with a clever trick up its sleeve. It isn’t just a computer monitor, as thanks to having Tizen OS built in, can operate as a handy 32″ 4K TV.

Considering this, and the fact it’s excellent in most, if not all, areas, it gets our pick as the best overall monitor. Its multi-purpose nature is hard to ignore, as is the fact it offers solid performance and the usual tropes of more expensive televisions with Filmmaker Mode and good colours characterising what is an affordable display.

A price of £399 isn’t to be sniffed at though. You’re essentially getting two or three devices in one which makes this more than worth the price for generalists. Gamers may want to stay clear however, as £400 or so does buy you some good monitors with higher refresh rates.

Reviewer: Alastair StevensonFull review: Samsung Smart Monitor M7 review















HP E27d G4

Best for connectivity



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Pros

Loads of USB connectivityAmple adjustment optionsGood everyday image quality

Cons

ExpensiveCan’t handle creative workMediocre build quality

The HP E27d G4 features a decent 27-inch 1440p display that’s backed up by one of the largest selections of ports for a monitor on the market today.

As well as the usual offerings of 2x DisplayPorts and an HDMI, the E27d G4 also has 4x USB-As, 2x USB-Cs for charging phones and high-speed data transfer and an audio-in if you don’t want to use the built-in speakers. Alongside this comes some good, accurate colours for everyday usage, but do beware that this isn’t the best monitor for more intensive media tasks.

In addition, it isn’t the most well-built monitor in the world, and a £450 price may be a little high for a 27-inch office-designed display. But if you’re yearning for more ports that you can shake a stick at, this is an ideal solution.

Reviewer: Mike JenningsFull review: HP E27d G4 review













Acer ConceptD CP7

Best for creatives



Trusted Score


















Pros

Superb sRGB and Adobe RGB image qualityGood features for work and playBold, great-looking physical design

Cons

Not brilliant in HDR modeNo USB Type-C or card readerExtremely expensive

The Acer Concept CP7 is the best monitor we’ve reviewed for content creation, boasting seriously impressive professional-grade colour accuracy, so photographs and artwork will look just as they should. A 4K resolution and support for DisplayHDR 1000 also ensure you’re getting one of the most impressive displays possible, whether you’re watching films, editing video or even playing games.

That’s right, while the Acer Concept CP7 isn’t technically a gaming monitor, it features Nvidia G-Sync and a 144Hz refresh rate for an impressive visual performance for fast-paced action games.

The biggest issue with the Acer Concept CP7 is its price: it costs an eye-watering £1999. This means that it’s only really worthwhile if you absolutely must have professional-grade colour accuracy, since there are far cheaper alternatives otherwise.

Reviewer: Mike JenningsFull review: Acer ConceptD CP7 review













HP S430c Curved Ultrawide Monitor

Best wide-screen office monitor



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Pros

Impressive screen-sharing optionsGreat connectivitySolid mainstream image qualityRobust build quality

Cons

Not good enough for colour-sensitive workHigher resolutions available elsewhereNo DCI-P3 or Adobe RGB ability

Looking for a widescreen monitor for office duties? The HP S430c Curved Ultrawide Monitor is our top recommendation if you don’t want to splash the cash for the extra “game ready” features of the Samsung Odyssey G9.

The widescreen HP doesn’t have the spec credentials for gaming or the colour accuracy for media professionals, but it has everything your average office-goer will need. There are plenty of connectivity options, a sharp 3840 x 1200 resolution, and a huge 43.4-inch panel that’s ideal for having multiple windows open simultaneously.

This isn’t a cheap monitor, with more traditional-shaped panels available at significantly lower prices. Nevertheless, it represents good value if you make the most out of having a stretched-out screen.

Reviewer: Mike JenningsFull Review: HP S430c Curved Ultrawide Monitor review













AOC 24P2C

Best budget monitor



Trusted Score


















Pros

Loads of helpful office featuresSolid mainstream image qualityDecent looks and a low price

Cons

Colours are over-saturatedA slow OSD with soft buttonsTinny speakers

When buying an office monitor, you probably don’t need fancy features. The AOC 24P2C is a monitor that covers the basics and is available at a very affordable price.

The Full HD resolution and respectable contrast ensure that video content looks sharp, while the IPS panel provides a colour-rich presentation. The display does appear saturated due to a warm colour temperature, but only picture perfectionists will likely find this problematic.

The inclusion of a USB-C port also means you can use just one cable to charge your laptop and turn the AOC 24P2C into a secondary display simultaneously. This is a decent all-round office monitor then, but you’ll want to look elsewhere for content creation and gaming.

Reviewer: Mike JenningsFull review: AOC 24P2C review








We also considered…







Acer ET241Y

A super-affordable 1080p monitor that could be ideal for your home office










Samsung Odyssey G9

A stunning curved widescreen that offers more features than almost any rival.










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The Philips Brilliance 328P is big, expensive and professional – but is it any good?








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FAQs

What is ‘IPS’? IPS (aka in-plane switching) is a screen technology for LCD displays that generally offers good viewing angles and accurate colour reproduction. What is a monitor refresh rate? The refresh rate is the number of times a screen will updates its presented image. Higher refresh rates result in smoother motion. Most monitors feature a standard 60Hz refresh rate, but gaming monitors can be significantly higher. What is HDR? HDR (aka High Dynamic Range) is a technology that enables monitors to display a greater brightness and wider spectrum of colours.

Specs comparison


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UK RRP


USA RRP


EU RRP


CA RRP


Manufacturer


Screen Size


Front Camera


Size (Dimensions)


Weight


ASIN


Release Date


First Reviewed Date


Model Number


Resolution


HDR


Types of HDR


Refresh Rate


Ports


Connectivity


Display Technology


Screen Technology


Syncing Technology






Samsung Smart Monitor M7


£399


–


–


–


Samsung


32 inches


–


716.1 x 193.5 x 517 MM


6.5 G


–


2021


07/04/2021


–


3840 x 2160


Yes


HDR10


60 Hz


2x HDMI 2.0, 1x USB-C, 1x USB-A


–


VA


VA


None




Acer ConceptD CP7


£1999


$1663


–


–


Acer


27 inches


–


630 x 269 x 422 MM


8.3 KG


–


2020


19/08/2020


–


3840 x 2160


Yes


HDR1000


144 Hz


1 x DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI, 4 x USB 3.0


–


IPS


IPS


Nvidia G-Sync




AOC 24P2C


£180


–


–


–


AOC


24 inches


–


540.2 x 50.7 x 326.4 MM


5 KG


–


2020


15/09/2020


–


1920 x 1080


–


–


75 Hz


HDMI 1.4 x 1, DisplayPort 1.2 x 1, USB-C (DP Alt Mode), USB 3.2 (Gen1) x 4, Line-in audio


–


IPS


IPS


AMD FreeSync




HP E27d G4


£450


$644


€587


CA$679


HP


27 inches


Yes


613 x 485 x 366 MM


8.2 KG


B084N2P2BR


May 2021


19/05/2021


6PA56AT#ABU


2560 x 1440


–


–


60 Hz


2 x USB-C, 4 x USB, 1 x audio


2 x DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI


LED


IPS


None




HP S430c Curved Ultrawide Monitor


£959


$999


–


–


HP


43.4 inches


–


1057 x 256 x 491 MM


16 KG


–


2020


10/12/2020


–


3840 x 1200


Yes


–


60 Hz


1x DisplayPort, 1x HDMI 2.0, 2 x USB-C, 4 x USB 3.1


–


VA


VA


None




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