Monitors

Monitors buying guide

There are quite a few technical considerations to think about before choosing a screen and this guide will outline the key features to look out for.

The most important criterion is your usage type. In other words, what sort of work will you be doing on the computer the monitor is connecting to? What type of content will you be looking at? Broadly speaking, we can categorise monitors based on four main usage scenarios as follows: general/everyday use, creative work, gaming, multipurpose.

Everyday use

If all you need is a monitor for general, everyday use such as writing documents, social media, surfing the web, watching videos then you don't need a high-end, expensive display. You can get a full HD, entry-level 22” screen for around £100 which will serve you well for many years to come.

Creative use

Graphic designs, video editors and other creative professionals will have more taxing requirements. Full HD resolution may be good enough but if you’re working with highly detailed images or intend to buy a larger monitor, it’s a good idea to look for a model with higher resolution capabilities whether that be a QHD screen (2,560 x 1,440 pixels) or a UHD (3,840 x 2,160 pixels). Colour depth, viewing angles, brightness and contrast all affect the quality and accuracy of the displayed image and are also worth considering depending on the type of work you’re doing.

Gaming

Gaming monitors should have fast response times and high refresh rates for smooth, immersive gaming experiences. Expect to pay more for these more advanced monitors but if you’re not playing high-end games, a basic monitor will be good enough and paying extra for the superior specs is overkill.

Multipurpose

Multipurpose monitors are for people who want to do a bit of everything whether that’s routine office work, gaming or photo/video editing. A decent LED or IPS monitor will offer a good viewing experience by providing excellent picture quality and bright images.

Screen size

Screen size is measured diagonally from the top left to the bottom right hand side of the monitor and is usually expressed in inches. The bigger the monitor the more space you have to fit your content on the screen and the further away from the monitor you can be without having to squint to see the detail. On the flipside, bigger monitors take up more desk space and are generally heavier too. You can buy 14” and 15” monitors that are slim and lightweight and primarily designed for portability (e.g. for use with a laptop as a second screen). Most office and home monitors fall into the 19 - 25” range but workers with larger desks can comfortably fit 27” monitors or even larger screens. The trick with larger monitors is ensuring you sit far enough away from it so that you can see the entire screen without having to move your head.

Aspect ratio

As well as screen size, you can choose between monitors with different aspect ratios which is a measure of the difference between the screen’s width and height. Most monitors currently available for sale are widescreen (16:9 aspect ratio) monitors which provide 25 per cent more viewing area than the older 4:3 monitors did - great for working on spreadsheets, watching movies or having multiple apps open on screen simultaneously. You can also buy ultrawide monitors (21:9 aspect ratio) which can be up to twice as wide as a standard monitor. Many of these allow you to split the screen so you can organise your content easily.

Resolution

We mentioned resolution above which measures how many pixels (tiny dots) make up the image displayed on your monitor. The more dots, the sharper and more detailed the image will be so the higher the resolution the better the picture quality generally will be although there are other contributory factors discussed below. For most people, a Full HD (1920x1080 pixels) monitor (also referred to as 1080p) is more than good enough. Picture quality is sharp and clear and Full HD monitors are great for everyday office tasks, watching videos and general usage.

Quad HD monitors (also called QHD, 1440p or WHQHD) pack in 2560 x 1440 pixels resulting in very clear, smooth images. They are a good fit for creative workers including photo editors, graphic designers and video editors. If you are going to buy a large monitor (27” or above) a quad HD monitor will produce a smoother image than a Full HD monitor.

Ultra HD monitors (aka 4K, UHD or 2160p) pack in four times as many pixels as a full HD monitor - a whopping 3840 x 2160 pixels. They’re favoured by serious gamers, professional designers and anyone looking for the ultimate picture quality. 4K monitors come at a price premium as you might expect and require a high end graphics card in your computer to cope with the processing burden of managing such a high pixel count smoothly.

LCD vs LED

There are two types of monitor to choose from; LCD monitors and LED monitors. LED monitors are thinner, offer better picture quality, faster response times, longer lifespans and are more environmentally friendly. LCD monitors have been around longer and are typically cheaper. They are less prone to screen burn where an image is retained or burnt into the screen permanently. If you just want a cheap monitor for routine office work, an LCD monitor could be for you. LED monitors are a better bet for serious gamers and anyone needing a screen with fast response times.

Panel type

Another way to distinguish monitors is by panel type. There are three types of panel, each with its own pros and cons. TN panel monitors are the cheapest you can buy. They have quick refresh rates for high responsiveness (good for gaming) but have inferior viewing angles, colour reproduction and contrast ratios than other panel types. This means TN panels are not a good choice for photo/video editing. IPS panels cost more but offer the best colour depth and viewing angles making them ideal for professional creatives requiring accurate colour reproduction. VA panels provide the best contrast and image depth but otherwise fall somewhere in between the two other types.

Refresh rate

Refresh rate measures how many times the image on the screen is updated in every second. Standard monitors have a refresh rate of 60Hz which is fine for most uses. Gamers playing fast games or anyone working with fast moving content would be wise to consider a monitor with a higher refresh rate such as 120Hz, 240Hz or even 300Hz for smoother motion. It’s important to also check the specs of your computer’s graphics card (GPU) before buying a monitor with a high refresh rate because the GPU needs to be able to draw the images at the higher frequencies.

Viewing angle

Viewing angle might be significant if you don’t always sit directly in front of the screen. Choose a monitor with a wide viewing angle (178 degree or higher) for consistent image quality when not viewed head on or if you want to share your screen with others sat around you.

Image quality

Image quality is determined by a number of different factors. We’ve already talked about resolution which affects the clarity of the image but you should also look at a monitor’s brightness, colour gamut and contrast ratio if image quality is important to you.

Brightness

Brightness is measured in nits and a typical monitor offers 250 nits which is fine in many office environments but not so great in brighter settings such as a sun facing window or if you’re sat further away from the monitor. Look for a brighter monitor with 350 nits or above in such situations.

Colour gamut

A monitor’s colour gamut is a measure of how many individual colours the monitor is capable of displaying. This is important for accurate colour reproduction across different devices and there are different standards for measuring colour gamut. Monitor gamuts are expressed as a percentage of the standard they are based on (for example 72% of NTSC). The higher the percentage, the wider the range of colours the monitor can reproduce and the more realistic the image will be.

Response time

Response time measures how long it takes for a pixel to change colour. It’s measured in milliseconds and is mainly only relevant for fast moving games and movies. A fast response time minimises blurring and ensures fast sequences look sharp. Monitors with a response time sub 5ms are good but the best response times are under 1ms.

HDR

Some monitors have HDR (High Dynamic Range) technology which allows them to extend the range of colours and contrast they can produce. HDR content looks more vivid and realistic making it a great technology for creative editors, movie buffs and gamers.

Adaptive sync

Adaptive Sync is a technology that helps to reduce display issues like ghosting, stuttering and screen tearing typically seen in gaming when the monitor refresh rate and graphics card frame rate are out of sync. There are two types of adaptive sync at present; FreeSync and G-SYNC which work with AMD GPUs and NVIDIA GPUs respectively so check your graphic card and monitor specs to ensure compatibility.

Curved monitors

Whilst most monitors on sale have flat displays, you can also choose from a range of curved monitors. The main benefits are an improved, ultrawide viewing experience with less image distortion at the edges of the screen. Curved monitors also cope better with glare and reflections but the benefits are more pronounced on larger monitors (27 inches or above). Disadvantages include the inability to wall mount them and they’re not suitable for group viewing either.

Connectivity

All monitors are designed to connect to a computer or other device of some sort and will feature a set of ports to enable easy connectivity. There are a number of different ports and interfaces but the common ones include VGA, DisplayPort, HDMI and USB-C. Some interfaces like HDMI and DisplayPort can transmit both video and audio whereas others like VGA and DVI can carry video signals only. Check the listed specs for any monitor you’re considering to see what ports are available as well as checking the interfaces you intend to hook them up to. The use of adapters and docking stations can help you out when the default ports aren’t an option. Some monitors have extra USB ports which are great for plugging in webcams, speakers etc as well as charging devices like a mobile phone.

Ergonomics

Think about where your monitor will be situated. Ideally you want to be able to easily position your monitor for the optimum ergonomic setup whether that’s in landscape or portrait mode. All monitors come with a stand but on cheaper models these aren’t always height adjustable. More expensive monitors can be tilted, rotated and swivelled and often include cable management features to help keep desks tidy. If you’re setting up multiple monitors and space is limited, mounting them on arms helps preserve precious desk space and can help with cable management too. Just be careful to check any mounting equipment you buy is capable of supporting the size and weight of the monitors you need to mount.

Additional features & accessories

As well as working like a conventional screen, you can buy smart monitors that have built-in WiFi so you can connect to streaming services, online apps and surf the web. You can also connect to your smartphone to play videos and project your photos on the screen. Some monitors feature built in webcams and/or speakers for cable free video calls.

Finally, don’t overlook the wide array of accessories you can buy for your monitor including webcams, speakers and privacy filters which help shield your screen from prying eyes if you’re working in a busy environment or are handling sensitive information.