Sick of dragging windows around your laptop screen? Here's what to look for in a new monitor.
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Loading... - Erin Moore
- 14 Apr 2022
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Because of all the options out there – namely, in size, shape, brand and price – strolling the aisles at your local big box electronics store could be an overwhelming experience.
The good news is displays are getting bigger, thinner and supporting higher resolution inputs and with advanced connectivity options for your laptop or desktop (Windows, Mac or Chrome OS). While there are premium solutions for more demanding users, prices of monitors are dropping for those with more modest needs (starting at about $130 for a brand-name 24-inch screen).
“There are a lot of exciting changes in the monitor category, which may create some confusion,” acknowledges Jeff Volpe, president of ViewSonic Americas, a visual display company based in Brea, California. “Therefore, you simply need to ask yourself a few questions before you buy, as it’s not a one-size-fits-all scenario.”
Those questions may include “what am I using it for?” and “where will I be using it?”
Whether you’re buying one for work, school or play, here are a few considerations for shoppers:
The basics
Regardless of the application, you’ll want to start with something high-resolution, suggests Volpe, “so it can handle the kinds of content you are consuming, creating or collaborating on.”
Whether it’s for looking at small text on a spreadsheet or editing videos as a content creator, most monitors today offer Full HD (1080p) resolution and many of them with support for 4K visuals, not unlike your television (and some up to 8K). Volpe says color accuracy is also key (especially for designers or photographers), along with features like high-dynamic range (HDR), which reproduces a wider range of brightness levels and higher contrast levels (resulting in whiter whites and darker blacks).
Since prices are dropping, it’s ideal to look for a large display – perhaps north of 30 inches – which gives you more screen real estate for increased productivity, plus Volpe says you may also consider an ultrawide monitor, a dual-monitor setup or a curved model “to fit the environment you’re putting it in.”
(An ultrawide monitor generally has an aspect ratio of 21:9 opposed to a 16:9 widescreen display.)
If it’s for gaming, IPS monitors have come a long way over the past few years, providing good color accuracy and higher refresh rates (see below). OLED monitors are sweet, but pricey.
Portability
Those in the workforce may recognize there’s a booming “hybrid” model emerging, which fuses in-office and remote work.
As such, this post-pandemic “work from anywhere” movement has given rise to portable monitors, which lets you set up a dual-screen space to remain productive from virtually anywhere. Starting at about $240, these displays look like tablets and plug into a laptop’s USB-C port, to mirror or extend the desktop – plus this one single cable delivers video, audio and power.
Available in touch and non-touch models, portable monitors are ideal for remote/hybrid workers, business travelers and digital nomads, says Volpe. Read More…
