4K monitors have grown in popularity over the years and they’re now becoming staples on the desk be it for gaming, creative workloads, or simply for office productivity. Even though 1080p or 1440p monitors are far from being obsolete, we think having one of the best 4K monitors just makes things that much better to look at. This is particularly true for content consumption too as an increasing amount of content is now available in UHD. Luckily, there’s no shortage of 4K monitors on the market, and we’re going to take a look at some of the best ones you can buy right now in 2022.
Navigate this article:
- Best overall 4K monitor: LG UltraFine 32UN650-W IPS UHD Monitor
- Best 4K monitor for gaming: LG UltraGear 27GN950-B UHD monitor
- Best 4K monitor for creative professionals: Acer ConceptD CP3 CP3271K UHD monitor
- Best budget 4K monitor: Samsung UR55 Series 28″ UHD monitor
- Best 4K curved monitor: Dell 4K S3221QS Curved
Best overall 4K monitor: LG UltraFine 32-inch IPS UHD Monitor
LG, as you probably already know, is one of the most popular manufacturers when it comes to monitors. The company has a lot of great monitors in its portfolio. In fact, the LG UltraGear 27GN950-B 4K is our pick for the best 4K gaming monitor you can buy on the market right now. Similarly, LG has a lot of good options for those who are looking for day-to-day work monitors. The LG UltraFine 32UN650-W 32-inch IPS UHD monitor is one of those monitors, and we think it’s great for office productivity, basic day-to-day tasks, casual gaming, and more. There’s a lot to like about this particular monitor, and hence, it’s our pick for the best 4K monitor for most people.
The LG UltraFine monitor that we’ve mentioned here has a 32-inch IPS panel with a max resolution of 3840 x 2160. This IPS display has a maximum refresh rate of 60Hz and a response time of 5ms. Clearly, it’s not meant to be used as a gaming monitor, but it can be used by casual gamers for occasional gaming sessions. It supports FreeSync too, which means it isn’t the worst option for gamers. In terms of the build quality, the monitor features slim bezels around the panel and it’s supported by a silver-colored stand that looks modern. The back of the monitor is white and there’s nothing much except an LG logo and a collection of ports. The design is fairly minimal and we think it should have no issues fitting into most setups.
The IPS 4K panel used for this particular monitor covers 95% of the DCI-P3 colors space and has HDR10 support, which means it’s also a great panel for creative professionals. Sure, there are better high-end panels with more accuracy but we think this is a great option to consider at this price point. A lot of the high-end color-accurate monitors tend to be on the expensive side, and we think you can’t go wrong with the UltraFine 32UN650-W that costs less than $500. It’s also said to be color-calibrated out of the box, which is great.
One of the best things about this particular monitor is that it comes with built-in speakers, making it a solid option for both media consumption and console gaming. The ergonomic stand also deserves a special mention here as it lets you adjust the monitor in a variety of angles and offers good stability. The stand also gives it a very premium look overall.
All things considered, we think the LG UltraFine 32UN650-W is one of the best 4K monitors you can buy when it comes to day-to-day office or productivity workloads. It’s not the best option out there for gaming, but it’s plenty for casual gamers too. Besides, we’ve added some dedicated monitors to this collection too if you’re interested in exploring those options. The LG UltraFine 32UN650-W offers a lot of features for less than $500, making it one of the best 4K monitors out there. This particular monitor is also readily available on the market, but you can always hit the link below to find the best price for it online right now.
- The LG UltraFine 32UN650-W is one of the best 4K monitors out there for those who are looking for a simple panel for day-to-day workloads.
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Best 4K monitor for gaming: LG UltraGear 27GN950-B UHD monitor
LG’s UltraGear family is also largely popular mainly because these monitors offer plenty of great features. There are a few options in the UltraGear family, but we’ve picked the UltraGear 27GN950-B 4k monitor for this collection. This particular monitor is also a part of our best 4K gaming monitor collection and we think it’s one of the best gaming monitors out there right now. It’s a bit on the expensive side, but it delivers a great gaming experience with a ton of high-end features.
The LG UltraGear 27GN950-B sports a 27-inch 4K panel. We’re looking at a 16:9 aspect ratio and a maximum resolution of 3840 x 2160. This particular monitor also supports up to 144Hz refresh rate, which means it’s also great for online multiplayer titles. It’s also amongst the fastest panels out there right now thanks to a super-fast response rate of 1ms. The LG 27GN950-B also supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and G-Sync for gaming, making it better than a lot of other options out there.
The LG UltraGear 27GN950-B delivers a peak brightness of 600 nits (HDR) and a contrast ratio of 1,000:1. One of the best things about this monitor is that it also covers up to 95% of DCI-P3 color space and carries the VESA DisplayHDR 600 certification. These are some top-notch features that are mostly reserved premium panels and it’s part of the reason why it’s one of the most expensive monitors in this collection.
In terms of the design, the LG UltraGear 27GN950-B looks modern. What we like the most about this monitor is that it’s got a very simple design that’ll fit into most setups without any issues. A lot of gaming monitors tend to have obnoxious designs with a ton of RGB lighting and sharp edges, but LG has decided to keep this one very simple. There’s a ring of RGB LEDs at the back of the monitor but you can’t really see it from the front and it makes the back of the monitor glow with subtle lighting. You can control this lighting using LG’s downloadable Ultragear Control Center app and there’s an option to turn it off entirely too. The panel is surrounded by slim bezels all-around with no branding whatsoever. In fact, it’s the thinnest bezels you’ll ever see on a gaming monitor, which is great.
The LG UltraGear 27GN950-B also offers a great gaming experience with plenty of different modes to choose from. This one also features an HDR mode that works well with a lot of apps and games on Windows. As long as you have the hardware to push 4K gaming, then we think you’ll have a great overall experience with this monitor. In terms of port selection, this LG UltraGear 4K monitor comes with two HDMI 2.0 ports and a single DisplayPort 1.4 along with three USB 3.0 ports. It is, however, worth pointing out that it doesn’t have any built-in speakers, so you’ll have to rely on either headsets or an external speaker to get your audio.
- The LG UltraGear 27GN950-B is one of the best 4K gaming monitors out there with a good mix of features and reliable performance for the price.
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Alternate best 4K monitor for gaming: Samsung Odyssey G7 28″ 4K
If you’ve been actively looking for gaming monitors, then there’s a very good chance that you may have come across Samsung’s Odyssey lineup. This particular series has a ton of great high-end monitors that are worth considering. While there are plenty of Odyssey monitors to choose from, we’re adding the Samsung Odyssey G7 28-inch variant to this particular collection. This one’s also the pick for the best overall gaming monitor in our collection of the best 4K gaming monitors, so it’s hardly a surprise it made it to this list.
The Samsung Odyssey G7 S28AG70 comes with an IPS panel, just like a lot of other monitors mentioned in this particular list. We’re looking at a 28-inch UHD display with a 16:9 aspect ratio and a maximum resolution of 3840 x 2160. The Odyssey G7 S28AG70 also comes with support for up to 144Hz refresh rate and a super-fast response rate of 1ms. This is more in line with the LG UltraGear monitor that we just saw, so they both are equally good for gaming. The panel used in this monitor is rated to have a peak brightness of 400 nits and a contrast ratio of 1000:1.
Moving on to the build quality, we think this is one of the strong points of this monitor. This is one of those monitors that manages to look great without too much RGB or striking design features. It’s got a matte black finish with a texturized back panel. The bezels around the display, as you can see, are also super thin, making it a solid option to consider. We think it’s got just the right amount of “gamer” aesthetics to fit into most setups without any issues. Just like the LG UltraGear monitor, the Samsung Odyssey G7 also has lights at the back that make up for some cool lighting while it’s in use.
In terms of connectivity, the Samsung Odyssey G7 features a DisplayPort 1.4 DSC for 4K 144Hz with PCs and two HDMI 2.1 for 4K 120Hz with the new consoles. You also get three USB 3.0 ports and a 3.5mm jack. This one doesn’t have a USB Type-C port, so keep that in mind while purchasing this panel. According to Samsung, the panel used for this monitor covers up to 100-percent of the sRGB and 88-percent of the DCI-P3 color space. The picture of this monitor is said to be great for gaming as well as other use-cases including day-to-day workloads and media consumption.
All things considered, we think the Samsung Odyssey G7 is an excellent option to consider if you’re looking to buy a 4K monitor. Not only is it a great gaming monitor, but we think it has other great features on offer too, making it a solid option overall. It costs just as much as the LG UltraGear monitor we mentioned above, so you got two great options at the same price.
- The Samsung Odyssey G7 is not only a reliable gaming monitor but we think it offers a great experience overall for different use-cases.
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Best 4K monitor for creative professionals: Acer ConceptD CP3 CP3271K UHD monitor
Creative professionals tend to lean towards highly color-accurate panels for their monitors, which is why not all options out there are worth recommending. While most of the monitors mentioned in this collection have great picture quality, they’re not necessarily the best when it comes to working with color-sensitive workloads. Well, if you’re one of those creative professionals looking to get your hands on a high-end 4K monitor, then we think the AcerConceptD CP7271K is worth checking out.
Not only is this a great monitor for content creation, but it’s also equally good for gaming. This is the best monitor to consider if you’re into content creation but also like to play games. You probably have a powerful PC to handle your content creation workloads, which means it should also be able to handle gaming at 4K.
The ConceptD CP3 sports a 27-inch IPS/W-LED panel with a full array of 384 dimming zones. We’re looking at an aspect ratio of 16:9 with a resolution of 3840×2160. It supports up to 120Hz refresh rate out of the box but it can easily be overclocked to 144Hz, so that’s great. This monitor also supports Nvidia G-Sync and it has a 4ms response time, which isn’t too bad either. The panel used for this monitor peaks at 600 nits of SDR and up to 1000 nits of HDR brightness. It also has a contrast ratio of 1000:1.
The Acer ConceptD CP3, as you’d expect, covers a wide variety of color spaces. However, you’ll have to manually calibrate it to the one that you prefer. It lacks presets and leaves it up to the user to manually calibrate it. But once it’s installed and ready to go, you’re bound to have a great time with it. It also supports HDR gaming, so your experience is going to be great with plenty of modern titles on both Windows as well as consoles.
One of the best things about this particular monitor is that it has a great build quality. The monitor, as you can see, also comes with a rigid light hood. This is pre-installed out of the box so that’s one less thing to worry about while setting everything up. It’s got a wood grain base with a satin-finish aluminum upright stand which makes up for a very interesting design. This is definitely one of the more unique-looking monitors around but it should have no issues blending into most setups. Overall, there’s a lot to like about the Acer ConceptD 4K monitor and we think it’s worth considering if you’re looking to shop for a monitor for your creative needs.
There’s no shortage of creator-centric 4K monitors but we think this one offers a good set of features for the price. It’s definitely one of the most expensive monitors out there but it’s still not as pricey as the BenQ PhotoVue monitor that we’ve mentioned next. Both are great 4K monitors, so pick the one that suits best your use case and the budget.
- The Acer ConceptD is a great 4K monitor to consider if you're a creative professional who deals with color-sensitive work and also likes to play games.
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Best 4K monitor for photographers: BenQ SW321C PhotoVue
Creative professionals will find plenty of what they like in 4K monitors. These panels are great for processing photos and videos with incredible details. Well, if you are a creative professional, especially a photographer, then we can’t recommend the BenQ SW321C PhotoVue enough. This particular monitor has plenty of great features on offer and we think it has a great panel for processing footages. It carries an expensive price tag, although that’s true for almost all the high-end 4K monitors that are aimed at creative professionals.
This particular BenQ 4K monitor is available in a couple of different panel size options, but we’ve picked the 32-inch variant for this collection. You can also choose to buy the 27-inch version if you think the 32-inch size is too big for your setup. They’re both great and have the same features, so you’re not missing out on anything. The BenQ SW321C PhotoVue sports a 10-bit IPS panel that covers up to 99-percent of the Adobe RGB, up to 100-percent of the sRGB, and up to 95-percent of the DCI-P3 space. This makes it one of the most color-accurate panels in this collection, if not the most. It’s perfect for photo and video editors who deal with a ton of color-sensitive work.
The BenQ SW321C PhotoVue comes with factory calibration but you should be able to use ay hardware calibration tools to get it up and running for your workload. For video creators, this monitor also has Calman support for LightSpace video calibration along with HDR10 and HLG video input. There’s also a lot to talk about the design of this monitor, so let’s get to it.
In terms of the design, the BenQ SW321C PhotoVue looks very basic. There are no RGB lights or stylish stand designs to make it look trendy. BenQ decided to go for a very functional design to offer the best panel out there. This particular 4K version of the monitor has sizable bezels around the panels, but the QHD version has slimmer ones. Another important thing to note about this particular monitor is that it comes with a Hotkey puck with which you can handle various controls of the monitor without having to reach for the buttons on the bezels. This circular puck is a handy tool to have as it lets you choose between modes, adjust the brightness, and more. Overall, we think the BenQ SW321C PhotoVue has a decent design and it looks good enough to fit into most setups out there.
In terms of port selection, the BenQ SW321C PhotoVue comes with two HDMI 2.0 ports, a USB Type-C and Type-B ports along with a DisplayPort. It’s not the best gaming panel out there as it doesn’t support high-refresh rates or super-fast response times, but we think it should be enough for casual gamers. This monitor, as we mentioned earlier, is amongst the most expensive monitors out there right now, so be sure to hit the link below to see if you can get some discounts for it.
- The LG UltraGear 27GN950-B is one of the best 4K gaming monitors out there with a good mix of features and reliable performance for the price.
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Best budget 4K monitor: Samsung UR55 Series 28″ UHD monitor
Samsung has a ton of high-end monitors to its name that are highly popular on the market. But besides those high-end options, the company also makes a few reliable budget monitors that we think are worth considering. If you are one of those users who are looking to buy a reliable budget 4K monitor for your setup, then we think this monitor from the Samsung UR55 series is worth checking out.
One of the best things about this particular 4K monitor is that it’s priced at just $289, making it the least expensive monitor in this collection. That being said, it still packs a lot of great features and doesn’t skimp on any essentials. Samsung has a couple of different variants of this monitor with varying panel sizes. We’ve picked the 28-inch panel for this collection but you can also buy a variant dubbed the UJ59 that sports a 32-inch screen. In fact, even that particular model is priced under $300, making it yet another solid option to consider.
There’s not a lot to talk about the Samsung UR55 when it comes to the design. It’s a fairly simple-looking monitor with slim bezels around the panel. The bottom bezel is slightly thicker than others but we think it still looks pretty good. The base of the monitor also has black color and it looks pretty standard. Unlike a lot of other Samsung monitors out there, this one doesn’t have any lights or flashy design elements. It’s a simple monitor which we think will have absolutely no issues blending into most setups.
The picture quality of the Samsung UR55 is pretty good. It’s said to cover up to 100-percent of the sRGB color space and up to 88-percent of the DCI-P3 space. That’s pretty decent for a budget monitor that costs as much as this one does when compared with other options out there. While it’s not the brightest panel out there with a peak brightness of around 400 nits in HDR, we think it’s not necessarily a complaint. We’re also looking at a 60Hz refresh rate for this monitor with a response time of 4ms and support for AMD FreeSync technology. It’s obviously not going to be nearly as good as the other gaming monitors that we’ve added to this collection, but we think it should be enough for casual gamers.
When it comes to port selection, the Samsung UR55 has two DisplayPort 1.2 and two HDMI 2.0 slots. You also get a 3.5mm headphone jack but it doesn’t have built-in speakers. The lack of built-in speakers isn’t necessarily an issue because even a lot of high-end monitors don’t have speakers. Overall, there’s a lot to like about the Samsung UR55 4K UHD monitor. The specifications, as you can see, are pretty good for the price. In fact, it can’t get better than this under $300. This monitor is also readily available on the market, and we recommend hitting the buy button below to find the price for it online right now.
- The Samsung UR55 series 28-inch UHD monitor is one of the budget 4K options out there under $300.
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Best budget 4K gaming monitors: ASUS TUF Gaming VG289Q
The Samsung UR55 series 28-inch monitor is proof that you don’t necessarily have to spend too much money to buy a reliable 4K monitor for your setup. While the Samsung option isn’t the best for gaming, there are other reliable 4K gaming monitors out there too. If you are looking to buy a budget-friendly UHD monitor for gaming, then we think the ASUS TUF Gaming VG289Q is worth checking out. For just around $390 (at the time of writing this article), the TUF Gaming VG289Q is a great UHD monitor to add to your setup.
In terms of specification, this particular ASUS TUF Gaming monitor features a 28-inch IPS/W-LED panel with a maximum resolution of 3840 x 2160. It’s a 16:9 aspect ratio panel with relatively slim bezels around the main panel. One thing that’s worth pointing out about this monitor is that its panel only supports up to 60Hz refresh rate. It’s not as high as a lot of other monitors out there but it’s not particularly surprising given its price tag either. We’re also looking at a 5ms response, which is again, not the fastest we’ve seen.
The overall image quality of the monitor, however, is pretty good. It’s got a peak brightness of 350 nits and has a contrast ratio of 1000:1. This budget monitor has received good reviews and it’s said to offers a great overall experience. This panel also supports HDR, so be sure to enable Windows HDR to play HDR games or watch 4K HDR content. This monitor may not be as good as a lot of other 4K UHD monitors mentioned in this collection but it’s safe to say that casual users will find plenty to like about this panel. The lack of a high-refresh rate may sound like a bummer, but it’s not a big deal considering budget gamers may not have a powerful rig to push high frame rates at 4K, to begin with.
There’s not a lot to talk about the design of this monitor either. It’s got a fairly simple design with no RGB bling whatsoever. The ASUS TUF Gaming VG289Q monitor also has a tall and sturdy stand that provides as much as 6-inches of height adjustment along with a 62-degree swivel. The bezels of the display, as we mentioned earlier, are also quite thin, making it look like a stylish, modern option out there. The overall design and build quality of this monitor is pretty good. In fact, we think it’s better than a lot of other monitors mentioned in this list.
All things considered, the ASUS TUF Gaming VG290Q is a great budget UHD monitor that’s worth considering. It’s not ideal for those looking to get the absolute best experience but we think it offers plenty of great features that make it worth considering, especially for $350. There’s no shortage of budget 4K monitors out there too, but they’re either more expensive than this one or don’t offer good features in this price range.
- The ASUS TUG Gaming VG289Q is one of the best budget 4K monitors out there that offers a good set of features at an affordable price.
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Best 4K curved monitor: Dell 4K S3221QS Curved
There aren’t too many 4K curved monitors out there on the market, so it can be a little difficult to find a reliable option to consider. Out of a handful of reliable curved monitors that we could find online, we think the Dell 4K S3221QS Curved is a great option to consider. Coming in at around $450, this particular monitor isn’t that expensive, so it’s a great monitor to consider as a budget alternative to a lot of other options that we’ve highlighted in this collection.
One of the first things you’ll notice about this particular monitor is its build quality. Even though it comes with black-colored front bezels around the display, the back panel and the other parts of the monitor are well-built and look very premium. The back panel of this monitor is made out of high-quality, woven plastic that looks and feels similar to the texture on the white-colored variant of the Dell XPS laptop. The stand and the base have a light silver finish which matches the overall aesthetics of the monitor.
The Dell 4K S3221QS also comes with a decent selection of ports. We’re looking at a DisplayPort and two HDMI ports at the back along with an audio line out and a USB hub with a couple of downstream ports. It doesn’t have a USB Type-C port, so keep that in mind. You’ll have to look at other options if that’s a non-negotiable for you.
Moving on to the display quality itself, we’re looking at a 32-inch VA panel. According to Dell, this particular panel covers up to 99-percent of the sRGB space and up to 90-percent of the DCI-P3 space. The display is said to have a contrast ratio of 3000:1 and a 1800R curvature. We think it’s got just the right amount of curvature for its size, unlike a lot of other options. The panel is also bright enough at 300 nits. The Dell 4K S3221QS, however, isn’t the best when it comes to gaming. It peaks at a 60Hz refresh rate and has an 8ms response time, which means it’s not the fastest display out there. We’d still recommend checking out other dedicated gaming monitors or the ASUS TUF Gaming VG289Q if you want to play games on your PC.
One thing that’s worth noting about the Dell 4K S3221QS is that it supports the EasyArrange feature that can be accessed via the downloadable Dell Display manage app. This particular feature will let you fine-tune your monitor usage by letting you automatically change the screen preset mode. It’s not a game-changing feature, but we think it’s still something worth mentioning.
Overall, the Dell 4K 3221QS is a good curved 4K monitor that’s worth considering. It offers a decent set of features for the $450 asking price, making it an easy recommendation for us in this collection. This monitor isn’t readily available on the market unlike a lot of other options, so we suggest you hit the link to check for stocks and also get the best price for it online.
- The Dell 4K S3221QS is great for those who are looking to buy a curved 4K gaming monitor without spending a lot of money.
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The 4K monitors to buy in 2022: Final Thoughts
That brings us to the conclusion of the best 4K monitors list. There are plenty of great options to choose from but we think most users will find a lot of value in the LG UltraFine 32UN650-W IPS UHD monitor. It offers a good set of features and a great panel for less than $500, making it an excellent monitor. Enthusiast gamers, on the other hand, can consider picking up the LG UltraGear 27GN950-B UHD monitor. Besides that, we think the Samsung Odyssey G7 is also a good option for those who want a good experience both while gaming and while handling other day-to-day workloads. Additionally, we’ve also added some interesting options to the list including the Dell 4K S3221QS Curved and the BenQ SW321C PhotoVue, so be sure to check them out too.
If you’re looking for more monitors, then we encourage you to check out our collection of the best monitors. You may find some overlapping monitors in both lists, but that list is bound to have more options since it also covers non-4K monitors. If you are building a new setup from scratch, then we recommend checking out some of our other collection articles too including the best webcams and the best mechanical keyboards. Alternatively, you can also join our XDA Computing Forums to interact with the community and get more product recommendations for your setup.
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