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Whether you’re gaming, streaming movies, tackling creative projects, or just doing office work, a 4K monitor is a welcome upgrade. But choosing an ultra-high-definition (UHD) display can be tricky. Some prioritize fast refresh rates for smooth gameplay, others deliver color accuracy for creative pros, and many offer features that make multitasking more efficient. At PCMag, we’ve been testing monitors for decades, long before 4K (or even VGA!) was even a thing. We put every display through rigorous, repeatable testing that evaluates performance, design, usability, and connectivity. If you’re not sure where to start, our best overall pick, the Dell 32 Plus 4K QD-OLED Monitor (S3225QC), is a standout for most users. But it’s just one of many excellent options we’ve tested and recommend. Below, you’ll find our full list of top picks, along with detailed specs for easy comparisons.
Our Top Tested Picks
Dell 32 Plus 4K QD-OLED Monitor (S3225QC)
Bottom Line
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
The surprisingly affordable Dell S3225QC, featuring a 32-inch 4K QD-OLED screen and five punchy speakers, is a top-tier monitor for content creation, video watching, and casual gaming.
Pros
- Reasonably priced for an OLED monitor
- 4K screen with high pixel density
- Superb contrast and color coverage
- Powerful speakers
Cons
- Limited port selection
MSI Modern MD272UPSW
Bottom Line
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
The MSI Modern MD272UPSW doubles as a home computer monitor and a smart display with integrated Google TV. It pairs extensive streaming features with high panel quality and a palatable price.
Pros
- 4K UHD resolution
- Full sRGB color coverage
- Integrates Google TV for access to streaming content, web apps, and services such as Google Home
- Can operate independently of a PC
- Competitively priced
Cons
- Small screen for an entertainment monitor
- Peak 60Hz refresh rate
Asus ROG Swift PG27UCDM
Bottom Line
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
The Asus ROG Swift PG27UCDM is a lightning-fast 4K gaming monitor whose robust feature set easily justifies its high price.
Pros
- Incredibly low input lag
- Excellent color range and contrast
- High-quality build; pleasing aesthetic
- Plenty of image-improving features
- Dolby Vision support
Cons
- Some gamers might not like the tripod stand
- No built-in speakers
- Expensive
ViewSonic XG275D-4K
Bottom Line
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
Supporting different peak refresh rates at 1080p and 4K, ViewSonic's XG275D-4K is an attractive gaming monitor that's an exceptional, popularly priced value for gamers aspiring to play at 4K.
Pros
- Dual refresh rate/resolution modes
- Low input lag in both modes
- Great color range
Cons
- No USB-A ports
- No HDR support
- Lackluster sound quality from built-in speakers
BenQ PD3225U DesignVue Designer Monitor
Bottom Line
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
The BenQ PD3225U monitor is a go-to alternative to the Apple Studio Display, with excellent color accuracy, brightness, and contrast. It's much cheaper and works well with Windows PCs, too.
Pros
- 32-inch 4K UHD screen
- IPS Black tech means high contrast
- Thunderbolt ports let you daisy-chain a second monitor
- Supports Mac-friendly color spaces like Display P3 and M-book
- Stand offers height, tilt, swivel, and pivot adjustments
Cons
- Mediocre Adobe RGB coverage
- Uniformity setting significantly reduces brightness and contrast
Dell UltraSharp 43 4K USB-C Monitor (U4323QE)
Bottom Line
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
The Dell UltraSharp U4323QE is the 4K productivity monitor to beat, with an enormous 43-inch display that can be divided into quadrants (each with their own input) and plenty of ports.
Pros
- 43-inch IPS screen in UHD (4K) resolution
- Plenty of ports, including Ethernet, DisplayPort, HDMI, and USB-C
- Supports tiled windows from up to four input sources
- Excellent sRGB color coverage
- Mini-joystick controller
Cons
- Stand offers only modest ergonomic adjustments
- Most ports are tricky to access
Dell UltraSharp 32 4K Thunderbolt Hub Monitor (U3225QE)
Bottom Line
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
The Dell U3225QE doesn't come cheap, but this exquisite monitor provides a massive complement of ports and a bright 4K screen with superb contrast.
Pros
- Dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, one with 140-watt power delivery
- 4K UHD resolution with great color coverage
- Seven downstream USB-A and USB-C ports
- IPS Black panel with 3,000:1 rated contrast ratio
Cons
- Pricey
- Lacks built-in speakers
Samsung Smart Monitor M9 (M90SF)
Bottom Line
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
Samsung's pricey-but-compelling Smart Monitor M9 flaunts a gorgeous 32-inch 4K OLED panel that deftly melds a productivity-ready screen, an entertainment hub, and a gaming display in one.
Pros
- 32-inch 4K OLED screen
- 165Hz refresh rate and adaptive sync compatibility
- Integrates Samsung TV Plus and Xbox Game Pass
- Above-grade built-in speakers
- 4K webcam
- SmartThings integration enables control of smart-home devices
Cons
- Pricey for a 32-inch panel
- Light on ports
Samsung The Movingstyle Essential
Bottom Line
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
Samsung's The Movingstyle Essential, a 32-inch smart monitor that can be moved around on a wheeled stand, is tops for entertainment and light productivity use.
Pros
- 32-inch 4K (UHD) screen
- Somewhat portable; can be wheeled from room to room
- Supports Samsung's Tizen OS, which includes numerous streaming apps
- Access to the Samsung TV Plus content ecosystem
- Can be operated wirelessly without a computer
- Built-in Microsoft 365 apps
Cons
- Low 60Hz refresh rate and no adaptive sync
- Wheeled stand is very heavy
- Color coverage is less than ideal for professional work
The Best 4K Monitor Deals This Week*
- HP E27k G5 27" 4K USB-C IPS Monitor — $378 With Code HPDEAL25
- LG UltraGear 32GX850A-B 32" 4K 165Hz OLED Gaming Monitor — $704 ($1,299) Save $595.00
- Samsung Odyssey G7 37" 4K 165Hz Curved Gaming Monitor — $479 ($899) Save $420.00
- LG UltraFine 27UP850K-W 27" 4K IPS Monitor With Speaker — $279 ($349) Save $70.00
- Asus ROG Swift PG32UCDP 32" 4K OLED 240Hz Gaming Monitor — $889 ($1,199) Save $310.00
- Get the Best Prices On Monitors — Download Our Free Price Comparison Tool $0
EDITORS' NOTE
August 18, 2026: With this update, we added the Dell 32 Plus 4K QD-OLED Monitor (S3225QC), replacing the Dell UltraSharp 27 4K USB-C Hub Monitor (U2723QE) as Best 4K Monitor for General Use. We also added Samsung's The Movingstyle Essential as Best 4K Wheel-Stand Monitor. Our remaining picks have been vetted for currency and availability. Since our previous update, we have tested and evaluated eight new monitors for possible inclusion in this story and our other monitor guides. We currently have seven monitors in PC Labs for evaluation, from makers including AOC, Arzopa, Asus, BenQ, HP, Lenovo, and MSI.
- Reasonably priced for an OLED monitor
- 4K screen with high pixel density
- Superb contrast and color coverage
- Powerful speakers
- Limited port selection
Until recently, you would pay a substantial premium for an OLED monitor, but now some of our favorites can be had for a little more than a high-quality IPS panel. The Dell S3225QC, our Editors' Choice mainstream entertainment display, packs a 32-inch 4K QD-OLED screen and retails for just over $500. This top-tier monitor has the screen size, resolution, color coverage, and pixel density for creative work; it supports adaptive sync and a refresh rate suitable for casual gaming; and its magnificent screen and powerful sound system make it a great choice for movie watching.
Creative pros: Photographers and videographers should be happy with the S3225QC. Its 32-inch 4K screen has a 140ppi pixel density, more than good enough for photo and video editing, and it has the magnificent contrast that is a highlight of OLED technology. The panel offers effectively complete color-gamut coverage in the three color spaces in which we test: sRGB, Adobe RGB, and DCI-P3, making the S3225QC a good choice for handling photos and graphics destined for the web or for print publication, as well as editing videos.
Game designers and casual gamers: The S3225QC's support for AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and its 120Hz refresh rate should reduce screen tearing and suffice for casual gaming, while exquisite contrast and high HDR brightness should enhance the experience. These qualities should also make the S3225QC a good choice for game designers.
Movie buffs: The S3225QC's large QD-OLED screen provides a full palette of vivid colors, and its superb contrast brings out often-overlooked details in darker scenes. The panel's high HDR peak brightness should make compatible content really pop.
- 4K UHD resolution
- Full sRGB color coverage
- Integrates Google TV for access to streaming content, web apps, and services such as Google Home
- Can operate independently of a PC
- Competitively priced
- Small screen for an entertainment monitor
- Peak 60Hz refresh rate
The versatile MSI Modern MD272UPSW is reasonably priced and an excellent value. The monitor—which works connected to, or independently of, a computer—can serve as a general-purpose personal or home-office monitor, as well as a smart monitor integrating Google TV's collection of streaming services, plus Google Home and Google Photos. Its 4K IPS screen has good brightness and color coverage, and high pixel density ensures a sharp image.
College students: At 27 inches, the MD272UPSW's screen is modest in size yet fine for classwork, light video watching, and photo editing. Priced for the budget-conscious, this monitor's compact frame and multi-use nature make it ideal for tight spaces like a dorm room.
Downsizers: Who needs multiple screens when you can do just fine with one? The MSI Modern MD272UPSW renders a bright, sharp, and colorful image that is fine for office work, photo editing, or video consumption. Plus, the display can operate computer-free as a smart monitor integrating Google TV's streaming services and proprietary content.
- Incredibly low input lag
- Excellent color range and contrast
- High-quality build; pleasing aesthetic
- Plenty of image-improving features
- Dolby Vision support
- Some gamers might not like the tripod stand
- No built-in speakers
- Expensive
The Asus ROG Swift PG27UCDM is a monitor equipped with all of the state-of-the-art features that make PC gaming so fun: a 4K screen, a 240Hz peak refresh rate, and DisplayPort 2.1 technology to sync up with the latest GPUs. It's got other noteworthy perks, too, like a QD-OLED screen that delivers exceptionally vivid color range and high brightness. Add low input lag to the equation, and the PG27UCDM proves to be a supremely capable high-end gaming monitor and an Editors' Choice winner.
Deep-pocketed gamers: When paired with a modern GPU like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090, the PG27UCDM is a formidable and versatile gaming display. It flawlessly handles fast-paced shooters, slow-paced RPGs, and everything in between.
Aesthetes: The ROG Swift PG27UCDM sports a brilliant, high-contrast QD-OLED screen with great color coverage. It magnificently renders game visuals as well as videos.
- Dual refresh rate/resolution modes
- Low input lag in both modes
- Great color range
- No USB-A ports
- No HDR support
- Lackluster sound quality from built-in speakers
The ViewSonic XG275D-4K is a dual-mode gaming monitor built to let you enjoy casual 4K gaming at a 160Hz refresh rate, while offering a bit more refresh-rate oomph (320Hz) when you need it by downgrading to full HD resolution. The XG275D-4K pairs well with a wide range of setups, including console gaming. Its great color coverage is offset only by its lack of HDR support and relatively low contrast ratio compared with OLED panels' near-infinite contrast.
Bargain hunters: ViewSonic's XG275D-4K is an exceptional value for gamers aspiring to play at 4K but looking for maximum responsiveness for esports when they dial down the resolution. This display gives you the best of both worlds for comparatively little money.
Multi-genre gamers: The XG275D-4K is one of the rare monitors that does a decent job at both 4K gaming and esports. This 27-inch model has two distinct performance modes: one that offers 4K (3,840-by-2,160-pixel) resolution, and another that offers full HD (1,920-by-1,080-pixel) resolution at 320Hz. If you’re looking to dabble in high refresh rates and resolutions without paying a premium, the XG275D-4K is a suitable option.
- 32-inch 4K UHD screen
- IPS Black tech means high contrast
- Thunderbolt ports let you daisy-chain a second monitor
- Supports Mac-friendly color spaces like Display P3 and M-book
- Stand offers height, tilt, swivel, and pivot adjustments
- Mediocre Adobe RGB coverage
- Uniformity setting significantly reduces brightness and contrast
Designed for creative professionals, the 32-inch BenQ PD3225U monitor has a 31.5-inch, 10-bit IPS panel with 4K UHD resolution (3,840 by 2,160 pixels). It provides a wealth of ports, including a pair of Thunderbolt connectors that enables daisy-chaining monitors. The PD3225U showed overall excellence in our testing; its color accuracy out of the box easily bests BenQ's rating, and it covers nearly the full sRGB and DCI-P3 color spaces.
Content creators who use Macs: With Thunderbolt connectivity and support for color spaces like Display P3 and M Book, the PD3225U is highly Mac-friendly, giving Apple's own Studio Display a run for the money, easily undercutting that 5K creator panel in price. The BenQ packs a bright IPS Black screen with excellent color accuracy and sRGB and DCI-P3 coverage.
Windows users: The BenQ PD3225U also works well with Windows PCs. This 32-inch 4K monitor’s resolution, pixel density, brightness, color accuracy, and color coverage all put it in good standing as a creator monitor for both photo and video work, although if you work in Adobe RGB, you will want to look elsewhere.
Best Giant-Screen 4K Productivity Monitor
Dell UltraSharp 43 4K USB-C Monitor (U4323QE)
- 43-inch IPS screen in UHD (4K) resolution
- Plenty of ports, including Ethernet, DisplayPort, HDMI, and USB-C
- Supports tiled windows from up to four input sources
- Excellent sRGB color coverage
- Mini-joystick controller
- Stand offers only modest ergonomic adjustments
- Most ports are tricky to access
Large 4K monitors have the advantage of providing massive amounts of both vertical and horizontal screen space. If you've got the room in your home office for a TV-sized monitor (and a pocketbook nearly as large), you'll want to check out the Dell UltraSharp 43 4K USB-C Monitor (U4323QE). It's the 4K productivity monitor to beat, accepting multiple inputs, each displayed in its own window. Such a giant monitor begs to be used with more than just your PC, so Dell includes plenty of input/output options: a total of five USB-C ports, in addition to HDMI and DisplayPort connectors. All of this will cost you a cool $1,300, but productivity fiends may find that sum worth it.
Multitaskers: The Dell U4323QE is a boon for multitaskers. Its 43-inch display can be divided into quadrants, each with its own input. Using Dell Display Manager software, you can tile applications in any of 46 preset partitions and personalize up to five windows.
Film buffs: While most large-screen productivity panels are either ultrawides or super ultrawides, the U4323QE's ginormous screen has a classic 16:9 aspect ratio, giving you much more vertical screen room to work with. With it, you can watch movies in the native widescreen format for which they were intended.
Best Thunderbolt/USB Hub 4K Monitor
Dell UltraSharp 32 4K Thunderbolt Hub Monitor (U3225QE)
- Dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, one with 140-watt power delivery
- 4K UHD resolution with great color coverage
- Seven downstream USB-A and USB-C ports
- IPS Black panel with 3,000:1 rated contrast ratio
- Pricey
- Lacks built-in speakers
Dell calls its UltraSharp U3225QE a Thunderbolt hub monitor, but in addition to its downstream Thunderbolt 4 port (to go with an upstream one), this display is a formidable USB hub, with seven USB ports (two USB-C and five USB-A). It can substitute for a laptop docking station, providing power, Ethernet, and all the ports you could hope for, plus a few extras. The U3225QE is an exemplary 32-inch panel with 4K UHD resolution, great sRGB and DCI-P3 color coverage, and a 120Hz refresh rate. Plus, its 3,000:1 rated contrast ratio is the new vanguard for IPS Black, and the U3225QE has all the ergonomic features you would expect from a high-end productivity monitor.
Creative directors: The Dell UltraSharp 32 4K Thunderbolt Hub Monitor (U3225QE) doesn’t come cheap, but it's a great pick for managers and elite workers, especially ones who occasionally work with photos and graphics. Along with a magnificent, 32-inch high-res screen, the U3225QE features all the ports you might expect to find on a laptop docking station, including Ethernet and a prodigious Thunderbolt/USB A-C hub with eight downstream ports.
Mac users: The U3225QE's Thunderbolt 4 connectivity will appeal to Mac users. Though primarily a productivity monitor, its 32-inch high-contrast screen with great color coverage makes it good for light creative work.
- 32-inch 4K OLED screen
- 165Hz refresh rate and adaptive sync compatibility
- Integrates Samsung TV Plus and Xbox Game Pass
- Above-grade built-in speakers
- 4K webcam
- SmartThings integration enables control of smart-home devices
- Pricey for a 32-inch panel
- Light on ports
With a magnificent 32-inch 4K QD-OLED panel providing rich colors and deep contrast, the M9 is a jack-of-all-trades powerhouse that's equal parts productivity display, entertainment hub, and gaming panel and platform. You can use it as a standard computer-connected business monitor, or as a PC-free entertainment and gaming platform controlled by an included remote. You can access a huge range of free, ad-supported content on Samsung TV Plus and activate a multitude of pre-installed apps, including those for major streaming services. The M9 integrates Samsung Gaming Hub and supports the Xbox Game Pass cloud-streaming service. Note, though: Between its panel quality and versatile feature set, it'll cost you a pretty penny.
Big-screen connoisseurs: Whether you're engrossed in a panoramic game or streaming a film, the M9's 32-inch 4K QD-OLED screen will bring it to life with vivid color and superb contrast, anchored by deep black tones. You can use the M9's remote to stream movies, videos, and a wealth of other vibrant content, and stream games through Xbox Game Pass.
Home-office workers: When connected to a PC, the M9 can operate as an elite business monitor, with its 32-inch 4K OLED panel providing enough pixel density to support photo editing and work with line art. Its 5MP 4K webcam keeps you on top of teleconferencing. When operating the M9 without a PC, you can use the built-in Microsoft 365 suite apps plus other productivity-friendly tools.
- 32-inch 4K (UHD) screen
- Somewhat portable; can be wheeled from room to room
- Supports Samsung's Tizen OS, which includes numerous streaming apps
- Access to the Samsung TV Plus content ecosystem
- Can be operated wirelessly without a computer
- Built-in Microsoft 365 apps
- Low 60Hz refresh rate and no adaptive sync
- Wheeled stand is very heavy
- Color coverage is less than ideal for professional work
Samsung's The Movingstyle Essential adds room-to-room mobility to a large-screen smart monitor. The 32-inch display, attached to an articulating arm atop a shaft that extends from a wheeled base, can be rolled around your office or house, and a 13-inch power cord adds to its convenience. Its smart-monitor features are enabled by Samsung's Tizen operating system, and it includes access to the Samsung TV Plus content ecosystem. It integrates the Samsung Gaming Hub, so you can use it as a gaming platform independent of a PC or an attached gaming console. It also features Xbox Game Pass cloud streaming; you just need to supply the Bluetooth game controller.
Families: The Samsung Movingstyle Essential offers a bit of something for everyone. You can use it to play games or screen videos or TV shows in the living room, peruse recipes in the kitchen, and write proposals or balance the books in the study. It can operate as a standalone device controlled with its included remote, or you can use it as a standard monitor when connected to a computer via USB-C or HDMI.
Offices: The Movingstyle Essential can serve as a shared monitor in an office, as it can easily be rolled between conference rooms. It can display videos, presentations, spreadsheets, and other documents, either as a standalone device or when connected to a computer.
The Best 4K Monitors for 2026 Compare Specs
Ready to buy a UHD monitor? Let's define 4K first. Most 4K monitors have a 16:9 aspect ratio and a native resolution of 3,840 by 2,160 pixels (horizontal by vertical). That's four times as many as a full HD or 1,920-by-1,080-pixel panel—and that's a lot of pixels. Some other resolutions with approximately 4,000 pixels across—most commonly 4,096 by 2,160—are also considered 4K. All these panels remain premium choices, but they're becoming increasingly common on desks at work, at home, and in gamers' frag dens.
But before we get too deep into details, we should help you answer a fundamental question: Is a 4K monitor right for you in the first place? Depending on how you use your monitor and where you'll place it, the extra money you'd pay for a higher-resolution display may not be necessary.
Should You Buy a 4K Monitor for PC Gaming?
For starters, if you want a huge 4K monitor solely for home entertainment purposes that don't center on PC gaming, a 4K TV would likely be a cheaper option. That's because many 4K TV sets aren't beholden to the same standards that 4K monitors are, such as the need for boosted refresh rates (for gaming models), elite or specialized color accuracy (for content creators), or low input lag. (See our picks for the best TVs, now uniformly 4K models.)
Gaming at 4K is demanding and requires relatively powerful hardware in your PC. In particular, you'll need a fast graphics card. If you're looking to run games with maxed-out graphics settings at 60fps or better, you'll need one of the most expensive graphics cards money can buy. The immensely powerful Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 is currently best suited for this task, though at $1,999 list price and far higher on the street, it's also prohibitively expensive.
Though you may not sail past 60fps on every game with maxed settings, you can competently run most, if not all, modern titles at that (or close to that) with several less-expensive GPUs. Nvidia has several upper-end GeForce RTX 40-series and 50-series cards capable of gaming at 4K, and AMD's Radeon RX 7900 graphics cards are similarly capable. If you lower the graphics settings, some older graphics cards, such as many at the upper end of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 series and AMD Radeon RX 6000 series, can also deliver a smooth 4K gaming experience in many games.
Gaming at 4K resolution isn't strictly about your hardware nowadays. A crop of software technologies (image sharpeners, upscalers, and supersamplers) from AMD, Intel, and Nvidia has gained momentum in the last few years, including DLSS, FSR, and XeSS. In a nutshell, these aim to allow PCs with lower-end or midrange graphics cards, or integrated graphics (as well as gaming-console GPUs) to run at what appears to be a higher resolution while minimizing the performance hit. They do this in several ways, for example, by rendering at a lower resolution and upscaling the image, or by generating interpolated frames (via AI) that are shown between "classically" rendered frames. These technologies generally require in-game support, however.
Can You Actually See the Difference With a 4K Monitor?
When shopping in the TV aisle, you should almost always opt for a 4K model—for one thing, it's hard to find TVs with lower resolutions these days. But it's not quite as simple with computer monitors. Getting serious about the question comes down to algebra and raises issues like pixel pitch, pixel density (measured in pixels per inch or ppi), and something called angular resolutions. Let's try to keep it simple, however.
An excellent example of the pixel-pitch problem arises in virtual reality (VR) headsets, in the form of the "screen door" effect. In essence, the lower a display's maximum resolution and the closer you sit to it, the easier it is to see its individual pixels. In the case of VR headsets, this can make the image look as if it's seen through a mesh, which is why headset resolution has grown steadily—when something's that close to your eyes, you can more clearly see the difference.
The same considerations apply to monitors, just with a viewing distance measured in feet rather than inches. The tricky bit is that viewing distance isn't fixed but depends on the size and layout of your desk, your chair position, and so on. Whether you can make out the difference in image quality between a 4K display and, say, a 1440p panel (2,560 by 1,440 pixels) depends on the distance, your eyesight, and the screen size. The last calculates out to a certain number of pixels per inch, in essence the screen's pixel density. You can see how it scales here at each common resolution.
Luckily, we don't have to do the math on our own. Workstation vendor Puget Systems has designed a helpful Google Sheet that automatically determines the optimal display size and resolution based on your visual acuity. All you have to do is plug in your target screen size and resolution, the distance between your eyes and the screen, and your eyesight details. You can then try different numbers and see how the output changes, helping you determine if a specific size or distance makes more or less sense. (If you haven't been to the eye doctor lately and don't know your prescription strength, a few more calculations using some of the formulas on this page are all you need.)
Of course, less scientifically, you can look at 4K panels of various sizes in a local store to see if you can tell the difference between them and similarly sized 1440p or 1080p monitors. But ideally, you'll want to observe the same screen image, scaled by the same amount, to get a meaningful comparison, which may not always be practical.
Still, to summarize: Before you buy a 4K monitor, make sure you'll actually be able to see the benefit of the increased pixel density given your seating setup. If you have 20/15 vision, sit three feet from the screen, and already own a 27-inch, 1440p display, you probably can't justify the cost of a 27-inch, 4K monitor. It all depends on how big your screen is, how close or far away you'll sit, and your eyesight.
What Type of Screen Should You Buy in a 4K Monitor?
Before you buy a new 4K monitor, you should know the pros and cons of the available display technologies. Most of the time, it's easy to find what type of panel a monitor has simply by looking at the manufacturer's spec sheet. Let's run through the most common kinds.
VERTICAL ALIGNMENT (VA). VA panels are some of the oldest in the game, but they're still around because, despite better, newer display technologies, they "just work." VA screens offer some of the highest contrast ratios apart from OLED models (more about them in a moment), and better viewing angles and color reproduction than TN panels. However, VA is the slowest of all display technologies, offering the pokiest response times and the highest input-lag numbers. That makes them a bad bet for gaming.
TWISTED NEMATIC (TN). TN displays, on the other hand, boast speedy pixel response times, averaging anywhere between 1 millisecond (ms) and 5ms, and they're relatively inexpensive to produce, making them ideal for gamers. The trade-offs with TN? Uneven color reproduction, limited off-center viewing angles, and mediocre contrast ratios. That's a lot to give up for the sake of speed, which means that you'll typically see 4K TN panels only in gamer-centric monitors, and we're seeing fewer and fewer of them each year.
IN-PLANE SWITCHING (IPS). IPS panels are the most common of today's 4K displays. They tend to cost slightly more than VA or TN screens, but they offer the best all-around experience for most users: strong color reproduction, moderately quick response times, and the widest viewing angles of any display type except for OLED. The penalty? Prices range from $50 to $300 higher than their non-IPS counterparts at a given screen size.
Since 2021, we've seen a host of monitors with tweaked panel types dubbed Fast IPS, Rapid IPS, Nano IPS, and IPS Black. The first three variants boost screens' gaming capabilities and overall color vividness, while the latter produces deep black tones and a contrast ratio that is much improved versus standard IPS panels.
ORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING DIODE (OLED). Familiar from high-end HDTVs, OLED is the newest technology in computer monitors. OLED basically sounds like the ultimate display technology, offering a theoretically infinite contrast ratio, gorgeous color for film and TV, and unbeatably dark black levels. The TVs look stupendous, and you'd think monitor manufacturers would be pumping out OLED models in droves.
Although 4K OLED panels have been all the rage for several years in the TV market (and are increasingly popular laptop displays), it's only recently, as the price of this technology has begun to come down, that OLED computer monitors have started to make a splash. We've seen OLED-based gaming, professional, and even portable monitors emerge in the last few years.
MINI LED. Finally, there's mini LED. Rather than edge-lighting an LCD-based panel with a ring of LEDs that surrounds the display and lights the entire picture, this tech embeds hundreds or thousands of tiny LEDs behind the panel itself. This allows a lighting technique known as full-array local dimming (FALD), getting you close to OLED's infinite contrast at a lower cost.
What Else to Look for in a 4K Monitor for PC Gaming?
Though 4K displays are still far from the norm in the gaming monitor market, the top models are adopting rapid pixel response times and blisteringly fast refresh rates. As the technologies in the panels (and the GPUs needed to power them properly) advance, which features should a potential 4K gamer look for? Let's lay them out.
INPUT LAG. In broad strokes, input lag is measured as the time it takes for your monitor to display an external action. For example, if I click a button on my mouse, the input lag (measured in milliseconds) expresses how long it takes for something to happen on screen. Some of the best gaming monitors boast input lag below 2ms, though this is often higher with 4K displays because the number of pixels redrawn per pass is greater at higher resolution.
REFRESH RATE. Gaming monitor refresh rates have skyrocketed in recent years, especially at resolutions below 4K. While flat-panel displays seemed stuck at 60Hz for ages, it's easy to find 144Hz, 165Hz, or even 240Hz or 360Hz models in the esports arena, while a few recent monitors have reached the 500Hz mark.
Like so much else, it's more complicated with 4K. Due to the bandwidth limitations of the HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4b interfaces and cables, early 4K monitors were limited to 60Hz. More recent models that support HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 2.0, and DisplayPort 2.1 can push that ceiling to 120Hz and beyond. Check those specs.
RESPONSE TIME. Not to be confused with input lag, response time refers to the time it takes for a pixel to change from black to white or from one shade of gray to another. In practical terms, you should expect a response time of under 20ms in even the slowest 4K monitors, and when shopping for a gaming panel, it's better to aim for 5ms or lower to stay competitive in the long term.
ADAPTIVE-SYNC TECH. Nvidia's G-Sync and AMD's FreeSync and FreeSync2 are all flavors of adaptive sync technologies. Without getting too deep into the weeds, they're designed to prevent stuttering and screen tearing (when parts of the image are drawn showing misalignment). These maladies can occur on monitors—gaming-focused or otherwise—in fast-moving action scenes.
Adaptive sync aligns the monitor's refresh rate with the video card's frame rate output on the fly, drawing a frame only when a full one is delivered, rather than at a fixed rate. Though it's not essential for gamers who mostly play single-player, slow-paced titles, adaptive sync is great for anyone taking their skills into the online multiplayer arena in serious competition.
You need a compatible monitor and graphics card to enjoy G-Sync or FreeSync (for the GPU, a late-model Nvidia GeForce or AMD Radeon RX card, respectively). Note that Nvidia has designated a subset of monitors as G-Sync Compatible; these work with the adaptive-sync tech of its cards despite not having the specific, exclusive G-Sync-enabling circuitry of earlier G-Sync displays.
What to Look for in a 4K Monitor for Pro Graphics Work?
With the monitor industry ramping to 4K and consumers adding millions of such screens to their desks, digital content creators can hardly be expected to stick with 1080p. Professionals were among the first users to splurge on monitors with native 4K resolution, and these buyers continue to drive the market forward with 5K, 6K, and even 8K displays beginning to appear.
A 4K monitor is an excellent addition to any amateur or professional creator's toolkit. However, we should note that in terms of color reproduction or accuracy, 4K screens have no inherent advantages over lower-resolution models. Instead, their main benefit is the ability to display greater detail in photography, 3D visual arts, or cinematography. Having more pixels gives you greater accuracy, whether you're adding angel wings to an image of a fashion model, making vector art, mastering a movie, or doing anything that requires zooming in while retaining as much visual fidelity as possible.
Another benefit is extra workspace. Even if your final output isn't in 4K, working on a 4K panel lets you view your content at full resolution while leaving space for control menus, color palettes, video timelines, and other creation tools. Of course, you could relegate that stuff to a second monitor, but a 4K panel can enable single-display workflows that were previously impossible or awkward.
Color-gamut coverage is a key spec for many visual professionals. Several elite 4K monitors cover 100% of the sRGB color gamut used online and score nearly that high with the Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 gamuts used for photo and video imaging, respectively.
What to Look for in a 4K Monitor for the Office?
Keeping busy on a 4K monitor isn't much different from doing general work on a lower-resolution screen, but there's one key difference: effective screen space. Since a 4K monitor has four times as many pixels as a 1080p panel, this gives you, in theory, four times the elbow room to show application windows side by side.
We say "in theory" because it's almost impossible to make out the same text scaled 1:1 at 4K versus 1080p at the same screen size. This is why both Windows PCs and Macs come with a feature known as DPI (dots per inch) scaling. For example, when you switch your display resolution in Windows from 1080p to 4K, the operating system will, by default, scale your content to 150% of its standard DPI.
This increases the size of all rendered elements on the screen by that percentage. At 150% scaling, you'd be more likely to fit two or three standard app windows side by side and still read their text clearly. With four windows in different screen quadrants? Not so likely.
To further simplify your workflow, some 4K monitors come with built-in features like an automatic window-sizing tool. (It sections off parts of your screen that Windows programs will resize to on their own.) These monitors can also accept video signals from multiple sources and display them side by side ("picture by picture") or inlaid in a larger window ("picture in picture"). This can be useful if, say, you're working on a PC, but you need to test your changes on a separately connected Mac at the same time.
What Connections and Controls Should a 4K Monitor Have?
Some specs aren't as front-and-center as the display type or the refresh rate, but they'll affect how you work with your 4K display day-to-day.
The stand's adjustability might seem trivial, but it can affect your comfort depending on where and how you use your panel. A range of forward and backward screen tilt is pretty standard (usually listed in degrees), but you'll want to look for the ability to swivel the panel left and right on its stand or rotate it between landscape (horizontal) and portrait (vertical) modes. The last is less common and mainly for serious photo editors, and is most likely to be found on 32-inch or smaller monitors.
While a few 4K monitors still employ tiny control buttons, usually found in the lower-right corner below the screen or on the bottom of the monitor, many now incorporate a mini-joystick for navigating the on-screen display (OSD). These four-way controllers are a cinch to use in browsing or changing settings.
Connectivity is another thing to check, though for most folks, it comes down to HDMI, DisplayPort, or USB-C if it supports DisplayPort over USB Alternate Mode. Most 4K monitors will have two or more of these inputs. Look for a match with your video source. A few panels support Thunderbolt input, suitable for Macs and high-end Windows laptops.
One note: To get a 4K display running at a refresh rate above 60Hz (primarily of interest to gamers or game developers), you'll need a graphics card capable of outputting its signal over a DisplayPort 1.4b, 2.0, or 2.1 cable, or an HDMI 2.1 cable.
Finally, there's the issue of HDR. High dynamic range is a color specification common in current 4K HDTVs, but it's also made inroads into monitors. (See our HDR primer for much more background.) Of course, you'll need content or media recorded in HDR or games supporting HDR output to enjoy it. That said, if you have a monitor that also plugs into an Xbox One X, for example, that console will display all kinds of HDR content as a plug-and-play experience without issue.
So, Ready to Find the Right 4K Monitor for You?
As you can see, upgrading to a 4K monitor entails much more than just a simple step up in resolution. But now you're ready to shop. We've tested a host of 4K monitors and gathered a selection of the very best in all the main use classes: business monitors, gaming screens, and creative or visual professional panels. We broke out our favorites above and have included a detailed spec breakdown. Dig on in.
