Best computer monitors 2023: Which? Best Buys and expert buying guide

A new computer monitor can transform the way you work. Whether you want to upgrade an older model and reduce eye strain, or want to benefit from second screen, choose from our round-up of the best computer screens from brands such as Apple, Samsung, Acer or Asus, to name a few.

For those who usually work on a laptop, connecting it to a full-sized monitor could be more comfortable and easier on the eyes in the long run. Even if you already have a desktop computer with a separate monitor, a second display could improve your productivity, and make it easier to multitask.

But not all monitors are created equal. We’ve found some monitors that display underwhelming colours and narrow viewing angles, and others that are fiendishly tricky to use.

To help you avoid the duds, we’ve rounded up the best monitors we’ve tested at a variety of prices. And below that, we’ll take you through the key considerations you need to make when choosing a new computer monitor.

Interested in other monitors? Head to our in-depth computer monitor review to find the best monitor out there.

Best computer monitors 2023

Only logged in Which? members can view our best computer monitor recommendations, below. If you're not yet a member, you can join Which? to get instant access to our best computer monitors and all of our expert online reviews - from laptops to cars.

Can't see the monitor you want? Use our computer monitor reviews to buy the right model for your budget.

Computer monitors to avoid

We have conducted thorough testing on a variety of monitors, and have found that certain models are better to avoid. Our tests have revealed that these monitors typically have poor picture and build quality, and often lack user-friendliness. 

Don't assume that paying more will get you a decent model - even expensive monitors have received a Don't Buy.

Only logged in Which? members can view which computer monitors we think you should avoid, below, based on our lab tests. If you're not yet a member, you can join Which? to get instant access to our best computer monitors and all of our expert online reviews - from laptops to cars.

Which PC monitor screen size is best for me?

What monitor screen size is right for you will depend on the available space you have where you work and what you’ll be using your monitor for. Generally speaking, to reap the most benefit from a separate screen, most people should be aiming for at least 22 inches. You can get monitors of this size for around £100. 

Anything smaller, and you’re going to end up having to lean in and squint to see what’s on the screen. Plus, you won’t have the space on the screen to have more than one window or program open at a time.

If you have a desk all to yourself, have plenty of room on it, and have a slightly higher budget, consider a 24-inch screen. This is the size you’ll typically find in most modern offices. This is also the size at which you’ll typically some useful extras, such as height adjustment and USB ports.

A 27-inch screen can be great if you have a larger desk. But you’ll want to be sitting a fair distance away from it, so you can still see the whole screen in one glance without having to move your head.

If you don’t have a dedicated workspace, you might want to opt for a very small screen that you can pack away at the end of the working day, such as a 15-inch portable one. But keep in mind that it won’t be as useful for multitasking as a proper, full-size screen.

You can also get ultra-wide screens. These range from being around a third wider than a standard monitor, to more than twice as wide. They can be good if you want to have several tasks open on the same screen at once, but you often pay a huge amount for the privilege. 

If you have space, an equally effective – and likely cheaper – alternative is simply having two monitors side by side.

Carefully measure your workspace to establish how much space you realistically have, considering height as well as width (if your workspace is in an alcove, for example). Take into account how much room a stand might take up, too. 

When you’ve shortlisted a few monitors, check the specifications online or download the manual, as this should contain information about dimensions and other features.

Do you need some help finding the perfect office chair for your monitor? Read our guide on office chairs.

Screen resolution – does it matter?

Resolution means the number of dots – known as pixels – that produce the image on your screen. The more dots, the sharper and clearer the image. 

As a minimum, opt for a monitor with Full HD resolution (1,920 x 1,080 pixels), otherwise known as 1080p. 

Anything less than this (usually 1,600 x 900 or 'HD' 1,366 x 768) not only risks a fuzzy or pixelated screen, but may be a sign of generally poor display quality. Manufacturers typically don't prioritise great colours and viewing angles if they've skimped on the resolution.

As screen size increases, resolution becomes even more important. If you want a larger screen (27 inches or more), it makes sense to consider something with a higher resolution than Full HD. 

There are two options:

1. QHD (2,560 x 1,440 pixels), also known as 1440p or 'Quad HD'

QHD screens are a middle ground between Full HD and the 4K resolutions more commonly associated with TVs. Opting for this resolution on larger screens will mean everything looks smoother and more defined.

2. UHD (3840 x 2160 pixels), also known as 4K, Ultra HD or 2160p

UHD takes things up another notch, although most people won't really need it. It's often popular with gamers; you'll need some powerful hardware to make best use of it, as pushing this many pixels around can put a strain on your graphics card.

Tech tips you can trust Get our free Tech newsletter for advice, news, deals and stuff the manuals don’t tell you

What’s a reasonable price for a computer monitor?

Monitor prices vary, depending on the size and specifications you go for. As a general guide, here's what it would be sensible to pay for three different screen sizes:

• £100: 21-22-inch monitor 
• £130-190: 24-inch monitor
• £170-300: 27-inch monitor

These guide prices reflect how much you'll need to pay to get most (and in some cases all) of the recommended specifications we highlight in this article. 

There are cheaper monitors available. However, while paying less will get you a screen that's easier on your bank balance, it will probably lack the image quality you need to make the monitor comfortable to use for long periods. 

How to find a monitor deal

Monitors aren’t typically found on heavy discount, particularly those that are fairly humdrum and designed for the office. Buying direct from a manufacturer, such as Dell, can yield some good discounts if you happen to stop by during a sales period. 

Though make sure you check our computer monitor reviews first, to make sure the model you're interested in is worth your money.

Generally speaking, though, basic office monitors are typically sold for what they’re worth and discounts aren’t particularly forthcoming.

You can sometimes find monitors on offer at popular retailers such as Amazon, AO, Argos, and John Lewis: all which score high in customer satisfaction on our member survey of the best technology shops.

Amazon stocks hundreds of monitors from practically every manufacturer under the sun. It has offerings suitable for any usage: office, home, gaming – you name it. It carries models in every size, screen resolution, and refresh rate. While you can snag a bargain, it's helpful to know what you're looking for in advance so you don't get overwhelmed by Amazon's massive selection.

• 21-23-inch monitors at Amazon
• 24-inch monitors at Amazon
• 26-inch and over monitors at Amazon

AO, a Which? recommended provider, offers monitors from popular brands including Apple, Asus, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, and LG. AO leans more into carrying gaming monitors – with all the fancy features that entails – so be make sure to double-check that you aren't paying extra for bells and whistles that might not be useful to you.

• 21-24-inch monitors at AO
• 24-28-inch monitors at AO
• 32+ inch monitors at AO

Argos carries monitors from brands like Huawei, MSI, Asus, and Samsung. If you're looking for a full HD monitor (1080p resolution), Argos has a wider selection of models with higher refresh rates than the standard 60 hertz. This means you'll be able to see more frames per second, which is useful when watching, say, a TV show or film with a lot of action, or for gaming.

• 21-23-inch monitors at Argos
• 23-25-inch monitors at Argos
• 27-29-inch monitors at Argos
• 29+ inch monitors at Argos

John Lewis specialises more in stocking monitors for home or office use, but also offers several 'creative-use' monitors with higher screen resolutions and better colour accuracy for tasks like video or photo editing. While John Lewis stocks the odd gaming monitor from Samsung, it's more common to find 'less flashy' models from brands like HP, Apple, Acer, Dell, or Lenovo in stock.

• 21-24-inch monitors at John Lewis
• 25-28-inch monitors at John Lewis
• 32+ inch monitors at John Lewis

What are the types of monitor ports?

If you buy a monitor that doesn't have the right ports to connect to your PC or laptop, you'll face the frustration of having to either return it or buy an adaptor for around £10 to £15.

Fortunately, there are now a few standard ports you'll find on most models. The most common types on cheaper monitors are HDMI, DVI and VGA (sometimes called D-Sub), while a few also use the DisplayPort standard. These ports largely do the same thing, although:

• On more expensive monitors only HDMI and DisplayPort will be able to handle the high resolutions of QHD and UHD 
• Only HDMI and DisplayPort can deliver an audio signal, so you'll want to use these if you have your headphones or desktop speakers plugged in via your monitor.

Make sure your computer or laptop has at least one compatible port, so you can easily connect the monitor. If you connect using HDMI, bear in mind that some monitors won't come with an HDMI cable, so you'll need to buy one separately if you don't have a spare. A basic HDMI cable shouldn't cost more than £10.

However, some newer laptops may only have small USB-C ports. You'll need a USB-C to VGA or HDMI adaptor to connect one of these to a monitor. Also, not all monitors come with an HDMI cable, so if you use one, you’ll need to buy one for around £10.  

Want to know more about computer ports? Read our ultimate guide to computer ports.

How to connect two monitors to a laptop or PC

Provided you have the room on your workspace, you could connect to a second external monitor. For desktop PCs this is usually fairly straightforward, as many come with multiple display outputs. For laptops this can be a bit trickier, as they might only have one display output to begin with.

In these cases, you can often buy a USB docking station that connects over one USB cable and does the work to create two video signals to send to two external monitors. However, these are expensive, often costing in excess of £100. 

Once you get your monitor connected, you need to set up the layout; that’s especially important if you have more than one monitor connected.

In Windows:

1. Head to the Display Settings.
2. Under the "Multiple display" section, choose whether to duplicate or extend the display.
3. Rearrange the display layout according to your needs by dragging the numbered boxes. To identify which monitor corresponds to each number, click on "Identify".
4. Click on "Apply".

In MacOS:

1. Go to Display Settings.
2. Click on the "Arrangement" tab.
3. Move the displays to your desired position by dragging them.
4. Check the "Mirror Displays" box if you want both monitors to show the same content.

Remember that you can always keep your laptop open when using an external monitor, giving you two screens.

Need a laptop for your monitor? Head to our in-depth laptop reviews.

Can I use a TV as a monitor?

Yes, although there is something to bear in mind. Often TVs have a delay between your inputs and the result appearing on screen. 

This is usually fine if you’re just typing or even watching videos on the TV. But if you’re doing proper multi-tasking work and using a mouse, you will immediately notice the lag between your mouse movements and them appearing on the screen. 

There is no real way to solve this completely, although one thing you can do is activate the ‘game mode’ on your TV. This reduces the amount of image processing your TV does and should reduce the delay between your inputs and them showing on the screen. 

However, as this solution doesn’t entirely solve the problem, we’d recommend using your TV as a second screen if you’re only really using it to watch videos, since anything else will be something of a challenge.

Need a new TV? Our tough lab tests reveal the best for your budget - see our television reviews.

Extra computer monitor features

These handy features will add to the overall cost, but are worth looking out for as they will make your monitor easier to use and more comfortable to work with:

• Adjustable stand: This can help you set up your monitor at the perfect height without having to stack it on top of a pile of recipe books to get comfy.
• USB hub: Useful if you have lots of desk accessories, such as a mouse, keyboard and USB phone charging cable, and your laptop doesn't have enough USB ports for them all. A monitor with a built-in USB hub means you can connect them all to the monitor instead. Doing this also means you can take your laptop to the sofa, or out and about, and only have to unplug a couple of cables instead of four or five and it shouldn’t cost too much. You can find basic USB hubs for around £15.
• Portrait mode: If you work with computer code, you might find a screen in vertical orientation is better for your needs. Some monitors allow you to turn them 90 degrees to get the perfect angle.
• Portability: If you don't have a dedicated desk, opt for a small monitor that has a built-in stand and a case. This means you can work at the dining table, and swiftly transition it back ready for dinner time by picking up the monitor and putting it away. These devices are usually powered over USB via a cable connecting the monitor to your laptop, so there's no need to plug the monitor into the main.

Choosing a gaming monitor

If you’re buying a monitor that will also – or primarily – be used for gaming, your choices will be slightly different. 

Essentially, what turns a general monitor into a gaming monitor is the refresh rate, which is number of times per second that the image on screen updates, measured in Hertz (Hz). 

A standard office monitor updates 60 times per second (60Hz), which is fine for working on documents, spreadsheets and the like. 

However, gamers playing fast-paced games often feel the need for a faster refresh rate, as it allows you to see new details that crucial split-second more quickly – such as an opponent sneaking up on you or ducking out from behind a crate.

A typical gaming monitor will refresh at 144Hz, with others going as high as 240Hz. You generally pay more when you pick a monitor with a faster refresh rate, but if the games you play benefit from lightning-quick reactions, you might think it’s worth it.

Beyond that, it’s important to pick a monitor with a resolution that your computer's graphics card can handle. If you buy an Ultra HD monitor but only have a modest graphics card, your games will run slowly and stutter if you try to play them at the full Ultra HD resolution. The bigger the image your computer has to generate when gaming, the better your graphics card needs to be. 

Need a new laptop or desktop PC? Read our laptop reviews and desktop PC reviews for the results of our independent lab tests.

How much power does a computer monitor use?

Not a lot, actually. If you use your monitor for eight hours a day, five days a week it’ll add between £6 and £8 to your annual electricity bill. 

When they aren’t in use, all monitors go into a very low-power standby mode if they don’t detect any inputs. It's still worth turning it off, though, as there's no sense in wasting energy, even if it is only a very small amount.

Can computer monitors be recycled?

The easiest way to recycle your old device is to take it to your local council recycling centre. If you don’t know where the nearest is, websites like ‘recycle your electricals’ can help you to find it. Alternatively, retailers must take back your old monitor for free. Just take your old monitor with you when you buy a new one.

However, if your screen is still working, you could consider repurposing it. Consider the following:

• Make yourself a mini kitchen TV by plugging in one of the best TV streamers or Chromecast and some speakers
• Donate it to a local school or computing charity for further use.

Ready to choose the perfect monitor? Head to our computer monitor reviews to see all the models we've tested.