8 Best 4K Monitors of 2019

1. Best Pick: Acer Predator X27

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Editor’s Rating: 4.6/5

If money is not an issue, the Acer Predator X27 is the best 4K monitor on the market, featuring an impressive list of features. It’s an expensive product selling for around $1,700-2,000, which makes it one of the most expensive monitors regardless of category. While it’s clearly a gaming monitor first and foremost, it’s also a great monitor for all-around use.

Design

The X27 is a 27-inch IPS monitor with a 120 Hz refresh rate, which can be overclocked to 144 Hz. It has a thick chassis for a non-curved monitor and includes a set of blinders for glare reduction, which is beneficial when using the monitor in a room with many light sources. Although it has a built-in sound system, the sound quality of the speakers is not that great.

For navigating the on-screen display (OSD), there is a small joystick on the back panel, located on the bottom-left corner (and accessible from the right side) along with a set of vertically positioned physical buttons. The joystick is responsive and makes for faster menu navigation, but it’s a bit difficult to use when the blinders are attached.

Connectivity

Regarding video input options, this Acer monitor is not that different from other G-Sync monitors, only including one DisplayPort and one HDMI, with the G-Sync feature limited to the former. The HDMI port is an HDMI 2.0, which is good news if you want to game on PS4 Pro and Xbox One X.

The DisplayPort and HDMI port are down-facing at the rear, along with the audio out. There is also a USB hub on this monitor, with four USB 3.0 downstream ports. Two of the USB downstream ports are on the monitor’s left edge for quick access, while the other half is outward-facing on the back panel together with the upstream port.

Stand

Featuring integrated cable management and a carrying handle, the default stand is well designed and supports the monitor well. It has a slightly stylish design, with the Acer Predator logo displayed on the upright. While not as good as most Dell office monitors, the stand has good ergonomics, offering tilt, swivel, and height adjustment options. There is no option to rotate to portrait orientation, though, which might disappoint some of you.

Performance

The X27 is an outstanding monitor for gaming, boasting a fast response time, a good input lag, and a very high native refresh rate – the latter is the most notable, considering most 4K monitors are limited to 60 Hz. It’s a great monitor for different kinds of games, including action RPGs, first-person shooters, and strategy games. With G-Sync enabled, screen tearing is eliminated when the graphics card output is erratic, which is especially beneficial in graphically intensive games.

An officially certified VESA DisplayHDR 1000 monitor, the X27 is one of the few monitors that offer good HDR performance. It supports a wider color gamut and can easily reach 1000 nits brightness when in HDR mode. While the contrast ratio is unimpressive, this monitor is much better than all other HDR monitors selling for less than $1,000.

For productivity and general use, the X27 is also a great display. It has great overall picture quality, with wide viewing angles, good brightness in standard mode, and excellent color accuracy once fully calibrated. It’s one of the few monitors that offer great coverage for both sRGB and Adobe RGB color spaces, which is beneficial for color-critical work. You can use this monitor for different kinds of work, including graphics design, web development, and video editing.

Verdict

Overall, the X27 is an outstanding monitor for all-around usage, offering great picture quality and excellent gaming performance. If you want the best of the best and can afford to spend around $2,000 on the best 4K monitors, go for this product.

If you want a different chassis design, check out the Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ, which sells for a similar price. It has a similar overall performance – which isn’t surprising considering it uses the same panel – but comes in a much more stylish chassis.

2. Best Budget: LG 24UD58-B

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Editor’s Rating: 3.9/5

While they are not as cheap as budget 1080p monitors, there are also affordable 4K monitors selling for less than $300. Of the budget options on the market, the LG 24UD58-B is the best product, featuring multiple input options and FreeSync support. You can get it for just around $250, which makes it one of the cheapest 4K monitors out there.

Design

The 24UD58-B is a 24-inch IPS display with a plain design. It has an all-black casing, as hinted by the “B” in the model name, with fairly thick bezels. It will look good on any desk, with its small footprint making it an ideal monitor for smaller desks. For menu control, it has a small joystick located at the bottom, similar to other LG monitors. There is also a 100 x 100 mm VESA mounting interface at the back, which is great if you want to switch to a third-party stand.

Connectivity

Compared to our top pick, this LG monitor has more video input ports, but it lacks a USB hub, which is a big deal for some people. It has two HDMI ports, one DisplayPort, and one audio out, all of which are outward-facing on the back panel next to the VESA mount interface. All video input ports can fully support a 4K resolution at the max refresh rate (60 Hz), with the HDMI 2.0 connectivity being especially useful for console gaming.

Stand

Like the entire chassis itself, the default stand is basic, with limited ergonomic freedom. It attaches to the bottom area of the monitor, includes cable management, and features a crescent-shaped base, which is a common sight among LG monitors. You can only tilt the screen forward and backward, which is disappointing. If you want a more flexible setup, you’ll need to mount the monitor to a third-party monitor stand or arm.

Performance

The 24UD58-B has good picture quality for a budget product, featuring good color accuracy out of the box and wide viewing angles. You can use it for both gaming and office work, but it’s not an ideal display for multitasking due to its screen size. It has an anti-glare screen coating, which helps reduce glare when using it in a bright room.

Regarding gaming performance, this LG product is good. It has a good response time for an IPS panel and a low input lag, which makes it a solid monitor for fast-paced games. It supports FreeSync as well, which is especially beneficial when playing graphically intensive games such as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Final Fantasy XV. While it’s not as immersive as larger monitors, it’s a great display for PC and console gaming.

Verdict

If you want a budget 4K monitor that offers good value for the money, consider the 24UD58-B. It has good picture quality and solid gaming performance and includes multiple input options. It has a good build quality for a low-end product, with well-secured components. If you want a larger screen, check out the 27-inch variant – the LG 27UD58-B – which sells for around $50 more.

3. Best Value: LG 27UK650-W

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Editor’s Rating: 4.3/5

One of the best 27-inch monitors, the LG 27UK650-W is an excellent all-around display suitable for both gaming and productivity. It comes with an adjustable stand and includes multiple input options for versatility. While it normally sells for around $400-500, you can get it for just around $350 during a sale, which happens quite often.

Design

An IPS display, the 27UK650-W is a 4K monitor with a 60 Hz refresh rate and a 16:9 aspect ratio. It has a minimalist frame with a plain white back panel and thin bezels at three sides. The screen has an anti-glare coating, which helps with glare when using the monitor in a typical office environment.

There is a 100 x 100 mm VESA mounting interface at the back for wall mounting, with a quick-release button for easy stand removal. For OSD control, there is a small joystick at the bottom of the monitor, a common feature among LG monitors. There are no built-in speakers on this unit, which isn’t really a big deal since monitor speakers are usually awful.

Connectivity

The 27UK650-W has the exact same set of ports as our budget pick, featuring one DisplayPort, two HDMI ports, and one audio out. But unlike with the LG 24UD58-B, the FreeSync feature is supported over both DisplayPort and HDMI, which is great news if you want to use this monitor for Xbox One gaming.

Located on the back panel and outward-facing, all video input ports can support a 4K resolution at the max refresh rate, with the HDMI connectivity being especially useful for console gaming. They are easier to access compared to the usual down-firing ports seen in other monitors, regardless of the screen orientation and whether or not the monitor is placed close to the wall.

Stand

The default stand, which attaches to the central area of the back panel, is well built and easily supports the monitor. It has a crescent-shaped base and includes basic cable management, which comes in the form of a loop in the upright. The stand offers decent adjustability, with options to tilt, pivot, and adjust the height.

Performance

The 27UK650-W is a great monitor for productivity, with its large screen and high resolution allowing for easy multitasking. It has great color accuracy, wide viewing angles, and good brightness in standard mode, but it has a subpar contrast ratio. You can use it for photo editing, content writing, computer-aided design (CAD) software, and coding, among others.

As a gaming monitor, the 27UK650-W is fantastic. It has a fast response time and features a low input lag when running in 4K resolution and with or without FreeSync. When FreeSync is enabled, the monitor refresh rate dynamically adapts to the graphics card output for minimal screen tearing.

Unlike extremely fast TN gaming monitors, the 27UK650-W is more suitable for single-player games with pretty graphics than fast-paced competitive games. It’s great for games such as Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Far Cry 5, and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. The HDR performance is not that great, though. Like most other HDR monitors, the 27UK650-W doesn’t offer the real HDR experience, so don’t expect too much on that front.

Verdict

All in all, the 27UK650-W is a great product, offering excellent value for the money. It has great picture quality and good gaming performance and includes a height-adjustable stand. It’s one of the best all-around monitors on the market. You can use it for office work, PC gaming, console gaming, watching movies, and general usage.

4. Asus MG28UQ

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Editor’s Rating: 3.8/5

The Asus MG28UQ is a 28-inch TN monitor designed primarily for gaming, featuring a low input lag and FreeSync support. While not as affordable as our budget pick, it’s also one of the more relatively budget-friendly 4K monitors on the market. But unlike some 4K monitors selling for a similar price, it comes with a fully adjustable stand and a USB hub.

Design

Compared to Asus’ Republic of Gamers (ROG) monitors, the MG28UQ has a more basic design. It has a plain-looking chassis with fairly thick bezels at all sides. The menu control, which comes in the form of a small joystick, is located on the back panel along with the function buttons. There is also a 100 x 100 mm VESA mounting interface at the back for wall mounting. While not as attractive as more high-end Asus monitors, the MG28UQ has a good build quality and will look good on any desk.

Connectivity

For video input, the MG28UQ has one DisplayPort and three HDMI ports. Of the three HDMI inputs, only one of which is HDMI 2.0; the other two are HDMI 1.4, which is limited to a 30 Hz refresh rate when running in 4K resolution. The monitor also includes two USB 3.0 downstream ports and one audio out, all of which are down-facing at the rear along with the main input ports.

Stand

Unlike our top three picks in this guide, this Asus gaming monitor features a fully adjustable stand with wide adjustment ranges. You can easily adjust the height and tilt and swivel the screen. You can also rotate the monitor to portrait orientation. The stand, which has integrated cable management, supports the monitor well, with no serious wobbling issues.

Performance

The MG28UQ is a great monitor for gaming, boasting a low input lag and a fast response time, which is one of the strengths of TN monitors. It’s great for first-person shooters, racing games, sports games, and real-time strategy games. It also features FreeSync technology, which takes care of screen tearing when the graphics card output is erratic.

If you love to play games with pretty visuals and care a lot about picture quality, this gaming monitor is not an ideal option. While it has decent picture quality for a TN monitor, it’s not as good as IPS and VA monitors, which both offer better color reproduction. You can use this monitor for gaming and general tasks like internet surfing, but if you want a unit more suitable for all-around use, get a 4K monitor with an IPS panel.

Verdict

Wrapping up, the MG28UQ is a solid option if you want a 4K TN monitor designed specifically for pure gaming. It has good gaming performance and decent picture quality for a TN monitor and includes a fully adjustable stand. You can use it for both PC and console gaming, with its lone HDMI 2.0 port allowing for 4K compatibility with PS4 Pro and Xbox One X.

5. Dell U2718Q

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Editor’s Rating: 4.3/5

The Dell U2718Q is a good alternative to the LG 27UK650-W if you want a monitor that’s more inclined toward office use. It sells for a similar price, with the price also sometimes dropping to around $350 during a sale. It’s a 27-inch IPS monitor designed for office use, either as a standalone unit or as a part of a multi-monitor setup.

Design

Like other Dell UltraSharp monitors, the U2718Q has a very professional-looking chassis, featuring a minimalist profile with thin bezels and a plain back panel. It’s an ideal monitor for a multi-monitor setup, with its thin bezels making for a more aesthetically pleasing setup. The screen has an anti-glare coating, which helps when using the monitor in an office setting.

For controls, there is a set of physical buttons at the bottom of the monitor, on the right side. They are responsive and easy to use but are not as good as the joystick featured in LG monitors. There is also a 100 x 100 mm VESA mounting interface at the back, which is great if you want a different monitor stand or prefer a wall-mounted setup.

Connectivity

Of the best 4K monitors in this guide, the U2718Q is one of the most generous regarding connectivity options, featuring multiple inputs and a USB hub with fast charging support. It has one DisplayPort, one Mini DisplayPort, one HDMI port, one audio out, and four USB 3.0 downstream ports. All video input ports can support a 4K resolution at 60 Hz.

Two of the USB ports are located on the monitor’s left edge for quick access – a setup commonly seen in Dell office monitors. The other half is down-firing on the back panel, along with all the other connection ports.

Stand

The default stand is simple but functional, featuring a rectangular base and a small hole in the upright for basic cable management. It offers full adjustability, with options to adjust the height, tilt, swivel, and rotate to portrait orientation. If you want to switch to a wall mount or a third-party monitor stand, the stand is easily removable.

Performance

The U2718Q is an excellent monitor for office work – its screen real estate is good for multitasking while its high resolution translates to sharper texts and more detailed images. It works well in a typical office environment with a moderate amount of ambient light. The overall picture quality is good, with decent out-of-box color accuracy, wide viewing angles, and good brightness.

While not as good as gaming monitors, this Dell professional monitor is also a solid display for regular gaming, featuring a good response time for an IPS panel and a low input lag. It’s a good monitor for turn-based RPGs, real-time strategy games, and racing games, among others. It supports HDR content as well, but as with most other HDR monitors, the HDR performance is not that great.

Verdict

Overall, the U2718Q is a recommended 4K monitor if you want a unit designed specifically for office use and productivity. It has good overall picture quality, comes with a fully adjustable stand, and features multiple connection options. Although it’s not advertised for gaming use, it’s also a solid monitor for regular gaming, which is great.

6. ViewSonic XG3220

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Editor’s Rating: 4/5

If you prefer VA panels due to their superior contrast ratio, check out the ViewSonic XG3220, a 32-inch VA monitor with a 60 Hz refresh rate and HDR support. While it’s clearly designed for entertainment, it’s also a decent monitor for regular use and general office work, which makes it a solid all-around unit.

Design

Of the monitors listed here, the XG3220 has the most attractive design, featuring a stylish chassis similar to other monitors under the ViewSonic XG series. The black chassis has large chevrons at the back and red accents in some areas. While not exactly super-thin, the bezels look good, with the ViewSonic branding sitting on the slightly thicker bottom bezel.

The monitor has built-in speakers, which are fairly decent for monitor speakers, and features a 100 x 100 mm VESA mounting interface. For controls, there is a set of clickable buttons on the back panel, accessible from the right side, with button markers on the right bezel for reference.

Connectivity

Regarding connectivity, this ViewSonic 4K monitor is similar to the Dell U2718Q. Instead of a Mini DisplayPort for easy connectivity with some laptops and notebooks, it has an additional HDMI port, which is great if you want to connect it to two gaming consoles.

The total connection ports are as follows: two HDMI ports, one DisplayPort, one audio out, and four USB down ports. All connection ports are down-firing on the back panel – except for two of the USB ports, which are instead located on the monitor’s right edge for quick access.

Stand

The monitor stand is well designed, featuring integrated cable management and a headphone hook, which is convenient. It attaches to the central area of the back panel and includes a simple base that supports the monitor with no issues. The best part is that it has good ergonomics, offering full adjustment options – including tilt and swivel – with decent adjustment ranges.

Performance

One of the best 4K monitors for PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, the XG3220 is a great gaming monitor, featuring a good response time for a VA panel and a low input lag. It’s especially great for survival horror games and other games with a lot of dark scenes, thanks to its high contrast ratio. You can use it for different kinds of games, with FreeSync reducing screen tearing when the graphics card output is erratic.

While not as good as the Dell U2718Q and other professional monitors, this ViewSonic product is also a decent unit for productivity and general use. It has a generous screen space, which is especially beneficial for multitasking. You can use it for content writing, coding, and editing spreadsheets, but for color-critical work, it’s not an ideal option.

Verdict

The XG3220 is a great product overall. It has good marks in several important areas, including picture quality, connectivity, and ergonomics. If you want a 4K display with a VA panel, check out this ViewSonic monitor, which usually sells for around $500-600.

7. LG 43UD79-B

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Editor’s Rating: 4.1/5

The LG 43UD79-B is the opposite of the ViewSonic XG3220 – it’s a large-screen 4K monitor built for productivity instead of gaming. It’s a 43-inch IPS monitor with a regular 16:9 aspect ratio, which sets it apart from 40+ inch monitors with an ultrawide format. It’s an excellent display for work, featuring enough screen real estate to easily accommodate four windows open at the same time.

Design

Like most other LG monitors, the 43UD79-B has a simple design that won’t turn a lot of heads, featuring a plain-looking chassis with narrow bezels and a clean back panel. It has fairly decent built-in speakers and a small joystick for OSD navigation, which is located at the bottom. Unlike most monitors, it comes with a remote control and features a larger 200 x 200 mm VESA mounting interface at the back.

Connectivity

The 43UD79-B boasts the most number of video input ports among the products in this guide, offering four HDMI ports, one DisplayPort, and one USB-C port. Of the four HDMI ports, two of which are HDMI 1.4, which is limited to a 30 Hz refresh rate when running in 4K resolution; the other half is composed of two HDMI 2.0 ports, which allow for 4K at 60 Hz.

Furthermore, this LG monitor includes two USB 3.0 downstream ports and one audio out, all of which are down-firing on the back panel, along with all the other ports. The position of the ports is somewhat notable, as LG monitors usually feature outward-facing connection ports.

Stand

The default stand, which has a simple rectangular base and cable management, is sturdy and easily supports the large monitor. However, it has poor ergonomics, only offering a tilt option. If you want a more flexible setup, you’ll need to mount the monitor to a third-party monitor stand or arm.

Performance

Although its 43-inch screen can be overwhelming at first, the 43UD79-B is an outstanding monitor for productivity, featuring multiple screen-split configurations. It supports Picture-in-Picture (PIP) and Picture-by-Picture (PBP) modes. Its multi-window features are especially beneficial if your work requires you to constantly look at references in different windows or tabs. The overall picture quality is good, with excellent color accuracy, wide viewing angles, and decent brightness.

The 43UD79-B is also a solid monitor for both PC and console gaming. It has a good response time and a low input lag, both of which are beneficial in gaming. It lacks variable refresh rates technology, though, but on the bright side, it offers a more immersive gaming experience due to its massive screen and very high resolution. It’s a suitable monitor for regular gaming, but for fast-paced competitive games, there are much better options out there.

Verdict

If you want a 4K monitor larger than 40 inches, the 43UD79-B is our recommended product. It’s great for productivity and also works well when used for regular gaming, making it an all-around unit. It has good out-of-box color accuracy and includes multiple input options.

8. BenQ PD3200U

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Editor’s Rating: 4.3/5

One of the best office monitors, the BenQ PD3200U is a 32-inch 4K monitor built for professional use, featuring excellent color accuracy, good ergonomics, and great connectivity. It’s an expensive product selling for around $700-800, which puts it in the same price range as some of the more high-end gaming monitors on the market.

Design

An IPS monitor, the PD3200U has a well-designed chassis with fairly narrow bezels, conveniently placed connection ports, and a VESA mounting interface. It has an anti-glare screen coating for reduced glare when using it in an office setting and features touch-sensitive controls on the bottom bezel. While it has built-in speakers, the sound quality is mediocre and not comparable to dedicated sound systems.

This BenQ monitor also comes with a customizable, hockey puck-shaped control hub that connects using a mini USB cable. You can use it to quickly switch between preset picture settings instead of manually doing so in the OSD. The puck has a long cable, which makes it easy to position on your desk.

Connectivity

For input, the PD3200U has two HDMI ports, one DisplayPort, and one Mini DisplayPort, all of which are side-facing on the back panel – a setup not commonly seen in monitors. All input ports can fully support a 4K resolution with a 60 Hz refresh rate.

In addition, the monitor has two other connection hubs separate from the input ports: The first one is located on the monitor’s right side for quick access and is composed of one SD card slot, two USB downstream ports, and one audio out. The second connection hub is down-facing at the rear and is composed of two more USB downstream ports, two USB upstream ports, one audio in, and the mini USB port for the control puck.

Stand

The default stand is simple but functional. It has integrated cable management and a carrying handle at the top, which is useful when transferring the monitor to a different location. The stand is also fully adjustable, with options to adjust the height, tilt, swivel, and rotate to portrait mode. In addition, there is a dedicated dock on the stand base for the control puck.

Performance

The PD3200U is an excellent monitor for productivity, with its large 32-inch screen allowing for easy multitasking. It has superb color accuracy, wide viewing angles, and good brightness, with the former being especially beneficial for photo editing, graphics design, and other similar types of work. You can connect two computers to this monitor and use only one keyboard and mouse to control everything, which makes for a more clutter-free desk.

Although this BenQ product is obviously designed for professional use, it’s also a decent monitor for casual/regular gaming. It has a low input lag and a good response time for an IPS panel, both of which are beneficial for gaming. It’s a good monitor for slow-paced or story-driven games, but for fast-paced competitive games, it’s not a recommended monitor.

Verdict

Overall, the PD3200U is one of the best 4K monitors on the market. It has good overall picture quality, with excellent color accuracy and wide viewing angles, and offers great connectivity options. If you want a 32-inch 4K monitor that’s more inclined toward professional use than the ViewSonic XG3220, check out this BenQ product.