5 Best Monitors with FreeSync Over HDMI of 2019

1. Best Pick: LG 27UK650-W

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Editor’s Rating: 4.3/5

The LG 27UK650-W is an excellent all-around monitor, featuring 4K resolution, HDR support, superb color accuracy, and low input lag. It’s a great unit not only for PC and console gaming but also for productivity, watching movies, and general use. And the best part is that it sells for just around $450, with the price dropping to about $400 during a big sale.

A 27-inch IPS display, this LG product is similar to most other LG monitors regarding design, featuring thin bezels at the top and sides and a crescent stand base. The screen has an anti-glare coating, which helps when using the monitor in a bright room, while the back panel has an all-white finish.

Like other LG monitors, this unit features a joystick for menu control, located at the bottom of the monitor. The small joystick is much more intuitive than the usual physical buttons commonly seen in other monitors – although some of you might find it awkward to use at first. The on-screen display is also well designed, featuring an organized structure with a good selection of options.

All connection ports are located at the back of the monitor, right next to where the stand connects to the monitor. Regarding connectivity, the 27UK650-W is not as good as the other products in this guide – it only includes the essentials. It has a couple of HDMI ports, one DisplayPort, and one audio out, all of which are outward-facing for easy access.

The 27UK650-W comes with a sturdy stand that easily supports the monitor, with no major wobbling issues. There is a small ring in the stand for basic cable management. While not on par with the best monitors with a fully adjustable stand, the stand ergonomics are decent, with options to adjust the height, tilt, and rotate to portrait mode. If you want to mount the display to a wall mount or monitor arm for more flexibility, there is an easily accessible VESA mounting interface on the back panel.

Regarding overall performance, this LG product is excellent, with few downsides apart from the cons of IPS panels. It’s a great monitor for pretty much all kinds of games, including action RPGs, sports games, first-person shooters, racing games, and platformers. It has a fast response time and a low input lag regardless of the resolution and whether or not FreeSync is enabled.

Sure, the monitor’s 40-60 Hz FreeSync range is not as wide as with the other monitors on this list, but that range is actually common among 4K monitors. For Xbox One X gaming, in particular, that range is good enough since console games typically don’t go over 60 frames per second. If you want a 4K screen with an IPS panel, a 100+ Hz refresh rate, and FreeSync support over HDMI, then you are out of luck, as monitors with those specs are not yet available.

The overall picture quality is great, with the 27UK650-W featuring wide viewing angles, near-perfect coverage for the sRGB color space, good out-of-box colors, and good brightness. The monitor is best used in a bright room. On the flip side, this LG display has a low contrast ratio, which might disappoint those who love to play survival horror games with the room lights turned off. Moreover, the HDR performance is decent at best, so don’t expect too much on that front as well.

The 27UK650-W is also a suitable display for productivity and general use, with its large screen and high native resolution allowing for easy multitasking. You can use it for photo/video editing, coding, web development, graphics design, content writing, and watching movies, among other things. You can also build a multi-monitor setup for productivity with this monitor as the center screen – the monitor’s thin bezels are especially great for multi-monitor setups.

All in all, the 27UK650-W is the best option if you are looking for the best monitors with FreeSync over HDMI. It’s a versatile unit that offers excellent long-term value. The picture quality is great while the gaming performance is superb whether you are gaming on PC or home consoles. If you want an all-around monitor for gaming, productivity, and general use, get this LG 4K monitor.

2. Best Budget: ViewSonic XG2402

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Editor’s Rating: 3.9/5

A 24-inch TN monitor, the ViewSonic XG2402 is the best product if you want a budget option selling for less than $300. It’s a recommended monitor for fast-paced first-person shooters, featuring an extremely fast response time, a very low input lag, and a wide FreeSync range. You can get it for just around $200-250, but if you wait for a big sale, you might be able to get it for less than $200.

Featuring a 144 Hz refresh rate, this ViewSonic monitor has a 1080p native resolution and a 16:9 aspect ratio. Compared to our top pick, it’s a bit more stylish and looks more like a gaming monitor, especially considering the cool lighting system on the back panel. The screen has an anti-glare coating while the bezels at all sides are fairly thick but not distracting.

For input, the monitor has two HDMI ports and one DisplayPort, all of which support FreeSync with the exact same range. In addition, it has two USB 3.0 down ports and one analog audio out port, all three of which are down-facing on the back panel, along with the input ports. For cable management, there is a small ring in the stand, similar to our top pick.

The controls are located on the bottom-right corner of the monitor, on the underside. Composed of clickable buttons, the controls are easy to use, producing a nice click when pressed. But on the other hand, the small button markers on the bottom bezel could be improved. The same goes for the on-screen display itself because while it offers a wide range of options to choose from, the menu design is a bit confusing.

The XG2402 features a fully adjustable stand, one reason it’s a better product than many of those cheap gaming monitors selling for around $150. You can adjust the height, tilt, swivel, and rotate to portrait mode, with decent adjustment ranges for the former three. Since TN monitors have limited viewing angles, being able to easily adjust the screen position to get that perfect angle is important.

Overall, this gaming monitor is a well-designed unit, with good build quality for a budget product. It has good out-of-box colors and is easy to set up, with no need for special tools to connect the stand to the monitor. It has built-in speakers as well. Unfortunately, the internal speakers don’t sound good and are not recommended for gaming and watching movies.

The XG2402 is an excellent gaming display, especially for fast-paced first-person shooter games where being able to react on time is crucial. As mentioned earlier, it has an extremely fast response time and a very low input lag. Of the monitors in this guide, it’s the best in those two categories, so if you are into competitive gaming, you’ll love this ViewSonic monitor. The monitor’s 48-144 Hz FreeSync range, when connected via HDMI, is also great.

For regular gaming, this monitor is also good and is better than most cheap TN monitors regarding picture quality – but don’t expect the picture quality to be on par with our top pick. It has good color accuracy and decent brightness, but regarding contrast and viewing angles, it’s not that great. If you want a monitor that’s more suitable for games with pretty graphics, there are better options out there.

While not as versatile as our top pick, the XG2402 is a great gaming monitor overall. The gaming performance is outstanding while the picture quality is better than that of most TN monitors in the same price range, which is a big plus. If you want a budget gaming display selling for around $200-250 and are more concerned about response time, input lag, and FreeSync range than picture quality, this product is for you.

3. Best Value: Dell S2719DGF

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Editor’s Rating: 4.1/5

Selling for around $100 less than our top pick, the Dell S2719DGF is an exceptional monitor for gaming, boasting an extremely fast response time, a great input lag, and a wide FreeSync range over both HDMI and DisplayPort. Although the monitor has a TN panel, the picture quality is better than that of most cheap TN monitors, especially regarding out-of-box colors and brightness.

The S2719DGF is a 27-inch display with a 1440p resolution and a 144 Hz refresh rate. It has the same minimalist design as most other Dell monitors, with thin bezels at the top and sides and a clean back panel with down-firing connection ports. The screen has an anti-glare coating while the sturdy stand has a simple flat base.

As with other Dell monitors, the controls are located on the bottom-right corner of the monitor, on the underside, and are composed of clickable buttons. They are easy to use and produce a good click when pressed, though some of you might find them too small. The on-screen display is also well implemented, with the organized structure allowing for easy navigation.

Compared to Dell UltraSharp monitors, the S2719DGF has slightly fewer connection options. It has two HDMI ports, one DisplayPort, two audio out ports, and four USB 3.0 down ports. One of the audio out ports is a headphones port with direct volume adjustment, while the other one is a standard line out.

Of the four USB down ports, two are located along the bottom of the monitor, on the left side, together with the headphones port. Also, one of them supports fast charging, which is convenient. The other USB down ports are located below the VESA mounting interface on the back panel, along with all the other ports, including the USB upstream port.

There are no built-in speakers on this monitor. That’s not really a big deal, considering internal monitor speakers are not exactly known for their sound quality. For audio, you can use one of the two analog audio out ports of the monitor. If you want a minimalist setup, get a compact soundbar and place it under the monitor.

The S2719DGF comes with a stable stand that easily supports the monitor. The stand has the usual cable management hole commonly seen in Dell monitors. Regarding ergonomics, this monitor is better than our other top picks in this guide, featuring a fully adjustable stand with good adjustment ranges – including an impressive 45-degree swivel range in both directions.

If you mostly play fast-paced first-person shooter games like Overwatch, you’ll love this Dell gaming monitor. It has an extremely fast response time and a low input lag whether the monitor is running in 1080p or 1440p. The monitor’s FreeSync range is 40-144 Hz when connected via HDMI. But when connected via DisplayPort, the max refresh rate can be easily overclocked to 155 Hz, which is good news for PC gamers.

While not in the same league as our top pick regarding picture quality, the S2719DGF is also a solid option for non-esports titles and will make for a good display for racing games, open-world adventure games, and action RPGs, among other games. The monitor has good color accuracy out of the box and boasts a high brightness rating, which allows it to work well in a bright room.

Like other TN monitors, the S2719DGF has a low contrast ratio and narrow viewing angles, with the latter issue being the reason you’ll be glad the monitor has a fully adjustable stand. If you mostly play single-player games with pretty graphics and prefer a monitor with a high contrast ratio for more vibrant images, we recommend checking out the next two products on this list instead.

Overall, the S2719DGF is a fantastic monitor for gaming, offering excellent value for the money. It has decent picture quality for a TN display and boasts outstanding gaming performance. It has a fully adjustable stand and good connectivity options. If you like what the ViewSonic XG2402 brings to the table but want a larger screen and a higher resolution, get the S2719DGF, which sells for around $350.

4. Samsung C27HG70

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Editor’s Rating: 4.1/5

One of the two VA monitors on this list, the Samsung C27HG70 is an excellent alternative to our top pick if you want a much higher contrast ratio and a wider adaptive sync range and are fine with the lower resolution. It sells for a similar price, so the price difference won’t be a big factor when deciding between this product and the LG 27UK650-W.

The 27-inch C27HG70 is a curved monitor with a sharp curve radius of 1800R, easily distinguishing it from our top three picks. Like with the Dell S2719DGF, the native resolution is 1440p while the refresh rate is 144 Hz. The monitor has good build quality, with well-secured connection ports at the rear and a sturdy stand that easily supports the curved screen. It has a cool lighting system on the back panel, which manifests in the ring around the stand mount.

Of the monitors listed here, this Samsung display has the most distinctive stand design, featuring an arm-like stand that’s bent in the middle section, not unlike a monitor arm. The stand base is Y-shaped and has a large footprint, so make sure your desk has enough space to accommodate this monitor, especially if you are going to use external speakers as well.

The stand is fully adjustable, which is great considering VA panels are not as good as IPS panels in terms of viewing angles. With a fully adjustable stand, you can easily adjust the screen position to get the best angle. You can adjust the height, tilt, swivel, and pivot, though the adjustment ranges for the tilt and swivel are not as good as with the Dell S2719DGF.

Like the LG 27UK650-W, the C27HG70 features a joystick for navigating the on-screen display, but the location of the joystick is different. Instead of along the bottom of the monitor, the small joystick is on the backside, on the lower-left corner. It’s easy to use and makes menu navigation a breeze, though some of you might find it a bit awkward to use initially.

For input, this monitor has a couple of HDMI ports and one DisplayPort. In addition, it has one audio out, one mic in, and two USB 3.0 down ports, one of which supports fast charging. All connection ports are down-facing at the back of the monitor. For cable management, there is a small loop in the stand, located in the joint.

Overall, the C27HG70 is a well-designed product that easily stands out due to its curved screen, unique stand design, and lighting system. Setting it up is easy, with the monitor featuring good out-of-box color accuracy. If you want to mount it to a more flexible monitor arm or wall mount, you’ll need to use the included VESA mount adapter.

This Samsung VA monitor is an excellent monitor for both gaming and watching movies, with its high contrast ratio translating to deeper blacks and more vibrant images. It has a fast response time and a low input lag, which is great for gaming, whether you mostly play fast-paced competitive games or have a balanced gaming diet. Sadly, the curved screen doesn’t really add much considering the monitor’s screen size and aspect ratio.

The overall picture quality is good, with the monitor featuring HDR support, great color accuracy, and good peak brightness. Concerning the FreeSync range, the C27HG70 is a mixed bag. When connected using a DisplayPort cable, the range is 48-144 Hz, which is the same as the ViewSonic gaming monitor above.

However, when using an HDMI cable, the max refresh rate drops to 100 Hz. This means if you game on Xbox One, the max refresh rate is 60 Hz when FreeSync is enabled since the console does not support a 100 Hz refresh rate. That’s not really a problem, though, for now at least, since current console games typically don’t go over 60 frames per second.

In all, the C27HG70 is a great product, not only for PC and console gaming but also for watching movies and general use. It has good picture quality, with decent HDR performance and excellent contrast ratio, and works well for different kinds of games – including survival horror games, first-person shooters, and racing games.

5. BenQ EX3501R

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Editor’s Rating: 4.2/5

The BenQ EX3501R is the best option if you want a curved ultrawide monitor that supports FreeSync over HDMI with a wide range. It’s great for gaming, watching movies, and productivity, featuring multiple inputs, including USB-C, which is useful if you want it to double as a bigger screen for a USB-C compatible laptop.

A 35-inch VA monitor, the EX3501R is easily the most expensive product on this list, selling for more than $700. Compared to the Samsung C27HG70, it has a more subdued aesthetic and will look great even in an office setting. The bezels at the top and sides are fairly thin while the stand has a wide base that supports the monitor well. The screen, which has an anti-glare coating, has a sharp 1800R curve radius.

Unlike the LG and Samsung products above, this BenQ monitor has a set of clickable buttons for menu control, located along the bottom edge. While not intuitive as a joystick control scheme, the buttons are well implemented and produce a nice click when pressed. The monitor’s on-screen display is also good, featuring a wide range of options to choose from.

The EX3501R has good connectivity options, featuring two HDMI ports, one DisplayPort, one USB-C port, one audio out, and two USB 3.0 down ports, all of which are down-facing at the rear. The USB-C port supports power delivery, data transfer, and video input using only one cable, which is convenient if you want to connect the monitor to a compatible laptop. FreeSync support, however, is limited to HDMI and DisplayPort. Like with most Dell monitors, the stand has integrated cable management, which comes in the form of a circular hole in the bottom half.

Speaking of the stand, this BenQ monitor has limited stand adjustability, only offering height adjust and tilt options. The lack of a pivot option is understandable, considering the monitor’s screen size and aspect ratio, but a swivel option would have been nice. The stand is easy to set up and attaches to the center area of the monitor.

The EX3501R is an ideal monitor for all-around use. The screen real estate is great for multitasking with several windows open at the same time, with the 3440 x 1440 resolution allowing for sharper texts and more detailed images. Furthermore, this monitor has an excellent contrast ratio, as expected from a VA monitor, which translates to more vibrant images when gaming and watching movies. The overall picture quality is good – the monitor has good color accuracy and brightness and offers HDR support.

Regarding gaming performance, the EX3501R is great. It works well for different kinds of games, including action RPGs, first-person shooters, real-time strategy games, and racing games. It has a fast response time and a low input lag that will please most gamers. The FreeSync range is also good, and unlike with the Samsung C27HG70, the max refresh rate does not drop when connected via HDMI.

If you can afford to spend over $700 for the best monitors with FreeSync over HDMI, the EX3501R is one of the top options, especially if you want a curved ultrawide screen for a more immersive experience when gaming and watching movies. It has good overall picture quality, with excellent contrast and good color accuracy, and features a fast response time and a low input lag.