10 Best Monitors for Home & Office Use 2021: The Ultimate Buying Guide
If you are working from your home like the rest of the world, you may find your laptop screen size a tad small for any kind of work that requires a large screen real estate. While laptops and tablets are cozy companions and ideal for content consumption, there is no replacing the good old monitor.
This blog seeks to help you choose the best monitors for your home and office use. You can find our top pick at the end of the article.
Top Monitors Brands to Consider for Home & Office Use
There are plenty of brands and manufacturers in the market that produce top-quality monitors. Some of these brands specialize in creating gaming monitors that produce sharp images with high refresh-rate. On the other hand, some monitors make high-resolution images and are ideal for watching movies.
Users should choose the monitor based on their needs. If you are a gamer, your needs may differ from that of an average user and vice versa. To cut the clutter, Amazon Business lists some of the top brands that are available in the market, so you cannot go wrong with any of these –
If you are setting up your home office, you may want to read our blog on the best Office Stationery Items List.
Top Things to Consider while Purchasing Best Monitors for Home Use
Is normal web browsing and watching YouTube videos your daily chore? The best monitors in such cases are not the premium ones. Any decent monitor with a good image reproduction capability will serve the purpose and save you a lot of money.
So, while choosing the best monitors for home use, you need to remember a few things –
- The monitor should have a decent resolution (at least Full HD)
- The monitor should not to disproportionately large (it may look odd in your home setup)
- The monitor should have an HDMI cable so that it can double as a television if needed
Many buyers ignore the connectivity part and settle for very basic connectivity options. Monitors should have new-age connectivity options like HDMI, USB-C, DVI, Thunderbolt, SDI, etc., in order to stay relevant for a long time.
Here is the ultimate guide on choosing the Best WiFi Routers & Range Extenders.
Top Things to Consider while Purchasing Best Monitors for Office Use
Choosing the best desktop monitor for your home office can be a little daunting task. You need to ensure –
- The monitor has a good resolution and refresh rate
- It has a proper viewing angle with no negative vision
- It offers ample connectivity options
- It is proportionate to your work desk setup
The most appropriate method to choose the best computer monitor is to know its purpose. Once you know what you need the device for, half the task is done.
[Side Note: Not only for purchasing monitors, but this is a great tip for buying any other office supplies you need.]
Best Monitors Based on Purpose
We have already discussed the different needs of different users. What might be the best monitor for a gamer may very well appear as a waste of money for someone working on excel sheets. So, let’s delve a little deeper
General
Let’s assume you have a basic computer that does the general web browsing and social media scrolling. But now, you want to expand beyond that. You need the best desktop monitor where you can watch high-definition Amazon Prime shows. Fair enough! So, the best monitors for media consumption would be the one that has high-resolution image quality. Acer 21.5 Inch Full HD IPS Ultra Slim, or Dell P Series 24-inch Full HD LED-lit monitor, any of these models shall rightly serve the purpose.
Professional
If you are a writer or someone who works on bulk data, you may not require much from the desktop monitor. In that case, Acer Nitro QG221Q 21.5 Inch Full HD monitor can be the best budget monitor for you. On the other hand, designers and content editors require accurate color-producing monitors. LG 27 inch 4K-UHD (3840 x 2160) HDR 10 Monitor, in that case, would be a top purchase.
Gaming
For gamers, the best monitors for PC with a high refresh rate matters more than the resolution. Some graphics cards can boost the graphics to churn the best out of the configuration, but they cannot recalibrate the refresh rate. LG Ultragear 81.28 cm (32-inch) QHD (2K) Gaming Monitor with 144Hz, Acer 27-inch 165 Hz 0.7 MS FHD Gaming Monitor, or BenQ MOBIUZ EX2510 24.5 inch Full HD Gaming Monitor are some of the best gaming monitors with a high refresh rate that you can purchase from Amazon Business.
Based on Resolution
The resolution has always been the gold standard for buying the best monitors for PC. Whether watching a movie or playing games, everything looks sharp and clear on a high-definition desktop monitor. The higher the resolution, the more premium it demands.
HD Monitors
In the last decade, 720p HD resolution was a highly sought-after screen resolution among buyers. But now, we have OLED panels producing higher resolution images. With that said, HD resolution is still relevant. So, if you want to save some money and opt for the best HD monitor, go for Lenovo 18.5-inch HD Monitor.
Full HD Monitors
While 1080p resolution is the baseline for full HD screens, there is a better option – 1440p. Gamers prefer the 1440p resolution because this offers visible graphics improvement over the standard 1080p. Moreover, it is light on the graphics card.
So, if you are hoping to get a win-win deal, BenQ PD2500Q 25 inch 2K DesignVue Designer Monitor or LG Ultragear 27-inch QHD Monitor could be the best monitor for you.
4K Monitors
Even after the introduction of 5K and 8K resolution displays, 4K retains the badge of a gold standard for display resolutions. The reason is quite simple. While the 8K screens are available, the world is not yet ready for . The majority of the online or offline creators still produce 4K content for the masses.
With the substantial price drop of 4K monitors over the years, these have become the top preference for buyers. LG 27 inch 4K-UHD Monitor and Samsung 28 inch (70.8 cm) 4K UHD Monitor are some of the top-selling ultra-HD monitors on Amazon Business.
Based on Refresh Rate
Gamers are very finicky about the refresh rate of monitors. Refresh rate means how fast your screen can update the image. Measured in hertz (Hz), a 120Hz refresh rate means the screen refreshes the image 120 times in a second. Clearly, a high refresh rate is a massive determiner of how fast the display renders images. A monitor with a 144Hz refresh rate can serve almost all your gaming needs.
Based on Response Time
Response time of a monitor means how fast the screen can perform the image transition. Similar to refresh rate, response time is crucial for gaming. In a graphic-intensive game, high response time means lags and frame drops. Therefore, the best monitors for gamers must have a low response time. Response rate is measured in milliseconds (MS).
Based on Panel Technology
You can also browse through the list of desktop monitors based on the panel technology. There are three prevalent panel technologies in the market – TN Panel, IPS Panel, and VA Panel.
TN Panel Monitors
Twisted Nematic displays are the cheapest ones available in the market. Monitors with TN panels are generally preferred by gamers because of their low response time. However, these panels have a few drawbacks. Even the best monitors with a TN panel do not have a great viewing angle, and also the color they produce are a bit washed out.
IPS Panel Monitors
IPS panel monitors provide a 178-degree viewing angle, the best in the market. They also produce richer and more accurate colors. However, they have a higher response time compared to TN panels, and therefore, they are not the best monitors for gaming. IPS panel monitors also cost a premium; even then, they are quite a bang for the buck.
VA Panel monitors
VA panel monitors produce a better color gamut compared to TN panels. But VA panel monitors fall in the region between IPS and TN panels but don’t have better things to offer.
Based on Shape
Monitors come in different shapes and sizes. While the conventional ones come in a rectangular shape, there are curved monitors as well. Now, when it comes to choosing the best monitors based on shape, it boils down to personal preference. Amazon Business lists the best monitors from all genres – curved or rectangular.
Rectangular Monitors
Essentially, these are the conventional monitors. Everything we talked about so far in this article are featured on rectangular monitors. However, let’s discuss some of the pros and cons of rectangular displays –
- They have a great viewing angle
- The color reproduction is accurate
- They come in a varied price range depending on the technology
Curved Monitors
Curved monitors, on the other hand, are premium devices. These are relatively new inventions and have a niche fanbase. To discuss the pros and cons of curved monitors are –
- They offer a more immersive viewing experience compared to flat rectangular screens
- Best suited for a single audience as it has a narrow viewing angle
- In poor lighting conditions, the display can produce color distortion
- Costs significantly more than the rectangular monitors
Maintenance and Service Cost for Monitors
Monitors do not require any periodic maintenance or don’t entail any service cost per se. However, if there is damage to the screen, repairing can be a hassle. If the damage is grave, even the best monitors need replacement. In that case, expensive monitors cost more to replace compared to non-expensive ones. Simple.
Amazon Business Top 10 Picks for Monitors
Amazon Business lists the best monitors from premium brands. Browse through our Electronics and Accessories category to choose the best monitor as per your preference. You may also consider our top picks –
- LG Ultragear 81.28 cm (32-inch) QHD (2K) Gaming Monitor with 144Hz
- Dell UltraSharp 32 4K USB-C Monitor
- Asus Designo Curve MX38VC
- BenQ PD3200U
- Philips Brilliance 499P9H
- Dell UltraSharp U2415
- AOC U2879VF
- BenQ MOBIUZ EX2510 24.5 inch Full HD Gaming Monitor
- Samsung 28 inch (70.8 cm) 4K UHD Monitor
- LG 27 inch 4K-UHD Monitor
If you are setting up your home office, we have a blog on creating a comfortable WFH setup. You may want to read that for some ideas.
To Conclude
Selecting the best monitors amidst the hordes of offerings can be a tiring task. To make it more convenient and easier for the buyers, Amazon Business lists only premium products from popular brands. Moreover, buying from Amazon Business entails many other discounts and benefits. Since all the products are available with a GST invoice, business owners can claim input tax credit.
Best Monitor Buying Guide – FAQs
What is the best monitor size for home use?
The most popular monitor size is 21 to 24 inches. It fits almost every home setup.
What is the best monitor screen resolution for gaming?
If you want to have a good enough gaming experience, go for a 21 to 24-inch monitor with FHD or 1440p resolution at the very least. If you decide to go for a larger screen, consider a higher resolution as well. Else, you may not get the most immersive gaming experience.
What is the minimum refresh rate for a good gaming monitor?
The bare minimum refresh rate for gaming is 60Hz. Of course, the higher the refresh rate, the better the gaming experience. If you can spare some more, go for a monitor with a 144Hz refresh rate for the best gaming experience. Also, focus on the response time and resolution while purchasing a gaming monitor.
What are portable monitors?
Portable monitors are laptop-sized displays that one can attach to his laptop, tablet, phones, desktops, etc. These portable monitors can act as the sole display or an additional screen. They require external power either from the connected device or from a power source. These small displays come with HDMI/ USB-C ports for connectivity.
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