With more and more people working from home in recent years, they need a nice little workspace for their daily chores. Whether you’re working on a desktop PC, Mac, or laptop, having a high-quality monitor makes everything easier. As someone who works with two monitors, while my primary monitor is showing this article you’re reading, I have no problem having my second screen occupied by work I need to refer to. I don’t have to switch windows – I can just look at my second monitor, see what I need to write on, and continue my work on my primary monitor without slowing down.
A good monitor, or even two, can make working from home a lot easier, because bending over your laptop can cause back pain and stress that you might not realize right away. It’s much better to spend your day looking at a big screen than a small one.
ASUS ProArt Display
I love this monitor from Asus. As a video editor, I edit a lot of photos in my spare time, so a monitor with excellent color reproduction is important, and this ProArt monitor does a great job of that.
It’s also great that it has a slightly higher resolution than a standard 1080p monitor, and it can be easily adjusted for landscape and portrait mode, and can be moved up and down for different desktop setups.
But arguably the biggest selling point is the price. It’s more expensive than a standard monitor, but in terms of its image and color quality, it’s probably the most affordable monitor for professional photo and video professionals. ProArt is a lot cheaper than Apple stuff.
LG UltraGear Nano IPS Curved Gaming Monitor
I upgraded to the LG Ultragear Ultrawide a few years ago and everything about it makes me very happy. Its 3440 x 1440 resolution is the sweet spot for a 34-inch gaming setup because it doesn’t tie up the GPU like a 4k monitor. It’s 144Hz and supports Gsync and VESA Adaptive Sync (Freesync). I played Final Fantasy 14 and Destiny 2 on custom rigs, and the frame rates were amazing.
Since I’m not even up to the max specs for this monitor – a GPU upgrade in a year or two will allow me to max out the 144Hz portion of the monitor – I’m going to keep it for a long time.
GIGABYTE G27Q 27-inch Gaming Monitor
I got this gigabit monitor when I bought a new gaming desktop. I want a 27″ screen with a 1440p resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate that was on sale about a year ago for around $300. Having never heard of this brand, I just went for it.
I’m really happy. It looks great both day and night with barely any reflections. The bezels are super thin. It can be adjusted up and down and tilted. It has all the ports you could ever need. The only thing I’d change is that the power button is also a menu joystick, and is on the back, which is inconvenient for the few times I need it.
Scepter Curved 27″ 75Hz LED Monitor
My wife and I have used these curved scepter monitors for a long time when setting up our home office. The curves are gentle enough not to strain your eyes while still feeling like you’re enjoying the full experience. I ended up swapping out my monitor for something more gaming-focused, but my wife loves her scepter.
The tones can be a little uneven, and it took us a while to dial them in, but they’re worth it now. We ended up with two complete experiences.
Lepow USB-C Portable Monitor
For most of the pandemic, I couldn’t work from the same place in my home every day. Putting a large monitor or even a regular desk is out of the question. Lepow’s 15.6-inch portable monitor gives me plenty of extra room to work, whether my “office” is in the dining room, living room, or bedroom.
Display setup takes just seconds with a single USB-C cable for image and power transfer, though it has an HDMI input when needed. All cables and screen protector are also included. It has a folio case that doubles as a stand (newer versions have a built-in stand for better positioning and take up less desk space). It even has a headphone jack and simple built-in speakers so it can be connected to a game console. When you’re done for the day, it folds down for easy storage in a drawer or backpack. Simply.
