The 5 Best 4k Monitors - Fall 2023 Reviews

The best 4k monitor we've tested is the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 S32BG85. It's the best option if you're looking for a 4k monitor, whether you need something for gaming, watching movies, or browsing the web, as it offers premium performance for various uses. It delivers excellent picture quality thanks to its Mini LED backlighting, which provides a decent full-array local dimming feature that displays deep blacks next to bright highlights. There's minimal blooming in dark scenes, also making it great to use in dark rooms, and it even gets bright enough to fight glare in well-lit rooms.

Although it has narrow viewing angles that don't make it ideal for sharing the screen with others, its curved screen helps bring the edges within your field of vision so that the edges don't look washed when sitting right in front. It's ideal for competitive gaming because it has an incredibly fast 240Hz refresh rate and smooth motion handling. If you don't need the high refresh rate, consider the Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 S32BG75, which has a lower 165Hz refresh rate and tends to cost less with similar overall performance.

If you don't need the best performance, consider the Gigabyte M27U. It doesn't deliver the same great picture quality as the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 S32BG85 because its local dimming feature performs terribly, and the monitor has lower contrast, so it's worse for use in dark rooms. However, it still has good peak brightness and reflection handling, which is great if you want to use it in a well-lit room. If you want something even brighter, you can also consider the INNOCN 27M2V, but it can sometimes be harder to find.

What makes this such a great monitor is that it has features for both gaming and productivity. It has a 160Hz refresh rate with good motion handling, and its HDMI 2.1 bandwidth lets you take advantage of gaming consoles and high-end graphics cards. It also has a KVM switch that makes it easy to switch between sources and use the same keyboard and mouse connected to the monitor. If you find the 27-inch screen too small and prefer a 32-inch display like the Samsung, the Gigabyte M32U is another great option that performs similarly to the M27U but costs more.

If you don't need the gaming features and versatility of the Gigabyte M27U, then the Dell U2723QE is a great option in a similar price range but with different features. It's mainly designed with productivity and content creation in mind, so it has a lower 60Hz refresh rate than the Gigabyte. However, if you aren't a gamer, you'll be happy with its impressive office performance, and it even has a larger USB hub than the Gigabyte. It has five USB-A ports to connect different devices and three USB-C ports that each support different features.

One of the USB-C inputs supports DisplayPort Alt Mode with 90W of power delivery, so you can easily connect a laptop to display an image from it and charge it using a single cable. Like the Gigabyte, it has a KVM switch, so you can control different devices with the same keyboard and mouse. Besides that, it easily gets bright enough to fight glare, which is ideal for most well-lit office spaces. It also has a dedicated sRGB picture mode with excellent accuracy, which is ideal if your work requires accurate colors.

If you prefer saving money by getting a less feature-rich 4k monitor that still offers great performance, check out the Dell S2722QC. It's a step-down model from the Dell U2723QE that's also excellent for productivity, but it has fewer features, as it lacks a KVM switch and has a smaller USB hub. While its only USB-C port also supports DisplayPort Alt Mode to easily connect a compatible laptop, it has lower power delivery than the U2723QE, as it's limited to 65W, which isn't enough to charge power-hungry laptops while you're using them.

Besides those differences in features, it's a great monitor if you constantly need to share your screen with someone else because it has excellent ergonomics that make it easy to adjust. Its wide viewing angles also ensure that the image remains consistent from the sides. It performs well in a bright environment thanks to its great peak brightness and good reflection handling, which is even better than on the U2723QE. While it doesn't have a dedicated sRGB mode like the U2723QE, and colors are oversaturated, the accuracy before calibration is still decent enough for everyday use.

If you're looking for the best budget 4k monitor, you can get some good office-friendly monitors, like the Dell S2721QS. It's a step-down model from the Dell S2722QC, with the main difference being that it lacks a USB hub. It means you can't connect any devices directly to the monitor, but as long as your laptop or desktop computer has enough USB ports to connect all your stuff, you can save money by getting this monitor instead. Besides the difference in features, it's a very similar monitor to the S2722QC as it also gets bright, has wide viewing angles, and delivers sharp text thanks to its high pixel density.

The S2721QS delivers a slightly wider range of colors, particularly in HDR. Still, the HDR performance is limited due to its low contrast ratio and peak brightness, so this makes little difference. The S2721QS also features a DisplayPort input, which the S2722QC doesn't have, which is great if your computer only has a DisplayPort output, so you can easily connect to it.