The 5 Best Monitors For Dual Setup - Fall 2023 Reviews

The Dell U2723QE is the best monitor for dual setup we've tested. The 27-inch screen offers enough space for multitasking, especially if you place two windows side-by-side, and its 4k resolution helps deliver sharp text. It has remarkable ergonomics, meaning it's easy to adjust to your ideal viewing position. Also, it's an impressive office monitor with many connectivity options, including a DisplayPort output, so you can daisy chain a second monitor, which is useful if your computer only has one video output.

If you need to connect multiple devices to your dual monitor setup, this display is also a great choice, as it has a KVM switch. You can connect your mouse and keyboard directly to the monitor and control both devices with them. Its 90W of power delivery on one of the USB-C ports is also enough to keep your laptop's battery going while you work. In terms of picture quality, it displays a wide range of colors with excellent accuracy, and even though it has disappointing reflection handling, it gets bright enough to fight glare, which is great if you want to use it in a well-lit room.

If you don't need all the extra features and prefer getting something cheaper, check out the Dell S2722QC instead. It's a lower-end model compared to the Dell U2723QE, and it often goes on sale for a low cost, but the main trade-off is that it has fewer features. It doesn't support daisy chaining like the U2723QE, so you must connect your video cables directly from your PC to the monitors, so your PC needs to have two video outputs. It also has a smaller USB hub and doesn't have a KVM switch, so you can't easily switch between two devices and use the same keyboard and mouse.

Besides that, it's still an excellent productivity monitor because it has a 27-inch screen with a 4k resolution that produces remarkable text clarity. Although it has worse image accuracy than the U2723QE, it's still decent enough that you'll only have to worry about it if your work requires perfectly accurate colors. Luckily, its reflection handling is even better than on the U2723QE, and combined with its great SDR peak brightness, you won't have issues using it in a bright room.

If you're looking for the best secondary monitor at a lower cost, consider the ASUS ProArt Display PA278CV. It has a lower 1440p resolution than the 4k resolution of the Dell S2722QC, meaning text isn't as sharp, but that's the sacrifice you need to make for something cheaper. Despite that, it still has decent text clarity, and the 27-inch screen offers enough space even if you want to put two windows side-by-side. On the plus side, it even supports daisy chaining with a DisplayPort output, which is great if your laptop only has one video output and you need to connect your two monitors to each other.

It has outstanding ergonomics as you can even rotate it into portrait mode, making it easy to adjust next to another display. It has fantastic image accuracy before calibration, so you don't need to calibrate it for accurate colors. However, it doesn't support HDR, so if that's important to you, the Dell UltraSharp U2520D is another 1440p option that does, but it costs more.

If you find the ASUS ProArt Display PA278CV still out of your price range, you can also check out the slightly cheaper ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV. It's a lower-end version that performs very similarly, but the main difference is that it doesn't have a DisplayPort output for daisy chaining, meaning you need to make sure your PC has two video outputs. It doesn't have a USB-C port like the PA278CV, but that only makes a difference if you want to connect a laptop that supports USB-C.

Besides that, it still has four USB-A ports that make it easy to connect your peripherals, like a mouse and keyboard. It also offers the same great picture quality as the PA278CV, with accurate colors, wide viewing angles, and high peak brightness. It even has better ergonomics with a wider swivel range, as you can turn it 90 degrees in either direction, which is great if you constantly need to share your screen with a coworker or client and want to turn the display.

If you're looking for the best secondary monitor for cheap, check out the ASUS VG246H. Getting a cheap monitor is beneficial if you're on a tight budget and don't need anything special, but there are a few trade-offs. It has a smaller 24-inch screen than the ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV and a lower 1080p resolution, meaning images aren't as detailed, but the text clarity is still decent. It doesn't support daisy chaining either, but that's the case with most cheap displays, and you'll just need to make sure your PC has two video outputs.

Fortunately, its smaller screen makes fitting two monitors next to each other easier if you have a small desk. Besides that, it offers good office performance for its cost as it has remarkable ergonomics, letting you easily adjust the screen how you want. Thanks to its good reflection handling and decent peak brightness, it's decent if you want to use it in a moderately-lit room. However, if you want something even brighter, the Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx is another good cheap option, but it costs a bit more than the ASUS.