The 5 Best Monitors For Xbox Series X - Fall 2023 Reviews

The Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 S32BG85 is the best monitor for Xbox Series X that we've tested. It's a fantastic gaming display with an incredibly fast response time across its entire refresh rate range, ensuring a smooth and responsive gaming experience. Although the Xbox Series X can't take full advantage of the monitor's 240Hz refresh rate, it delivers an incredible gaming experience with smooth motion handling even at 120Hz, and it's fully compatible with everything the Xbox offers. The high refresh rate is also great if you want to connect a gaming PC, but if you prefer getting something cheaper with a lower 165Hz refresh rate, the Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 S32BG75 is an excellent option that you can often find for less.

The Neo G8's picture quality stands out thanks to its impressive Mini LED backlighting, which allows for fine control of the local dimming zones. It results in a great HDR experience, with bright highlights that pop next to deep blacks and very little blooming in dark scenes. It displays a wide range of colors, and, combined with its high peak brightness, colors look vivid for a great HDR gaming experience.

If you want a high-end monitor but don't necessarily need all the bells and whistles of the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 S32BG85, consider the LG 32GQ950-B. It's a 32-inch, 4k monitor like the Samsung, with the main difference being that it doesn't have Mini LED backlighting. It doesn't offer the same great picture quality, but if your main focus is on gaming performance and not the picture quality, it's an excellent option. If you care about having great picture quality, you can also consider the INNOCN 27M2V, which gets brighter and has a better local dimming feature than the LG, but it has increased input lag at 60Hz and can be harder to find at times.

The LG has a lower 160Hz refresh rate than the Samsung, but that doesn't make a difference, as the Xbox reaches a max of 120Hz anyway. It also has remarkable motion handling, even with 120Hz and 60Hz signals. It works well with the Xbox Series X because it has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth that lets you take full advantage of the console. Its VRR support also works with most signals on the console to reduce screen tearing.

If you're looking for something cheaper in the mid-range price category, check out the Gigabyte M27U. It's similar to the LG 32GQ950-B, with a 4k resolution but a smaller screen. The main difference is that it has worse motion handling at 120Hz, but the response time is still quick, so motion looks smooth regardless. It supports HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, but it's limited to 24 Gbps HDMI bandwidth, which is half of the LG's 48 Gbps bandwidth. This means that the Xbox needs to use compression for demanding signals, which could negatively impact the picture quality, but 4k @ 120Hz signals still work without issue.

Luckily, it has a few extra features that the LG doesn't have, like a backlight strobing feature that you can use as low as 60Hz, and it helps reduce persistence blur, but it also has some flicker issues at times. If you find the 27-inch screen too small and want something bigger, the Gigabyte M32U is a similar monitor with a bigger screen. However, because it costs more for a minimal difference in performance, only consider it if you want the larger size.

If you want the best Xbox Series X monitor on a budget, consider the Gigabyte M27Q. As you get into budget monitors, you'll find displays with lower resolutions and without HDMI 2.1 bandwidth. While this means budget monitors can't take full advantage of the Xbox like the Gigabyte M27U, most are still good enough for console gaming. That's the case with the M27Q as it works with any signal from the console except for 4k @ 120Hz, and it even downscales 4k signals, which results in a slightly more detailed image than 1440p signals.

It has a slower response time than the M27U, but the motion handling is still good enough that you won't notice much blur. It has a backlight strobing feature to reduce screen tearing, but it doesn't work with 60Hz signals and causes image duplication, so if that bothers you, it's best not to use it altogether. There are other low-cost monitors you can also consider with better motion handling, like the LG 27GP850-B/27GP83B-B, but it tends to cost a bit more, so it's only worth getting if you care about motion handling.

If you want a simple and cheap monitor to use with your Xbox Series X, consider the Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx. It has a smaller 24-inch screen and lower 1080p resolution than the Gigabyte M27Q, meaning images aren't as detailed. It also means that it isn't an ideal choice for co-op gaming, but it has wide viewing angles and incredible ergonomics that help you share the screen with a friend sitting beside you.

It's a great gaming monitor, and while its overall motion handling isn't as good as the Gigabyte, it still has a great response time at 120Hz. However, it's worse at 60Hz with VRR enabled, as there's overshoot that causes inverse ghosting, but at least its VRR support works with the Xbox to reduce screen tearing. You can also disable VRR if you want better motion handling at 60Hz, but that could lead to screen tearing in games that don't have fixed frame rates. In terms of compatibility, it works best with 1080p signals at 60Hz and 120Hz from the Xbox, but it still downscales 4k and 1440p images with a 60Hz refresh rate.