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My review of the Huion Kamvas Pro 24 (Gen 3) is still in progress, but after a few days of hands-on testing, I’m already impressed with the brand's newest release. This is a large, confident pen display that feels every bit the flagship Huion wants it to be; it's solidly built, gorgeously sharp, and aimed squarely at professional artists, designers, and 3D creators. It’s shaping up to be one of the best drawing tablets I’ve used in this size and price bracket.

The display itself is big, at 23.8 inches of 4K canvas, and heavy enough to feel premium. There are no plastic flex points, no creaks, no cheap edges. It’s a quality piece of hardware that immediately inspires confidence when you set it up and running. The etched Canvas Glass has a lightly textured finish that genuinely feels paper-like, adding just the right amount of resistance without the scratchiness you sometimes get on matte screens.

Huion's colourful entry

Colour accuracy is exceptional. The Kamvas Pro 24 (Gen 3) covers 99% sRGB, 98% Adobe RGB, 98% DCI-P3, and 98% Display-P3, with full hardware calibration (ΔE<1). The ability to switch between these colour spaces from the OSD menu is a welcome touch, something usually reserved for high-end displays like the Wacom Cintiq Pro. The resolution and pixel density hit a sweet spot for digital art and 3D modelling: crisp, detailed, and comfortable for all-day work, whether you’re using the best digital art software or best 3D modelling software. (A caveat: you'll want to use an HDMI lead.)

Huion’s new PenTech 4.0 is, on paper, its biggest leap forward yet, and it feels that way in use. With 16K pressure levels and a 2g activation force, it’s extraordinarily sensitive. Strokes feel light, fluid, and more responsive than ever. I’m still testing latency, but it’s shaping up to be Huion’s closest rival yet to Wacom’s latest EMR pens, like the excellent Wacom Pro Pen 3. You get two styluses, the PW600 and PW600S, both with eraser tips, and they feel well-balanced and satisfyingly weighty.

Another big upgrade is the 10-point capacitive touch screen, which finally brings pinch-to-zoom and canvas rotation to Huion’s 24-inch display. It’s smooth and intuitive, although worth noting that touch input only works on Windows 10 or later; macOS users will have to do without.

While Huion has clearly cut back where it needs to to offer a lower-priced display that can compete, for example, some of the design touches found on other large displays, like a magnetic clip for holding the stylus, are absent; other little features like a toggle for touch control are here.

Surprising gadgets

Everything I need is here, and I was surprised to find the new Huion G1 colour calibrator in the box. These little gadgets are becoming essential as displays get more accurate, so it’s a welcome money-saver (read our guide to the best colour calibrators). The G1 is well built, slightly smaller than most, and roughly comparable to the Datacolor SpyderX Pro in size. It’s designed specifically for the Kamvas Pro 24 (Gen 3) and Kamvas Pro 19, and only works on Windows, but it’s a thoughtful inclusion that underlines Huion’s attention to professional workflows.

If you’re comparing options, read our Huion Kamvas 24 Pro 4K review for a comparison to the previous release. This new Gen 3 model clearly raises the bar in pen feel, display quality, and workflow features.

My early verdict? The Kamvas Pro 24 (Gen 3) feels like a genuine flagship-tier pen display that punches well above its expected price. It combines a best-in-class pen, reference-level colour, and modern workflow features with great ergonomics. Priced at $1,399, it's easily one of the best value large-format 4K pen displays available right now (though time will tell if it holds up long term against Wacom's reliability).

Are the savings enough to drag me away from a Wacom Cintiq Pro or the excellent Xencelabs Pen Display 24? I'll need more time with the Huion, but given Wacom is charging $2,699, the Huion is certainly elbowing its way into my life.

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Read more on the official Huion website, including full specs.

Whether you’re gaming, streaming movies, tackling office work, or doing creative projects, a 4K monitor is an easy way to level up your setup. But not all 4K (ultra-high-definition, or UHD) displays are created equal. Some prioritize fast refresh rates for smooth gameplay, others deliver the color accuracy creative pros demand, and many offer features that make multitasking easier and more efficient. At PCMag, we’ve been testing monitors for decades—long before 4K (or even VGA!) was even a thing. We put every display through rigorous, standardized testing, evaluating performance, design, usability, connectivity, and overall value. If you’re not sure where to start, our top overall pick—the Dell UltraSharp 27 (U2723QE)—is a standout for most users. But it’s just one of many excellent options we’ve tested and recommend. Below, you’ll find our full list of vetted picks, along with a complete buying guide to help you choose the right 4K monitor for your needs.

Best 4K Monitor for General Use

Dell UltraSharp 27 4K USB-C Hub Monitor (U2723QE)

Score: 4.5

Pros & Cons

• + IPS Black technology deepens black levels, improves contrast

• + 4K resolution with sharp high-pixel-density image

• + Extensive ergonomic features

• + Dual DisplayPort connectors let you daisy-chain monitors

• + Mini-joystick controller for OSD

• - IPS Black technology deepens black levels, improves contrast

• - 4K resolution with sharp high-pixel-density image

• - Extensive ergonomic features

• - Dual DisplayPort connectors let you daisy-chain monitors

• - Mini-joystick controller for OSD

Why We Picked It

The Dell U2723QE has a prodigious feature set, including a full range of ergonomic adjustments and all the ports we expect from a "docking station" monitor. It can charge a laptop over its USB-C connection, and it even provides Ethernet connectivity should you be in an office with spotty Wi-Fi. Its 27-inch 4K UHD screen, with a high pixel density and wide color gamut, is one of the first to incorporate LG’s IPS Black technology, which provides far better contrast than standard in-plane switching (IPS) displays. (The panel features full sRGB coverage, and nearly complete DCI-P3 color coverage.) The only common business feature it is missing is a webcam, but only a select few desktop displays have one.

Who It's For

Executives: The U2723QE sells at a high enough price that you’re unlikely to outfit an entire office with them, but it's a good choice for key workers. Its plethora of ports is impressive, even for a so-called docking station or USB hub monitor, and it has an ergonomically superior stand, making it a great fit for your long-hours power users.

Managers who oversee art production: Creative professionals may benefit from a dedicated graphic-arts monitor, but the U2723QE's excellent screen renders still and moving images with great fidelity, and the display is suitable for signing off on photo and video work (and editing it, in a pinch).

Specs & Configurations

Panel Size (Corner-to-Corner): 27 inches

Native Resolution: 3840 by 2160

Aspect Ratio: 16:9

Screen Technology: IPS Black

Rated Screen Luminance: 400 nits

Rated Contrast Ratio: 2,000:1

Pixel Refresh Rate: 60 Hz

Adaptive Sync: NA

Video Inputs: HDMI,DisplayPort,USB-C

USB Ports (Excluding Upstream): 6

VESA DisplayHDR Level: DisplayHDR 400

Dimensions (HWD): 15.2 by 24.1 by 7.3 inches

Weight: 14.6 lbs

Height-Adjustable Stand?: True

Tilting Stand?: True

Swiveling Stand?: True

Landscape/Portrait Pivot: True

Warranty (Parts/Labor): 3 years

Best Budget 4K Monitor

MSI Modern MD272UPSW

Score: 4.0

Pros & Cons

• + 4K UHD resolution

• + Full sRGB color coverage

• + Integrates Google TV for access to streaming content, web apps, and services such as Google Home

• + Can operate independently of a PC

• + Competitively priced

• - 4K UHD resolution

• - Full sRGB color coverage

• - Integrates Google TV for access to streaming content, web apps, and services such as Google Home

• - Can operate independently of a PC

• - Competitively priced

Why We Picked It

The versatile MSI Modern MD272UPSW is reasonably priced and an excellent value. The monitor—which works connected to, or independently of, a computer—can serve as a general-purpose personal or home-office monitor, as well as a smart monitor integrating Google TV's collection of streaming services, plus Google Home and Google Photos. Its 4K IPS screen has good brightness and color coverage, and high pixel density ensures a sharp image.

Who It's For

College students: At 27 inches, the MD272UPSW's screen is modest in size yet fine for classwork, light video watching, and photo editing. Priced for the budget-conscious, this monitor's compact frame and multi-use nature make it ideal for tight spaces like a dorm room.

Downsizers: Who needs multiple screens when you can do just fine with one? The MSI Modern MD272UPSW renders a bright, sharp, and colorful image that is fine for office work, photo editing, or video consumption. Plus, the display can operate computer-free as a smart monitor integrating Google TV's streaming services and proprietary content.

Specs & Configurations

Panel Size (Corner-to-Corner): 27 inches

Native Resolution: 3840 by 2160

Aspect Ratio: 16:9

Screen Technology: IPS

Rated Screen Luminance: 300 nits

Rated Contrast Ratio: 1000:1

Pixel Refresh Rate: 60 Hz

Adaptive Sync: Yes

Video Inputs: HDMI,DisplayPort

USB Ports (Excluding Upstream): 3

VESA DisplayHDR Level: NA

Dimensions (HWD): 16.3 by 24.2 by 7.9 inches

Weight: 13.9 lb

Height-Adjustable Stand?: True

Tilting Stand?: True

Swiveling Stand?: True

Landscape/Portrait Pivot: True

Warranty (Parts/Labor): 3 years

Best 4K Gaming Monitor

Asus ROG Swift PG27UCDM

Score: 4.5

Pros & Cons

• + Incredibly low input lag

• + Excellent color range and contrast

• + High-quality build; pleasing aesthetic

• + Plenty of image-improving features

• + Dolby Vision support

• - Incredibly low input lag

• - Excellent color range and contrast

• - High-quality build; pleasing aesthetic

• - Plenty of image-improving features

• - Dolby Vision support

Why We Picked It

The Asus ROG Swift PG27UCDM is a monitor equipped with all of the state-of-the-art features that make PC gaming so fun: a 4K screen, a 240Hz peak refresh rate, and DisplayPort 2.1 technology to sync up with the latest GPUs. It's got other noteworthy perks, too, like a QD-OLED screen that delivers exceptionally vivid color range and high brightness. Add low input lag to the equation, and the PG27UCDM proves to be a supremely capable high-end gaming monitor and an Editors' Choice winner.

Who It's For

Deep-pocketed gamers: When paired with a modern GPU like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090, the PG27UCDM is a formidable and versatile gaming display. It flawlessly handles fast-paced shooters, slow-paced RPGs, and everything in between.

Aesthetes: The ROG Swift PG27UCDM sports a brilliant, high-contrast QD-OLED screen with great color coverage. It magnificently renders game visuals as well as videos.

Specs & Configurations

Panel Size (Corner-to-Corner): 27 inches

Native Resolution: 3840 by 2160

Aspect Ratio: 16:9

Screen Technology: QD-OLED

Rated Screen Luminance: 250 nits

Rated Contrast Ratio: 1,500,000:1

Pixel Refresh Rate: 240 Hz

Adaptive Sync: AMD FreeSync Premium, Nvidia G-Sync Compatible

Video Inputs: DisplayPort,HDMI (2)

USB Ports (Excluding Upstream): 3

VESA DisplayHDR Level: HDR10

Dimensions (HWD): 21.6 by 24.03 by 8.61 inches

Weight: 16.8 lbs

Height-Adjustable Stand?: True

Tilting Stand?: True

Swiveling Stand?: True

Landscape/Portrait Pivot: True

Warranty (Parts/Labor): 3 years

Best Monitor for Casual 4K Gaming

ViewSonic XG275D-4K

Score: 4.0

Pros & Cons

• + Dual refresh rate/resolution modes

• + Low input lag in both modes

• + Great color range

• - Dual refresh rate/resolution modes

• - Low input lag in both modes

• - Great color range

Why We Picked It

The ViewSonic XG275D-4K is a dual-mode gaming monitor built to let you enjoy casual 4K gaming at a 160Hz refresh rate, while offering a bit more refresh-rate oomph (320Hz) when you need it by downgrading to full HD resolution. The XG275D-4K pairs well with a wide range of setups, including console gaming. Its great color coverage is offset only by its lack of HDR support and relatively low contrast ratio compared with OLED panels' near-infinite contrast.

Who It’s For

Bargain hunters: ViewSonic's XG275D-4K is an exceptional value for gamers aspiring to play at 4K but looking for maximum responsiveness for esports when they dial down the resolution. This display gives you the best of both worlds for comparatively little money.

Multi-genre gamers: The XG275D-4K is one of the rare monitors that does a decent job at both 4K gaming and esports. This 27-inch model has two distinct performance modes: one that offers 4K (3,840-by-2,160-pixel) resolution, and another that offers full HD (1,920-by-1,080-pixel) resolution at 320Hz. If you’re looking to dabble in high refresh rates and resolutions without paying a premium, the XG275D-4K is a suitable option.

Specs & Configurations

Panel Size (Corner-to-Corner): 27 inches

Native Resolution: 3840 by 2160

Aspect Ratio: 16:9

Screen Technology: IPS

Rated Screen Luminance: 300 nits

Rated Contrast Ratio: 1,000:1

Pixel Refresh Rate: 320 Hz

Adaptive Sync: AMD FreeSync Premium, Nvidia G-Sync Compatible

Video Inputs: DisplayPort,HDMI (2)

VESA DisplayHDR Level: NA

Weight: 13.9 lbs

Height-Adjustable Stand?: True

Tilting Stand?: True

Swiveling Stand?: True

Landscape/Portrait Pivot: True

Warranty (Parts/Labor): 3 years

Best Giant-Screen 4K Productivity Monitor

Dell UltraSharp 43 4K USB-C Monitor (U4323QE)

Score: 4.5

Pros & Cons

• + 43-inch IPS screen in UHD (4K) resolution

• + Plenty of ports, including Ethernet, DisplayPort, HDMI, and USB-C

• + Supports tiled windows from up to four input sources

• + Excellent sRGB color coverage

• + Mini-joystick controller

• - 43-inch IPS screen in UHD (4K) resolution

• - Plenty of ports, including Ethernet, DisplayPort, HDMI, and USB-C

• - Supports tiled windows from up to four input sources

• - Excellent sRGB color coverage

• - Mini-joystick controller

Why We Picked It

Large 4K monitors have the advantage of providing massive amounts of both vertical and horizontal screen space. If you've got the room in your home office for a TV-sized monitor (and a pocketbook nearly as large), you'll want to check out the Dell UltraSharp 43 4K USB-C Monitor (U4323QE). It's the 4K productivity monitor to beat, accepting multiple inputs, each displayed in its own window. Such a giant monitor begs to be used with more than just your PC, so Dell includes plenty of input/output options: a total of five USB-C ports, in addition to HDMI and DisplayPort connectors. All of this will cost you a cool $1,300, but productivity fiends may find that sum worth it.

Who It's For

Multitaskers: The Dell U4323QE is a boon for multitaskers. Its 43-inch display can be divided into quadrants, each with its own input. Using Dell Display Manager software, you can tile applications in any of 46 preset partitions and personalize up to five windows.

Film buffs: While most large-screen productivity panels are either ultrawides or super ultrawides, the U4323QE's ginormous screen has a classic 16:9 aspect ratio, giving you much more vertical screen room to work with. With it, you can watch movies in the native widescreen format for which they were intended.

Specs & Configurations

Panel Size (Corner-to-Corner): 42.5 inches

Native Resolution: 3840 by 2160

Aspect Ratio: 16:9

Screen Technology: IPS

Rated Screen Luminance: 350 nits

Rated Contrast Ratio: 1,000:1

Pixel Refresh Rate: 60 Hz

Adaptive Sync: N/A

Video Inputs: USB-C,HDMI (2),DisplayPort (2)

USB Ports (Excluding Upstream): 5

VESA DisplayHDR Level: N/A

Dimensions (HWD): 25.8 by 38.1 by 10.1 inches

Weight: 40.9 lbs

Height-Adjustable Stand?: True

Tilting Stand?: True

Swiveling Stand?: True

Landscape/Portrait Pivot: False

Warranty (Parts/Labor): 3 years

Best Smart 4K Monitor

Samsung Smart Monitor M9 (M90SF)

Score: 4.0

Pros & Cons

• + 32-inch 4K OLED screen

• + 165Hz refresh rate and adaptive sync compatibility

• + Integrates Samsung TV Plus and Xbox Game Pass

• + Above-grade built-in speakers

• + 4K webcam

• + SmartThings integration enables control of smart-home devices

• - 32-inch 4K OLED screen

• - 165Hz refresh rate and adaptive sync compatibility

• - Integrates Samsung TV Plus and Xbox Game Pass

• - Above-grade built-in speakers

• - 4K webcam

• - SmartThings integration enables control of smart-home devices

Why We Picked It

With a magnificent 32-inch 4K QD-OLED panel providing rich colors and deep contrast, the M9 is a jack-of-all-trades powerhouse that's equal parts productivity display, entertainment hub, and gaming panel and platform. You can use it as a standard computer-connected business monitor, or as a PC-free entertainment and gaming platform controlled by an included remote. You can access a huge range of free, ad-supported content on Samsung TV Plus and activate a multitude of pre-installed apps, including those for major streaming services. The M9 integrates Samsung Gaming Hub and supports the Xbox Game Pass cloud-streaming service. Between its quality and versatile feature set, it'll cost you a pretty penny, though.

Who It's For

Big-screen connoisseurs: Whether you're engrossed in a panoramic game or streaming a film, the M9's 32-inch 4K QD-OLED screen will bring it to life with vivid color and superb contrast, thanks to deep black tones. You can use the M9's remote to stream movies, videos, and a wealth of other vibrant content, and stream games through Xbox Game Pass.

Home-office workers: When connected to a PC, the M9 can operate as an elite business monitor, with its 32-inch 4K OLED panel providing enough pixel density to support photo editing and work with line art. Its 5MP 4K webcam keeps you on top of teleconferencing. When operating the M9 without a PC, you can use the built-in Microsoft 365 suite apps plus other productivity-friendly tools.

Specs & Configurations

Panel Size (Corner-to-Corner): 32 inches

Native Resolution: 3840 by 2160

Aspect Ratio: 16:9

Screen Technology: OLED

Rated Screen Luminance: 250 nits

Rated Contrast Ratio: 1,000,000:1

Pixel Refresh Rate: 165 Hz

Adaptive Sync: AMD FreeSync

Video Inputs: HDMI,DisplayPort,USB-C

USB Ports (Excluding Upstream): 2

VESA DisplayHDR Level: DisplayHDR True Black 400

Dimensions (HWD): 23.7 by 28.2 by 7.8 inches

Weight: 8.4 lbs

Height-Adjustable Stand?: True

Tilting Stand?: True

Swiveling Stand?: True

Landscape/Portrait Pivot: True

Warranty (Parts/Labor): 3 years

Best 4K Monitor for Content Creators

BenQ PD3225U

Score: 4.0

Pros & Cons

• + 32-inch 4K UHD screen

• + IPS Black tech means high contrast

• + Thunderbolt ports let you daisy-chain a second monitor

• + Supports Mac-friendly color spaces like Display P3 and M-book

• + Stand offers height, tilt, swivel, and pivot adjustments

• - 32-inch 4K UHD screen

• - IPS Black tech means high contrast

• - Thunderbolt ports let you daisy-chain a second monitor

• - Supports Mac-friendly color spaces like Display P3 and M-book

• - Stand offers height, tilt, swivel, and pivot adjustments

Why We Picked It

Designed for creative professionals, the 32-inch BenQ PD3225U monitor has a 31.5-inch, 10-bit IPS panel with 4K UHD resolution (3,840 by 2,160 pixels). It provides a wealth of ports, including a pair of Thunderbolt connectors that enables daisy-chaining monitors. The PD3225U showed overall excellence in our testing; its color accuracy out of the box easily bests BenQ's rating, and it covers nearly the full sRGB and DCI-P3 color spaces.

Who It’s For

Content creators who use Macs: With Thunderbolt connectivity and support for color spaces like Display P3 and M Book, the PD3225U is highly Mac-friendly, giving Apple's own Studio Display a run for the money, easily undercutting that 5K creator panel in price. The BenQ packs a bright IPS Black screen with excellent color accuracy and sRGB and DCI-P3 coverage.

Windows users: The BenQ PD3225U also works well with Windows PCs. This 32-inch 4K monitor’s resolution, pixel density, brightness, color accuracy, and color coverage all put it in good standing as a creator monitor for both photo and video work, although if you work in Adobe RGB, you will want to look elsewhere.

Specs & Configurations

Panel Size (Corner-to-Corner): 31.5 inches

Native Resolution: 3840 by 2160

Aspect Ratio: 16:9

Screen Technology: IPS Black

Rated Screen Luminance: 400 nits

Rated Contrast Ratio: 2000:1

Pixel Refresh Rate: 60 Hz

Adaptive Sync: NA

Video Inputs: HDMI,DisplayPort,USB-C,Thunderbolt 3 (2)

USB Ports (Excluding Upstream): 4

VESA DisplayHDR Level: DisplayHDR 400

Dimensions (HWD): 18.8 by 24.7 by 10.8 inches

Weight: 18.1 lbs

Height-Adjustable Stand?: True

Tilting Stand?: True

Swiveling Stand?: True

Landscape/Portrait Pivot: True

Warranty (Parts/Labor): 3 years

Best Thunderbolt/USB Hub 4K Monitor

Dell UltraSharp 32 4K Thunderbolt Hub Monitor (U3225QE)

Score: 4.5

Pros & Cons

• + Dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, one with 140-watt power delivery

• + 4K UHD resolution with great color coverage

• + Seven downstream USB-A and USB-C ports

• + IPS Black panel with 3,000:1 rated contrast ratio

• - Dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, one with 140-watt power delivery

• - 4K UHD resolution with great color coverage

• - Seven downstream USB-A and USB-C ports

• - IPS Black panel with 3,000:1 rated contrast ratio

Why We Picked It

Dell calls its UltraSharp U3225QE a Thunderbolt hub monitor, but in addition to its downstream Thunderbolt 4 port (to go with an upstream one), this display is a formidable USB hub, with seven USB ports (two USB-C and five USB-A). It can substitute for a laptop docking station, providing power, Ethernet, and all the ports you could hope for, plus a few extras. The U3225QE is an exemplary 32-inch panel with 4K UHD resolution, great sRGB and DCI-P3 color coverage, and a 120Hz refresh rate. Plus, its 3,000:1 rated contrast ratio is the new vanguard for IPS Black, and the U3225QE has all the ergonomic features you would expect from a high-end productivity monitor.

Who It’s For

Creative directors: The Dell UltraSharp 32 4K Thunderbolt Hub Monitor (U3225QE) doesn’t come cheap, but it's a great pick for managers and elite workers, especially ones who occasionally work with photos and graphics. Along with a magnificent, 32-inch hi-res screen, the U3225QE features all the ports you might expect to find on a laptop docking station, including Ethernet and a prodigious Thunderbolt/USB A-C hub with eight downstream ports.

Mac users: The U3225QE's Thunderbolt 4 connectivity will appeal to Mac users. Though primarily a productivity monitor, its 32-inch high-contrast screen with great color coverage makes it good for light creative work.

Specs & Configurations

Panel Size (Corner-to-Corner): 31.5 inches

Native Resolution: 3840 by 2160

Aspect Ratio: 16:9

Screen Technology: IPS Black

Rated Screen Luminance: 450 nits

Rated Contrast Ratio: 3000:1

Pixel Refresh Rate: 120 Hz

Adaptive Sync: NA

Video Inputs: USB-C,Thunderbolt 4,DisplayPort,HDMI

USB Ports (Excluding Upstream): 8

VESA DisplayHDR Level: DisplayHDR 600

Dimensions (HWD): 24.4 by 28.1 by 8.5 inches

Weight: 20.6 lbs

Height-Adjustable Stand?: True

Tilting Stand?: True

Swiveling Stand?: True

Landscape/Portrait Pivot: True

Warranty (Parts/Labor): 3 years

Ready to buy an UHD monitor? Let's define 4K first. Most 4K monitors have 16:9 aspect ratios with a native resolution of 3,840 by 2,160 pixels (horizontal by vertical). That's four times as many as a full HD or 1,920-by-1,080-pixel panel—and that's a lot of pixels. Some other resolutions with approximately 4,000 pixels across—most commonly 4,096 by 2,160—are also considered 4K. All these panels remain premium choices, but they're becoming increasingly common on desks at work, at home, and in gamers' frag dens.

But before we get too deep into details, we should help you answer a fundamental question: Is a 4K monitor right for you in the first place? Depending on what you do most with your monitor and where you'll place it, the extra money you'd pay for a higher-resolution display may not be necessary.

Should You Buy a 4K Monitor for PC Gaming?

For starters, if you want a huge 4K monitor solely for home entertainment purposes that don't center on PC gaming, a 4K TV would likely be a cheaper option. That's because many 4K TV sets aren't beholden to the same standards that 4K monitors are, such as the need for boosted refresh rates (for gaming models), elite or specialized color accuracy (for content creators), or low input lag. (See our picks for the best TVs, now uniformly 4K models.)

Gaming at 4K is a demanding task that requires relatively powerful hardware inside your PC. In particular, you'll need a fast graphics card. If you're looking to run games with maxed-out graphics settings at 60fps or better, you'll need one of the most expensive graphics cards money can buy. The immensely powerful Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 is currently best suited for this task, though at $1,999, it's also prohibitively expensive.

Though you may not sail past 60fps on every game with maxed settings, you can competently run most, if not all, modern titles at that (or close to that) with several less-expensive GPUs. Nvidia has several upper-end GeForce RTX 40-series and 50-series cards capable of gaming at 4K, and AMD's Radeon RX 7900 graphics cards are similarly capable. If you drop the graphics settings down, some older graphics cards, like many of those at the upper ends of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 series and AMD Radeon RX 6000 series, are also perfectly capable of providing a smooth 4K gaming experience in many games.

Gaming at 4K resolution isn't strictly about your hardware nowadays. A crop of software technologies (image sharpeners, upscalers, and supersamplers) from AMD, Intel, and Nvidia has gained momentum in the last few years, with names like DLSS, FSR, and XeSS. In a nutshell, these aim to allow PCs with lower-end or midrange graphics cards or lesser integrated graphics (as well as gaming-console GPUs) to run at what looks like higher resolution while minimizing the performance hit. They do this in several ways, for example by rendering at a lower resolution and upscaling the image, or by generating interpolated frames (via AI) that are shown between "classically" rendered frames. These technologies generally require in-game support, however.

Can You Actually See the Difference With a 4K Monitor?

When shopping in the TV aisle, you should almost always opt for a 4K model—for one thing, it's hard to find TVs with lower resolutions these days. But it's not quite as simple with computer monitors. Getting serious about the question comes down to algebra and raises issues like pixel pitch, pixel density (measured in pixels per inch or ppi), and something called angular resolutions. Let's try to keep it simple, however.

An excellent example of the pixel-pitch problem arises with virtual reality (VR) headsets and an issue known as the screen door effect. In essence, the lower a display's maximum resolution and the closer you sit to it, the easier it is to see its individual pixels. In the case of VR headsets, this can make the image look as if it's seen through mesh, and it's why headset resolution has grown steadily—when something's that close to your eyes, you can more clearly see the difference.

The same considerations apply to monitors, just across a viewing distance measured in feet instead of inches. The tricky bit is that viewing distance isn't fixed but depends on the size and layout of your desk, your chair position, and so on. Whether you can make out the difference in image quality between a 4K display and, say, a 1440p panel (2,560 by 1,440 pixels) depends on the distance, your eyesight, and the screen size. The last calculates out to a certain number of pixels per inch, in essence the screen's pixel density. You can see how it scales here at each common resolution.

Luckily, we don't have to do the math on our own. Workstation vendor Puget Systems has designed a helpful Google Sheet that will automatically help you determine the optimal display size and resolution depending on your visual acuity. All you have to do is plug in your target screen size and resolution, the distance between your eyes and the screen, and the specifics of your eyesight. You can then try different numbers and see how the output changes, helping you determine if a specific size or distance makes more or less sense. (If you haven't been to the eye doctor lately and don't know your prescription strength, a few more calculations using some of the formulas on this page are all you need.)

Of course, less scientifically, you can look at 4K panels of various sizes in a local store to see if you can tell the difference between them and similarly sized 1440p or 1080p monitors. But ideally, you'll want to observe the same screen image, scaled the same amount, to get a meaningful comparison, and that may not always be practical.

Still, to summarize: Before you buy a 4K monitor, make sure you'll actually be able to see the benefit of the increased pixel density given your seating setup. If you have 20/15 vision, sit three feet from the screen, and already own a 27-inch, 1440p display, you probably can't justify the cost of a 27-inch, 4K monitor. It all depends on how big your screen is, how close or far away you'll sit, and your eyesight.

What Type of Screen Should You Buy in a 4K Monitor?

Before you buy a new 4K monitor, you should know the pros and cons of the display technologies available. Most of the time, it's easy to find what type of panel a monitor has simply by looking at the manufacturer's spec sheet. Let's run through the most common kinds.

VERTICAL ALIGNMENT (VA). VA panels are some of the oldest in the game, but they're still around because despite better, newer display technologies, they "just work." VA screens offer some of the highest contrast ratios apart from OLED models (more about them in a moment), and better viewing angles and color reproduction than TN panels. However, VA is the slowest of all display technologies, offering the pokiest response times and highest input-lag numbers. That makes them a bad bet for gaming.

TWISTED NEMATIC (TN). TN displays, on the other hand, boast speedy pixel response times, averaging anywhere between 1 millisecond (ms) and 5ms, and they're relatively inexpensive to produce, making them ideal for gamers. The trade-offs with TN? Uneven color reproduction, limited off-center viewing angles, and mediocre contrast ratios. That's a lot to give up for the sake of speed, which means that you'll typically see 4K TN panels only in gamer-centric monitors, and we're seeing fewer and fewer of them each year.

IN-PLANE SWITCHING (IPS). IPS panels are the most common of today's 4K displays. They tend to cost slightly more than VA or TN screens, but they offer the best all-around experience for most users: strong color reproduction, moderately quick response times, and the widest viewing angles of any display type except for OLED. The penalty? Prices range from $50 to $300 higher than their non-IPS counterparts at a given screen size.

Since 2021, we've seen a host of monitors with tweaked panel types dubbed Fast IPS, Rapid IPS, Nano IPS, and IPS Black. The first three variants boost screens' gaming capabilities and overall color vividness, while the latter produces deep black tones and a contrast ratio that is much improved versus standard IPS panels.

ORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING DIODE (OLED). Familiar from high-end HDTVs, OLED is the newest technology in computer monitors. OLED basically sounds like the ultimate display technology, offering a theoretically infinite contrast ratio, gorgeous color for film and TV, and unbeatably dark black levels. The TVs look stupendous, and you'd think monitor manufacturers would be pumping out OLED models in droves.

Although 4K OLED panels have been all the rage for several years in the TV market (and are increasingly popular laptop displays), it's only recently, as the price of this technology has begun to come down, that OLED computer monitors have started to make a splash. We've seen OLED-based gaming, professional, and even portable monitors in the past year.

MINI LED. Finally, there's mini LED. Rather than edge-lighting an LCD-based panel with a ring of LEDs that sits around the display and lights the picture globally, this tech embeds hundreds or thousands of tiny LEDs behind the panel itself. This allows a lighting technique known as full-array local dimming (FALD), getting you close to OLED's infinite contrast at a lower cost.

What Else to Look for in a 4K Monitor for PC Gaming?

Though 4K displays are still far from the norm in the gaming monitor market, the top models are adopting rapid pixel-response times and blisteringly quick refresh rates. As the technologies in the panels (and the GPUs needed to power them properly) advance, which features should a potential 4K gamer look for? Let's lay them out.

INPUT LAG. In broad strokes, input lag is measured as the time it takes for your monitor to display an external action. For example, if I click a button on my mouse, the input lag (measured in milliseconds) expresses how long it takes for something to happen on screen. Some of the best gaming monitors boast input lag below 2ms, though this is often slower with 4K displays because the number of pixels redrawn in each pass is greater at higher resolution.

REFRESH RATE. Gaming monitor refresh rates have skyrocketed in recent years, especially at resolutions below 4K. While flat-panel displays seemed stuck at 60Hz for ages, it's easy to find 144Hz, 165Hz, or even 240Hz or 360Hz models in the esports arena, while a few recent monitors have reached the 500Hz mark.

Like so much else, it's more complicated with 4K. Due to the bandwidth limitations of the HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4b interfaces and cables, early 4K monitors were limited to 60Hz. More recently, however, models have appeared that take advantage of HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 2.0, and DisplayPort 2.1 to push that ceiling to 120Hz and beyond.

RESPONSE TIME. Not to be confused with input lag, response time refers to the time it takes for a pixel to change from black to white or from one shade of gray to another. In practical terms, you should expect a response time of under 20ms in even the slowest 4K monitors, and when shopping for a gaming panel it's better to aim for 5ms or lower to stay competitive in the long term.

ADAPTIVE-SYNC TECH. Nvidia's G-Sync and AMD's FreeSync and FreeSync2 are all flavors of adaptive sync technologies. Without getting too deep into the weeds, they're designed to prevent stuttering and screen tearing (screen draws with parts of the image misaligned). These maladies can occur on monitors—gaming-focused or otherwise—in fast-moving action scenes.

Adaptive sync aligns the monitor's refresh rate with the video card's frame-rate output on the fly, drawing a frame only when a full one is delivered rather than at a fixed rate. Though it's not essential for gamers who mostly play single-player, slow-paced titles, adaptive sync is great for anyone daring to take their skills into the online multiplayer arena in serious competition.

You need a compatible monitor and graphics card to enjoy G-Sync or FreeSync (for the GPU, a late-model Nvidia GeForce or AMD Radeon RX card, respectively). Note that Nvidia has designated a subset of monitors as G-Sync Compatible; these work with the adaptive-sync tech of its cards despite not having the specific, exclusive G-Sync-enabling circuitry of earlier G-Sync displays.

What to Look for in a 4K Monitor for Pro Graphics Work?

With the monitor industry ramping to 4K and consumers adding millions of such screens to their desks, digital content creators can hardly be expected to stick with 1080p. Professionals were among the first users to splurge on monitors with native 4K resolution, and these buyers continue to drive the market forward with 5K, 6K, and even 8K displays beginning to appear.

A 4K monitor is an excellent addition to any amateur or professional creator's toolkit. However, we should note that in terms of color reproduction or accuracy, 4K screens have no inherent advantages over lower-resolution models. Instead, their main benefit is displaying higher detail in photography, 3D visual arts, or cinematography. Having more pixels gives you a greater level of accuracy, whether you're adding angel wings to an image of a fashion model, making vector art, mastering a movie, or doing anything that requires zooming in and retaining as much visual fidelity as possible.

Another benefit is extra workspace. Even if your ultimate output isn't in 4K, working on a 4K panel can let you see your content at full resolution while leaving screen space for control menus, color palettes, video timelines, and other creation tools. Of course, you could relegate that stuff to a second monitor, but a 4K panel can enable single-display workflows that were impossible or awkward before.

Color-gamut coverage is a key spec for many visual professionals. Several elite 4K monitors cover 100% of the sRGB color gamut used online and score nearly that high with the Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 gamuts used for photo and video imaging, respectively.

What to Look for in a 4K Monitor for the Office?

Keeping busy on a 4K monitor isn't much different from doing general work on a lower-resolution screen, but there's one key difference: effective screen space. Since a 4K monitor has four times as many pixels as a 1080p panel, this gives you, in theory, four times the elbow room to show application windows side by side.

We say "in theory" because it's almost impossible to make out the same text scaled 1:1 at 4K versus 1080p at the same screen size. This is why both Windows PCs and Macs come with a feature known as DPI (dots per inch) scaling. For example, when you switch your display resolution in Windows from 1080p to 4K, the operating system will, by default, scale your content to 150% of its standard DPI.

This increases the size of all rendered elements on the screen by that percentage. At 150% scaling, it's more likely that you'd be able to fit two or three standard app windows side by side and still clearly read their text. With four windows in different screen quadrants? Not so likely.

To help simplify your workflow even more, some 4K monitors come with built-in features like an automatic window-sizing tool. (It sections off parts of your screen that Windows programs will resize to on their own.) These monitors can also accept video signals from multiple sources and display them side by side ("picture by picture") or inlaid in a larger window ("picture in picture"). This can be useful if, say, you're working on a PC, but you need to test your changes on a separately connected Mac at the same time.

What Connections and Controls Should a 4K Monitor Have?

Some specs are not as front-and-center as the display type or the refresh rate, but they'll affect how you work with your 4K display day to day.

The stand's adjustability might seem trivial, but it can affect your comfort depending on where and how you use your panel. A range of forward and backward screen tilt is pretty standard (usually listed in degrees), but you'll want to look for the ability to swivel the panel left and right on its stand or rotate it between landscape (horizontal) and portrait (vertical) modes. The last is less common and mainly for serious photo editors, and is most likely to be found on 32-inch or smaller monitors.

While a few 4K monitors still employ tiny control buttons, usually found at the lower right corner below the screen or on the bottom of the monitor, many now incorporate a mini-joystick for navigating the on-screen display (OSD). These four-way controllers are a cinch to use in browsing or changing settings.

Connectivity is another thing to check, though for most folks, it comes down to HDMI, DisplayPort, or USB-C if it supports DisplayPort over USB Alternate Mode. Most 4K monitors will have two or more of these inputs. Look for a match with your video source. A few panels support input via Thunderbolt, suitable for Macs and high-end Windows laptops.

One note: To get a 4K display running above a 60Hz refresh rate (primarily of interest to gamers or game developers), you'll need a graphics card capable of outputting its signal over a DisplayPort 1.4b, 2.0, or 2.1 cable, or an HDMI 2.1 cable.

Finally, there's the issue of HDR. High dynamic range is a color specification common in current 4K HDTVs, but it's also made inroads into monitors. (See our HDR primer for much more background.) Of course, you'll need content or media recorded in HDR or games supporting the HDR spec to enjoy it. That said, if you have a monitor that also plugs into an Xbox One X, for example, that console will display all kinds of HDR content as a plug-and-play experience without issue.

What's the Best 4K Monitor for You?

As you can see, upgrading to a 4K monitor entails much more than just a simple step up in resolution. But now you're ready to shop. We've tested a host of 4K monitors and gathered a selection of the very best in all the main use classes: business monitors, gaming screens, and creative or visual professional panels. We broke out our favorites and have included a detailed spec breakdown. Dig on in.

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