Contents
How to Compare Monitors?
Our tool is pretty simple to use for beginners and professionals. In just a few seconds, the tool fetches all the crucial specs and performance features that need to compare to give you a detailed tabular side-by-side comparison. All you have to do is:- Add up to three monitors of your choice to compare in the search box and click on the “Compare” button.
- Within a few microseconds, the tool offers you a categorized, detailed comparison among your desired choices based on several aspects. First, the tool offers you a comparison in terms of display size, resolution, pixel rate, etc., which is crucial to understanding any display quality.
- After that, you can check several other aspects like in-built audio and speaker features, mounting support and thickness of display, its power consumption, and color contrasts to compare which one has more to offer you.
- Once you know which one is leading among your desired choices based on your requirements, you can further check their price directly from the tool. Use the “Buy on Amazon” button below the monitor name for price comparison and pick the right one.
What Features To Check When Comparing Monitors?
Don’t know which crucial specs one should look for while comparing monitor vs monitor? Don’t worry, here is the list of all crucial specs and factors you need to compare to pick the suitable monitor for your work or personal requirements:| Spec | Description | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Screen Size | Determines your viewing experience and how much space the monitor would take | Depends upon personal preference and work requirements |
| Display Resolution | Determines picture quality and viewing experience | Higher the better for larger screens |
| Pixel Density | Responsible for Picture Clarity and Quality | Higher the better (depending upon screen size & resolution) |
| Refresh Rate | Determines how many times a screen can refresh the displayed image in a second | Higher the better |
| Response Time | Represents how quickly monitor responds to pixel transition from one color to another | Lower the better |
| Connection Ports | Gives you various connectivity options for higher resolution and refresh rates | More the better |
| Brightness & Contrast | Responsible for the color quality of visuals | Higher the better (but not too much) |
| Adaptive Sync | Reduces Screen Tearing and Stuttering | Higher the better |
1. Screen Size
Range: 20 inches – 34 inches & above, Depends on the preferences. Start with a computer monitor size comparison as it gives you an idea of how much space a monitor would take. It is crucial to understand which screen size would be suitable for your needs:- 20″-22″: It is the most affordable, general-used size monitor for office and home needs. It would work fine if you have basic work requirements like watching videos or sending emails.
- 23″-27″: This size range will be ideal if you need more viewing space with higher picture quality. You can make a monitor size comparison in this range for gaming requirements.
- 28″-32″: The wide screens monitors are better for enhanced productivity and multitasking with their 16:9 or 16:10 aspect ratio. You can use them for professional video editing, animation, gaming, 3D editing & designing purposes.
- Ultrawide monitors (above 32″): Go for an ultrawide monitor size comparison if you have extremely professional multitasking or gaming requirements and are ready to pay a good price. These monitors generally come with split-screen functionality to allow you to open multiple apps and browser windows side-by-side for better content management and productivity.
2. Display Resolution
Range: 1080p – 8K, Higher is better, but can be expensive. The higher the screen resolution, the better the picture quality and the viewing experience. However, the monitor resolution comparison depends upon the screen size.- 1080p: Generally, the small and mid-size monitors (20″-24″) come with 1080p resolution, which is the baseline these days and suitable only for normal usage. Some also come with Full HD resolution (1920*1080p) to offer better HD clarity for normal usage.
- 2560×1440p (Quad HD): Monitors of 27-32″ works efficiently with Quad HD resolution, giving the four times better picture quality offered by HD monitors. While this resolution is good for watching videos and movies, it is not recommended for playing games.
- 4K Ultra HD (UHD) or 3840x2160p: 4K UHD is ideal for widescreen monitors as it offers four times better clarity than FHD monitors and is thus suitable for a seamless gaming experience.
- 5K (5120x2160p) or 8K (7680x4320p): While 5K and 8K resolution is unbeatable and works excellently with ultrawide laptops, pay for them only if you have extreme gaming, designing or presentation requirements.
3. Pixel Density/Pixel Per Inch (PPI)
Range: 70-185+ PPI, Higher the PPI, the better the quality. Pixel density is the ratio of screen size and screen resolution, measured in Pixel Per Inch (PPI). It is crucial for PC monitor comparison as it determines the picture clarity and quality. PPI indicates how many pixels are packed per inch of your screen. The higher the PPI is, the more detailed the picture will be. However, if the PPI is too low, it means more pixels are fit in less screen space, making the image too pixelated or blurry to view. Similarly, if the PPI is too high (too many pixels on screen), everything will appear too tiny to view, and you need to scale it. The ideal Pixel density for any monitor is between 95-110 PPI. Anything beyond or above that would cause strain to your eyes.
4. Refresh Rate
Range: 60Hz – 360Hz, Higher is better! Measured in Hertz (Hz), a monitor’s Refresh rate determines its responsiveness and smoother movements. The higher the refresh rate, the better will be the Frame rates per second, which matters a lot when you play games or videos. Standard monitors come with a 60Hz refresh rate; however, for seamless gaming experiences, 120-144 Hz is ideal. If you have a low-resolution monitor but a good graphics card, you can get faster refresh rates. Some monitors even offer 240-360 Hz, but it is not worth paying extra for it unless you want to run high gaming software.Response Time
Range: 1ms – 20ms, lower response time is better. Measured in Milliseconds (ms), Response time is one of the crucial specs people usually overlooked during monitor comparison. The lower the response time, the smoother and faster the transitions will be, which is really important while playing games. Generally, a 5ms response time is ideal for watching movies and gaming purposes. However, some advanced monitors offer a 1ms response time as well. If the response time exceeds 10ms, you might experience slow transitions, also known as the Ghosting effect. In this effect, a moving object leaves a trail behind during transition.5. Panel Type – Curved vs Straight
Both curved vs straight displays have their own advantages and disadvantages. While straight displays take up a little more space than curved ones, they are suitable for normal business and home needs. However, the curved displays (especially in ultrawide monitors) are better for gaming purposes with a more immersive gaming experience. But for a better viewing experience in curved displays, the size could be 30 inches or above. Otherwise, you will get a narrow field of view unsuitable for group watching.6. Connection Ports
Range: 2-6 ports, the higher the better. Five types of ports come in various monitors: VGA, DVI, USB (Type A & Type C), HDMI and DisplayPort. While VGA and DVI usually come in older monitors, the other three are most common in modern screens. While HDMI ports are more suitable for TV screens, DisplayPorts are more considered for PCs, especially for rendering high-quality media and games. To run 4k resolution, usually HDMI 2.0 or 2.1 port is ideal. However, gamers prefer Display ports to run media or games at a higher resolution of 4K-8K. There are three types of display ports:- DisplayPort 1.2: Can offer around 60Hz refresh rate for monitors with resolution 3840 x 2160 or 4k.
- DisplayPort 1.3: Can offer around 30Hz refresh rate for 8K resolution and generally works with all kinds of graphics cards.
- DisplayPort 1.4: Suitable to run videos in 8k or HDR resolution with a 60Hz refresh rate.
7. Brightness & Contrast
Range: Brightness – 200-1000 nits, Higher the brighter and better. Contrast Ratio – 1000:1 to 50,000,000:1 Whenever you make a gaming or studio monitor comparison, it is crucial to check the peak brightness and contrast ratio offered by various screens as they impact the color quality & resolution. The peak brightness of a monitor refers to how much light it can emit at max. The higher the peak brightness, the brighter the visuals will be. The standard best average peak brightness for monitors is between 300-350 nits. Anything below 300 nits is considered low brightness, and beyond 350 nits is considered high brightness. However, several HDR monitors come with DisplayHDR 400 or 600 certification, where the number indicates the maximum peak brightness. So, more brightness would be handy for your monitor if you have high ambient light. Similarly, the contrast ratio of a monitor indicates the difference between the maximum white vs full black a screen can get. So, if a display has a 1000:1 contrast ratio, the white image would be 1000 times brighter than the black one. The more the contrast ratio, the richer and deeper the color of the images will be with a better color accuracy.8. Technology – HDR vs Smart Technology
Both types of technologies have their own advantages and are thus suitable for various purposes. High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology makes visuals clearer and more vibrant by enhancing the pixel color range and contrast ratio. Thus it is useful for professional gaming, video editing and media viewing. However, if you need smart connectivity to run online streaming apps and web browsers, Smart technology works better for you. The monitors with Smart technology have an in-built WiFi adapter that lets you connect your smartphone to stream your favorite shows, movies and gaming apps on a larger screen. It works best when you don’t want to connect your screen to the PC, as it transforms your display into a PC.9. Adaptive Sync – FreeSync vs GSync
Adaptive sync is an excellent technology that comes with most monitors these days, from budget ones to premium. The technology syncs the computer’s video output with your display’s refresh rate to reduce screen tearing and stuttering. Thus it is a crucial factor in a gaming monitor comparison. Some gaming monitors come with NVIDIA G-Sync technology for adaptive sync, while some support AMD Free-Sync. While both offer almost similar functionalities, here are some key differences:- G-Sync monitors usually cost more than the Free-sync ones.
- G-Sync works with DisplayPort, while Free-Sync works with both HDMI & DisplayPort.
- While G-Sync monitors can operate from as least as 30Hz up to the monitor’s maximum refresh rate, not all Free-sync monitors can do that (they generally operate at lower limits than G-Sync).
10. Integrated Webcam
While some monitors come with an integrated webcam, some don’t offer it. The integrated webcam in the monitor is generally fixed at the center of the screen top, giving you a fixed view. So, first of all, you have to decide whether you need a webcam or not. You can go for the display with an integrated webcam if you have a general requirement for conference calls with colleagues and loved ones. However, the quality of the integrated webcam is usually moderate and only suitable for normal video calling. If you have professional streaming requirements, it is better to go for a separate webcam with high-image quality and freedom to adjust the view.11. Design and Mounting
Design and Mounting are crucial factors to compare desktop monitors. There comes a variety of mounting stands ranging from plastic to flexible ones. If you have a complex setup requirement with more than one monitor or less space, look for a display with a flexible mount design. It allows you to adjust the angle and orientation for a comfortable viewing experience. However, if you want to mount the screen on the wall, ensure the display comes with VESA mount support. Also, check where the ports are so you can easily connect multiple devices. Some people prefer ports backward, while some prefer them on the bottom of the mount base. So, according to your requirements, carefully compare the design and mounting.12. Requirement & Purpose
Which attributes you need to compare first depends primarily on your purpose. If you require a monitor for your regular home or office needs, a regular display size with an integrated webcam, 1080p or 1440p resolution and 30-60 Hz refresh rate is enough. However, if you need it for professional designing or editing purposes, you need better pixel density, color accuracy (high brightness & contrast ratio), and a flexible mount with multiple ports. For professional gaming purposes, you need to focus more on refresh rate, Frame per second, 4k resolution, DisplayPort, low response time, etc.13. Budget & Brand Warranty
Don’t just compare the specs and features of various monitors but also their price and whether it comes within your budget or not. There is no need to pay extra for the features you won’t or less require. For example, go for entry-level monitors for regular online meetings, surfing, and daily work. For more professional designing, editing or programming, you can pay a little extra for the mid-range ones. Pay for high-end ones only when you require unmatchable picture quality for extensive multitasking. Also, compare which brand has more warranty period to offer, so you don’t have to pay extra for initial repair or replacement of its components.Types of Monitors based on Panel Technology
Monitors are divided into four types based on the LCD Panel technology. The panel type is usually listed in the display specification to tell you about the monitor’s quality. These are:- Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) – Instead of using LCD technology, OLED panels use their own organic pixel technology to emit light. OLED outperforms other panel types in terms of color contrast, motion clarity and viewing angles; however, you have to pay a good amount for it.
- Twisted Nematic (TN) technology – Conversely, TN panels are the most affordable and generally good for gaming purposes. This is because they offer quick response time, high refresh rates, and better motion clarity with minimal input lag. However, they still need a lot of improvement in terms of color contrast and viewing angles.
- In-Plane Switching (IPS) – Like OLED, IPS Panels are expensive but good for professional work requirements because of their excellent color contrast and viewing angles. However, if you have gaming requirements, it is not the right choice as it offers a slower refresh rate and response time than TN panels. Also, their contrast and black levels are disappointing and thus unsuitable for low-light ambient.
- Vertical Alignment (VA) – VA panels are good for both gaming and general use purposes, and their pricier models give you performance similar to TN panels. VA panels offer excellent image quality, color contrast, and high refresh rates, but the only downside is the viewing angle. Image quality can be degraded if you adjust the view angles apart from straight on.