The best 4K monitors are in demand among creatives working in design, photography, video, or anything else that needs high resolution. It used to be something of a luxury to have a 3,840 x 2,160-pixel screen but 4K Ultra HD is now the norm for most new monitors and the best 4K monitors are now much more affordable than they were. They’re really a must for most creatives now, especially for anyone working with video.

In our guide to the best 4K monitors below, we’ve included options at a range of price points to cover different budgets, from affordable 4K monitors like the Dell S3221QS and Samsung U28E590D to pricey pro screens like the Asus ProArt PA32UC-K and Eizo ColorEdge CG319X. You should have no problem displaying 4K if you have a reasonably recent PC or Mac, but do check the recommended display resolution for your machine before you invest in a new screen. See our guide to screen resolution for guidance. 

If you work with video in particular, you might also want to take a look at our guide to the best monitors for video editing, and if you currently use a dual monitor setup, you could perhaps go for one of the best ultrawide monitors to save some space. We also have guides to the best monitors for MacBook Pro and the best touchscreen monitors. 

The best 4K monitors available now

Pro features for under a grand put this at the top of our list of the best 4K monitors.  Following in a long tradition of fine displays from Dell, the UltraSharp U3219Q offers full sRGB covering, 95 per cent DCI-P3 and exceptional colour uniformity, making it ideal for all types of creative, including those working in photo and video.

It’s also reasonably affordable for a screen of this size and quality, which is rather impressive, all things considered. It may lack some features like the colour calibrator of the Eizo ColorEdge CG319X we’ve included below. But it’s also about a quarter of the price, and with a build that’s extremely high quality, that’s very hard to argue with. A sleek design meets a matt IPS panel finish and 6mm thin bezels, all adding up to a superb monitor at an outstanding price. All things factored in, this is the best 4K monitor you can buy right now. 

Dell takes second place on our pick of the best 4K monitors too, but this time with a more affordable display, which looks stunning and has a price tag that’s just as attractive. Dell monitors aren’t known for exciting looks, but the curved S3221QS is a lot more elegant than its name, standing out from all those black and grey monitors with its white back and base. 

With a contrast ratio of 3,000:1, support for 1.07 billion colours, a response time of up to 4ms and a 178/178 viewing angle it gives stunning, crisp and vibrant visuals. There’s no USB-C which feels like a bit of an oversight for a monitor aimed at professionals, and there’s no true HDR either, but the multitasking features like Picture in Picture, picture by picture and EasyArrange, which lets you organise apps and tabs, are useful.

For a slightly more compact option, this 28-inch Samsung 4K display follows very closely on the heels of the Dell above. It lacks pro features but there’s still 100 per cent support for the sRGB colour space, a high 300cd/square metre brightness level and support for 60Hz 4K. 

It’s a decent-looking display that also boasts various connectivity options including dual HDMI and Display Port, too. You can even use picture-by-picture if you want to use two inputs alongside each other, such as a TV box or gaming console. The viewing angle is narrower than more expensive monitors, which is worth bearing in mind, but as a does-the-job monitor at a good price, the Samsung U28E590D fully qualifies. 

The Eizo ColourEdge CG319X is undoubtedly the connoisseur’s choice in high-quality displays. Eizo displays are a very familiar sight in professional video and photography studios – and this 31-inch 4K monitor, with a 10-bit display and 24-bit colour look-up table, represents a big upgrade over its predecessor. The CG319X also boasts one feature that sets it apart from all competing high-end 4K screens. 

Unlike other 4K monitors, the CG318-4K has a 4096 x 2160 resolution. This reflects the different, slightly taller 4K standard used in digital video production, compared with the 3840 x 2160 resolution used in most computer displays. All of this monitor’s features come together to produce a jaw-dropping image, making your creative work shine. 

The design of the ColourEdge CG319X is arguably a little dull and utilitarian, certainly less sleek than others on this list. This may bother you, and may not, but it’s worth noting. There’s a built-in calibration tool to constantly keep your colours as accurate as possible, which pops across the screen every time it’s powered on, along with a bundled monitor hood. If money is no object, the Eizo ColorEdge CG319X is the best 4K monitor you can buy right now.

See our Eizo ColorEdge CG319X review for more information.

Most displays are 16:9 or 16:10 format, which makes the 3:2 Huawei Mateview immediately attention-getting. This slightly squarer format is good for viewing certain types of content – viewing images and documents in portrait format is easier, and a picture taken on a standard camera can be displayed full bleed. Of course, the flip side is that widescreen video will have big black bars on the top and bottom – so it’s probably not the best choice for movie-watching

The MateView is pretty firmly pitched at working creatives. Its IPS panel is capable of displaying 100 per cent of the sRGB colour gamut, and 98 per cent of the DCI-P3 video colour space. It also has a maximum brightness level of 500 nits, and a 1200:1 contrast ratio. The sleek, slim-bezel design is a nice addition too, and the touch-sensitive smart bar provides an ergonomic way to control the monitor. Available at a tempting price (although there are some stock issues in the US), this is a solid choice of monitor for creatives. See our Huawei Mateview review for more details.

Compared with some of the pricey high-end colour accurate screens, the Philips Brilliance 328P (catchy name, we know) is an excellent alternative, as it’s great value for money and can serve up an excellent image. It’s a 31.5-inch IPS panel with measured 99 per cent sRGB and 73 per cent AdobeRGB coverage, a thin-bezel design and a few extras such as a pop-up webcam that works when the built-in USB hub is connected. 

It’s not really aimed at graphic designers – the colour presets are given terms like ‘office’ and ‘movie’ rather than ‘sRGB’ and ‘DCI-P3’ and the fiddly underside buttons make it tricky to flick through on-screen menu options. And although the image quality isn’t as high-end as it gets, with a Delta-E under 2, rather than under 1, and a 270-nit measured brightness, this screen still looks very impressive and won’t disappoint.

Asus has updated its stunning flagship ProArt 4K display, the ProArt PA32UC-K, with a more premium appearance, 10-bit colour, a whole new set of inputs (including Thunderbolt 3), much higher 1000-nit brightness and even better accuracy, now using a 14-bit look-up table (LUT). Hardware support for colour calibrators is now included out of the box and accuracy can hit 100 per cent sRGB, 99.5 per cent Adobe RGB, 95 per cent DCI-P3 and 85 per cent Rec.20. It comes with its own monitor calibrator so you can perform regular calibrations for the best possible accuracy.

This all comes with a massive price tag, and the 60Hz refresh rate means this isn’t a monitor for intense gaming, but the feature list and image quality put up there as one of the best high-end 4K monitors.

The BenQ PD3200U’s screen size and resolution make it a great choice for designers and creators. It isn’t the cheapest model in our guide (for that, scroll down to the Iiyama at number 07) but it’s a more affordable option for pro creatives than the other options so far. 

So what’s so good about it? Well, the screen is a hefty 32-inches, which makes working with 4K images and videos much more comfortable. 3D designers will be grateful for the inclusion of a CAD/CAM mode, and everyone else will appreciate the factory-calibrated colour accuracy and Rec. 709 adherence. 

Whenever Lenovo launches a Think-branded product, you can expect high quality, which is exactly what you get from its designer-focused ThinkVision display. An excellent design, plenty of ports and great picture quality make the premium Lenovo ThinkVision P32U worth its high asking price. 

100 per cent AdobeRGB coverage is enough to compete with top-end screens, and it has Thunderbolt 3, which lets you connect and charge laptops from a single port. This professional-grade 4K monitor isn’t cheap, but it certainly is impressive. Though the 60Hz refresh won’t be enough for gaming, and anyone who has experienced a 120Hz will probably be reluctant to go back.

Viewsonic has a few colour accurate displays on the market, and the VP2785-4K is the most high-end model in its catalogue, a 27-inch 4K IPS screen, sporting 100 per cent sRGB and quoted 99 per cent AdobeRGB coverage. It’s a bit fiddly to put together, requiring a screwdriver to attach the panel to the stand, but the overall design is extremely svelte, with a thin and light build, near edge-to-edge screen, and only a small bezel at the bottom that accommodates touch-sensitive controls. 

With a 14-bit LUT, 700:1 contrast ratio and 375-nit brightness, the picture quality of the VP2785-4K won’t disappoint, although it doesn’t quite deliver the same eye-popping colours of the most high-end 4K displays money can buy. 

The Asus TUF Gaming VG289Q is by no means the best 4K monitor you can buy, but it is one of the best value, especially for gaming.  This 28-inch monitor can swivel, pivot and tilt almost anywhere you need it to and it has lovely thin bezels and a neat cable management solution It offers gorgeous vibrant colours, super sharp image quality and a design that hints at gaming but not so much that it can’t stand in as a 4K monitor for general use for anyone who watches a lot of visual media.

The Philips Brilliance BDM4065UC is an incredible display – but do you really want a 40-inch panel? Based on VA-IPS panel technology, it offers extremely good contrast, with 300 cd/m2 brightness. Its menu is controlled with a small joystick at the back and it also offers a four-way picture-in-picture (PIP) mode, allowing you to allocate a quarter of the screen to each video input. 

On such a large 4K screen, each connected device will have its own 1920 x 1080 screen area – perfect for seeing your designs in Illustrator CC or working on your 3D art on one machine while looking up reference images on another device on the same screen, for example.

What to look for when buying a 4K monitor

Although 4K monitors are more expensive than 1080p displays, they have come down in price a lot as they become standard, and you can now go 4K without spending a fortune – although the best 4K monitors can still be very expensive if you want profession calibration and the best colour accuracy.

If you’re going to be using your screen for any kind of colour work, then do want precise colour accuracy. Most entry-level 4K monitors actually do a fairly decent job, but the best 4K monitors for designers will have full coverage of the AdobeRGB or DCI-P3 colour space (you’ll want to invest in the best monitor calibrator too). Investing in a colour-accurate display will get you an excellent screen for black levels and brightness that will serve you well whether you’re working on images or video. 

After colour, size is obviously another major factor in choosing the best 4K monitor for you. The most popular choice is usually 27-inches but 32-inch screens are becoming more common. If you’re looking for a display specifically for image editing then make sure you see our roundup of the best monitors for photo editing for more options.

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