He also points out that if you find a monitor that you like but it doesn’t have adjustable height, you can still get it. Alvin Lee, IT administrator lead at New York Magazine (and the person responsible for picking all of the tech equipment we use at the Strategist), says “connectivity and compatibility” were among his main criteria in buying monitors for our office.
The first thing to look for is compatibility with your computer.
You want something practical and reasonably priced that will give you the freedom to chuck windows over to another screen when you don’t need them, and then drag them back over when you do. Overall, the ASUS VP28UQG is a solid 4K monitor that is fairly affordable (when compared to other 4K monitors out there) and it has a slightly bigger picture and a lower response rate than our runner-up pick, the LG 27UD58-B, all of which make it our top choice for the best 4K monitor under 300. The ones in your laptop are plenty when it comes to alert sounds and the occasional video - or you can always connect to headphones or dedicated speakers.įor most of us, a dedicated monitor is simply about expanding visual real estate. That’s why we’ve created a list of the best monitors for Mac after reviewing dozens of products based on a number of factors including the features of the monitor value for money and the reputation of the manufacturer. If sound isn’t that important to you, you can often save money by finding a monitor without speakers. MacBook is one of the best-selling laptops in the world. If you’re editing photos or videos or just want the best colors you can get, Byford recommends finding a monitor with an IPS, or in-plane-switching, panel, which will give you a clearer image and improve response time. “That isn’t really relevant for someone just wanting something basic for working at home,” he says. Sam Byford, an editor at the Verge, says most people can ignore refresh rates, a number that reflects how many times in a second the image on the screen is reloaded (or refreshed). One thing that should reassure you when you’re looking for a new monitor is that you don’t necessarily need top-of-the-line visuals. (It’s also nice if you want to keep something like your email, Slack, or Spotify always visible.) It’s expensive, for sure, but it’s hella powerful and arguably delivers the most vivid colors, the fast response times, and the lowest lag of any other gaming laptops that are available right now. It can help you visually divide your work so your screen doesn’t turn into a cluttered mess of windows, tabs, and videos that’ll give you flashbacks to Myspace and the early aughts. That’s right, you can buy the 15-inch Razer Blade, already one of the best gaming laptops out there, with a beautiful 4K OLED touchscreen display. You don’t need to know anything about tech to understand the benefits of a dedicated monitor when your primary computer is a laptop.