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A good computer monitor is one of the most important components of your PC setup. Simply put it’s what you’re looking at the most, so investing in a good monitor is a smart decision. Having a great PC means little if you don’t have a good monitor that can vividly output the visuals produced by that PC. Therefore, if you want to get a monitor that is both high quality and futureproof, you’ll want to be looking at the best 4K HDR monitors. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range, and it means that your monitor can display quite a bit more detail in both the darkest and the brightest parts of an image than a regular monitor would. So, what are the best 4K HDR monitors on the market nowadays? We’ve got a list for you, so let’s take a look.
Read Related Article: 4K Monitors for Video Editing and Photo Editing
Our Top HDR Monitor Picks:
Best Overall: BenQ EL2870U
Runner-Up: LG 27UK850-W
144Hz HDR Monitor: Acer Predator X27
HDR Monitor for Gaming: ASUS ROG Swift PG27UQ
HDR Monitor for video and photo editing: BenQ SW271
4K HDR Monitors – Reviews & Recommendations
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BenQ EL2870U
We’re starting things off with BenQ’s excellent EL2870U. It’s a 28” display, which makes for a very sharp image at this resolution, and it has HDR support. The monitor also comes with BenQ’s Brightness Intelligence Plus technology, which will adjust both the color temperature and the brightness according to what’s on your screen and the ambient light conditions. This is an anti-glare display, so you won’t have annoying reflections while you’re using your computer. The Smart Focus technology will highlight a selected window or area to make concentrating on it easier, but it’s not something we found too useful.
Since this is a gaming monitor, it makes sense for it to include some kind of adaptive sync, and BenQ has opted for AMD’s FreeSync tech. If you have an AMD graphics card, you won’t be getting any choppy gameplay, artifacts or skipped frames. There’s also a 1ms response time, which is as fast as it gets nowadays. In terms of connectivity, you have both HDMI (2.0) and DisplayPort (1.4), so you can choose which output you use on your graphics card.
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LG 27UK850-W
Moving away from gaming-oriented monitors, we have the LG 27UK850-W. It’s one of LG’s best IPS panels, with the industry standard HDR10 certification. It has one huge advantage over the other two monitors we spoke about above, and that’s USB Type C connectivity. Users who want to use it on a laptop, such as Apple’s MacBooks, will not only get display via USB Type C, but also power for their device, and the option to use the monitor as a USB hub for data transfer. Just plug in USB peripherals in the monitor itself, and you’ll get everything with a single cable.
Even though this isn’t a gaming-oriented monitor, as we mentioned, it still has AMD’s FreeSync technology, but only over Display Port or HDMI. If you’d rather use it for work, you’re getting over 99% of the sRGB color gamut, which is excellent news for graphic content creators. Last but not least, you get physical adjustments such as height, tilt and pivot with the included base. Even though it has FreeSync, we’d have to say this is one of the best 4K HDR monitors for work. For gaming, you will find better ones.
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Acer Predator X27
Next on our list is Acer’s well-known Predator X27 monitor. Ever since its release, this monitor has constantly been one of the best 4K HDR monitors on the market. It has an IPS panel with 10-bit color and Quantum Dot Technology, which makes for some really stunning images. It supports 99% of Adobe’s RGB Color Gamut and has support for the DCI-P3 Color Space. This is much more than just a gaming monitor. The wide color range and accuracy means that you can easily use it for work that must be color accurate.
The Predator X27 also includes adaptive sync, but unlike the BenQ, this one opts for Nvidia’s G-SYNC HDR. You’re also getting a 144Hz refresh rate, so if your system can push 4K at 144 frames per second, this is as good as you can get. The only potential downside is the 4ms response time, which might be off-putting for some gamers. The panel has 384 LED backlit zones, which are all individually controllable, for a realistic image. Oh, and you also get Predator Game Mode, which lets you quickly adjust your monitor’s performance for different types of content. If you have an Nvidia graphics card, you should absolutely take a good look at it.
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Dell U2718Q
For the past few years, Dell’s Ultrasharp line has been a staple in working environments around the world. The U2718Q is a part of that lineup with a 27” 4K IPS panel with HDR. This is a monitor made for work – not gaming, and all of its specs support that. The 5ms response time and 60Hz refresh rate will make it “slow” for gamers. However, the 99.9% sRGB, 99.9% Rec 709 and 80.7% DCI-P3 coverage will make up for that if you’re getting it for color-accurate work.
The other thing you’re getting is plenty of options for connectivity. There is a DisplayPort 1.2 port, mini DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 2.0, as well as four USB 3.0 ports, two of which have 2A of output for charging your devices. Oh, and there’s an audio out jack. Dell’s monitor stand is excellent, too, with 130mm of height adjustability, -5 to 21 degrees of tilt, as well as -45 to 45 degrees of swivel and a 90 degree, portrait mode rotation on either side. For folks looking for a highly adjustable monitor to do color-accurate work on, this is the one you want to get.
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ASUS ROG Swift PG27UQ
Back to the gamers’ camp, we have a monitor from the ASUS Republic of Gamers line. The ROG Swift is a Quantum Dot IPS display which covers 97% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, as well as 99% of Adobe’s RGB one, so it’s good for people that want to work on it, too. There’s Eye Care technology which reduces eyestrain, so you can comfortably game or work on it for longer periods of time. The stand lets you tilt, swivel and pivot the monitor, as well as adjust its height.
Let’s discuss gaming-specific features for a moment. The monitor has Nvidia’s G-SYNC HDR adaptive sync, as well as a 144Hz refresh rate. Peak brightness is 1000 nits, and you get 384 local dimming zones for the best possible image quality. Since RGB is fairly popular with the gamer crowd lately, ASUS has added their Aura Sync lighting system with a backlit ROG logo on the back, as well as a projecting one at the bottom. This monitor doesn’t only have a great image, it looks stunning on the outside, too. Certainly one of the best 4K HDR monitors for gamers who want the best of the best.
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BenQ SW271
We have a few gaming-specific options, but we don’t have anything that’s primarily made for graphic designers, photographers, and videographers. Enter the BenQ SW271. It comes with a 27” diagonal, 4K resolution and HDR support. There’s also a USB Type C port so you can connect it with a single cable to your laptop and get both video and data.
If you’re a creative mind, this is one of the most advanced monitors on our list. The panel has BenQ’s AQCOLOR Technology which ensures the display covers 99% of Adobe’s RGB color space, 100% of the sRGB color space, as well as good coverage of Rec. 709 and DCI-P3. What you won’t find on other monitors is a 14-bit 3D LUT, as well as the option for a hardware calibration. Even though monitors such as this one often come well calibrated out of the factory, this one will let you use a hardware calibrator to make sure all the colors are 100% accurate, leaving no room for error. Definitely one of the best 4K HDR monitors if you’re a content creator, but not really that great for gaming.
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BenQ EW3270U
Once again we have one of the best 4K HDR monitors on our list from BenQ, and this time it’s the bigger brother to the EL2870U we spoke about earlier. The EW3270U comes in at 31.5”, and aside from that, it is almost identical to the smaller one. You get a 4K, HDR 10-bit color, as well as Brightness Intelligence Plus technology and Eye-Care. There’s 100% coverage of the Rec. 709 color space, as well as 95% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage. AMD’s FreeSync is here again, which is good news for people who want to game on this monitor, but the response time is much slower, at 4ms. The native contrast is 3000:1, which is a lot higher than what you’d find on many displays nowadays.
When we said it’s “almost” identical to the smaller one, we were also referring to the inclusion of a USB Type C port. Unfortunately, it’s only usable for a video signal, and you can’t deliver power to a laptop, for example, which is unfortunate. There is also a pair of 2W speakers, which don’t sound too bad considering they’re a part of a monitor. Overall, it’s an excellent option for an all-round 4K HDR monitor but doesn’t excel in any one particular field.
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ViewSonic VP2785-4K
While we’re on the topic of great monitors for content creators, we must mention ViewSonic’s VP2785-4K. It’s a 27” display which only has a 60Hz refresh rate, so it’s not really that good for gaming. However, for creators, it has everything you’ve ever dreamt of. To begin with, there’s a 100% Adobe RGB coverage, as well as good coverage of the EBU, SMPTE-C, Rec. 709 and DICOM-SIM color spaces. The accuracy has a Delta of E<2, which is excellent, and the monitor is capable of displaying 4.39 trillion colors. In case the monitor, for some reason, isn’t accurate enough for you, there’s support for hardware calibration so you can fine-tune it.
Aside from that, you get an ergonomic design and a built-in light sensor. If you don’t want to use the included mount (even though it’s pretty good), the monitor is compatible with the VESA 100x100mm standard, making it wall-, and desk-mountable. There’s also a KVM switch built-in, so you can use it with multiple devices at the same time. In terms of connectivity, you have HDMI 2.0 with HDCP 2.2, as well as mini DisplayPort and full-size DisplayPort, and USB Type C. A great monitor for people who need accurate colors in a 4K HDR monitor.
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LG 32UD99-W
Another LG on our list, we now have the 32UD99-W, which is a 32” monitor with an excellent IPS panel and a 4K resolution with HDR10. The monitor also has a very elegant design, with a pivoting, height-adjustable stand and ultra-slim bezels. In terms of the panel, it comes with 95% coverage of the DCI-P3 color space, as well as hardware calibration support. The monitor also has a USB Type C port so you can transfer video and data, as well as power, over a single cable. If you want to use it as a USB hub, you’re only going to need one cable, provided your laptop supports this.
The 32UD99-W also has 5W speakers, and they’re fairly impressive for what they are. You are getting LG’s Screen Split software, which lets you divide the monitor into virtual monitors, as well as organize your workspace better. Since this is a 32” monitor with a high resolution, this will come in handy once in a while. Even though this isn’t a gaming monitor by any means, it’s a strong competitor for one of the best 4K HDR monitors for day-to-day use.
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Acer LED ET322QK wmiipx
We’re finishing up our list with Acer’s ET322QK 4K monitor. Compared to some of the other options on our list of top 4K HDR monitors, this is somewhat of a budget option. It has something for everyone, which makes it a good all-around option. For example, it has AMD’s FreeSync adaptive sync, but the 4ms response time is not likely to impress gamers, and neither is the 60 Hz refresh rate. The VA panel is good, but far from the color-accurate IPS panels, we saw above. You still get a 178-degree viewing angle, both vertical and horizontal, which is great.
The Acer comes with two 2W speakers. Even though they won’t “wow” anyone, they’ll get the job done. Inputs are HDMI and DisplayPort, and you get a cable for each in the box. If you don’t want to put it on the mount, it’s VESA mountable (100x100mm standard). It’s a good all-around, budget option, but it won’t win any awards.
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