Best monitors for a home office 2026: Budget, 4K, ultrawide, portable

Who should buy the Dell U3225QE?

The Dell Ultrasharp U3225QE is an outstanding choice for a home office thanks to its excellent image quality and extensive connectivity.

Its 31.5-inch 4K IPS Black panel delivers sharp text and vivid colors, while the improved 3000:1 contrast ratio enhances depth and clarity over standard IPS panels. It also delivers a 120Hz refresh rate, which makes scrolling through documents and navigating complex spreadsheets feel more responsive.

Connectivity is another perk, as the monitor’s Thunderbolt and USB-C connectivity make it a great hub for a modern PC workstation. The standout feature is the USB-C port’s support for up to 140 watts of USB Power Delivery, which can fully power most laptops and reduces cable clutter. Additional USB-A and USB-C ports, including a pop-out hub for quick access, are icing on the cake.

Dell U3225QE: Further considerations

Though it’s not inexpensive, the U3225QE stands out for its blend of performance and features tailored for productivity. It offers strong color accuracy, improved contrast, and tons of connectivity, all of which makes it well-suited for office work and creative production.

This monitor does lack speakers so you’ll need to invest in standalone speakers if you need them. Also, the HDR performance is a bit limited, but the excellent connectivity features and high-quality panel more than make up for these minor drawbacks.

Looking for a smaller version of this monitor? Check out the Dell Ultrasharp U2725QE. It has a similar 4K IPS Black display panel and Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C connectivity.

Who should buy the Acer Vero B247Y G?

The Acer Vero B247Y G is a great choice for the budget-conscious buyer with a home office setup. This 24-inch 1080p IPS monitor prioritizes comfort with an exceptional ergonomic stand that adjusts for height, tilt, swivel, and pivot to help maintain proper posture through long workdays. The monitor’s matte finish and high brightness effectively combat glare from household lighting, and its clear, simplified menu system makes image adjustments straightforward.

The monitor’s connection options cater to home offices and small businesses with HDMI and DisplayPort for modern systems, alongside VGA support for older computers that might still be in use. While it lacks USB ports and sophisticated cable management, the Vero B247Y G otherwise delivers a lot of features for the price, and it’s an obvious choice if you need a versatile home office display.

Acer Vero B247Y G: Further considerations

This monitor also has extras that are useful in a home office. The quick-release stand makes initial setup painless. The inclusion of a 1/4-inch tripod mount on top provides a solution for attaching webcams or ring lights, which is an extremely rare feature at this price point. The 120Hz refresh rate, also uncommon at this price point, means it’s even a decent choice for entertainment. That’s good news if you need one monitor for both work and play.

Who should buy the Asus ProArt PA278CFRV?

The Asus ProArt PA278CFRV stands out as an excellent choice for home office users who need a monitor for general office productivity or content creation.  

This 27-inch monitor has a crisp 2560×1440 IPS panel that delivers sharp visuals and vibrant colors. Its color performance is especially notable, as it covers up to 97 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut with good color accuracy. That’s essential for photographers, digital artists, and other creatives. 

The monitor provides a good range of USB connectivity. It includes a USB-C port with 96 watts of Power Delivery. You can power and charge most laptops directly through the monitor’s USB-C port. The monitor also has a built-in USB hub with multiple USB-A and USB-C ports. 

Asus ProArt PA278CFRV: Further considerations

An ergonomic stand is included and adjusts for height, tilt, swivel, and pivot. There’s also a built-in ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts screen brightness based on your environment. 

Though best for productivity, the ProArt is good for entertainment. It has a speedy maximum refresh rate of 100Hz and supports Adaptive Sync for smoother gameplay in PC games. Its motion clarity won’t rival a dedicated gaming monitor but easily beats competitors stuck at 60Hz. Pricing also works to Asus’ favor, as the ProArt PA278CFRV carries an MSRP of just $379.  

Who should buy the Asus ProArt PA279CRV?

The Asus ProArt PA279CRV is an outstanding home office monitor for professionals, artists, and creators seeking exceptional color performance at an affordable price. 

It has a 27-inch 4K display that packs 163 pixels per inch. That translates to outstanding sharpness and clarity across apps, web pages, movies, and games. The monitor also has a remarkably wide color gamut that rivals more expensive displays, covering 100 percent of sRGB, 99 percent of DCI-P3, and 98 percent of AdobeRGB. 

Asus pairs the monitor’s excellent image quality with elegant design and a sturdy, ergonomic stand that supports height, tilt, swivel, and pivot adjustments. The monitor’s extensive connectivity options include USB-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and 96 watts Power Delivery, two DisplayPort 1.4 (including one output supporting Daisy Chain), two HDMI 2.0, and three USB-A 3.2 Gen-1 ports, as well as a 3.5mm audio-out.

Asus ProArt PA279CRV: Further considerations

The PA279CRV has a mediocre contrast ratio and struggles with detail and ambiance in dark content. It also offers a modest 60Hz refresh rate, which amounts to lackluster motion fluidity in games.

These downsides are easily excused by Asus’ competitive MSRP of $469. That’s an extremely low price for a monitor that offers 4K resolution and top-tier color gamut alongside gobs of ports. 

Who should buy the Asus ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV?

The Asus ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV is the perfect home office monitor for people who crave ultra-sharp text or need the ability to view every detail in high-resolution photos.

It delivers true 5K resolution (5120×2880) on a 27-inch panel, which works out to a crisp 218 pixels per inch. That’s much sharper than a 5K ultrawide monitor, and it nearly reaches the pixel density of Apple’s Pro Display XDR.

The ProArt Display 5K also has a good range of connectivity. It includes USB-C with 96 watts of power delivery, which is enough to charge most laptops while carrying display and data signals. The inclusion of HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, and multiple USB ports, along with an integrated KVM switch, makes it a useful hub for multi-device home office setups.

Color performance is another highlight. The ProArt Display 5K offers 100 percent of both the sRGB and DCI-P3 color spaces, plus 91 percent of AdobeRGB. It’s also bright, reaching up to 578 nits in SDR. That means the monitor should look bright even under harsh lighting.

Asus ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV: Further considerations

The Asus ProArt 5K’s price is surprisingly tame. It has an MSRP of just $799.99, almost half the price of Apple’s 5K monitor. It’s the least expensive 5K monitor available right now, and it’ll fit comfortably in any home office, no matter if you use Windows or Mac.

Who should buy the Asus ProArt Display 6K PA32QCV?

The Asus ProArt PA32QCV is an outstanding choice if you want a monitor that makes text, images, and videos look incredibly crisp. It’s also a top pick for Mac users who want a “Retina display” experience at a more affordable price.

Its 6K resolution packs roughly 219 pixels per inch into a 32-inch display, delivering exceptional sharpness that reduces eye strain and makes fine details easy to see. The display’s brightness is equally impressive, topping 700 nits for sunny workspaces, while its fine-grained brightness control and effective ambient light sensor make it comfortable to use in dim rooms as well. The monitor even has an ambient light sensor that can auto-correct brightness to maintain viewing comfort throughout your work day.

The monitor also provides a sleek, professional design that’s paired with a highly adjustable stand that makes positioning simple. Monitor connectivity includes a Thunderbolt 4 port with 96 watts of power delivery to charge your laptop while connected.

Asus ProArt Display 6K PA32QCV: Further considerations

Those who want more integrated features might consider Dell’s UltraSharp U3224KB, which adds an IPS Black panel, 4K webcam, Ethernet, and higher Thunderbolt power delivery. Mac users might opt for Apple’s Pro Display XDR, which offers unmatched HDR brightness and contrast for professional video work. Both are far more expensive, though. The Dell is about $2,800 and the Apple starts at $5,000 before the stand.

Who should buy the Asus ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV?

The Asus ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV is a great choice for most people who want a monitor, but creative professionals should upgrade to the BenQ PD2730S.

The two monitors are similar in many respects. They use the same 27-inch 5K In-Plane Switching display panel, so they offer similar image quality. BenQ’s monitor is more precisely calibrated from the factory, however. Because of that, the BenQ’s color accuracy score was among the five best monitors we’ve reviewed in the past year.

BenQ also throws in several useful features. It offers better connectivity through support for both USB-C and Thunderbolt 4. It also has a USB-C downstream port and four USB-A downstream ports, which makes the monitor a useful USB hub. The monitor ships with a puck-style remote, as well, offering easy access to the monitor’s wide range of image quality options. The PD2730S also looks great on a desk, and the bundled stand offers an especially wide range of ergonomic adjustment.

Asus ProArt Display 5K PA27JCV: Further considerations

While the BenQ PD2730S is a great monitor for creative work, it has two downsides. It’s a 60Hz monitor and doesn’t support Adaptive Sync, so it’s not great for fast-paced PC games. And while HDR is supported, the monitor’s brightness and contrast aren’t a great fit for HDR content. Most 5K monitors share these downsides, however.

The BenQ PD2730S carries an MSRP of nearly $1,200, which is about $400 more than the Asus ProArt Display 5K. Shoppers who just want a nice, super-sharp image should save a few bucks and go for the Asus, which is also an excellent monitor. Creative professionals, however, are likely to find the BenQ’s extra features worth the increase in price.

Who should buy the Dell U4025QW?

The Dell Ultrasharp U4025QW is an ideal ultrawide monitor for a home office setup thanks to its extensive connectivity and a robust feature set. With an array of ports including Thunderbolt, Ethernet, HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C, the U4025QW is something of a Swiss Army knife for professionals. It’s perfect for connecting multiple devices, daisy-chaining displays, or adding Ethernet to a device that doesn’t have it.

Dell also delivers settings that allow for personalized adjustments, ensuring that the display meets your specific image quality needs, whether it’s color accuracy, brightness, or contrast. The built-in KVM switch provides control over multiple computers from a single monitor, and the monitor has picture-by-picture and picture-in-picture modes, too. The monitor’s image quality is attractive, too, as its 5K (5120×2160) resolution exceeds most competitors to achieve a sharper, more detailed image.

Dell U4025QW: Further considerations

Unfortunately, the monitor’s perks come with a price tag that nearly exceeds $2,000. That’s a lot to ask for a home office monitor, and you could achieve even better image quality with a different display (or save a lot of cash). However, less expensive competitors don’t have the U4025QW’s connectivity.

And that’s what it comes down to. A lot of monitors can work for a home office setup, but an ideal monitor has both great image quality and the connectivity to handle any laptop, desktop, or peripheral thrown at it. The U4025QW is that monitor.

Who should buy the Dell 2424T?

The Dell 2424HT is an excellent monitor for those craving a touchscreen experience for their home office. With its 24-inch display, 1080p resolution, and 10-point multi-touch panel, it provides an intuitive touch experience for navigating through documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.

Dell improves the touchscreen experience with a versatile tilt stand that lets you adjust the angle of the screen for comfortable viewing and easy touchscreen access. The monitor also delivers excellent connectivity with USB-C, HDMI, and DisplayPort inputs. The USB-C port provides USB Power Delivery, which can charge a connected laptop or tablet. It also serves as a USB hub providing additional USB-A ports and Ethernet.  

Dell 2424T: Further considerations

The 2424HT delivers solid image quality for office work with good color accuracy, contrast, and viewing angles thanks to its IPS panel. It sticks to a 60Hz refresh rate, however, and lacks Adaptive Sync. The 2424HT’s purpose is clear: It’s for work, not gaming. 

Dell asks a steep $519.99 MSRP, but the monitor is sometimes discounted to $414.99. That makes the Dell 2424HT more expensive than its alternatives, but it makes up for that with superior image quality and connectivity. These advantages make the 2424HT the obvious choice if you want a touchscreen monitor for your home office.

Who should buy the BenQ RD280U?

The BenQ RD280U is uniquely suited to coders thanks to its unusual 3:2 aspect ratio, which makes it much taller than a conventional widescreen. The extra height is great for viewing more lines of code simultaneously and reduces the need for constant scrolling back or forth. 

Besides the unusual aspect ratio, the RD280U’s image quality is conducive to long coding sessions. The monitor’s IPS panel delivers excellent color accuracy and wide viewing angles, ensuring code remains clear and legible from any position. The 28-inch display panel has a crisp 3840×2560 resolution, which helps to render small fonts. It also has a matte finish that reduces glare, making it ideal for various lighting conditions.

A MoonHalo ambient light and an automatic night mode feature are both designed to reduce eye strain during extended use — a crucial consideration for programmers who often work long hours. Connectivity is another strong suit of the RD280U, with a versatile array of ports including USB-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and 90 watts of USB Power Delivery. Programmers can easily connect and charge a laptop.

BenQ RD280U: Further considerations

Priced at $599.99, the BenQ RD280U is relatively expensive for a monitor of its size, but its long list of unique features makes it an easy recommendation for coders. The fact is, no competitor offers the same features at any price.

Who should buy the Asus ZenScreen MB249C?

Asus’ ZenScreen MB249C is a good option for users who want a multi-monitor setup, as well as some flexibility. This is a portable home office monitor that can be mounted next to a primary monitor in several ways, and also used on its own for work out on the road. 

The MB249C has an adjustable desk stand that can clamp to the back of your desk instead of sitting on top of it, which reduces wire clutter and keeps the surface of your desk free. The monitor also has a built-in kickstand, which is great for portable use, and a “partition mount” to hang the monitor from a vertical surface. The options end with a 100x100mm VESA mount that is compatible with most third-party monitor arms and stands. These options make the MB249C easy to place next to your primary monitor even in cramped spaces.

This is a portable monitor, as mentioned, which means it’s easy to move. The monitor mounts to its stand with a clip mechanism that’s easily detached, and the built-in kickstand can flip out to support the monitor on most flat surfaces. It’s powered by either a USB-C connection that supports up to 60 watts of Power Delivery or the included power adapter. Not everyone will need the monitor’s portable versatility, but it’s handy if you like to work in different locations throughout the day.

Asus ZenScreen MB249C: Further considerations

Once in place, the MB249C is a competent office and productivity monitor. While it lacks the wow-factor of more expensive alternatives, like the Dell U3223QE, Asus delivers a robust, colorful, and accurate image with plenty of brightness for a typical home office. The lack of features like HDR might seem disappointing but, at this price, it’s better to execute the basics well.