Best USB-C monitors 2026: 4 displays with a hidden talent

USB-C is the one connection to rule them all. Its popularity has made USB-C a common sight on new monitors. A USB-C monitor can act as USB hub, giving you additional ports for connecting various USB devices, but the monitor’s USB-C port can also serve as a video-input alternative to HDMI or DisplayPort; and some USB-C monitors can even charge a connected device while in use.

The details of USB-C can be confusing, however, and pricing for USB-C monitors is often higher than that for monitors that lack the interface. See our buyers’ guide below our recommendations to better understand the nuances.

Why you should trust PCWorld for monitor reviews and buying advice: PCWorld prides itself on PC hardware experience and expertise. We’ve been covering PCs since 1983, and we review dozens of monitors every year. All of our recommendations have been personally tested and vetted by our expert reviewers, who’ve applied not only performance benchmarks but rigorous usability standards.

Dell Ultrasharp U3225QE – Best USB-C monitor overall

Pros

• Functional, professional design
• Thunderbolt 4, USB-C, Ethernet, and 140 watts of Power Delivery
• New generation of IPS Black boosts contrast ratio
• Excellent sharpness from 31.5-inch 4K panel
• 120Hz refresh rate with VRR

Cons

• Contrast ratio is good for an IPS panel, but still behind VA and OLED panels
• HDR brightness is decent, but contrast remains limited
• Doesn’t have speakers

Best Prices Today:

$799.97

Who should buy the Dell Ultrasharp U3225QE?

The Dell Ultrasharp U3225QE is an excellent choice for professionals who need a high-quality display with best-in-class USB-C connectivity.

The U3225QE’s connectivity eliminates the need for external docks and adapters. It features Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C ports with 140W of Power Delivery—enough to charge most laptops—along with HDMI, DisplayPort, and a secondary DisplayPort for daisy-chaining multiple monitors. A built-in 2.5Gbps Ethernet port ensures a fast and stable wired network connection, a rare feature among monitors. It also offers six USB-A ports, a pop-out USB hub with quick-access USB-C and USB-A ports, and KVM switch functionality for seamless switching between two connected PCs.

In addition to its connectivity, the U3225QE has a sharp 31.5-inch 4K IPS Black panel with excellent color accuracy and an above-average contrast ratio for a productivity monitor. The 120Hz refresh rate enhances responsiveness, making tasks like scrolling through documents and multitasking smoother. The ergonomic stand provides height, tilt, swivel, and portrait mode adjustments, and the anti-glare coating ensures comfortable viewing in various lighting conditions.

Dell Ultrasharp U3225QE: Further considerations

While it lacks built-in speakers and its HDR performance is limited, the U3225QE’s extensive connectivity and high-quality display make it a standout choice for professionals who need a central hub for their workspace.

Want 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.

Read our full

Dell Ultrasharp U3225QE review

BenQ GW2786TC – Best budget USB-C monitor

Pros

• Attractive design and ergonomic stand
• Great connectivity including USB-C with Power Delivery
• Includes ambient light sensor, microphone
• Good contrast ratio for the price

Cons

• Only 1080p resolution
• Color performance is mid-pack
• Lacks Adaptive Sync

Best Prices Today:

$219.99

Who should buy the BenQ GW2786TC?

Budget shoppers, take note. The BenQ GW2786TC is one of the best USB-C monitors you can buy for under $200. It offers a 27-inch IPS display with 1080p resolution, a 100Hz refresh rate, and an ergonomic stand with height, tilt, and swivel adjustments. While it’s not the sharpest monitor at this size, it delivers good contrast and a smooth viewing experience for everyday work.

It has USB-C with 65W Power Delivery, allowing a single-cable connection for video, power, and data. It also includes DisplayPort-out for daisy-chaining a second monitor, a rare perk in this price range. Built-in speakers, a noise-canceling microphone, and an ambient light sensor add extra convenience for home office use.

BenQ GW2786TC: Further considerations

BenQ markets this monitor as a companion for MacBooks like the MacBook Air, but don’t let that fool you: It works just as well with Windows PCs, Chromebooks, and Linux laptops.

The BenQ GW2786TC’s biggest flaw is its lack of adaptive sync, which means gameplay won’t appear as smooth as on some price-competitive alternatives.

That aside, the BenQ GW2786TC’s numerous features and low price make it one of the best budget-friendly USB-C monitors available.

Read our full

BenQ GW2786TC review

Viewsonic ColorPro VP16 OLED – Best portable USB-C monitor

Pros

• Versatile, useful stands
• Good connectivity, cables included
• Numerous image quality customization options
• Top-tier image quality even at default settings

Cons

• Speakers are included, but weak
• Pricey for a portable monitor
• No HDR

Best Prices Today:

$379.99

Who should buy the Viewsonic VP16-OLED?

If you want a work setup worthy of productivity that’s also easily transportable, the Viewsonic VP16-OLED is a remarkable portable OLED monitor for the job. It brings together top-notch image quality, USB-C connectivity, and an innovative stand design. 

The monitor’s 15.6-inch 1080p OLED panel delivers exceptional color accuracy, gamut, and contrast. It surpasses many full-sized OLED monitors and nearly all portable monitors. This makes it a great choice for productivity, though it also looks excellent when viewing movies or playing games. 

The VP16-OLED’s stand can be used as a kickstand or expanded to hold the monitor upright, making it ideal for professionals who want to maximize their workspace or need improved ergonomics.

Viewsonic VP16-OLED: Further considerations

The stand includes two USB-C ports, both of which can provide power and video input to the monitor, and a micro-HDMI port for compatibility with non-USB-C devices. The monitor includes all the necessary cables as well as a USB-C power brick.

There is a drawback: the cost. The Viewsonic VP16-OLED’s MSRP of $399.99 is expensive for a portable monitor. However, if you place a high value on image quality and want the best monitor for your portable office, the Viewsonic VP16-OLED is an excellent choice.

Read our full

Viewsonic ColorPro VP16-OLED review

LG DualUp 28MQ780-B – Best USB-C monitor for productivity

Pros

• Unique aspect ratio is useful for photo, video editing
• Makes an awesome second monitor 
• Highly adjustable stand 
• Vivid, accurate color

Cons

• Difficult to fit in a small home office 
• USB-C port offers limited downstream connectivity 
• Can lack immersion in some content

Best Prices Today:

Who should buy the LG DualUp 28MQ780-B?

This uniquely sized monitor isn’t for everyone, but for photographers or videographers it has some special strengths. The LG DualUp 28MQ780-B is a USB-C monitor with a 16:18 aspect ratio that’s almost exactly square. It can rotate into a 18:16 aspect ratio if you’d prefer. The monitor is much taller than most monitors and, as a result, has an adjustable stand that clamps to the rear of your desk instead of a normal desktop stand.

The monitor’s odd form factor is ideal for viewing large, complex documents and can be useful for editing portrait or square photos. It’s also well suited for use as a second monitor alongside a large 32-inch display.

Image quality is great. The monitor has strong color accuracy, a wide color gamut, and respectable sharpness thanks to its resolution of 2560×2880.

LG DualUp 28MQ780-B: Further considerations

The DualUp 28MQ780-B has a USB-C port with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and 90 watts of Power Delivery, so it can charge a connected laptop or tablet. The USB-C port can extend connectivity to two additional USB-A ports. Unfortunately, the monitor lacks ethernet or video-out, so some owners may need an additional adapter.

Just be warned: The odd aspect ratio makes it a strange fit for gaming and movies. This is a monitor built for work, not play.

Read our full

LG DualUp 28MQ780-B review

Other notable USB-C monitor reviews

The BenQ PD2770U is built for content creation; the Acer Predator X27U F5 500Hz OLED is more affordable than its peers while offering similar performance; the Acer Predator X34 X0 ultrawide has a Mini-LED backlight, a vivid picture, and USB-C connectivity with 65W Power Delivery; the Asus ProArt PA32QCV is an excellent and affordable 6K monitor that opts for Thunderbolt 4 as opposed to USB-C, making it a good fit for Mac users; the Samsung Smart Monitor M9 doubles as a smart TV and a productivity monitor complete with USB-C connectivity; the Viewsonic VA1655 portable monitor has USB-C power with 60 watts of power delivery and pass-through support for charging a laptop; the Dell Pro 27 Plus is a nice 4K monitor, but its key feature is its USB-C hub; the LG Ultragear 39GX90SA-W is 39-inch OLED with TV smarts; the MSI Modern MD272UPSW is another smart TV disguised as a monitor; the Asus ProArt PA32UCDM leans heavily on Thunderbolt 4 and USB-C. Perhaps too heavily, as it falls short in other ports compared to its peers; the Dell Pro 34 Plus USB-C is a decent choice if you want an ultrawide with lots of connectivity, but the monitor’s image quality fails to impress; the BenQ PD3226G IPS monitor is aimed at creative pros who might also enjoy some gaming, with lots of Thunderbolt and USB-C connectivity; the HP Omen Transcend 32 is pricey even for a 32-inch 4K OLED monitor, but makes up for that with great USB-C connectivity and top-tier SDR image quality; the Acer Predator X32 X3 is a more affordable 4K OLED monitor that packs a nice bonus: USB-C with 90 watts of Power Delivery.

How to choose the best USB-C monitor

Many features desirable in a USB-C monitor are the same as on any other display. A sharp, vivid, bright, and contrast-rich screen is best. However, shoppers who want to buy a USB-C monitor should keep an eye on details only relevant to USB-C.

Remember, too, that a USB-C display can be used in two contexts. First, you can connect your USB-C monitor to a desktop PC or laptop via a USB-C cable, and use it like a traditional USB-C hub via the USB-C cable’s 20Gbps interface. That’s pretty straightforward.

Second, you can also use the USB-C cable as a replacement for a display cable like HDMI or DisplayPort, especially for newer laptops that might eliminate an HDMI or DisplayPort port.

It’s here that USB-C monitors can get tricky. The traditional rule of thumb is that a USB-C port can support a 4K display at 30Hz resolution. DisplayPort Alternate Mode (see below) increases that to 4K60, which is much easier on the eyes. Newer laptops use DisplayPort 1.4, which combines a high-bit-rate mode (HBR3) with a DSC compression mode that should allow for 4K60 video alongside the ability to use USB 3.1 storage devices.

Be aware, however, that the USB-C cable’s 20Gbps throughput may not allow for video to be passed to premium displays like the NZXT Canvas S27Q at its full 1440p, 165Hz refresh rate. Those specifications probably assume that you’re using a dedicated video port like DisplayPort, instead, as well as its separate video cable. You can certainly connect the display to your laptop using both a video cable and the USB-C cable simultaneously, however.

If your laptop uses either Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4 or USB4 — all of which use a 40Gbps data connection and a USB-C port on your laptop — you should probably have no issues connecting your laptop to the monitor at the full refresh rate using a Thunderbolt cable. Just consult your laptop’s specifications and/or manual to make sure.

Power Delivery

USB-C Power Delivery provides power over a USB-C cable. It’s not part of the core USB-C specification, so devices with USB-C (including monitors) don’t always support it. Power Delivery can pack up to 240 watts, but most USB-C monitors provide just 65 to 90 watts. It’s a perfect fit for those who own a thin-and-light laptop, 2-in-1, or tablet.

Power Delivery is inadequate for some devices, such as gaming laptops, which consume more power than current USB-C monitors can provide. These laptops may still charge when left at idle but will charge slowly (or even discharge the battery) when in use.

Ethernet

Wired ethernet is a desirable feature in a USB-C monitor. Many modern laptops lack a physical Ethernet port, so its inclusion on a monitor is convenient. It can improve the speed and reliability of a connected device’s internet connection.

While useful, this is an expensive feature available only on premium models. The Dell U3223QE is the only USB-C monitor on this list with ethernet support.

DisplayPort Alternate Mode

DisplayPort Alternate Mode is a feature available to USB-C that handles video as if the USB-C cable was a DisplayPort cable. It supports all the features you’d expect from DisplayPort including high refresh rates and adaptive sync.

A monitor without this feature won’t accept video over USB-C, meaning you’ll have to connect both USB-C and a separate video input. All the monitors on this list support DisplayPort Alternate Mode.