Author: Adam Simmons
Last updated: June 18th 2025
Our key up to date recommendations are given in the table below, grouped by size.
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BenQ MOBIUZ EX240N (23.8″ 165Hz VA, 1920 x 1080)
BenQ EX240
- 23.8″ VA panel (165Hz)
- Light to medium matte anti-glare screen surface
- 1920 x 1080 (Full HD or 1080p)
- 3000:1 contrast ratio
- Basic HDR10 support
- Flicker-free WLED backlight (~250 cd/m² peak luminance, ~sRGB gamut)
- 3.5mm headphone jack, 2 USB 3.0 ports (plus upstream), 2 HDMI 2.0 ports, DP 1.2a+ (HDR feature set)
- Tilt, swivel and height adjustment with VESA 100 support
- 2 x 2.5W speakers
Why choose this monitor:
The BenQ MOBIUZ EX240N features a VA panel with ~sRGB colour gamut and flexible gamma settings to allow some fine-tuning. The monitor delivers ‘rich and natural’ colours without obvious oversaturation. Contrast is relatively strong from this VA panel, adding a bit of extra depth and giving a more ‘atmospheric’ look than some LCDs. This model offers basic HDR10 support, giving a different look to things with 10-bit colour processing offered. It doesn’t have a high enough brightness level, wide colour gamut or local dimming for a true HDR experience, however. This is a solid budget offering with a Full HD resolution, matching a lot of video content well. Pixel responsiveness is reasonable for the panel type with flexible overdrive settings, whilst the monitor supports multiple refresh rates including 24Hz (24p) all the way up to 165Hz. The integrated TreVolo speakers provide a richer sound than many integrated speakers, whilst flexible and well-tuned Low Blue Light (LBL) settings are included to promote a more relaxing viewing experience.
Further reading:
ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG27UCDMG (26.5″ 240Hz QD-OLED, 3840 x 2160)
ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG27UCDMG
- 26.5″ 240Hz OLED panel (Samsung Display QD-OLED)
- Glossy screen surface with anti-reflective treatment
- 3840 x 2160 (‘4K’ UHD)
- 1m:1 contrast ratio
- VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400
- Flicker-free QD-OLED (250 cd/m² SDR peak luminance, ~99% DCI-P3 gamut)
- 2 HDMI 2.1 ports, DP 1.4 (with DSC), USB-C (90W PD, DP Alt Mode, upstream data), 3 USB 3.2 Gen1 ports (plus Type-B upstream), 3.5mm headphone jack
- Fully adjustable stand with 100 x 100mm VESA mounting supported
Why choose this monitor:
The ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG27UCDMG features a 26.5″ QD-OLED panel with 3840 x 2160 (‘4K’ UHD) resolution. Combined with a very generous colour gamut (near complete DCI-P3 coverage, with some extension beyond in places) and excellent OLED colour consistency, the monitor provides excellent vibrancy potential throughout the screen. sRGB and DCI-P3 emulation modes with unlocked colour channels allow you to achieve a different look to the image. The resolution and screen size combination provides exceptional clarity for suitably high resolution video content. Per-pixel dimming provides exceptional depth and atmosphere to dark shades in dimmer lighting and helps add depth and an inkiness to medium shades as well. The monitor provides strong HDR output with good flexibility, including modes that provide an ‘uplifted’ look to some scenes – which some will prefer depending on preferences and room lighting. The per-pixel dimming, brightness peaks up to 1000 cd/m², excellent DCI-P3 coverage and 10-bit colour processing help provide a very dynamic HDR experience. Pixel responsiveness is exceptional, without visible weaknesses due to sluggish transitions or overshoot artifacts for any frame rate of content. Low Blue Light (LBL) settings are included and the monitor offers ‘balanced spectral output’ from its QD-OLED panel, providing a more relaxing viewing experience for some users.
Further reading:
AOC Q27G3XMN(/BK) (27″ 180Hz VA, 2560 x 1440)
AOC Q27G3XMN(/BK)
- 27″ VA panel (CSOT SG2701G02-2 with custom backlight)
- Light to very light matte anti-glare screen surface
- 2560 x 1440 (QHD or 1440p)
- 4000:1 contrast ratio
- VESA DisplayHDR 1000
- PWM-free (flicker-free) WLED backlight (567 cd/m² SDR peak luminance measured, ~96% DCI-P3 gamut)
- 2 HDMI 2.0 ports, DP 1.4, 3.5mm headphone jack
- Screen is fully adjustable with 100 x 100mm VESA support
Why choose this monitor:
The AOC Q27G3XMN(/BK) provides a dynamic HDR experience via a 336-zone ‘Mini LED’ backlight, combined with a VA panel offering strong native contrast. Good brightness levels can be provided (1374 cd/m² HDR peak, measured), including where bright shades dominate. Local dimming can also be used under SDR for a nice edge in contrast outside of HDR as well, with adjustable brightness. The VA panel can’t keep up with IPS or OLED panels when it comes to colour consistency, but is decent for a VA model and is combined with quite a generous gamut for good overall vibrancy. An sRGB emulation mode is offered (non-BK model only, but GPU level alternatives exist either way). Pixel responsiveness is reasonable for the panel type, providing a competent and low-overshoot experience for video content of any frame rate. Flexible Low Blue Light (LBL) settings are also included to aid relaxing viewing.
Further reading:
MSI MAG 321UP QD-OLED (31.5″ 165Hz QD-OLED, 3840 x 2160)
MSI MAG 321UP QD-OLED
- 31.5″ 165Hz OLED panel (Samsung Display QD-OLED)
- Glossy screen surface with anti-reflective treatment
- 3840 x 2160 (‘4K’ UHD)
- 1m:1 contrast ratio
- VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400
- Flicker-free QD-OLED (250 cd/m² SDR peak luminance, ~99% DCI-P3 gamut)
- 2 HDMI 2.1 ports, DP 1.4 (with DSC), USB-C (15W PD, DP Alt Mode), 3.5mm headphone jack
- Tilt, swivel and height adjustment. 100 x 100mm VESA mounting supported
Why choose this monitor:
The MSI MAG 321UP QD-OLED features a 31.5″ QD-OLED panel with 3840 x 2160 (‘4K’ UHD) resolution. Combined with a very generous colour gamut (close to complete DCI-P3 coverage, with some extension beyond in places) and excellent OLED colour consistency, the monitor provides strong vibrancy and saturation potential. sRGB, DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB emulation modes are included to clamp the gamut closer to specific standards and tone things down. The resolution and screen size combination provides an immersive ‘4K’ UHD experience, with excellent detail for suitably high resolution video content. Per-pixel dimming provides exceptional depth and atmosphere to dark shades in dimmer lighting and helps add depth and an inkiness to medium shades as well. The monitor provides strong HDR output, with per-pixel illumination and bursts of brightness up to 1000 cd/m². This is complemented by the excellent DCI-P3 coverage and 10-bit colour processing to deliver a lively experience. Pixel responsiveness is exceptional, without visible weaknesses due to sluggish transitions or overshoot artifacts for any frame rate of content. Low Blue Light (LBL) settings are included and the monitor offers ‘balanced spectral output’ from its QD-OLED, providing a more relaxing viewing experience for some users.
Further reading:
AOC AGON Pro AG346UCD (34″ 175Hz curved QD-OLED, 3440 x 1440)
AOC AGON Pro AG346UCD
- 34″ 175Hz OLED panel (Samsung Display QD-OLED)
- 1800R curve
- Glossy screen surface with anti-reflective treatment
- 3440 x 1440 (UWQHD – 21:9 ultrawide)
- 1m:1 contrast ratio
- VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400
- Flicker-free QD-OLED (250 cd/m² SDR peak luminance, ~99% DCI-P3 gamut)
- 2 HDMI 2.0 ports, DP 1.4, 3 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (one with fast-charging, plus Type-B upstream) and a 3.5mm headphone jack
- Tilt, swivel and height adjustment with VESA 100 support (adaptor included)
- 2 x 8W speakers
Why choose this monitor:
The AOC AGON Pro AG346UCD provides a 3440 x 1440 resolution and 21:9 aspect ratio, giving a screen-filling experience for supported video content. A moderate curve is included to help draw you in a bit and add a bit of immersion, something that tends to feel very natural on a screen of this size. The generous colour gamut combined with the exceptional colour consistency of the OLED panel provides high vibrancy throughout the screen. Meanwhile, the per-pixel illumination delivers exceptional depth and atmosphere to dark shades in dimmer lighting and helps add depth and an inkiness to medium shades as well. The monitor provides a highly dynamic HDR experience, with per-pixel illumination and bursts of brightness up to 1000 cd/m². This is complemented by generous DCI-P3 coverage and 10-bit colour processing to deliver a vivid and suitably varied look. Running through the Windows HDR calibration tool and maximising the ‘saturation’ slider is recommended due to underuse of the gamut under HDR by default, however. Pixel responsiveness is exceptional, without visible weaknesses due to sluggish transitions or overshoot artifacts for any frame rate of content. The ‘balanced spectral output’ coupled with Low Blue Light (LBL) settings help promote a more relaxing viewing experience, too.
Further reading:
LG C4 OLED (42″ 144Hz OLED, 3840 x 2160)
LG C4 OLED
- 42″ OLED panel (LG Display WOLED)
- Glossy screen surface with anti-reflective treatment
- 3840 x 2160 (‘4K’ UHD)
- ‘Infinite’ contrast ratio
- HDR10, Dolby Vision & HLG support
- Flicker-free OLED (~800 cd/m² HDR peak luminance, ~98% DCI-P3 gamut)
- 4 HDMI 2.1 ports, 3 USB 2.0 ports, optical audio out, ethernet LAN, 2 RF In, CI Slot, S/PDIF plus WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity
- Screen has a fixed (non-adjustable) stand with 300 x 200mm VESA support
- 2 x 10W speakers
Why choose this monitor:
The LG C4 OLED (OLED42C4PUA with regional variations) offers a 3840 x 2160 (‘4K’ UHD) resolution, providing a highly immersive experience. The resolution and pixel density ensures good detail levels are maintained for suitable video content, even when spread across such a large screen. The strong DCI-P3 coverage and consistency of the OLED panel provides good (and even) vibrancy levels at all points. Per-pixel illumination, meanwhile, ensures exceptional depth and atmosphere to dark shades in dimmer lighting. With superior inkiness given to medium shades as well. For HDR the screen provides multiple formats and puts this per-pixel illumination and strong DCI-P3 coverage to good use alongside 10-bit+ colour processing and a peak luminance of up to ~800 cd/m². Pixel responsiveness is exceptional, without visible weaknesses due to slower than ideal pixel responses or overshoot for any content frame rate. Other aspects of note include hardware calibration capability, ‘Smart TV’ functionality (as this is a TV rather than monitor) and a remote for convenient operation of the very comprehensive menu systems.
Further reading:
This list is heavily condensed; look out for the recommended or approved badge in our reviews as well. You can sort our reviews by badge status and various other features there.
For movie watching it’s often desirable to have a screen with strong contrast. The extra depth to dark shades and superior atmosphere that can deliver, especially in dimmer lighting conditions, can be a key part of the experience for some movie-lovers. When it comes to LCD panels, that’s the domain of the VA panel with static contrast typically around 3 times as high as other LCD panel types. OLED technology is far from prolific in the monitor market. But it’s even stronger in that respect, with a practically infinite contrast ratio due to their per-pixel illumination. Depending on the content you watch or your preferences, IPS panels may be more attractive than VA panels for video content – and there are ways to counteract the weaker contrast in dimmer lighting conditions. Anime, cartoons and other animated content really highlight the relative strengths of IPS-type panels when it comes to colour consistency – a key concept explored in our panel types article. These superior colour reproduction characteristics can also be appreciated for content set in the real world, with richness and saturation better maintained throughout the screen.
Some video content, including on streaming platforms such as Netflix or Amazon Prime, is mastered in the ‘4K’ UHD resolution. So it can be attractive to use a monitor that matches this resolution and therefore takes full advantage of this content. An increased pixel density improves the detail and clarity of suitably high-resolution content such as this. HDR (High Dynamic Range) is also becoming more readily available, with the HDR10 standard being the most widely supported. Monitors which support HDR are fairly widespread now, although many offer only a very basic and limited HDR experience. Sometimes the experience is so compromised it’s better to stick to ordinary SDR (Standard Dynamic Range), other times there is a genuine enhancement to the experience under HDR. 10-bit colour reproduction, a wide colour gamut (~DCI-P3+) used appropriately and improved contrast due to local dimming and a powerful backlight are key benefits of a good HDR experience. VESA DisplayHDR’s certification system will give a broad idea of the relative HDR capabilities of a display, but even within each ‘tier’ there’s quite a bit of variation between how good the actual HDR performance is.
VESA DisplayHDR
For extended boxset binging, watching long movies viewing comfort is important. All models featured here have flicker-free backlights and many offer LBL (Low Blue Light) settings. Although viewing comfort has many facets and is a very subjective area. Responsiveness is also something to consider, not just for viewing comfort but general enjoyment of the content. It’s less of a factor here than it is for gaming monitors, however. The frame rate of most video content on platforms including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and YouTube is ~24 – 30fps. With 60fps being the upper limit in most cases, usually reserved for certain content on platforms such as YouTube and TikTok. Some models may show obvious weaknesses when gaming at high refresh rates and frame rates, due to slower than optimal pixel responses. But might deal with movie content just fine. And because you don’t interact with the content as you do when gaming, input lag or the overall ‘connected feel’ of the monitor isn’t something you need to worry about. High refresh rates are therefore much less important. In theory a high refresh rate could slightly reduce some instances of juddering. 24fps, 30fps and 60fps all divide evenly into 120Hz and 240Hz, for example. But the frame rate is the main barrier to fluidity and when viewing 24 – 30fps content on a monitor of any refresh rate you can expect moderate juddering to persist.