The best home office monitors: Displays that get the job done

The Dell U3223QE is an exceptional home office monitor that will serve you well for a decade (or more).

This 4K, 32-inch monitor has superb image quality thanks to its cutting-edge IPS Black panel. This new panel type has roughly double the contrast ratio of a typical IPS panel, delivering a richer, deeper image. It’s also an extremely bright monitor with a maximum brightness of over 450 nits. Color performance is also top-notch with precise color accuracy and a wide color gamut spanning 99 percent of the DCI-P3 color space.

Home office owners will be equally impressed by its connectivity. This monitor has USB-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and up to 95 watts of Power Delivery for charging a connected device. When connected over USB-C, the monitor acts as a feature-rich hub with not only USB-A ports but also ethernet and DisplayPort-out. This monitor can replace a USB-C hub or dock on your desk.

The monitor’s ergonomics are great, too. It has significant adjustment for height, tilt, swivel, and can even rotate 90 degrees for portrait use—an uncommon feature for a monitor this large.

If the Dell U3223QE is too large, or expensive, consider its smaller sibling: the Dell U2723QE. This 27-inch 4K monitor has the same features and retails for a couple hundred dollars less.

NZXT’s Canvas 27Q is a great mid-range home office monitor and the best value pick on this list. It’s a smart choice if you want attractive image quality without spending a fortune.  

The Canvas 27Q is a 27-inch monitor with 1440p resolution, which provides a nice boost in clarity over 1080p. This is a bright monitor, reaching nearly 380 nits at maximum brightness. It’s also color accurate and supports up to 97 percent of the DCI-P3 color space.

This monitor has a USB-C port with DisplayPort Alternate Mode. The USB-C port acts as a hub for two USB-A ports. Unlike most monitors, this one doesn’t come with a stand: The stand is a $40 add-on. It’s a great stand, though, with height, tilt, and swivel adjustment, and a sturdy feel. A $100 monitor arm is also available.

Want to fire up a game after work? The Canvas 27Q has you covered. It has a maximum refresh rate of 165Hz and supports both AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync for smooth motion in games.

The Canvas 27Q has an MSRP of $339.99 but is often discounted to $249.99. The $40 stand brings the total price to $289.99. That’s excellent value given the monitor’s image quality and many features. 

Want a basic home office monitor that can handle most tasks at a very low price? The Acer K242HYL is it.

Acer’s K242HYL is a 24-inch, 1080p monitor. It’s not as sharp as a premium, 4K monitor, but image clarity is not bad for a monitor in this price bracket. The K242HYL also packs a respectable maximum brightness of almost 300 nits, good color accuracy, and supports 98 percent of the sRGB gamut. None of these figures are record breaking, but they’re great for a budget monitor.

The monitor lacks a height-adjustable stands, but this is common at this price. A VESA monitor stand mount is available for adding a third-party monitor stand.  Video connectivity is limited to just one HDMI and one VGA. The monitor does throw in a few perks, though, including AMD FreeSync support for smooth gaming and a slightly enhanced 75Hz refresh rate.

Often priced at just $99.99, the Acer K242HYL is an impressive value. It’s the least capable monitor on this list, to be sure—but it’s more than adequate for document editing, accounting, project management, video conferencing, and hundreds of other home office tasks.

Asus’ ProArt PA279CV is a great home office monitor that delivers many perks of our top pick, the Dell U3223QE, at a lower price.

The ProArt PA279CV is a 27-inch 4K monitor with excellent image clarity. It also has a superb maximum brightness of over 400 nits and very accurate color. It has a narrower color gamut than the NZXT Canvas 27Q, but does span the entire sRGB color space, which is more than enough for home office use.

This monitor has a USB-C port with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and 65 watts of Power Delivery for charging a connected device. The USB-C port acts as a hub for four additional USB-A ports. A sturdy ergonomic stand with height, swivel, and tilt adjustment will help you find a comfortable viewing position.

This monitor is frequently on sale for about $449.99, which is good value for a 4K monitor with USB-C. The Asus ProArt PA279CV is an attractive way to pick up the benefits of a premium 4K monitor at a mid-range price.

Concerned about the ecological impact of your home office? You should be. Global E-waste is currently estimated at 53.6 megatons per year and, of course, it’s growing. Acer’s Vero BR277 isn’t going to solve this problem on its own—but it tries.

The Acer Vero BR277, like other Acer Vero products, is partially built from Post-Consumer Recycled Plastics. Despite what you may think, these plastics feel robust. They also have a unique flecked look that stands out from other, less visually interesting designs.

How the monitor is built wouldn’t matter if it was junk—thankfully, it’s quite good. This is a 27-inch 1080p monitor with a respectable maximum brightness of just over 300 nits. The monitor’s color gamut is a bit limited at just 97 precent of sRGB, but it scores well in color accuracy and contrast. The result? Bright, pleasant, realistic image quality.

The monitor has an ergonomic stand that adjusts for height, swivel, and tilt. It also supports AMD FreeSync for smooth gaming and has a maximum refresh of 75Hz.

Pricing is competitive. The monitor originally released at an MSRP of $249.99 but can now be found as low as $169.99. That’s a great price for a home office monitor with good image quality and a height-adjustable stand. Acer also has a 24-inch model, which is even less expensive at $129.99.