The Best Monitors For Working From Home in 2022
Homeworking used to be a bit of a myth two years ago. The idea of getting your slippers and dressing gown on in the morning and going through your morning emails in the peace and quiet of your own home was the dream for some people.
If you work primarily in an office environment or have a computer-based job, the chances are you are now enjoying some form of home/hybrid working scheme. It works for some, not so much for others, but it looks like it’s here to stay. Regardless of preference, it’s important to make sure you have the best monitor for working from home, which your employer should be taking care of.
There are freelancers, self-employed folks, and more who will need to source equipment themselves, however. From accountants to graphic designers, there’s a monitor out there for everyone, which is a good and bad thing. How are you supposed to make an informed choice with a landslide of variety and specifications to consider? This is where we come in, let’s go through a variety of different monitors ideal for (most) home working setups.
Products at a Glance
How Did We Choose?
We’ve tried our best to make sure our selection of five monitors all serve a different purpose and budget. From sub $200 panels that are just fine for word processing and spreadsheets to Adobe RGB high-resolution workhorses, we feel there’s the best monitor for working from home for everyone right here.
The Best Monitors For Working From Home in 2022
- 27” 4K UHD LED IPS Panel
- Over 1 billion colors, sRGB, and NTSC color gamut coverage
- No USB-C or HDR
For any kind of visually creative work, a 4K monitor with a nice color gamut is almost essential. Not only does it allow users such as graphic designers and digital artists to zoom in for the finer details, but it also allows monitors to display life-like colors. For artists looking to print or digitally show their work in multiple places, this particular feature comes in super handy.
AOC U2790VQ shows off over 1 billion colors with an exceptional 99% sRGB and 90% NTSC color gamut support. This is rare in a budget sub $300 monitor that has no real trade-off in terms of quality and design. It also features a brightness of 350 cd/m², not the best but it’s enough to make images and video pop.
It doesn’t feature USB-C/Thunderbolt or HDR, but these features aren’t expected in a budget range monitor. The build quality is sturdy and features a frameless design on the top, left, and right-hand sides of the monitor, making this a perfect candidate for a multiple monitor setup. Don’t want to VESA mount them? No problem, the stand tilts, swivels and if you ask nicely may fold your washing up, perfect for multi-taskers.
- USB-C Port charges at 90W and provides Ethernet connectivity
- Great for multiple applications
- Low-quality menu rocker and speakers
When finding the best monitors for working from home and you’re someone who has multiple digital interests, gaming/video editing/writing etc, find a versatile monitor. Yes, you will probably have to pay out a little bit more for some good specifications, but the best monitors for working from home pay for themselves. Who wants to buy another monitor to suit another interest when you could have just bought the right one and saved some money initially?
Enter Samsung S65UA. From photo editing with its HDR10 capabilities to gaming on its ultra-wide QHD screen, this monitor can do a lot for a mid-range piece of kit. Some modern laptops don’t support ethernet connections due to their form factor, the ports are simply too big on a slimline notebook. Samsung has incorporated an ethernet port that allows ethernet connectivity via USB-C connection from your laptop/notebook. IT also knocks out 90W worth of charging power, which is never a bad thing.
The USB-C, HDMI, and DisplayPort support allow for more connectivity options making for a very versatile monitor. Having your Xbox Series S on standby via HDMI whilst working via USB-C on the laptop is a reality, although the menu rockers and speakers aren’t that great. You wanted a new gaming headset anyway, right?
- 100% Adobe RGB, 100% RGB true Color reproduction,98% DCI-P3 and 84% rec. 2020 color gamut support
- 32-Inch 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) resolution display with DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI (V2.0) x3, USB Type-C
- Low contrast
Asus ProArt series is positioned at video/image editing professionals who looking at a more budget-friendly best monitor for working from home. The industry great such as the Eizo Coloredge currently clock in at over $5000, which isn’t always affordable for fledgling businesses and freelancers.
For around 1/5th of the price, Asus ProARt PA329C is a solid choice for any video/image editor creator. It supports all the major monitor color gamuts with a high, if not 100%, compatibility rate. This means realistic color across multiple formats used in graphics design and film.
Another great feature of ASUS ProArt PA329C is its compatibility with industry-recognized hardware calibrators such as X-Rite i1 Display Pro and Data Color Spider 5 Series. These are small pieces are the hardware that is positioned over a monitor to calibrate color, inclusive of ambient light. Color precession can drift on monitors over time, which is why options such as this, and ProArt PA329C allowing to save these profiles directly into the monitor’s memory, are great features. Looking to take graphic design seriously whilst working from home on a budget? This is the monitor for you.
- A wider screen is ideal for multitasking
- Great for analytical job roles and basic video editing
- Needs third party software when used with Macs
Whilst LG 25UM58-P is a great budget monitor, it’s just that, a budget monitor. It’s not going to have the greatest build quality and chances are they’ll be a feature or two missing but with that being said, its ultra-wide 25” LED IPS monitor is great for multitasking when working from home.
LG has a custom piece of software for their monitors called Screen Split 2.0, it’s great for dividing up your screen. Whilst Windows 10 does already do this to a degree, Screen Split focuses on picture-in-picture tech to lock multiple windows in place. It’s great for writers, analytical work, or anything that requires looking at two or more pieces of software at once.
This best budget monitor for working from home features sRGB color gamut support with Adobe RGB conversion available on the ‘Color Mode’ menu, but don’t expect highly accurate colors for enhanced photo editing and graphic design. Experts in this field spend thousands of dollars on the right monitor for the job, however, it does make the screen pop.
- Triple screen functionality on to the go
- USB-C or HDMI connectivity
- Cable sockets are placed awkwardly
Most office dwellers who now work from home have a company laptop, as well as self-employed people due to their convenience and the ability to work on the go. Whether it’s a long train ride to meet a client, an overnight stay or you simply fancy an hour on the couch, it’s that feeling of choice that makes laptops an appealing choice.
Vodzslas’ three-screen solution looks like a representation of what the 70s thought the 90s would look like, but there’s a reason behind such a crazy suggestion. These screens are powered by USB and hook up to your laptop USB C and HDMI ports, Mac users will need to buy the necessary thunderbolt or lightning adaptors but the same rules apply.
Providing your laptop is 13.3” – 16”, the extender will just clip onto the back of your existing screen, just don’t try to close your laptop with it attached. Also, whilst the 11.6 LCD monitors are 1080p, this isn’t going to be suitable for any graphical-based work. It’s more of a solution for anything text-based or programs that don’t require wise color gamuts and a good brightness/contrast balance.
We hope you’ll agree that every best monitor for working from home in this guide suits most roles and covers many user preferences. Ultimately, buyers are best going to a monitor that is versatile for home use whilst being the perfect match for their professional needs. For simple tasks such as word processing and standard software operation, this isn’t really a big deal. But for jobs that demand multi-tasking and graphical prowess, it’s important to look at what features you’ll need professionally and personally.
What Is Color Gammut?
The color gamut describes a range of colors within the spectrum of colors that are identifiable by the human eye.
What's the difference between DisplayPort and HDMI?
DisplayPort cables can achieve higher bandwidth than HDMI cables. If there’s higher bandwidth, the cable transmits more signals at the same time. This mainly has an advantage if you want to connect multiple monitors to your computer
Why Connect Monitors Via USB-C?
A USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 cable can transmit an image signal of 3840×2160 (4K UHD) with a refresh rate of 60Hz. Some laptops only have a USB-C output vs. HDMI.
Are Thunderbolt and USB-C the same?
The simplest explanation is that USB-C refers to the shape of the port and Thunderbolt 3 refers to the connectivity standard. Hardware commonly referred to as “USB-C devices” also will work with a Thunderbolt 3 port, but they will not be able to take advantage of the maximum speed provided by Thunderbolt 3 devices
What's the difference between LED and LCD?
Both types of displays use liquid crystals to help create an image. The difference is in the backlights. While a standard LCD monitor uses fluorescent backlights, an LED monitor uses light-emitting diodes for backlights.
Our Verdict
AOC U2790VQ is hands down one of the most versatile best monitors for working from home, providing a decent color gamut alongside a 27” 4K monitor for under $300. Supporting HDMI and Display Port, there’s enough wiggle room for your work machine and a cheeky Xbox for break times. It’s a great performing monitor for most roles, but we highly recommend double-checking any monitor that has the specifications needed before purchasing.