The Best Budget Monitor for Photo Editing provides a clear display for image viewing. To achieve this, you must consider some important factors.
Some of these specs include color accuracy, screen brightness, screen size, ergonomic design, and connectivity.
In this article, we have researched and compiled a list of the top budget options and explained factors to consider before choosing the best ones.
Whether you are a beginner or a professional photo editor, this article compiles important information for any experience level.
Top Monitor for Photo Editing on a Budget
- ViewSonic VP2776: Best Overall
- HP 24mh FHD: Cheapest
- LG 24UD58-B Monitor: Most Portable
- Dell S2721QS 27: Most Affordable
- ASUS ProArt Display 27: Best Budget
ViewSonic VP2776: Best Budget Monitor for Photo Editing Overall
- Screen Size: 27 Inches
- Resolution: 2560×1440 Pixels
- Height Adjustment
- Anti-glare screen
- Hardware Calibration
- Adaptive Sync
- Pivot Adjustment
- Blue Light Filter
- Refresh Rate: 165 Hz
The ViewSonic is a perfect pick for both beginner and professional photo editors. This monitor features a large 27-inch screen with a clean 2560×1440 pixel resolution.
The NANO IPS screen type technology and 95% DCI-P3 color coverage ensure rich, vibrant color visuals on your edits.
It displays your photos in high detail as you edit them, creating a great user experience. This monitor is precalibrated, but it also features a unique ColorPro Wheel that helps you precisely adjust colors and tweak them to perfection.
This is a unique feature of the ViewSonic VP2776 and will ensure you get the exact desired colors on output. As a professional monitor, you will create true-to-life color displays thanks to the 100% sRGB color gamut.
The ViewSonic is a bright screen and will be perfect for a variety of functions, including streaming movies, photo editing, and general graphic design work.
Finally, connectivity on the ViewSonic VP2776 is perfect thanks to the 90W USB-C cable and USB HUB for power, audio, and mouse accessories.
HP 24mh FHD: Cheapest Monitor for Photo Editing
- Screen Size: 23.8 Inches
- Resolution Maximum: 1920 x 1080 Pixels
- Height Adjustment
- Blue Light Filter
- Tilt Adjustment
- Built-In Speakers
- Refresh Rate: 75 Hz
If you are looking for the most economical option, we recommend the HP 24 m/s FHD. Despite its smaller screen size, the under $200 price range makes the monitor stand out as the cheapest option.
The screen features a modern and sleek design that makes it look cool and futuristic. You will still get stunning visuals thanks to a Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution and a 75 Hz screen refresh rate.
For connectivity, you will have multiple ports, such as HDMI, VGA, and display ports. Connection to different games and accessories is easy and seamless.
This screen features simple adjustability with easy tilt adjustment for comfortable usage, adding to its slim ergonomic design.
To protect your eyes from fatigue even after long usage hours, this screen features unique blue light technology, which is perfect.
If you want a music streaming device, this screen comes with an in-built speaker setup for an immersive sound experience.
LG 24UD58-B Monitor: The Most Portable Monitor for Photo Editing
- Screen size: 24 inches
- Resolution: 3840 x 2160 pixels
- Type: IPS LED
- Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
- HDR: N/A
- Connectivity: 2 HDMI, DisplayPort
- Stand: Pan only
- Additional: On-screen settings adjustments
For a slightly under $300 price range, the LG 24UD58-B balances price, quality, and portability. The screen is smaller than the other monitors in this review, at 24 inches overall. This makes it easy to carry it around or place it on a small desk.
The screen clarity and view are crisp and clear thanks to 4K UHD, which is great. If you work too close to the screen, the resolution is uninterrupted thanks to the 8.3 million pixels on a screen and the 3840 x 2160 pixels resolution.
Compared to the HP 24 mh FHD, this camera is four times as good as the 1920 x 1080 Full HD resolution.
The monitor comes with On-Screen Control with Screen Split 2.0, which allows quick on-screen adjustments to some aspects of the monitor like brightness, dual control, and split screen.
If you are a regular gamer, this monitor offers a lot of gaming modes and extras, such as free sync and black stabilizer, perfect for a good gaming experience. The monitor’s ergonomics are okay, with the capability to tilt forward and backward in a range of -2° to 20°.
Unfortunately, the screen refresh rate is slow at 60 Hz and can lag if you use it to run complex applications and games.
Overall, the screen is good enough for many basic games and comes in a very affordable price range too. However, it comes with a power cord but not Thunderbolt, USB-C, or quick charge, limiting connectivity.
Blue light filtering to protect your eyes from fatigue is not clearly explained to be available. You only have reader mode, which is not as protective.
Dell S2721QS 27: Most Affordable Monitor for Photo Editing
- Screen Size: 27 Inches
- Resolution: 3840 x 2160
- Curved with a High Dynamic Range
- Ergonomic, adjustable stand. Swivel, Height, Pivot, and Tilt Adjustments
- Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
If you are looking for a powerful yet affordable monitor, this is the perfect option for you. Despite its affordable price, the screen is still 27 inches and features a 3840 x 2160 pixel screen resolution.
It features a unique curve, increasing the overall dynamic range. Its ergonomic design is user-friendly, with a swivel, height, pivot, and tilt adjustment to suit your comfort.
The Dell S2721QS 27 features high contrast on its bright screen, resulting in a very realistic view of your photos. Additionally, the 4K UHD resolution monitor supports high-quality HDR content display.
This monitor’s sleek design makes it look premium thanks to its thin bezels all around the viewing area plus a unique textured rear body side on the actual monitor.
For easier and more seamless connectivity, the monitor features dual HDMI ports that connect, allowing easy sharing and working.
Choosing the Best Monitor for Photo Editing
When choosing the best monitor, there are several factors you need to consider. First, you need to consider your budget for the screen you want.
Whether you need a monitor for graphic design or gaming, the price will be a very important consideration. This is mainly because they do not come cheap.
Screen size and resolution are other important considerations. For this review, we considered 4K resolution screens. This is not the highest resolution available. Both 5K and 8K monitors provide better clarity.
We considered 24 to 49-inch screen-size monitors for games. The larger the screen, the better the user experience is when gaming.
Refresh rate speed is a key consideration for most gaming screens. Monitors are not any different. For gaming, you need a screen with a high refresh rate. Low refresh rate speed will result in lags when gaming.
For the best gaming experience, we recommend a 150 Hz refresh rate and above.
240 Hz is the optimal speed. However, lower-speed 60 Hz refresh rate monitors will still work with games, but you will notice lags when playing complex games.
The overall screen size will affect screen portability. The larger the screen, the more difficult it is to carry it. You also need to check how many ports your screen comes with. This will help in connecting the monitor to your laptop.
Finally, the ergonomic stand design will affect your comfort while playing the game. You need to choose a monitor with an adjustable stand for the best experience.
What is a 4K monitor? It refers to a display that is able to display 3840 by 2160 pixels, or 4K resolution. It can also be referred to as an UHD monitor or an Ultra HD monitor.
Compared to a full HD screen, a 4K screen provides four times the number of pixels compared to a traditional full HD monitor.
A full-HD monitor features 1920 by 1080 pixels, or 1080p, compared to 3840 by 2160 pixels on a 4K screen. 4K refers to the horizontal pixel count, which is approximately 4,000 pixels wide.
Best Monitor for Photo Editing 2024
| Product | Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|
| ViewSonic VP2776 | Best Overall | Check Price |
| HP 24mh FHD | Cheapest Monitor | Check Price |
| Dell S2721QS 27 | Most Affordable | Check Price |