The best monitors for graphic artists and graphic designers can make a big difference to the experience of working with visual art and design in creative software. Good colour accuracy and image quality can ensure you see you work as it really looks, while a decent selection ports allow you to connect the peripherals you need.
We’ve tested and reviewed a wide range of monitors using both benchmark tests for colour coverage and accuracy as well as practical hands-on testing, including using them with the best digital art software and graphic design software. We’ve picked out those that the performance and supporting features to make them suitable for graphic designers and artists with different needs.
Below, we evaluate the pros and cons of each, picking options for difference price points, from budget to professional displays. For more gear for your setup, also see our guide to the best laptops for graphic design.
Quick list
We’ll begin with a quick overview of our top picks. Scroll down for more our full evaluation of each option.
We think this super-cheap 27-inch display is practically a steal. You sacrifice 4K resolution and the brightness and colour gamut are hardly spectacular, but the price is incredible. Read more below
This premium screen provides top-tier performance, excellent contrast and colour coverage, solid connectivity, and an included calibration tool. Read more below
Offering 40 inches of exquisite screen space with solid color accuracy and great connectivity, this is a brilliant screen for artists and designers that want more space to work with. Read more below
If you’re in the Apple ecosystem, and have the budget, this Apple Pro Display XDR remains an excellent choice for art and design work with incredible HDR peak brightness, superb colour reproduction and quality features. Read more below
A portable external monitor can be handy for working on the move, and this OLED display takes the concept up a level with solid brightness and colour coverage for visual art and design. Read more below
The best monitors for graphic artists in full
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The best monitor for graphic artists overall
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(Image credit: Michelle Rae Uy)
(Image credit: Michelle Rae Uy)
(Image credit: Michelle Rae Uy)
(Image credit: Michelle Rae Uy)
(Image credit: Michelle Rae Uy)
(Image credit: Michelle Rae Uy)
(Image credit: Michelle Rae Uy)
Great value and excellent colour accuracy
Specifications
Size: 31.5in
Resolution: 3840 x 2160
Color space coverage: 100% sRGB,100% Rec.709, 95% DCI-P3, 83% Adobe RGB
✅ You want the ideal balance of size, quality and price: We think this monitor is priced just right while providing solid specs for creative work.
✅ You want a 4K display. 4K resolution provides a more detailed picture on larger screens, and we find 32 inches to be the ideal size for the resolution.
✅ You want a versatile display: We love the ease with which it’s possible to switch to portrait mode and to change colour modes with the hotkey puck control.
Don’t buy it if:
❌ You’re on a tight budget: We think this monitor is good value for the specs, but at around $1,000 it isn’t cheap.
❌ You want a smaller display: 32 inches may be too large if you have a very small desk.
❌ You want the best Adobe RGB coverage: If you work in the Adobe RGB colour space, the ASUS ProArt display covers 99% compared to the 83% of this display based on our own testing.
The bottom line
🔎 BenQ PD3220U is an excellent monitor for graphic artists. We think it provides the perfect size for most workflows and an optimum balance between display quality and price. Colour coverage and image quality is solid and the design and ports make it a practical and versatile choice. ★★★★★
What you need to know:
The BenQ PD3220U is a monitor that was clearly made with designers in mind. In our review, we discovered a rich feature set, superb image quality and broad color representation.
Design and build: We liked the flexibility of this display. The stand had a bit of wobble but it was very highly adjustable. The screen can pivot 90 degrees, and the portrait mode automatically adjusts for that to give you a vertical screen to work on. We also liked the handy disk-shaped wired remote control Hotkey Puck G2 for access to menus for easy adjustment. This will be particularly useful for designers working in difference colour spaces since it allows colours modes to be switched quickly. There are connectivity options provided too, including two Thunderbolt 3 ports. These can allow you to daisy-chain another monitor, and one of them delivers 85W of power, so you can charge your laptop off it too, helping to reduce trailing cables.
Display: We find 4K on a 32-inch screen is the sweet spot in terms of resolution, and this was no exception. Image quality was superb in our testing, and colour coverage was sound, surpassing the stated specs in our own tests to provide 98% DCI-P3 as well as 100% of sRGB and 100% Rec.709. Adobe RGB coverage was naturally more limited at 83%, which may be of concern to the most demanding creative who need to match colours for print (we recommend the Asus ProArt display at number 3 if you know you need more).
We found the preset color modes to be accurate and east to use. Other handy features that could simply some creatives’ workflows include picture-in-picture and picture-by-picture modes, allowing you to display visuals from two inputs. We also got more than the stated typical brighteness of 250 nits, but it’s still not the brightest monitor, offering around the same brightness as the average for a consumer laptop.
Pricing: We think the BenQ PD3220U is a great-value package for graphics artists and designers. At around $1,000 / £1,000, it occupies a mid-range price for screens designed for creative work, but it offers specs that could cost more.
A super cheap monitor that can do the job for hobbyists and beginner graphic artists
Specifications
Screen size: 27in
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Color space coverage: 99% sRGB
Connections: 1x HDMI 1.4, 1x VGA
Brightness (max): 250 nits
Reasons to buy
+
Excellent value for money
+
Good colour coverage for the price
+
Very light
Reasons to avoid
–
Only 1920 x 1080 resolution
Buy it if
✅ You’re starting out in graphic art: We think this is a great options for students or beginner designers who don’t have a big budget.
✅ You want passable colour coverage: There are even cheaper monitors about, but this still provides reasonable colour coverage for visual art.
✅ You want a screen that can be moved: Some of the best graphic art monitors are big and heavy. We found this one to be light enough to move about should you need to move desks or use your desk space for other things.
Don’t buy it if:
❌ You want a 4K display: The resolution here is FHD: 1920 x 1080.
❌ You want a large display: More space can make it easier to multitask.
❌ You want pro colour coverage: This doesn’t quite manage 100% sRGB.
The bottom line
🔎 Acer Vero RL272 isn’t aimed at professionals but it provides good specs for a very cheap price. We think it’s a great budget option for beginner graphic designers and digital artists who want a mid-sized screen. ★★★★
What you need to know:
If you’re not yet working in graphic art or design professionally, you might not be ready to splash out on a high-resolution display with pro specs. If you’re looking for a more affordable screen to get started with, we think the Acer Vero RL272 is best budget monitor for graphic design.
Design and build: The Acer Vero RL272 has a very slim screen and a hollow base, which we found made it very light for a 27-inch monitor – just 3.25kg. This has the benefit of making it easier to move about should you need to. There’s very little adjustability though, with no possibility to adjust height, swivel or pivot, so it’s not a very ergonomic monitor and may require you to adjust your desk or chair setup to get the optimum viewing height. As for ports, we were disappointed to find just an HDMI port and the VGA, so no DisplayPort connection here, which isn’t really surprising for the price.
Display: FHD resolution has its limits, but it’s not as much of an issue for static art as it is for video. We found that brightness and colour coverage weren’t exactly anything to write home about either, but they’re good enough for non professional use, providing 200 nits and 99% of sRGB coverage and we found contrast to be good.
Pricing: The Acer Vero RL272 is the cheapest monitor for graphic design and digital art that we can recommend, and it’s hard to stress just how good value this monitor is. At little over $200, it’s a fantastic buy for those who are starting out.
A premium monitor for professional graphic artists
Specifications
Screen size: 31.5in
Resolution: 3840×2160
Color space coverage: 100% sRGB, 80% rec. 2020, f99% DCI-P3, 99% Adobe RGB
Connections: 3x HDMI (v2.0), 1x DisplayPort (v1.4), 1s USB-C (DP Alt mode, 65W power delivery), 4x USB-A
Brightness (max): 500 nits
Reasons to buy
+
Accurate presets for all color formats
+
Class-leading color and contrast
+
Auto-calibration feature
Reasons to avoid
–
Only a 60Hz refresh rate
–
Costs the same as several of the others on this list combined
Buy it if
✅ You’re a pro designer or artist and want to take your setup to the next level: This beauty from Asus provides exceptional colour coverage and accuracy, ideal for precise colour matching for print.
✅ You want the perfect 4K screen: We think 32-inches is the perfect size for a 4K monitor for graphics work.
✅ You want a monitor for gaming: This monitor’s specs are almost all outstanding with the exception of the refresh rate, which is on a par with most of the other display on our list.
Don’t buy it if:
❌ You’re on a tight budget: This is naturally a very expensive monitor.
❌ You don’t do work for print: If you’re work is only seen on digital displays, you may not need such high Adobe RGB coverage.
❌ You want pro colour coverage: This doesn’t quite manage 100% sRGB.
The bottom line
🔎 Asus ProArt OLED PA32DC is a premium professional monitor that very much lives up to its promise based on our own testing. Its bright, contrast and colour coverage and accuracy are excellent, and it has handy features for creatives. ★★★★½
What you need to know:
If you’re a professional graphic artist looking to upgrade your setup with a premium screen, this is one of the best we’ve ever tested. The Asus ProArt OLED PA32DC is 4K-plus 32-inch display that shines when it comes to colour accuracy.
Design and build: This professional display is big and heavy, and it has fairly large bezels for these days. Some might think that makes it look a little old-fashioned, but we were very happy with how sturdy it was, and we found it easy to adjust. The joystick-like controller requires a light touch but works well, and we found the generous array of ports on the back easy enough to access. The USB-C port supports power delivery of up to 65W, so you can use the monitor as a USB hub if you have a port-deprived laptop.
The monitor is available with a monitor hood to help reduce reflections and glare, and plenty of ports for peripherals, and it comes with a built-in colorimeter to allow regular calibration of the screen without needing to grab your monitor calibrator.
Display: We were immediately impressed by the brightness and contrast of the OLED panel. It has three HDR standards, HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision, all flicker-free. This is the screen to go for if you want outstanding colour coverage for print as well as digital and video, hitting 99% of Adobe RGB. Our testing also vouched for the precise △E< 1 score for colour accurac.
There are preset modes for a wide range of colour setups – sRGB, Adobe RGB, DCI-P3, Rec. 2020, DICOM, Rec. 709, HDR_PQ DCI, HDR_PQ Rec2020, HDR_HLG, HDR_HLG DCI, Dolby Vision. It pretty much covers every colour setup a graphic artist or indeed a video editor, photographer or animator could need. Our reviewers only grumble was the fairly slow 60Hz refresh rate. You might expect higher on a monitor with such impressive specs elsewhere, but this isn’t a screen designed for gaming.
Pricing: The only real problem with the ProArt OLED PA32DC as a monitor for graphic artists, and the reason it isn’t at the top of our guide, is the price. At over £3,199, it’s the second most expensive monitor we’ve included after the Apple Pro Display XDR. Considering how good the BenQ DesignVue PD3220U is at number one our our list, only those who really need the extra features and specs will want to consider spending $2,000 more for this beautiful display.
Good range of ports and features for multi-taskers
Reasons to avoid
–
Curve might make work look skewed
Buy it if
✅ You want an ultrawide monitor for graphic art or design: Most ultrawides are designed for gaming or general productivity, but this has solid specs for creative work.
✅ You work on two laptops at once: The PIP and PBP controls allow control over screen ratios when connecting two devices.
✅ You want a curved screen: Curved screens feel more immersive, but not everyone likes them for graphics work.
Don’t buy it if:
❌ You’re budget is tight: This is another pricey display.
❌ You have a small desk: Enclosed desktops are unlikely to have enough room for this big monitor, whose base measures 24.79cm.
The bottom line
🔎 Dell UltraSharp U4021QW is relatively rare in that it’s an ultrawide monitor with excellent specs for graphics work. The 40-inch screen provides a lot of space to play with, whether for working across different windows on one laptop or connecting two devices at once. ★★★★
What you need to know:
If you work across multiple programs or panels or you like to be able to compare your work side by side, the extra space provide by an ultrawide can be a huge benefit. Just note that some creatives feel that a curved screen can distort the appearance of their work. This is a subjective thing, but you might want to test the experience to check how it work for you.
Design and build: The Dell U4021QW looks quite sleek and modern for a display from Dell, which is more known for its functional reliability more than fancy design, although the bezels are a little thick. The build is plastic, including the screen, but it doesn’t feel at all flimsy and the construction is solid enough. The location of the monitor’s ports, which include Thunderbolt 3, on the underside of the back panel makes it easy to connect things with help of the ample tilt adjustability.
Display: We found this 4K option from Dell to have the specs for creative work, boasting 100% sRGB, 100% Rec. 709 and 98% DCI-P3 color coverage. There are handy options for color, contrast and display modes. There are also a bunch of features to help multitasking, including Easy Arrange application tiling and the option to connect two computers to the one display. Picture in Picture and Picture by Picture settings allow you to control screen ratios and arrangements to fine tune things, which could be a boon for designers who work across multiple programs at once.
Pricing: An ultrawide with these specs never comes cheap, and at around $1,600 / £1,600, this is 50% more expensive than the top pick on our list. Dell does often run deals, however, so keep an eye out for a discount.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Dell UltraSharp Curved U4021QW scorecard
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Design and build
Immersive curved display.
★★★★★
Display
Good colour coverage.
★★★★★
Pricing
More expensive than smaller screens with comparable specs
★★★★
The best monitor for graphic artists for Apple users
(Image credit: Apple)
The best monitor for graphic artists for Apple users
Specifications
Screen size: 32in
Resolution: 6016 x 3384
Color space coverage: 94.3% sRGB, 98.7 DCI-P3
Connections: 1 x Thunderbolt 3, 3 x USB Type-C
Brightness: 1000 nits
Reasons to buy
+
1,600-nit peak brightness
+
Glorious 6K resolution
+
Thunderbolt & USB-C connectivity
Reasons to avoid
–
Very expensive…
–
…and the stand will cost you extra
Buy it if
✅ You’re a big Apple fan: Anyone who likes the design of Apple products will love this sleek display.
✅ You have a very big budget: This is more of a studio investment than a monitor for home, costing around $5,000.
✅ You need a bright screen for HDR work: This 6K display provides HDR peak brightness of 1,600 nits, well over any other display on our list.
Don’t buy it if:
❌ You don’t have unlimited funds: Fairly obvious, but if budget is an issue, this isn’t the screen to consider.
❌ You’re working in a small home office: A screen of this calibre is overkill for most home offices.
The bottom line
🔎 Apple Pro Display XDR is an exceptional beast of a monitor that makes all of the other monitors on this list look dull when you consider its typical and peak brightness. It’s an excellent display for HDR work and the 6K resolution is stunning, but so is the price. ★★★★
What you need to know
Those looking to keep everything within the Apple family should look at the Apple Pro Display XDR screen. It’s an investment, but we found it to be a stunning monitor for graphic design.
Design and build: This expensive monitor has the sleek design and finish that we expect from Apple device, it Its Thunderbolt 3 port ensures it can be hooked up easily in a Thunderbolt chain, and there are a bunch of USB-C ports for accessories too. Its price tag bites hard, and the fact that the official stand will cost you a chunk extra does sting.
Display: The screen itself is hard to fault despite it being several years old now. In terms of specs, the numbers are impressive: 6K resolution (6016 x 3384) HDR peak brightness of 1,600 nits (typically this is ‘only’ 1,000) and near 600 dimming zones. In practice? We found brightness and contrast to be simply superb. We also appreciated the specific modes for DCI P3, sRGB, NTSC, BT.709, to name but a few, and found it to be a perfect companion for a MacBook Pro ensuring that work will look the same if you have the two side by side.
Pricing: By far the biggest downside of this as a monitor for graphics artists, the price is frankly astronomical. It starts at around $5,000 / £5,000 (without the stand) and there are rarely big discounts.
✅ You want a portable display: Most portable monitors provide fairly pedestrian displays, but we think this one just makes the grade for creative work.
✅ You work out of the office: The benefit of a portable display is the ability to take it with you to work in different locations or to show work to clients.
✅ You want an OLED screen: There are cheaper portable monitors about, but Asus’s OLED tech makes this one stand out for image quality.
Don’t buy it if:
❌ You need the best colour coverage: This only reaches 95.5% of sRGB, but sadly we’ve not tested a portable monitor that can do better.
❌ You’re looking for a main monitor: At just 16-inches, this display is an extra for using on the go not as a main display for creative work.
The bottom line
🔎 Asus ZenScreen MQ16AH impressed us with a quality OLED panel in a compact portable package. This isn’t going to be your main screen for creative work, but it could be very useful for a mobile setup or to show work. ★★★★
What you need to know:
Most portable monitors make decent productivity devices for working on the go or an an addition to a laptop screen, but they aren’t so hot for creative work. This OLED display from Asus is a very welcome exception.
Build and design: A portable 16-inch OLED display is a niche device. It only makes sense if you regularly work on the move, for example in cafes, hotel rooms, co-working spaces or clients’ offices. For situations like that, this device comes into its own. It’s slim and compact, making it easy to slip into a bag and connect to a laptop using just one cable. We found it to be a flexible device that’s equally suitable for graphic art and design as writing or coding. With a dongle, it’s possible to use the USB-C port to connect game consoles, a Raspberry Pi, or even a streaming stick,
Display: ASUS claims 95.5% of sRGB, and we got 100% in our tests, as well as 96% of Adobe RGB and 98% of P3 and Delta E < 2 colour accuracy. We didn’t manage to get the 400 nits of brightness that Asus claims using USB-C (the alternative is to use mini HDMI), but the OLED screen was still very bright for a portable monitor and able to overpower most reflections in the office at 80% brightness. The 60Hz refresh rate gives a smooth picture.
Pricing: At around $350 / £450, the ASUS ZenScreen MQ16AH represents quite good value for what it offers. There are a lot of cheaper portable monitors out there, but not with anything near the specs needed for graphic art and design.
How to choose the best monitor for graphic artists
There are several things to consider and look out for when you’re choosing a monitor for graphic design or art. One of the most important is to decide what size monitor you want. A larger monitor means that you can see your work at a larger size, and it can also make it easier to see all of your work if you have lots of layers or to navigate multiple windows, which is handy if you’re jumping between different programs or if you’re checking an image against a reference. However, a larger screen takes up more space.
One of the most important factors in a monitor for visual art and design is colour coverage and accuracy. There are no minimum requirements that you should look for, but if you’re producing work for digital uses, you’ll want the highest sRGB colour space coverage, ideally 100%, and good coverage for other colour spaces such as Adobe RGB may also be preferable depending on your workflow.
How we tested the best monitors for graphic artists
We have chosen the best monitors for graphic artists based on our writers’ experiences when carrying our our own hands-on tests and reviews. We have also taken on board recommendations and feedback from working artists and customer reviews.
When reviewing monitors, we conduct benchmark tests to check brightness and contrast levels, colour coverage, accuracy and uniformity. We also use the monitors over several days in real-life use cases, including for creating graphic design and digital art in programs such as Illustrator, Photoshop and CorelDRAW. As well as the quality of the display itself, we also evaluate build, ergonomics, connectivity and price. We then seek to identify the best monitor for different needs and budgets.
FAQs
What is the best monitor for graphic artists and designers?
We think the best monitor for graphic artists is the BenQ PD3220U. It takes our top spot as an exceptional all-around package that meets the needs of most graphic artists and designers, with solid colour coverage and overall image quality, generous screen space and good connectivity for a very reasonable price.
However, each of our picks for the best monitor for graphic designers here has its merits and will perform very highly in many circumstances depending on what you’re looking for. What suits one graphic artist perfectly may not be the ideal choice for another. The best monitor for you will depend on the kind of work you do, how you like to work, and on your budget, which is why we’ve included a range of options.
Do you need a 4K monitor for graphic art and design?
The best monitor for graphic artists or designers doesn’t have to be 4K since resolution isn’t as important for static design as it is for video. That said, your work will look better up close since details will be clearer, so 4K is generally worth the extra outlay if you have the budget.
