One easy way to do this is to check the technical specifications of your particular model. It’s important to make sure your Mac is powerful enough to drive any external displays at the resolution and refresh rate you need. RELATED: How to Use Your iPad as an External Mac Display With Sidecar Can Your Mac Handle It? Acer’s XR342CK 34-inch curved display scores top marks for an ultrawide if you have the necessary desk space. This display uses Thunderbolt 3 to drive the monitor and simultaneously provide 85 watts of charge for your laptop over USB-C.

You can get the reduced, 1440p resolution version of the same display for a few hundred dollars less.Īpple says LG’s Ultrafine 5K display is suitable to use with its latest range of laptops.

If you have the hardware and budget for a 4K monitor, the HP Z27 comes highly recommended from sites like Wirecutter.

Other characteristics: Do you want a curved monitor for a more immersive viewing experience? How about one you can use in portrait mode for coding or mobile development that tilts 90 degrees? Do you plan to mount the monitor on a VESA mount?.

You should also consider buying a monitor calibration tool.

Color accuracy: Which color profiles does the monitor support? If you use your monitor for creative work, like photo and video editing, or design, you need one with a high degree of color accuracy.

Most high-refresh-rate monitors (144 Hz) are considered “gaming” monitors and would be overkill for those who aren’t. Basic monitors support 60 Hz, which is fine for office work, web browsing, or anything without fast-moving images. The refresh rate is measured in hertz (Hz).

Refresh rate: This refers to the number of times the display refreshes per second.

You can choose an LCD panel built on IPS, TN, or VA technology or opt for cutting-edge OLED panels if the budget allows.

Display and panel type: This is the major factor when it comes to quality and performance.

The higher the pixel density, the better the image quality, as you’re less likely to see individual pixels.

Pixel density: Measured in pixels per inch (PPI), pixel density describes how closely-packed the pixels are on the display.

Your decision ultimately depends on your budget and available space. Larger, 32-inch and ultrawide monitors are also available. Smaller, 24-inch displays remain popular with gamers, and people who have minimal desk space.

Size: Most displays are around the 27-inch mark.

Higher resolutions, like 4K and 5K, require more powerful hardware. Generally, the higher the resolution, the better the image quality.

Resolution: This is the number of pixels displayed onscreen at once, measured on two axes (e.g., 1920 x 1080).

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