Best home office monitors 2024: Displays that get the job done

Dell’s Ultrasharp U2724DE is the perfect home office monitor. It has a bright, vivid, sharp panel with excellent color performance. That comes alongside a buffet of ports that make it easy to connect multiple peripherals and expand a laptop’s connectivity.

The star of the show is the monitor’s IPS Black panel. It has a better contrast ratio than other IPS panels, which leads to a more alluring and attractive picture. That comes alongside excellent color accuracy and a wide color gamut. 

Dell pairs the IPS Black panel with an enhanced 120Hz refresh rate. This is great for gaming and improves the monitor’s versatility. You won’t have to buy a second gaming monitor to enjoy games after work. The 120Hz refresh rate can also make the Windows desktop feel snappy, as it reduces input latency and improves motion clarity.

The U2724DE is packed to the gills with ports. Thunderbolt 4, USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, DisplayPort, and 2.5G Ethernet are included. These effectively turn the monitor into a USB-C hub or dock. It has USB Power Delivery, too, which means the USB-C port can charge a connected laptop.

Resolution is the only downside. The U2724DE’s 1440p resolution isn’t bad, but picky owners may notice the image is softer than a 4K alternative, and some may need 4K to work on specific content (such as editing a 4K video). Those who want 4K should consider the Dell Ultrasharp U2723QE, which upgrades the resolution to 4K but reduces the refresh rate to 60Hz. Shoppers on a budget, meanwhile, can consider the U2724D. It’s almost identical to the U2724DE but sacrifices ports to lower the price.

Price When Reviewed:

$149

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.

Price When Reviewed:

$299.99

The BenQ GW2790QT is a great choice for a budget-friendly 1440p home office monitor. Priced at $300 (occasionally dropping to $280 on Amazon), it delivers a crisp and bright 27-inch IPS display with a resolution of 2560×1440. It also has built-in speakers and even a microphone, which is helpful for video conferencing.

Connectivity is extensive. It includes USB-C with 65 watts of Power Delivery and DisplayPort Alternate Mode, HDMI, DisplayPort, three USB-A 3.2 downstream ports, and a 3.5mm audio jack. It also has DisplayPort-out, an uncommon port that lets you reduce cable clutter by daisy-chaining video from the GW2790T to a second monitor.

BenQ provides an excellent ergonomic stand that adjusts for height, tilt, swivel, and pivot. It has a heavy base that keeps the monitor firmly planted on your desk. The base is flat, so other objects can be placed on top of it, and it takes the unusual step of including a cut-out that can be used as a smartphone or tablet stand.

The monitor has one weakness: It’s perhaps too focused on home office use. It doesn’t have gaming features like AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync and lacks HDR support. That’s easy to forgive, however, given the monitor’s mid-range $300 price tag. It’s not the best for every situation, but it’s excellent for a home office.

Price When Reviewed:

$469.00

The Asus ProArt PA279CRV is an outstanding home office monitor for professionals, artists, and creators seeking exceptional color performance at an affordable price. 

It has a 27-inch 4K display that packs 163 pixels per inch. That translates to outstanding sharpness and clarity across apps, web pages, movies, and games. The monitor also has a remarkably wide color gamut that rivals more expensive displays, covering 100 percent of sRGB, 99 percent of DCI-P3, and 98 percent of AdobeRGB. 

Asus pairs the monitor’s excellent image quality with elegant design and a sturdy, ergonomic stand that supports height, tilt, swivel, and pivot adjustments. The monitor’s extensive connectivity options include USB-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and 96 watts Power Delivery, two DisplayPort 1.4 (including one output supporting Daisy Chain), two HDMI 2.0, and three USB-A 3.2 Gen-1 ports, as well as a 3.5mm audio-out.

The PA279CRV has a mediocre contrast ratio and struggles with detail and ambiance in dark content. It also offers a modest 60Hz refresh rate, which amounts to lackluster motion fluidity in games.

These downsides are easily excused by Asus’ competitive MSRP of $469. That’s an extremely low price for a monitor that offers 4K resolution and top-tier color gamut alongside gobs of ports. 

Price When Reviewed:

$419.99

The Dell 2424HT is an excellent monitor for those craving a touchscreen experience for their home office. With its 24-inch display, 1080p resolution, and 10-point multi-touch panel, it provides an intuitive touch experience for navigating through documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.

Dell improves the touchscreen experience with a versatile tilt stand that lets you adjust the angle of the screen for comfortable viewing and easy touchscreen access. The monitor also delivers excellent connectivity with USB-C, HDMI, and DisplayPort inputs. The USB-C port provides USB Power Delivery, which can charge a connected laptop or tablet. It also serves as a USB hub providing additional USB-A ports and Ethernet.  

The 2424HT delivers solid image quality for office work with good color accuracy, contrast, and viewing angles thanks to its IPS panel. It sticks to a 60Hz refresh rate, however, and lacks Adaptive Sync. The 2424HT’s purpose is clear: It’s for work, not gaming. 

Dell asks a steep $519.99 MSRP, but the monitor is sometimes discounted to $414.99. That makes the Dell 2424HT more expensive than its alternatives, but it makes up for that with superior image quality and connectivity. These advantages make the 2424HT the obvious choice if you want a touchscreen monitor for your home office.

Price When Reviewed:

$2,399.99

The Dell Ultrasharp U4025QW is an ideal ultrawide monitor for a home office setup thanks to its extensive connectivity and a robust feature set. With an array of ports including Thunderbolt, Ethernet, HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C, the U4025QW is something of a Swiss Army knife for professionals. It’s perfect for connecting multiple devices, daisy-chaining displays, or adding Ethernet to a device that doesn’t have it.

Dell also delivers settings that allow for personalized adjustments, ensuring that the display meets your specific image quality needs, whether it’s color accuracy, brightness, or contrast. The built-in KVM switch provides control over multiple computers from a single monitor, and the monitor has picture-by-picture and picture-in-picture modes, too. The monitor’s image quality is attractive, too, as its 5K (5120×2160) resolution exceeds most competitors to achieve a sharper, more detailed image.

Unfortunately, the monitor’s perks come with a price tag that nearly exceeds $2,000. That’s a lot to ask for a home office monitor, and you could achieve even better image quality with a different display (or save a lot of cash). However, less expensive competitors don’t have the U4025QW’s connectivity.

And that’s what it comes down to. A lot of monitors can work for a home office setup, but an ideal monitor has both great image quality and the connectivity to handle any laptop, desktop, or peripheral thrown at it. The U4025QW is that monitor.

Price When Reviewed:

$399.99

Viewsonic’s VG2756V-2K is a 27-inch home office monitor with a built-in webcam, noise cancelling microphone, and speakers. 

The integrated 1080p webcam provides a clear step up from a typical laptop webcam. An integrated lightbar is provided to brighten dark rooms and the entire camera assembly can retract into the monitor, effectively acting as a privacy shutter. The built-in soundbar has two 5-watt speakers that deliver good volume and crisp audio for video or audio calls. They’re paired with a noise-cancelling microphone that prevents echoes and can eliminate most soft, repetitive sounds. 

Viewsonic includes a wide range of connectivity. The monitor has a USB-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and 90 watts of Power Delivery for charging a connected device. It also acts as a USB-C hub that powers two USB-A ports and an ethernet connection. Video inputs include HDMI and DisplayPort for a total of three video inputs.

Image quality is good with excellent sharpness, adequate brightness, and an acceptable contrast ratio. The VG2756V-2K does not support HDR, however, and is not recommended for gaming due to its 60Hz refresh rate and lack of Adaptive Sync. 

The Viewsonic VG2756V-2K is competitively priced with an MSRP of $399. That’s expensive for a 27-inch 1440p monitor, but the premium you’re paying for the monitor’s bundled features is less than you’d pay for a webcam, microphone, and desktop speakers purchased individually. That makes the VG2756V-2K a good value and worthwhile business expense.

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.

Price When Reviewed:

$349.99

Asus’ ZenScreen MB249C is a portable home office monitor that can be mounted next to a primary monitor in several ways. 

The MB249C has an adjustable desk stand that can clamp to the back of your desk instead of sitting on top of it, which reduces wire clutter and keeps the surface of your desk free. The monitor also has a built-in kickstand, which is great for portable use, and a “partition mount” to hang the monitor from a vertical surface. The options end with a 100x100mm VESA mount that is compatible with most third-party monitor arms and stands. These options make the MB249C easy to place next to your primary monitor even in cramped spaces.

This is a portable monitor, as mentioned, which means it’s easy to move. The monitor mounts to its stand with a clip mechanism that’s easily detached, and the built-in kickstand can flip out to support the monitor on most flat surfaces. It’s powered by either a USB-C connection that supports up to 60 watts of Power Delivery or the included power adapter. Not everyone will need the monitor’s portable versatility, but it’s handy if you like to work in different locations throughout the day.

Once in place, the MB249C is a competent office and productivity monitor. While it lacks the wow-factor of more expensive alternatives, like the Dell U3223QE, Asus delivers a robust, colorful, and accurate image with plenty of brightness for a typical home office. The lack of features like HDR might seem disappointing but, at this price, it’s better to execute the basics well.

1.

What makes a monitor good for my home office?

A home office monitor should have a high maximum brightness, which helps defeat glare, and a good range of connectivity. A height-adjustable stand is also ideal, since it will help you find a comfortable viewing position.

2.

What is the best resolution for a home office monitor?

4K is the best resolution, but expensive. 1440p resolution is a good midrange choice, while 1080p is the budget option.

3.

What ports and video connections should a home office monitor have?

4.

Does a home office monitor need HDR?

No, a home office monitor doesn’t need HDR. Windows’ HDR support leaves a lot to be desired. HDR works better with streaming apps and games that support HDR. If you want to play games, check our guide to the best gaming monitors.