In the market for external monitors for productivity work (coding, photoshop, illustrator, business analytics type of work) and looking for suggestions please.
Definitely prefer dual display setup but budget is limited so I am happy to consider a single bigger 4k screen as well. No gaming need, both matt and glossy finish are fine, 100% sRGB min.
thank you for your reply, will check them out.
What are you connecting it up to? if laptop, then make sure it has a built in USB-C hub. That way it will charge your laptop and display the output with a single cable.
Thank you for replying. 16" MBP, have a dock ready.
coding, photoshop, illustrator, business analytics type of work
Wouldn't these ideally require different types of monitors? Photoshop & Illustrator require precise colour accuracy which may be more important than higher resolution. But higher resolution & crispness may be more important in document work to reduce eye strain, at the cost of colour accuracy.
possibly more ideal but don't have the space nor a large enough budget for that.
Recently have similar dilemmas. Usually use 2x 24" monitor at HD, I decide either to get one 32" 4k one or two 27" 2k - I decided the later. 32" monitor may look like a TV on the desk thus why I went for the smaller one. 27" feels slightly bigger than the 24" but when used it feels a lot larger. Decided to bought this one: BenQ EW2780Q. The actual monitor looks a lot better than the photos. The speaker is great - very unusual as usually they're not good and end up unused.
Thank you for sharing your experience. Are you using a single 27"? Do you think it is an improvement over the dual 24" setup?
I am now leaning towards either a dual FHD 24" or a single curved QHD 34".
I use a new 27" 2k one plus the 15" laptop - feels enough but it could be easier if two monitors as in some work I need to do more windows need to be opened. The higher res in 27" is great - I can run 1 full window plus 2 decent smaller window split next to it - can't do this in a 24".
Thank you for your reply, after checking in store, I think 32" curved may be my choice (still undecided about the model though). Dual 27" are too wide for me and likely above budget. 32" has more vertical real estate than 34" which I think is useful for my workflow.
34" 1440p ultrawide for sure!
Personally recommend the Kogans, but the Xiaomi is popular on OzB both for about $500
Thank you for replying. Never considered 34" as I thought it would be way too big. Always assume anything above 27" are for gamers but after reading some reviews people seem to do fine with them for productivity work too so I will now consider them.
Is the Kogan one height adjustable? Between Xiaomi and Kogan which one has better after sale services?
a 34" ultrawide is identical to a 27" in terms of vertical height, but just with additional pixel real estate on each side. They're excellent for side-by-side documents like with a dual-monitor setup, but without the centre bezel, which gives more flexibility for gaming/wide spreadsheets etc. Both my Kogans weren't vertically adjustable, unlike the Xiaomi, but they do have VESA mounts for an arm if you want that flexibility. Can't say I've needed my gas arm anymore as it's tall enough to be well centred in my eyeline with the OEM stand (unlike a standard 24" monitor that definitely needs verticality).
The curve takes a couple of days to get used to, but I wouldn't get one without it now.
Neither company gets any points for customer service, but at least Kogan is a 1st party product so you are dealing with the manufacturer directly which should be less painful. Returning my faulty Xiaomi was a nightmare when I bought it through Catch. Both Kogans were flawless, and I'd get another if the need arises.
My partner is significantly shorter than me so I think height adjustment would be a handy thing to have. What was wrong with your 34" Xiaomi?
I had a brief look at other curved 34" (Gigabyte G34WQC, AOC CU34G2X and Dell S3422DW) around the same price range and wonder if you have any experience with them.
If you want 4K, Dell S2721QS
If you want 2K, Dell S2721DS
They're 99% sRGB but they're definitely some of the highest quality monitors out there for a low price, especially if you do want a Dual Monitor Setup.