Everyone enjoys a monitor with great image quality but, for graphics designers, image quality is a professional necessity. Graphics designers need a monitor that has accurate color and supports the correct color gamut for their work. Monitors that fall short make it difficult for designers to know their work will look correct when it’s viewed on other monitors or put into production.
This guide rounds up the best monitors for graphics design across a range of budgets. Scroll below our recommendations to learn more about what to look for in a monitor for graphics design.
For even more monitor recommendations, check out our roundup of the best monitors across all categories.
Updated 04/06/2023: To include the Viewsonic ColorPro VP16-OLED as our choice for the best portable monitor for graphic design. Read our summary about this sleek compact OLED display below.
Asus ProArt OLED PA32DC – Best monitor for graphic design
Pros
- The best SDR image quality yet
- Good HDR performance
- Long list of image quality features
- Exceptionally sturdy
- Numerous inputs, plus USB hub
Cons
- HDR brightness could be better
- Glare can be an issue in bright rooms
- Only 60Hz, no adaptive sync
Do you want an awesome monitor for graphics design—no matter the price? Asus’ ProArt PA32DC is for you.
Let’s get this out of the way up front: This monitor is $3,499. That’s a lot of money, to be sure, but its quality lives up to the price. This monitor has a 4K OLED panel with tack-sharp clarity, excellent color accuracy, and a very wide color gamut covering 99 percent of DCI-P3 and 98 percent of Adobe RGB. The OLED panel also provides class-leading contrast and strong HDR support, making this an ideal choice if you work with HDR content.
The ProArt PA32DC’s professional focus carries over to its design. It’s built like a tank and includes a built-in handle. You can also detach the height-adjustable stand and instead use a pair of screw-on legs that collapse flat. These unusual features might seem odd for a 32-inch monitor, but they’ll prove handy if your work requires travel to a client’s office or studio.
Connectivity is superb, too, with a total of five video inputs including a USB-C port with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and 65 watts of Power Delivery. The monitor’s on-screen menus offer a massive range of adjustments and customization to help professionals tune the image to their work.
This monitor is expensive, but it’s worth it. It’s an ideal professional display built for the most demanding graphics design work.
Dell U3223QE – Best 4K monitor for graphic design
Pros
- IPS Black panel fulfills its promise
- Accurate color with wide gamut
- High brightness in SDR
- USB-C hub with 90 watts of power
Cons
- Edges of display are noticeably bright
- HDR performance disappoints
- Only a 60Hz panel
Want an excellent monitor for graphics design that won’t obliterate your savings account? Dell’s U3223QE is the perfect choice.
The Dell U3223QE is almost as color accurate as the Asus ProArt PA32DC, and the difference between them is small enough to generally not be an issue. It also supports a wide color gamut spanning 99 percent of DCI-P3 (though only 89 percent of Adobe RGB). Dell’s monitor is brighter than the ProArt PA32DC and has a more effective anti-glare coat, making it a better choice for use in bright rooms.
Dell’s U3223QE is among a small handful of monitors with an IPS Black panel. It still lacks the contrast of an OLED panel, but the contrast ratio is roughly twice that of a standard IPS panel. This is a big advantage over similarly priced competitors, most of which have a standard IPS panel with a lackluster contrast ratio.
Connectivity is great, as well, and includes a USB-C port that powers a full-featured USB-C hub with multiple USB-A ports, ethernet, and DisplayPort-out. The USB-C port delivers 95 watts of Power Delivery for charging a connected laptop or tablet.
Graphics designers who want a smaller monitor should consider this monitor’s sibling, the Dell U2723QE. It offers the same IPS Black panel, 4K resolution, and USB-C hub at a lower price.
<div class="ad page-ad has-ad-prefix ad-article" data-ad-template="article" data-ofp="false"></div> <div class="product-chart-separator"></div>
<div class="wp-block-product-chart-item product-chart-item">
<div class="product-chart-item__title-wrapper">
<h3 data-p_name="Asus ProArt PA348CGV" class="product-chart-item__title-wrapper--title product-chart-title " id="asus-proart-pa348cgv-best-ultrawide-monitor-for-graphic-design">
Asus ProArt PA348CGV – Best ultrawide monitor for graphic design </h3>
</div>
<div class="large-pro-cons-product-chart-section">
<div class="product-chart-item__image-outer-wrapper
product-chart-item__image-outer-wrapper--large">
<div class="product-chart-item__image-wrapper">
<img width="1500" height="1000" class="product-chart-item__image" alt="Asus ProArt PA348CGV - Best ultrawide monitor for graphic design" src="https://b2c-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/asus-proart-PA348CGV-5.jpg?quality=50&strip=all" loading="lazy" sizes="1500" />
</div>
</div>
<div class="product-chart-body">
<div class="product-chart-columns">
<div class="product-chart-column">
<p class="product-chart-subTitle">Pros</p>
<ul class="product-pros-cons-list">
<li>
Excellent SDR image quality </li>
<li>
Sturdy, hefty design </li>
<li>
Wide range of customization </li>
<li>
120Hz refresh rate </li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="product-chart-column">
<p class="product-chart-subTitle">Cons</p>
<ul class="product-pros-cons-list">
<li>
USB-C hub lacks video-out or ethernet </li>
<li>
HDR is merely passable </li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="product-chart-item__information ">
<div class="product-chart-item__information--rrp-wrapper">
<span class="product-chart-item__information--rrp-label">
</span>
<span class="product-chart-item__information--rrp-value">
</span>
</div>
</div>
<div class="product-content">The Asus ProArt PA348CV is a great monitor for graphics designers who want an ultrawide display.
This ultrawide monitor delivers excellent image quality. Surprisingly, its color accuracy is the best of all monitors on this list, and its color gamut spans 98 percent of DCI-P3 (and 89 percent of Adobe RGB). Overall color performance is right on par with the Dell U3233QE, which is a couple hundred dollars more expensive. The monitor’s resolution of 3440×1440 is not as sharp as 4K but still looks great.
Asus throws in a wide range of features to sweeten the deal. The ProArt PA348CV has a feature-rich menu with numerous image-quality adjustments, a USB-C port that can deliver up to 95 watts of Power Delivery for charging a connected laptop or tablet, and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. It also supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro for smooth gaming. This monitor retails at an MSRP of $749.99 which, though not inexpensive, undercuts competitors with similar features. Other monitors can match the ProArt PA348CV on image quality, features, or refresh rate, but none beat it on all three.
</div>
Read our full
<a class="product-chart-item__review-link" href="https://www.pcworld.com/article/1346674/asus-proart-pa348cgv-review.html" target="_blank" score="4.5">
Asus ProArt PA348CGV review </a>
</div>
<div class="ad page-ad has-ad-prefix ad-article" data-ad-template="article" data-ofp="false"></div> <div class="product-chart-separator"></divLogin to add comment
Other posts in this group
I’ve been a Chromebook fan and advocate for many years now. I bought
Prime Day is over, yes, but many awesome tech deals are still around.
We could all use some extra USB-C cables around the house, what with
Microsoft has made another adjustment to the restrictions that it pla
At some point, you’ve felt the twinge of anxiety as your laptop’s bat
Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 50 series has been shining with cutting-edge tec
