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The 5 Best 4k HDR Monitors - Winter 2024 Reviews

Updated
Best 4k HDR Monitors

HDR is a display signal format that enhances the picture quality in content compared to SDR (see SDR vs. HDR) mainly because it uses a wider range of colors and higher brightness levels. While most monitors support HDR, that doesn't guarantee good performance, as you need the monitor to display deep blacks, get bright, and accurately display content the way the creator intended. Although TVs are generally better for HDR, as they have processors and tend to get brighter than monitors, monitors are slowly catching up, and you're starting to see high-end monitors that are great for HDR.

The advantage of choosing a monitor over a TV is that they're smaller and more versatile, like if you want something for playing HDR games from your PC. High-end monitors have at least good HDR performance and often include more gaming features than TVs. That said, many budget monitors are limited in HDR performance, so if you aren't sure about getting a monitor, check out the best TVs for watching HDR movies instead.

We've bought and tested more than 300 monitors, and below, you'll find our recommendations for the best HDR monitors with a 4k resolution available to buy. Check out our recommendations for the best HDR gaming monitors, the best OLED monitors, and the best multimedia monitors.


  1. Best 4k HDR Monitor

    The best 4k HDR monitor we've tested is the Dell Alienware AW3225QF. It's head and shoulders above the rest of the monitor market when it comes to HDR performance, as it's the first 4k QD-OLED monitor available in North America. Note that you can only buy it directly from Dell's website. What makes this better than most other monitors is that its QD-OLED panel produces deep and inky blacks without any blooming, which is ideal for watching your favorite movies in dark rooms. It also gets bright enough for small highlights to stand out against the rest of the image, and it makes colors look very vivid. This outstanding picture quality even makes it a good alternative to getting a larger TV.

    Unlike most monitors, it also supports Dolby Vision, which is a common HDR format, but there are some bugs and issues with it, which is disappointing. As it's only available in North America, you might not find it in your region yet. If that's the case, you may have to wait for other monitors to come out with the same panel, like the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8/G80SD and the ASUS ROG Swift PG32UCDM. You can also look into the LG 48GQ900-B as a larger alternative, but it doesn't have the same vivid colors.

    See our review

  2. Best Upper Mid-Range 4k HDR Monitor

    If you don't need such a high-end monitor and prefer something you can usually find for a bit less, check out the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 S32BG85. It's different from the Dell Alienware AW3225QF because it doesn't have a QD-OLED panel, so it doesn't display the same deep blacks and vivid colors, but that's the trade-off you need to make with any non-QD-OLED display. That said, it uses Mini LED backlighting that lets it get brighter with some highlights than on the Dell. It also has an excellent contrast ratio and decent local dimming feature, so it still displays deep blacks without much blooming in dark rooms.

    Like the Dell, it has a 32-inch, 4k screen that's big enough for you to sit back and enjoy your favorite movie. As it's a monitor primarily designed for gaming, it has a high 240Hz refresh rate, but if you don't think you'll take advantage of such a high refresh rate, check out the Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 S32BG75. It usually costs less than the Neo G8 and performs similarly in HDR, and because it has a lower refresh rate, you can't go wrong with it if you don't need something for gaming.

    See our review

  3. Best Mid-Range 4k HDR Monitor

    If you find the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 S32BG85 too expensive for your budget, there are some good lower-cost options you can also consider. The Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx is a great 4k HDR monitor with Mini LED backlighting like the Samsung, but it has a smaller screen and a lower 160Hz refresh rate. It's still great for watching HDR content, as it has 576 dimming zones and a decent local dimming feature that helps display deep blacks. There's minimal blooming around bright objects, but it doesn't eliminate it all. If you want a better local dimming feature with more zones, check out the INNOCN 27M2V. However, it costs more and is harder to find at times.

    Another thing that makes the Acer great for HDR is that it gets extremely bright, enough to make highlights stand out. It also displays a wide range of colors and makes them look vivid, with minimal tone mapping issues. Besides that, it supports HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, so you can take full advantage of modern graphics cards when gaming at high refresh rates, even in HDR.

    See our review

  4. Best Lower Mid-Range 4k HDR Monitor

    If you want something cheaper in the lower mid-range price category, this is where you'll have to settle for more limited HDR performance. The Samsung Smart Monitor M7/M70C S32CM70 is a decent alternative to the Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx, but because it doesn't have a local dimming feature and has low HDR peak brightness, highlights look dull and muted compared to the rest of the image. Luckily, it actually has a higher native contrast ratio and fantastic black uniformity, so there's minimal blooming with bright objects on dark backgrounds.

    It displays a wide range of colors in HDR, and while its peak brightness is limited, the color volume is still good. The unique part about this monitor is that it includes Samsung's proprietary Tizen smart platform. You can watch HDR shows and movies without connecting a PC as you have access to streaming apps, essentially making it a small TV. It usually costs less than the similar Samsung Smart Monitor M8/M80C S32CM80, which has a webcam instead. Still, considering they perform very similarly, you can get whichever you can find for cheaper.

    See our review

  5. Best Budget 4k HDR Monitor

    If you want something for 4k HDR use and you're on a budget, you're limiting yourself to the performance you'll get, but a few available options are decent, like the Dell S3221QS. Like the Samsung Smart Monitor M7/M70C S32CM70, it has a 32-inch, 4k screen but no built-in smart platform, so you'll have to watch HDR content through your PC or media device, and the HDR performance is just okay. Dark scenes look great thanks to the monitor's high contrast ratio, meaning blacks look black.

    However, despite this high contrast ratio, it lacks a local dimming feature, and its HDR peak brightness is unremarkable, so bright highlights don't stand out very well, but that's what you can expect from a budget-friendly display. On the other hand, it displays a wide color gamut, with great coverage of the DCI-P3 color space used in most current HDR content, and it has superb gradient handling, with almost no noticeable banding in areas of similar color. With a 4k, 32-inch screen, the pixel density is very high, and details in the latest HDR content look extremely sharp.

    See our review

Notable Mentions

  • ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27AQDM: The ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27AQDM is a slightly cheaper alternative to the Dell Alienware AW3225QF that also has an OLED panel, but colors aren't as vivid. Also, it's limited to a 1440p resolution, so images aren't as detailed as on the 4k screen of the Dell. See our review
  • Sony INZONE M9: The Sony INZONE M9 is a good 4k HDR monitor that's a bit better for console gaming than the Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx, but it has a worse local dimming feature and costs more. See our review
  • Cooler Master Tempest GP27U: The Cooler Master Tempest GP27U is comparable to the Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx since it uses Mini LED backlighting. However, it costs more and has bugs. See our review

Recent Updates

  1. Feb 08, 2024: Added the Dell Alienware AW3225QF as the 'Best 4k HDR Monitor' and renamed the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 S32BG85 to 'Best Upper Mid-Range'; removed the LG 48QG900-B as the 'Best Large Monitor' and the Dell Alienware AW3423DW from Notable Mentions because they don't fit into the scope of the article.

  2. Nov 24, 2023: Replaced the Sony INZONE M9 with the Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx because it's cheaper and is better for HDR, and moved the Sony to Notable Mentions.

  3. Sep 29, 2023: Replaced the Gigabyte AORUS FO48U OLED with the LG 48GQ900-B because the Gigabyte is hard to find; replaced the Samsung Smart Monitor M8 S32BM80 with the newer Samsung Smart Monitor M7/M70C S32CM70 because it's cheaper; added the Cooler Master Tempest GP27U to Notable Mentions.

  4. Aug 04, 2023: Verified that the monitors are still available to buy and updated text for clarity throughout; added the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27AQDM to Notable Mentions.

  5. Jun 09, 2023: Added the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 S32BG85 as the 'Best 4k HDR Monitor' and renamed the Gigabyte AORUS FO48U OLED as the 'Best Large 4k HDR Monitor'; added the INNOCN 27M2V to Notable Mentions.

All Reviews

Our recommendations are based on what we think are the best HDR monitors that support 4k. They're adapted to be valid for most people. Rating is based on our review, factoring in price, and feedback from our visitors.

If you would prefer the make your own decision, here is the list of all of our 4k monitors that have HDR10 support. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. Most monitors are good enough to please most people, and the things we fault monitors on are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.