The 5 Best 4k HDR Monitors - Spring 2024 Reviews

The best 4k HDR monitor we've tested is the Dell Alienware AW3225QF. It's the first 4k QD-OLED monitor available, and it has outstanding HDR performance. 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. You may also want to consider other 32-inch QD-OLEDs, like the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8/G80SD and the ASUS ROG Swift PG32UCDM. Additionally, you can look into the LG 48GQ900-B as a larger alternative, but it doesn't have the same vivid colors.

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.

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 has a decent local dimming feature with 576 dimming zones that help display deeper blacks. Though there's minimal blooming around bright objects, 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.

Additionally, the Acer's HDR brightness is fantastic. Small highlights get bright enough to pop, and the whole screen can be exceptionally bright at the same time. It also displays a wide range of colors in HDR 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.

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.

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.