The 6 Best Curved Monitors - Spring 2023 Reviews

The best curved monitor that we've tested is the Dell Alienware AW3423DW. It's an excellent overall monitor with a 21:9 aspect ratio and a 1800R curve. It uses QD-OLED panel technology that improves on the benefits of OLEDs by adding a quantum dot layer to display a wide range of colors. Blacks look deep and inky in dark rooms thanks to the near-infinite contrast ratio, and there isn't any blooming around bright objects either. However, it's better to use it in dark rooms because ambient lighting in well-lit rooms causes the black levels to raise.

It's excellent for gaming, as it has a 175Hz refresh rate with native G-SYNC support to reduce screen tearing. It's great if you have an NVIDIA graphics card, as you can take full advantage of it. Even if you have an AMD graphics card, the Dell Alienware AW3423DWF is similar, with native FreeSync support instead, and it costs a bit less. Regardless, motion looks smooth on the AW3423DW thanks to its near-instantaneous response time, and it has low input lag for a responsive feel. Sadly, while it's fantastic for gaming, there are some drawbacks for desktop use because there are color fringing and text issues, so this monitor performs best as a gaming monitor.

If you think the text clarity and color fringing issues on the Dell Alienware AW3423DW will bother you and you want something with a ton of productivity features, then look into the LG 40WP95C-W. Its picture quality isn't nearly as good as on the Dell, but instead, it has a bigger 40-inch screen with a 5k2k resolution that results in extremely sharp text. It has a much more subtle 2500R curve, which is just enough to bring the edges of the screen within your field of vision. While it's great for office and general work use, it's also great for content creators because it displays a wide range of colors and comes factory-calibrated.

It's easy to connect to it with your work laptop because it has two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 support, so you can display an image from a compatible laptop and charge it at the same time, thanks to the 96 W of power delivery. It has a few handy features like a Picture-by-Picture mode so you can display images from two sources at once, like if you need to use your personal computer and work laptop at the same time.

If you want to find something that offers a good balance between gaming and office use, check out the Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 S32BG75. It's less costly than the LG 40WP95C-W and costs a bit less than the Dell Alienware AW3423DW, and it's more versatile if you need something for different uses. While it has a smaller screen than the LG, it has a different 16:9 aspect ratio with a 4k resolution, resulting in sharp images and text. Its 32-inch screen also has an aggressive 1000R curve, which brings the edges within your field of vision.

While it doesn't deliver the same perfect black levels as the Dell, it still has a high native contrast ratio, and it has Mini LED local dimming to further improve the picture quality in dark rooms. It also gets bright enough to fight glare and has good reflection handling if you want to use it in a well-lit room. This high peak brightness is also important for HDR gaming as it gets bright enough to make highlights pop. Lastly, it's excellent overall for gaming as it has a 165Hz native refresh rate, and its HDMI 2.1 bandwidth lets you take full advantage of the Xbox Series X and PS5.

If you want something cheaper, a mid-range monitor like the Gigabyte M32UC is a good alternative to the Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 S32BG75. It has a 32-inch, 4k screen like the Samsung but has worse picture quality as it doesn't feature Mini LED backlighting. This means that while it has good native contrast, you can't further improve it like on the Samsung, and highlights don't pop as much in HDR, which isn't ideal for HDR gaming, but these are the trade-offs you have to make for getting a cheaper display.

Luckily, this monitor has many features for office and gaming uses. It features a USB hub with a USB-C port that supports DisplayPort Alt Mode, letting you display an image from a compatible device and charge it at the same time, but it only supports 15 W of power delivery. If you're a gamer, it also has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and a 144Hz refresh rate, meaning you can play high-frame-rate games from your PC or console without issue. Although it has some issues with its motion handling, it at least has low input lag for a responsive gaming experience.

For a curved monitor in the budget category, there are some ultrawide options you can choose from, like the AOC CU34G2X. As 4k monitors like the Gigabyte M32UC are hard to find at a low cost, it's easier to look for a curved screen with an ultrawide format like this one. While this means that text and images don't look as sharp, you get more horizontal screen space for an immersive experience. It has a 144Hz refresh rate and is also FreeSync and G-SYNC compatible, so it works with AMD and NVIDIA graphics cards to reduce screen tearing. Unfortunately, its motion handling is worse than the Gigabyte because there's black smearing behind fast-moving objects.

The monitor's 1500R curve is beneficial because of its narrow viewing angles, so while the image looks washed out if you look at it from the side, the curved screen helps bring the edges more within your field of vision if you sit close. It also has great ergonomics for an ultrawide monitor as you can adjust the height, swivel it, and tilt it, so you can easily place it in an ideal viewing position.

If you want something that you can get for cheap, there are some smaller displays you can find, like the AOC CQ27G2. It has a smaller screen than the AOC CU34G2X because it has a 16:9 aspect ratio with a 27-inch screen, so you'll see less of your work and game at once, but that's normal if you want a cheap curved monitor. Despite the low cost, it still has a 1440p resolution and good image clarity. It also has good color accuracy before calibration and displays a wide range of colors in SDR, but it doesn't support HDR, which is normal for some cheap monitors.

It has a VA panel with a high native contrast that helps it display deep blacks in dark rooms, but it doesn't have a local dimming feature, and there's a lot of black smearing with fast-moving objects. This means its motion handling is mediocre, but that's what you have to expect from a cheap display with a VA panel. Luckily, it has low input lag for a responsive feel and has a 144Hz refresh rate with variable refresh rate support to reduce screen tearing.