The 6 Best Curved Monitors - Winter 2020
Reviews

The Samsung C27HG70 is the best curved monitor that we've tested so far. It's a great gaming monitor, thanks to its fast response time, flicker-free backlight, excellent low input lag, and FreeSync support. It has a decent stand that can easily be adjusted to an ideal viewing position, and it has some great extra features, including a built-in USB hub.

This is a versatile monitor and is a very good choice for almost any use. It has a very good native contrast ratio, great for dark room viewing, but still gets bright enough for a brightly-lit room and has great reflection handling. As a bonus, it supports HDR and can display a wide color gamut, which is great.

Unfortunately, the image degrades when viewed at an angle, so it isn't as well-suited if you frequently share your screen with someone else. This monitor is available in two sizes: 27", which we tested, and a larger 32" model. We expect our results to be valid for both.

The best curved ultrawide gaming monitor we've tested is the LG 34GK950F-B. The decent picture quality, the outstanding motion handling, the exceptionally low input lag, the 21:9 aspect ratio, and the 1800R curve immerse you into an impressive gaming experience. This monitor can get bright enough for most rooms, and thanks to its wide viewing angles you can sit as close as you like and the image will remain accurate at the sides. Fast-moving content has almost no blur thanks to the fast response time and the backlight is flicker-free. Finally, the monitor supports AMD's FreeSync variable refresh rate technology and is compatible with NVIDIA's new Adaptive Sync drivers over DisplayPort when connected to a recent NVIDIA graphics card.

Unfortunately, just like most IPS monitors, blacks look gray in a dark room due to the low contrast ratio and there's some backlight bleed, which will be noticeable in dark scenes.

Overall, though, this is an impressive curved ultrawide gaming monitor.

The best budget curved monitor we've tested so far is the Samsung CF398. This 27 inch VA monitor delivers decent picture quality and has a very good contrast ratio which helps it perform quite well in dark rooms. While its viewing angles are mediocre, it has a fairly aggressive 1800R curve to help compensate for this.

Unfortunately, this monitor can't get very bright and has a hard time overcoming glare in bright rooms. Its ergonomics are also quite poor and its fixed stand only allows tilt, making it tough to find an ideal viewing position. On the upside, it has low input lag and supports FreeSync, even when connected to an NVIDIA graphics card, thanks to NVIDIA's Adaptive Sync drivers, making it a good budget monitor for gaming.

While its 1080p resolution and 72Hz refresh rate may not please more demanding users, it's a satisfactory curved monitor for those on a budget and provides excellent value for the price.