The 5 Best Curved Monitors - Summer 2021 Reviews

The best curved monitor that we've tested is the Samsung Odyssey G7 LC32G75T. It’s available either in a 27 or 32 inch size and performs very well for a wide variety of uses. It has very good picture quality thanks to its 1440p resolution, with good out-of-the-box color accuracy and an outstanding SDR color gamut. It also feels very well-built, but its aggressive 1000R curve might take you some time to get used to.

It uses a VA panel with a great contrast ratio to display deep blacks, which makes it a good choice for watching movies or gaming in dark rooms. It also has a very fast 240Hz refresh rate and incredibly low input lag, giving you a smooth and responsive gaming experience. The response time is outstanding at both its max refresh rate or 60Hz, resulting in exceptionally clear motion and minimal blur. It supports FreeSync and is compatible with G-SYNC.

Unfortunately, the viewing angles are pretty narrow, so you quickly lose image accuracy when viewing from the side. Also, even though it supports HDR, it doesn’t get quite bright enough to deliver a satisfying HDR experience, and its edge-lit local dimming is terrible. That said, if you like curved monitors, this is the best one we’ve tested.

The best curved monitor with an ultrawide screen for gaming is the LG 34GP83A-B. It has a 34 inch, 21:9 screen with a gentle 1900R curvature. It's decently well-built, with a sturdy stand that allows for height and tilt adjustments. Although its reflection handling is just okay, it gets bright enough to compensate, so you shouldn't have any visibility issues in most lighting conditions. The viewing angles are decent; fine for sharing content casually but not ideal for work that requires image accuracy.

Motion handling is amazing. It has a 144Hz refresh rate that you can overclock up to 160Hz and exceptional response times, resulting in a clear image with almost no blur trail. It supports FreeSync natively and is certified as G-SYNC compatible. It has good coverage of the DCI P3 color space for HDR content, but its contrast ratio is sub-par, lacks local dimming, and doesn't get bright enough for a true HDR experience.

There's a USB hub with two USB 3.0 inputs and a USB-B upstream port, which means you can plug your peripherals directly into the monitor, saving you a USB port on the computer. You can put a virtual crosshair on the screen, make objects in dark areas easier to see, and there's a blue light filter to help reduce eye strain. All in all, it's a great gaming monitor that should please most people.

The best curved monitor with a super ultrawide screen that we've tested is the Samsung Odyssey G9. It's a 49 inch monitor with a 32:9 aspect ratio that provides incredible immersion in games and plenty of space for multitasking. It's equivalent to two 27 inch, 1440p monitors placed side-by-side but without any distracting bezels in between. It doesn't have the best viewing angles, but thanks to its aggressive curvature, images remain relatively accurate at the edges of the screen, even if you sit up close.

Gaming feels amazingly smooth and responsive. It has good response times and a 240Hz refresh rate; however, you can only achieve its full 240Hz if you have a graphics card that supports Display Stream Compression. Input lag is exceptionally low, and it has both native FreeSync support and G-SYNC compatibility to reduce screen tearing. It can display a wide color gamut and gets very bright, enough to deliver a true cinematic HDR experience.

Unfortunately, even though it has a VA panel, the contrast ratio is only decent, so blacks still look grayish in the dark. Also, its edge-lit local dimming is terrible and can be quite distracting. On the upside, it has plenty of features, including two USB ports, a Picture-in-Picture/Picture-by-Picture mode, and even some RGB bias lighting on the back of the monitor. If you're looking for a smooth and immersive gaming experience, this is the one to get.

The best budget curved monitor we've tested is the Gigabyte G27QC. It's a 27 inch model with a 1440p resolution, which provides an immersive gaming experience and tons of screen space for multitasking. It uses a VA panel with a great contrast ratio, so it's well-suited for dark rooms but has narrow viewing angles. It's well-built despite its budget price tag; however, it's pretty limited when it comes to ergonomics because it only allows for height and tilt adjustments.

It delivers an incredibly responsive gaming experience due to its 165Hz refresh rate and low input lag. Its response times are great, but the dark transitions are quite slow, which results in visible black smearing behind fast-moving objects. It supports FreeSync natively and is compatible with G-SYNC to reduce screen tearing. There's HDR support, but like most budget monitors, it doesn't get bright enough to make highlights stand out the way they should.

There's a USB hub with two USB 3.0 ports, and it also has speakers built-in. You can add a virtual crosshair, timer, or frame rate counter on the screen, and in addition to its flicker-free backlight, it has a blue light filter to help reduce eye strain. Its Picture-in-Picture mode lets you display two input signals at once, which might be useful for streamers running on two computers. Overall, it's a great gaming monitor that most people should be happy with, and it's easy on the wallet.