The 4 Best Monitors Under $200 - Summer 2021 Reviews

The best monitor under $200 with a 1080p resolution that we've tested is the Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx. It's an IPS model well-suited for a wide variety of uses. It has amazing ergonomics, including a full 360-degree swivel, and the viewing angles are excellent, making it a great choice for sharing content and playing co-op games. Visibility in bright rooms is good, but like most IPS monitors, it isn't ideal for dark rooms due to its low contrast ratio, making blacks appear closer to gray.

Motion handling is superb for something in this price range. It has a 165Hz refresh rate and exceptional response time, producing clear images in fast-moving content and providing more responsiveness. It supports FreeSync natively to reduce screen tearing and is compatible with NVIDIA's G-SYNC, though only over a DisplayPort connection. It supports HDR, but as expected for a budget monitor, it can't display a wide color gamut and doesn't get bright enough for a true HDR experience.

There's a pair of speakers built-in, but sadly, there are no USB ports for charging. You can add a virtual crosshair or frame rate counter on the screen and control the monitor's settings through software. The backlight is entirely flicker-free, and there's also a blue light filter that can help reduce eye strain. The price is just a tad above $200, but considering its excellent gaming performance, it's well worth spending a few extra dollars.

The Dell S2721D is the best monitor under $200 with a 1440p resolution that we've tested. It's a very good 27 inch office monitor that provides plenty of screen space for multitasking. It produces sharp images and text thanks to its high pixel density, great for any office work or even content creation. It has full sRGB coverage, excellent gradient handling, and no color bleed. It handles reflections well and gets pretty bright, so you shouldn't have any visibility issues in most lighting conditions.

It has a 75Hz refresh rate that makes everything feel a bit smoother and more responsive than a typical 60Hz panel. However, the response time is a bit slow. You can play some slower-paced games on it, but it isn't ideal for fast-moving games. On the upside, it has variable refresh rate support to reduce screen tearing. There's no HDR support, and like most IPS monitors, it has a mediocre contrast ratio that causes blacks to appear gray when viewed in the dark.

Sharing your screen with others might be somewhat complicated because even though it has wide viewing angles, you can't turn the screen at all due to the stand's terrible ergonomics. It might also make it harder for you to get a comfortable viewing position, so VESA-mounting is recommended. There aren't any USB ports, but it does have a pair of speakers built-in if you don't have dedicated ones. Overall, it's a simple but good office monitor that should satisfy most people.

The best portable monitor under $200 that we've tested is the Lepow Z1 Gamut. Portable monitors are different from typical desktop monitors because they tend to have different inputs and performance and instead focus on being compact to carry; this means they may not be as versatile as other monitors. This one is okay overall and a decent choice to use as a secondary screen.

Even though it has a smaller 15.6" screen and 1080p resolution, text clarity is great because it has a high pixel density. It has a good selection of inputs, including one Mini HDMI and two USB-C inputs, one of which supports DisplayPort Alt Mode, allowing you to power up a small device like a phone and display an image at the same time. It even has built-in speakers, and there's an analog audio output if you need to connect your headphones. It's okay for content creators as it displays a wide color gamut, better than most portable monitors, but the out-of-the-box accuracy is disappointing.

Unfortunately, it has a terrible response time, so you'll notice motion blur even when scrolling through long documents. It comes with a folio case with limited ergonomics, as you can only place it in three positions, so you may need to get a separate tablet stand if you want to place it in an ideal viewing position. It doesn't get bright either, but it has great reflection handling. If some of these flaws don't bother you, you should be happy with it.