The 5 Best 1080p Monitors - Winter 2021 Reviews

The best 1080p monitor we've tested is the Acer Nitro XV273 Xbmiiprzx. Although it's primarily designed for gaming, it's packed with great features, making it a good choice for productivity and media consumption. It has a simple design that fits into most settings, with thin bezels that are well-suited for multi-monitor setups. It has good ergonomics and wide viewing angles, allowing you to share work or content on your screen with others with ease.

One surprising aspect is its exceptional out-of-the-box color accuracy, and even though this varies between units, you may not need to get it calibrated. Its superb response time results in almost no motion blur in fast-moving scenes, and it has an optional Black Frame Insertion that can further improve clarity. It has a 240Hz refresh rate that provides an incredibly smooth desktop and gaming experience, and it has FreeSync support and G-SYNC compatibility to reduce screen tearing.

Unfortunately, although it supports HDR, it can't display a wide color gamut, so HDR content doesn't look all that different from SDR. Also, its IPS panel has a low contrast ratio that makes blacks look grayish, which isn't ideal for dark rooms. On the plus side, it has decent reflection handling and gets more than bright enough to overcome glare. It also has four USB 3.0 ports that you can use for charging and a pair of built-in speakers. Overall, it's a well-rounded monitor that should please most people.

The best 1080p gaming monitor we've tested is the ASUS VG279QM. It's one of the best gaming monitors we've tested, as it has a 240Hz refresh rate that can be overclocked up to 280Hz to provide an even smoother and more responsive gaming experience. It has a few extra features, including built-in speakers, so you may not need to get a dedicated setup if you don't want to.

It has an extremely quick response time at its max refresh rate, resulting in almost no motion blur. Even at 60Hz, the response time is outstanding, and even though there's a Black Frame Insertion feature to improve the appearance of motion, you likely won't need it. The monitor has native FreeSync support, and it's certified by NVIDIA to be G-SYNC compatible. The picture quality is great; it has great out-of-the-box color accuracy, it gets bright enough to combat glare, reflection handling is decent, and it has really wide viewing angles.

It has an extremely low input lag when playing at 280Hz, but sadly, it increases quite a bit at 60Hz. Like most IPS panels, it has a low contrast ratio, so blacks appear closer to gray when viewed in the dark. On the upside, it has outstanding ergonomics, and it's well-built, so you shouldn't have to worry about any build quality issues for a while. All in all, most people should be pleased with it, making it the best 1080p gaming monitor we've tested.

The best 1080p monitor that we've tested in the budget category is the Acer Nitro XF243Y Pbmiiprx. It's fairly well-built and has excellent ergonomics thanks to its round stand that allows for a 360-degree rotation. It's good to use in a well-lit environment because it gets bright enough to combat glare and has good reflection handling, so visibility shouldn't be an issue. Also, it has wide viewing angles, making it easier to share your screen with others around you.

It has everything most gamers need, a native 144Hz refresh rate that can be overclocked to 165Hz, native FreeSync support to reduce screen tearing, and G-SYNC compatibility. The input lag is incredibly low whether you're gaming at its native resolution or 60Hz, and the remarkable response time results in minimal motion blur. It has a Black Frame Insertion feature; however, it isn't usable simultaneously with VRR and only works within a narrow frequency range.

It supports HDR10, but sadly, it doesn't deliver a true experience because it can't display a wide color gamut and doesn't get bright enough to make highlights pop. Also, it has a low contrast ratio that makes blacks appear gray when viewed in the dark, but that's typical of IPS panels. Besides these small issues, if you're on a budget, this is the best 1080p monitor that we've tested.