The 5 Best 32-Inch Monitors - Spring 2023 Reviews

The best 32-inch monitor we've tested is the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 S32BG85. It's an excellent high-end monitor, and while it can be costly, it offers a ton of features and provides better performance than less-expensive models, and if you're looking for the best 32-inch gaming monitor, you'll be pleased with this one too. Its 4k resolution lets you see more details in your game at once, and the 240Hz refresh rate makes it future-proof when technology supports 4k @ 240Hz games. Until then, you can still enjoy it at lower refresh rates with a 4k resolution. Its excellent response time makes motion look smooth, which is ideal for gaming.

Even if you don't want to just game on it, it delivers a great HDR experience that makes it much better than most monitors in this regard. It has a good native contrast ratio, and its Mini LED local dimming feature helps further improve the contrast. It means blacks look deep and inky in dark rooms, and while there's some black crush that causes highlights to look muted, its HDR peak brightness is still decent, and some bigger highlights stand out against the rest of the screen.

If you want to save some money and don't think you'll take advantage of the full 240Hz refresh rate of the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 S32BG85, check out the lower-end version, the Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 S32BG75. It's essentially the same monitor, with the main difference being that it has a lower 165Hz refresh rate, meaning it isn't as future-proof for high-frame-rate gaming, but it still provides a fast refresh rate if you want to use it for console gaming. Thanks to its HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, you can play 4k games on the Xbox Series X and PS5 without issue, and it supports variable refresh rate (VRR) technology to reduce screen tearing.

HDR content on this monitor looks great because it displays a wide range of colors and has decent HDR peak brightness, enough to make highlights stand out. It looks great in dark rooms thanks to its high native contrast ratio with decent local dimming, and even if you want to use it in a bright room, it gets bright enough to fight glare, and the reflection handling is good, so visibility isn't a problem.

If you don't want to spend tons of money on a 32-inch monitor but still want extra features, consider a mid-range option like the Gigabyte M32U. It's different from the Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 S32BG75 because it has a lower contrast and a worse local dimming feature, meaning it looks worse in dark rooms, and highlights don't stand out as much in HDR. It's disappointing if you like playing HDR games or watching movies in dark rooms, but if dark room performance is important, the Gigabyte M32UC is a similar monitor with higher contrast. Still, the M32U offers better overall performance with wider viewing angles.

Despite being designed as a gaming monitor, it has many office-oriented features, like a KVM switch that lets you control two devices with the same mouse and keyboard. It's great for productivity, especially if you need to work on a laptop and desktop at the same time. It also has a USB-C port that makes it easy to connect a laptop, but it's limited to 15 W of power delivery, so it can't charge power-hungry laptops while using them.

If you don't need a 4k display, you can save money by getting a lower mid-range option like the LG 32GP850-B. It doesn't have any of the productivity features of the Gigabyte M32U, and with a lower 1440p resolution, its text clarity is worse. However, it's still good if you want to use it for the office because it has great reflection handling and high SDR peak brightness, enough to fight glare in a well-lit room. It also has wide viewing angles that keep the image consistent no matter where you view it from, which is good if you sit close as the edges won't look washed out.

In terms of gaming performance, the motion handling is remarkable, especially at high frame rates, and it has a backlight strobing feature to reduce persistence blur. It also has a few extra gaming features, like a virtual crosshair that your system won't detect, giving you a competitive advantage. While the 180Hz max refresh rate may seem low to competitive gamers, you can also consider the Samsung Odyssey G7 C32G75T, which has a 240Hz refresh rate. However, it costs more and has firmware issues, meaning the LG offers the best value.

If you're looking for a 32-inch monitor on a budget, you'll have to pay a bit more than if you were to get a budget monitor in a smaller size, but there are still a few good options. A monitor like the LG 32GN650-B offers decent overall performance and a few good features to improve the user experience. It's a step down from the LG 32GP850-B because it doesn't get as bright and has worse motion handling, but it still has a 165Hz refresh rate if you want to use it for gaming.

The main difference is that the 32GN650-B has a different panel type than the 32GP850-B, resulting in a higher native contrast for deeper blacks, but it has worse viewing angles, so the edges of the screen look too washed out if you sit close. Its stand offers decent ergonomics as you can tilt it, adjust the height, or even rotate it into portrait mode, but you can't swivel it. It also has a 1440p resolution like the 32GP850-B, but the text clarity is worse, so you may have to increase the scaling if you find the text too hard to read.