The 5 Best HDR Gaming Monitors - Spring 2023 Reviews

The best HDR gaming monitor we've tested is the Dell Alienware AW3423DW. This 34-inch ultrawide monitor uses a QD-OLED display, which offers a near-infinite contrast ratio and allows it to display extremely bright highlights in HDR right next to darker areas with no distracting blooming. Thanks to its quantum dot technology, it can display an incredibly wide color gamut in HDR, so your favorite games or movies look stunningly vivid and life-like.

Another advantage of its OLED display is that it has a near-instantaneous response time, resulting in crystal-clear motion in games, with no distracting blur trail behind fast-moving objects. It also natively supports NVIDIA's G-SYNC variable refresh rate (VRR) technology, which helps reduce tearing. This also allows you to take full advantage of your NVIDIA graphics card, but if you have an AMD graphics card, the Dell Alienware AW3423DWF has native FreeSync support and costs a bit less. However, its HDR performance isn't as good, so the AW3423DW still offers the best HDR gaming performance.

If you aren't a fan of the ultrawide display or are concerned about the risk of burn-in associated with OLEDs, the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 S32BG85 and the Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 S32BG75 are 4k alternatives to the Dell as they're in the same price range. They use Mini LED backlighting to deliver brighter highlights but don't offer the same perfect blacks as a QD-OLED. They're great if you want to take full advantage of gaming consoles; otherwise, the Dell is still better for PC gaming.

If you still want an OLED monitor but don't want to spend tons of money on a QD-OLED, check out the LG 27GR95QE-B. It's one of the first 27-inch OLED gaming monitors available, so while it doesn't get as bright as the QD-OLED panel on the Dell Alienware AW3423DW, and colors are less vivid, you still get the same remarkable dark room gaming experience. It also delivers amazing HDR performance because it displays a wide range of colors in HDR and has okay peak brightness with some highlights that stand out. However, its screen uses a matte screen coating that introduces some haziness to images.

Its 240Hz refresh rate lets you play games at a higher max frame rate than the Dell and delivers fantastic gaming performance. It has low input lag for a responsive feel and has a near-instantaneous response time that results in minimal motion blur behind fast-moving objects, but there's some inverse ghosting caused by overshoot with low-frame-rate signals. Unlike the Dell monitor, it has native FreeSync VRR support that lets you take full advantage of your graphics card, and its G-SYNC compatibility is great if you have an NVIDIA graphics card instead.

If you prefer getting a mid-range option to save some money, you'll have to avoid getting an OLED monitor and instead get an LED-backlit display like the Sony INZONE M9. There are a few trade-offs to getting an LED-backlit monitor over an OLED like the LG 27GR95QE-B, as it doesn't deliver the same perfect black levels. This takes away from its overall HDR performance, but it can also get brighter in HDR and doesn't run the risk of permanent burn-in like an OLED. Despite having a mediocre native contrast ratio, the Sony still delivers good HDR performance because its full-array local dimming feature has 96 zones that help improve the picture quality in dark scenes.

It has a 144Hz refresh rate and a 4k resolution, which delivers a more detailed and immersive gaming experience than the LG but at a lower frame rate. It's ideal for console gaming because its HDMI 2.1 bandwidth lets you play 4k games up to 120 fps from the PS5 and Xbox Series X without issue. It also has a quick response time for smooth motion handling and low input lag for a responsive feel.

If you're looking for something cheaper in the lower mid-range price category, the Gigabyte M32UC is a good alternative to the Sony INZONE M9. As you start dropping in price categories, there are a few trade-offs you have to make, especially for HDR performance. While this monitor has a higher native contrast than the Sony, it lacks a local dimming feature to further improve the picture quality in dark scenes. Fortunately, its black uniformity is decent with minimal blooming, and it also has decent HDR peak brightness, but small highlights don't stand out against the rest of the image.

Luckily, it offers HDMI 2.1 bandwidth that lets you take full advantage of the PS5 and Xbox Series X, including HDR. It has good motion handling with low input lag for a responsive feel and has VRR support to reduce screen tearing. Also, its 32-inch screen has a slight curve that brings the edges more within your field of vision, so the image doesn't look too washed out if you're gaming and sitting too close to it.

If you're looking for the best HDR monitor for gaming on a budget, it's tough to find low-cost monitors with good HDR performance, as most budget monitors are mediocre with HDR. However, something like the Dell S3422DWG is still decent for HDR and doesn't cost much. It's different from the Gigabyte M32UC because it has a wider 34-inch screen with a lower 1440p resolution, so you don't get the same sharp images. However, it downscales a 4k @ 60Hz signal from the PS5 and Xbox Series X, which results in a sharper image than a native 1440p signal. It means you can use it for HDR gaming from the Xbox, but because the consoles don't support ultrawide gaming, you'll get black bars at the sides.

It delivers a decent HDR performance as it has a VA panel with good native contrast, and while it doesn't have a local dimming feature either, blacks look deep, and the black uniformity is excellent. One of its advantages is that it has good HDR peak brightness, making highlights pop, and it also displays a wide range of colors in HDR with great color volume that makes most colors look vivid.