If you're a professional photo editor or content creator, getting a proper monitor to work with can help you perfect your craft. While there are dedicated professional displays with perfect color accuracy, those tend to cost a lot. The next best option is to get a consumer-level monitor that performs well enough even for serious photo editing. A monitor with a wide color gamut in various color spaces, including sRGB, Adobe RGB, and DCI-P3, helps whichever color space you work with. It's also important for it to be accurate out of the box if you don't want to pay for a full calibration. You may also want to consider the monitor's HDR performance if you edit photos in HDR, where a high contrast ratio and bright highlights are important.
Besides the color accuracy, a high-resolution display lets you see images with a ton of detail, and you can also think about the size, but that's a personal preference. Getting a monitor with a USB hub and a KVM switch also improves your workflow, especially if you need to multitask with different devices or computers. You may also want something with a wide viewing angle so that someone next to you sees an equally consistent image from the sides. Lastly, while OLED monitors have the best picture quality, they also risk burn-in with constant exposure to the same static elements over time, like if you always have your editing program open. It's better to change up what you have on screen to avoid this risk, though.
We've bought and tested more than 415 monitors, and below are our picks for the best monitors for editing photos. See our recommendations for the best monitors for graphic design and the best monitors for video editing, for other types of monitors for content creation. If you need more than just a monitor, check out the best laptops for photo editing, the best cameras for photography, and, to complete your setup, the best home printers.
We buy and test more than 30 monitors each year, all of which we purchase ourselves, without cherry-picked units or samples. We put a lot into each unbiased, straight-to-the-point review, and there's a whole process from purchasing to publishing, involving multiple teams and people. We do more than just use the monitor for a week; we use specialized, custom tools to measure various aspects and deliver objective, data-driven results. We also consider multiple factors before making any recommendations, including the monitor's cost, its performance compared to the competition, and whether it's easy to find.
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Best Monitor For Photo Editing
EditingColor AccuracySDR PictureHDR PictureBrightnessSize32"Panel TypeOLEDSub-TypeQD-OLEDMax Refresh Rate240 HzNative Resolution3840 x 2160sRGB Coverage xy%Adobe RGB Coverage xy%DCI-P3 Coverage xy%See all our test resultsRec. 2020 Coverage xy%The ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM Gen3 is among the best photo editing monitors you can get. It's a premium 32-inch, 4k display with superb picture quality. While it's focused on gaming, it's better than other displays for photo editing because it uses a QD-OLED panel. It covers most of the sRGB and Adobe RGB color spaces, so it easily reproduces content no matter the color space you use. It has a dedicated sRGB mode that's accurate before any sort of calibration, but you may still prefer calibrating it to fix white balance issues. Besides its very vivid colors, it also displays perfect blacks in dark rooms, which is ideal if you edit content in a dark environment. It's fine if you want to use it in a well-lit room as it gets bright, but blacks look gray if there are overhead lights or a window nearby.
Although its OLED panel risks burn-in if you constantly have your editing program open, you can help avoid the risk by changing up what you have on-screen every so often. It also includes features to help with productivity, like a KVM switch and a USB-C port with DisplayPort Alt Mode and 90W of power delivery, so it can display an image and charge a laptop using the same cable. Lastly, its 4k resolution delivers sharp images, but there's fringing around letters due to its subpixel layout. The ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCWM is a 4k OLED without any fringing, but it isn't as bright as the PG32UCDM Gen3.
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Best Upper Mid-Range Monitor For Photo Editing
EditingColor AccuracySDR PictureHDR PictureBrightnessSize27"Panel TypeLCDSub-TypeIPSMax Refresh Rate330 HzNative Resolution5120 x 2880sRGB Coverage xy%Adobe RGB Coverage xy%DCI-P3 Coverage xy%See all our test resultsRec. 2020 Coverage xy%If you find the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM Gen3 too expensive for your needs, the LG 27GM950B-B is a solid alternative that you can get for less. It's different from the ASUS in a few ways because it doesn't have an OLED panel with the same perfect black levels. Instead, it uses Mini LED backlighting that helps the monitor improve its black levels, at the cost of some haloing around bright objects, particularly during desktop use, like with an editing program that uses a dark mode. You may prefer disabling its local dimming feature if that bothers you, but that means you get blacks that look gray.
The LG actually has some advantages over the ASUS. For example, it gets much brighter, so it's the better choice if you want to use it in a well-lit room. The LG also has a higher 5k resolution for more detailed images, and it doesn't have any fringing around letters. It doesn't risk burn-in, either, so you can leave your program open all day and not worry about damaging the screen. Lastly, it's also accurate out of the box and displays a wide range of vivid colors, so it delivers life-like images. It even has a small USB hub, including a USB-C port to connect a laptop, but it lacks a KVM switch to help with multitasking between different computers.
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Best Mid-Range Monitor For Photo Editing
EditingColor AccuracySDR PictureHDR PictureBrightnessSize32"Panel TypeLCDSub-TypeVAMax Refresh Rate165 HzNative Resolution3840 x 2160sRGB Coverage xy%Adobe RGB Coverage xy%DCI-P3 Coverage xy%See all our test resultsRec. 2020 Coverage xy%Should you want a lower-end option that offers good value, check out the TCL 32R84. The main trade-off of getting this monitor versus the LG 27GM950B-B is that it has a lower 4k resolution. So, while it has lower pixel density due to its 32-inch screen, images look crisp regardless. Like the LG, it also uses Mini LED backlighting and has full-array local dimming, but it doesn't perform as well. There's more haloing around bright objects against dark backgrounds, which is something to consider if you edit darker content. On the plus side, it has a higher native contrast ratio for deep blacks, and its local dimming helps improve it even further, so it's a great choice for editing photos in dark rooms, especially in HDR. Like the LG, it also gets bright enough to fight glare if you want to use it in a well-lit space.
If you edit photos in SDR, you should know that it comes with an accurate sRGB mode. Plus, it covers the sRGB and Adobe RGB color spaces nearly perfectly. However, there are white balance and gamma tracking issues that you may want to fix by calibrating it. Lastly, it comes with a small USB hub to connect your devices and supports DisplayPort Alt Mode and 90W of power delivery over USB-C. Unlike the LG, it has a KVM switch that makes it easy to change sources and use the same devices on both.
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Best Lower Mid-Range Monitor For Photo Editing
EditingColor AccuracySDR PictureHDR PictureBrightnessSize27"Panel TypeLCDSub-TypeIPSMax Refresh Rate320 HzNative Resolution3840 x 2160sRGB Coverage xy%Adobe RGB Coverage xy%DCI-P3 Coverage xy%See all our test resultsRec. 2020 Coverage xy%If you want something cheaper than the TCL 32R84 without getting into budget models, the Acer Nitro XV275K P5biipruzx is worth a consideration. It's another 4k option that performs well for photo editing, but there are some notable differences compared to the more premium TCL. The Acer has a lower contrast ratio, and despite the fact that it uses Mini LED backlighting like the TCL, its local dimming feature performs worse. It has more haloing around bright objects, which is a problem if you edit dark photos with bright highlights, like a starry night. It also loses details in dark areas, which is a downside if your photos have shadow gradients. You can only use this feature in HDR, so blacks look gray when editing photos in SDR, but it at least improves black levels in HDR.
It's still fine for editing content in SDR, though. Its dedicated sRGB mode is accurate, but there are more white balance issues than the TCL that you should fix with a full calibration. It at least displays a wider range of colors than the TCL. Although it doesn't get as bright as the TCL in SDR, it's still fine to use in a room with a few lights around. Like the TCL, its USB hub also includes a KVM switch that makes it easy to change between computers, and it has a USB-C port with 90W of power delivery to charge your laptop while you're working.
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Best Budget Monitor For Photo Editing
EditingColor AccuracySDR PictureHDR PictureBrightnessSize27"Panel TypeLCDSub-TypeIPSMax Refresh Rate200 HzNative Resolution2560 x 1440sRGB Coverage xy%Adobe RGB Coverage xy%DCI-P3 Coverage xy%See all our test resultsRec. 2020 Coverage xy%If you're on a tight budget, check out the KOORUI S2721PM. It's cheaper than the Acer Nitro XV275K P5biipruzx, but there are some things to consider as you move down price categories. The KOORUI has a lower 1440p resolution, so images aren't as detailed and text isn't as sharp. The KOORUI also lacks a USB hub, so you need to connect all your devices directly to your editing computer. However, these are the trade-offs you need to expect if you want to maintain good picture quality in the budget category.
The KOORUI is solid for photo editing, and actually has some advantages over the Acer when it comes to picture quality. It also uses Mini LED backlighting, and you can enable its local dimming feature as you wish in SDR or HDR. This helps it improve its black levels, and it has less haloing around bright objects, but it still has some blooming regardless. It also gets brighter than the Acer, making it the better choice for editing content in bright rooms. Lastly, it displays a wide range of colors and has similar out-of-the-box accuracy to the Acer, but you can't use its local dimming feature with its sRGB mode, so you may prefer calibrating it to access local dimming.
Notable Mentions
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Apple Studio Display XDR:
The Apple Studio Display XDR is a high-end 5k monitor that's ideal for editing content on a Mac, like a MacBook or Mac mini. It uses Mini LED backlighting and gets much brighter than the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM Gen3. That said, it costs a lot more, so only consider it if you want to take full advantage of a Mac with Thunderbolt support.
See our review -
BenQ MA270S:
The BenQ MA270S is a 5k content creation monitor that's a cheaper alternative to the LG 27GM950B-B. It has accurate colors and useful features, like Thunderbolt support, but it doesn't display the same deep blacks as the LG because it lacks local dimming.
See our review -
MSI MPG 274URDFW E16M:
The MSI MPG 274URDFW E16M is a mid-range Mini LED monitor that's slightly cheaper than the TCL 32R84. Although the MSI is good for editing, it takes a step back from the TCL because it has a lower contrast ratio, so blacks aren't as deep, and it has worse out-of-the-box accuracy.
See our review -
ASUS ProArt Display PA279CRV:
The ASUS ProArt Display PA279CRV is a lower mid-range 4k monitor that has a few features for photo editors. This includes picture modes for various color spaces, from sRGB to Rec. 2020. However, it's worse for editing photos in HDR than the Acer Nitro XV275K P5biipruzx because it lacks Mini LED backlighting, as blacks look gray.
See our review -
AOC Q27G3XMN:
The AOC Q27G3XMN is a budget-friendly 1440p monitor with Mini LED backlighting. It has a higher native contrast ratio for deeper blacks than the KOORUI S2721PM, which helps for editing darker content. However, it has a worse viewing angle, so the image looks washed out from the sides.
See our review
Recent Updates
Nov 05, 2026:
We replaced the Apple Studio Display XDR with the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM Gen3 as the top monitor because it offers better picture quality at a lower cost. We also added the TCL 32R84 as the 'Best Mid-Range Monitor For Photo Editing,' renamed the Acer Nitro XV275K P5biipruzx as the 'Best Lower Mid-Range Monitor For Photo Editing,' and moved the ASUS ProArt Display PA279CRV to the Notable Mentions to better reflect what photo editors need in a monitor. We overhauled the Notable Mentions to reflect these changes.
Sep 24, 2026:
We replaced the ASUS ROG Strix XG27ACS in the budget category with the KOORUI S2721PM, which has better overall picture quality.
Aug 11, 2026:
We verified that the recommended monitors are still available, and we added additional links to other articles for extra context.
Jul 03, 2026:
We replaced the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM with the Apple Studio Display XDR, which has a higher resolution and extra features. We also replaced the Dell Alienware AW2725DF with the higher-resolution LG 27GM950B-B. We replaced the AOC Q27G40XMN with the ASUS ROG Strix XG27ACS, which has a more ergonomic stand and extra perks. In the Notable Mentions, we removed the ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG32UCWMG, the Dell S3225QC, and the MSI MPG 274URDFW E16M, and we added the PG27UCDM, the Q27G40XMN, and the BenQ MA270S to reflect the changes in the recommendation.
Jun 02, 2026:
In the Notable Mentions, we removed the ASUS ROG Strix XG27ACS, which is hard to find, and we added the HyperX OMEN OLED 27q.
All Reviews
Our recommendations are based on what we think are the best monitors for editing photos currently available in the United States. They're adapted to be valid for most people in each price range. The rating is based on our review, feedback from visitors, and price. For example, two monitors may perform the same, but the cheaper one will be recommended. We also consider availability, as we don't recommend a monitor that's hard to find.
If you would prefer to make your own decision, here is the list of all of our monitor reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. Most monitors are good enough to please most people, and the things we fault monitors on are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.