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 and a dedicated, accurate sRGB mode is useful if you don't want to pay more for calibration, allowing you to edit images properly in SDR. You may also want to consider the monitor's HDR performance, like its contrast and color volume, if you edit photos in HDR.
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, a wide viewing angle, and good ergonomics also improves your workflow, especially if you need to multitask or often share your screen with someone else.
We've bought and tested more than 375 monitors, and below are our picks for the best monitors for photography and photo editing. See our recommendations for the best monitors for graphic design, the best monitors for video editing, and the best HDR monitors. 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.
Quick Look
We buy and test more than 30 monitors each year, with units that we buy completely on our own, without any 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 and custom tools to measure various aspects with objective data-based results. We also consider multiple factors before making any recommendations, including the monitor's cost, its performance against the competition, and whether or not it's easy to find.
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Best Monitor for Photo Editing
Editing9.3Color Accuracy9.2SDR Picture10HDR Picture9.4Brightness7.2Response Time9.9Size27"Panel TypeQD-OLEDMax Refresh Rate240 HzSee all our test resultsNative Resolution3840 x 2160The ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM is the best monitor for photo editing that we've tested. It delivers superb picture quality for content creation. Although it's a gaming-focused monitor, the main advantage of getting this for photo editing is that its OLED panel delivers deep, inky blacks in dark rooms without haloing, which is great for editing darker photos. It also comes with a remarkably accurate sRGB mode, which is actually more accurate than calibrating it with another picture mode. It even displays a wide range of colors in the Adobe RGB color space, but some colors are oversaturated in it.
Even if you want to edit content in HDR, it's an incredible choice as it displays a wide range of colors that also look vivid. Besides that, it has a high 4k resolution that delivers detailed images and sharp text, and its 27-inch screen is big enough for multitasking. That said, its OLED panel risks burn-in with constant exposure to the same static elements over time, like if you only have your editing program open all the time. So, unless you always display the same content, the ASUS PG27UCDM is one of the best monitors for photo editing because its pros outweigh its cons.
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Best Upper Mid-Range Monitor For Photo Editing
Editing9.0Color Accuracy9.5SDR Picture10HDR Picture9.4Brightness6.6Response Time9.9Size27"Panel TypeQD-OLEDMax Refresh Rate360 HzSee all our test resultsNative Resolution2560 x 1440If you want an OLED for content creation, but you don't want to spend a lot, look into the Dell Alienware AW2725DF. It's a cheaper alternative to the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM, with the main difference being that it has a lower 1440p resolution, so images are less detailed. It also has a few less productivity features because it doesn't have a KVM switch. Even though it has a USB-C port, it doesn't support DisplayPort Alt Mode, so you can't quickly connect a laptop over USB-C.
Despite these fewer perks, this monitor offers great value for content creators because it has similar picture quality to the higher-end ASUS. It has a QD-OLED panel with the same deep blacks in dark rooms, no haloing around bright objects, and highlights that pop in HDR. It also displays a wide range of colors in common SDR and HDR color spaces. Plus, its sRGB mode is very accurate before any sort of calibration, to the point where you may not need to pay for a full calibration. You can also consider the Dell Alienware AW3425DW if you prefer an ultrawide QD-OLED for content creation, but it costs more than the AW2725DF.
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Best Mid-Range Monitor For Photo Editing
Editing7.7Color Accuracy8.9SDR Picture6.9HDR Picture5.5Brightness7.3Response Time5.6Size27"Panel TypeIPSMax Refresh Rate60 HzSee all our test resultsNative Resolution3840 x 2160If the Dell Alienware AW2725DF is too expensive for your needs or you prefer something other than an OLED, look into the ASUS ProArt Display PA279CRV. It's different from the Dell because it has a higher 4k resolution, so images are more detailed, but it has worse overall picture quality. It has a terrible local dimming feature and disappointing contrast, so blacks look gray, and there's distracting haloing around bright objects if you use the local dimming feature. This means it's a bad choice for editing darker content in dark rooms, but it still performs well for other types of content creation, particularly in a bright room.
That said, the main advantage of this monitor is its extremely accurate sRGB mode. Not only that, it also offers other picture modes for various color spaces you may work with, including Adobe RGB, DCI-P3, and Rec. 2020. It even comes with a useful USB hub to which you can connect your devices. However, it lacks a KVM switch, which is disappointing if you have two computers connected to the monitor and you often need to switch between them. You can check out the Dell U2725QE if that's important to you, but it costs more and has worse accuracy before calibration.
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Best Budget Monitor For Photo Editing
Editing8.0Color Accuracy9.0SDR Picture7.9HDR Picture8.1Brightness8.9Response Time8.0Size27"Panel TypeVAMax Refresh Rate180 HzSee all our test resultsNative Resolution2560 x 1440Should you be looking for the best monitor for photography editing and you're on a tight budget, the AOC Q27G40XMN is a great choice that offers a ton of value. It's different from the ASUS ProArt Display PA279CRV in a few ways because it has a lower 1440p resolution, so images aren't as detailed. It isn't focused on photo editing the same way the ASUS is either, as it has fewer picture modes for various color spaces, but it still comes with a very accurate sRGB mode.
Besides these differences, the AOC has a few advantages over the ASUS. It uses Mini LED backlighting and features great local dimming, which further improves its already-great contrast ratio. This means it's a great choice for editing content in dark rooms, as it displays deep, inky blacks. However, using the local dimming feature locks the brightness to the max, which may be worth considering if you're sensitive to bright screens. If you can't find this monitor available in your region, the AOC Q27G3XMN is a very similar alternative. However, it has worse local dimming, and reports indicate that some units have a red tint issue.
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Best Cheap Monitor For Photo Editing
Editing6.8Color Accuracy8.1SDR Picture5.8HDR Picture4.9Brightness7.1Response Time7.4Size27"Pixel TypeIPSMax Refresh Rate170 HzSee all our test resultsNative Resolution2560 x 1440If you need a simple and cheap display for photo editing, like if you're just getting into the hobby for the first time and you're on a limited budget, check out the MSI G274QPF-QD. Like the AOC Q27G40XMN, it's another 27-inch, 1440p display, so it delivers the same sharpness and details to the image. However, the main downside of getting this monitor is that it has a low contrast ratio and doesn't have a local dimming feature to further improve it. This means blacks look gray in dark rooms. It doesn't get as bright as the AOC either, but it's still fine to use with some lights around.
These are the trade-offs you should expect from such a cheap monitor, but it stands out against other entry-level models when it comes to photo editing. This is because it has a quantum-dot layer that displays a wide range of colors even in HDR color spaces, like Rec. 2020 and DCI-P3. It also comes with an accurate sRGB mode, but there are some white balance inaccuracies that you would need to calibrate if you need a perfectly accurate image.
Notable Mentions
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ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG32UCWMG:
The ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG32UCWMG is a 4k OLED that's a larger alternative to the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM. The XG32UCWMG also performs better in bright rooms because it maintains lower black levels in a well-lit room. However, it has less accurate and vivid colors than the PG27UCDM.
See our review -
Apple Studio Display:
The Apple Studio Display is a premium monitor that's ideal for photo editing on a Mac. This is because it has features that you can only use with macOS, like its accurate sRGB mode. It also has a very high 5k resolution for detailed images. However, it costs more than the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM and doesn't support HDR, so it's only worth getting if you have a Mac.
See our review -
Acer Nitro XV275K P5biipruzx:
The Acer Nitro XV275K P5biipruzx is a mid-range 4k monitor that has better HDR picture quality than the ASUS ProArt Display PA279CRV. This is thanks to its Mini LED local dimming feature that improves black levels. However, you can't use this local dimming in SDR, so it doesn't offer advantages over the ASUS when editing SDR content.
See our review -
Dell S2725QC:
The Dell S2725QC is a 4k monitor that's cheaper than the ASUS ProArt Display PA279CRV. The Dell also comes with an sRGB mode, but it doesn't have dedicated modes for other color spaces, like the ASUS.
See our review -
ASUS ROG Strix XG27ACS:
The ASUS ROG Strix XG27ACS is a budget-friendly 1440p monitor. It's an upgrade to the MSI G274QPF-QD because it gets brighter and has more accurate colors, but it tends to cost more.
See our review
Recent Updates
Jan 26, 2026:
We replaced the hard-to-find BenQ MOBIUZ EX321UX with the Dell Alienware AW2725DF. In the Notable Mentions, we replaced the Dell Alienware AW3225QF and the Dell P2425H with the ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG32UCWMG and the Acer Nitro XV275K P5biipruzx.
Oct 01, 2025:
We replaced the Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx with the BenQ MOBIUZ EX321UX because the Acer is hard to find. We also replaced the ASUS ROG Strix XG27ACS with the AOC Q27G40XMN because the AOC has better overall picture quality. We added the MSI G274QPF-QD as the 'Best Cheap Monitor For Photo Editing' to give another option. In the Notable Mentions, we replaced the Xiaomi G Pro 27i with the Dell S2725QC and the ASUS ROG Strix XG27ACS.
May 29, 2025:
We replaced the Gigabyte AORUS FO32U2P with the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM and renamed it to the 'Best Monitor' for consistency with other recommendations. We added the Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx and renamed the ASUS ProArt Display PA279CRV to the 'Best Mid-Range Monitor.' We also replaced the LG 27GP850-B/27GP83B-B with the ASUS ROG Strix XG27ACS, as the LG is hard to find. Lastly, we replaced the Dell U4025QW and the Dell U2723QE with the Xiaomi G Pro 27i, Dell Alienware AW3225QF, and the Dell P2425H in the Notable Mentions.
Feb 19, 2025:
We introduced a new format to the article and updated the text to reflect these changes. Additionally, we replaced the Gigabyte M27U's 'Best Mid-Range' category with the Gigabyte AORUS FO32U2P in the new 'Best OLED' category. Replaced the ASUS ProArt Display PA278CV with the LG 27GP850-B/27GP83B-B, as the LG has HDR support. Removed the Dell P2425H, as it doesn't have an sRGB mode.
Nov 01, 2024:
We moved the Apple Studio Display to the Notable Mentions because it's an expensive monitor that works best with macOS. We replaced the Dell S2722QC with the Gigabyte M27U because it has better accuracy. We also added the Dell P2425H as the 'Best Cheap Monitor.' Lastly, we replaced the AOC Q27G3XMN with the Dell Alienware AW3225QF in the Notable Mentions.
All Reviews
Our recommendations are based on what we think are the best monitors for editing photos and other types of media creation currently available. They are adapted to be valid for most people in each price range. The rating is based on our review, factoring in price and feedback from our visitors.
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.