The 4 Best Monitors For Photo Editing - Summer 2024 Reviews

The best monitor that we've tested for photo editing is the ASUS ProArt Display PA279CRV. It's designed specifically with content creation in mind because it has picture modes with various color spaces that you may work with, from the basic sRGB color space to the wider Rec. 2020 color space. Colors are accurate before any calibration, and it also displays a wide range of colors in the Adobe RGB color space that many photo editors use, but some colors are oversaturated. Another advantage is that it has a high 4k resolution to deliver clear and detailed images.

It has a few features to help your workflow, like an extremely ergonomic stand and a big USB hub to which you can connect various devices, including a USB-C port that supports DisplayPort Alt Mode with 90W of power delivery. It's a good choice if you want to edit in a well-lit room as it gets bright enough to combat glare, but it has more limited picture quality in dark rooms due to its terrible local dimming feature. If that's important to you, the Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx has much better picture quality in dark rooms, but it has more oversaturated colors in Adobe RGB.

If you want to edit your photos with a Mac computer, like a MacBook Pro or Mac Mini, consider the Apple Studio Display instead. While the ASUS ProArt Display PA279CRV is good enough to use with macOS devices, the Studio Display completes your Apple ecosystem and has features you can use only with a Mac computer. One of those features is its dedicated sRGB mode, which results in exceptional accuracy, and you won't even need to calibrate it for the most accurate image. It also has a higher 5k resolution, resulting in an incredibly high pixel density and sharp images.

It's different in a few ways from the ASUS because it doesn't support HDR, but that doesn't make much difference if you don't edit photos in HDR anyway. It also has much worse ergonomics as it's available in two different types of stands, but neither offers swivel adjustment. You can instead get a third variant that comes with a mounting adapter, for which you'll need to buy a proper mount if you want a more adjustable stand.

If you don't need a monitor specifically for macOS and you find the ASUS ProArt Display PA279CRV too much out of your price range, the Dell S2722QC is a good choice that often goes on sale. It's a step down in performance from ASUS as it doesn't have a dedicated sRGB picture mode, meaning it has worse accuracy before calibration, but that's what you must expect when getting something cheaper. It also has a smaller USB hub with two USB-A ports and a single USB-C port. Luckily, it supports DisplayPort Alt Mode with 65W of power delivery, which is enough to charge smaller laptops but not power-hungry ones.

Besides that, it performs similarly to the ASUS as it has excellent ergonomics, and it performs well in bright rooms thanks to its high peak brightness. It even has the same 4k resolution, so it delivers sharp and detailed images, but if you don't need such a high resolution, the ASUS ProArt Display PA278CV is a good choice as a 1440p monitor. It has a dedicated sRGB mode, but it doesn't support HDR like the Dell.

If you're looking for something on a budget, the Dell S2721QS is a good entry-level option, but it's a step down from the more expensive Dell S2722QC model and has fewer features. The main difference is that it has no USB hub, so you can't use your laptop's USB-C port to directly connect to it like on the S2722QC. However, it still has DisplayPort and HDMI inputs, and you can use an adapter even if your laptop doesn't have those ports.

Besides the difference in connectivity, the picture quality is very similar to the S2722QC, as it also has decent accuracy. Still, it doesn't have an sRGB mode, so you'll have to calibrate it if you need the most accurate colors possible, and it has limited picture quality due to its low contrast ratio. If that's important to you, consider the AOC Q27G3XMN, which uses Mini LED backlighting and has much better picture quality in dark rooms. However, it has a lower resolution and has an issue that results in a red tint, which isn't ideal for editing.