If you're a graphic designer, whether you're working for many clients or starting your personal blog, one of the most important pieces in your setup is the monitor. This is what allows you to properly work on and edit your content, so you need something that reflects reality. The last thing you want is for content to look one way on your monitor and then look completely different once your client opens it. With this in mind, you'll want to get a monitor that displays a wide range of colors for the color space you're working with, whether it's in the common sRGB or the wider Rec. 2020 color spaces. And if you aren't planning on calibrating the monitor, you'll also want it to have accurate colors before any sort of calibration.
There are other factors you may want to consider, including the screen specs. A bigger screen size can help you be more productive with multiple windows opened side-by-side, but size is ultimately a personal preference. What's important is the resolution, as having a high resolution helps make content look sharp with a ton of details. 4k monitors are generally the best choices because of this, but there are a handful of 5k monitors, although they're costly. You may also want to think about which inputs the monitor offers in case you want to connect devices directly to the monitor.
We've bought and tested more than 375 monitors, and below are our recommendations for the best monitors for graphic design. Also see our recommendations for the best monitors for photo editing, the best monitors for video editing, and, if you have a MacBook, the best monitors for MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.
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 Graphic Design
Editing9.3Color Accuracy9.2SDR Picture10HDR Picture9.4Brightness7.2Office8.3Color Accuracy (Pre-Calibration)9.2Size27"Panel TypeQD-OLEDMax Refresh Rate240 HzSee all our test resultsNative Resolution3840 x 2160The best monitor for graphic design that we've tested is the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM. It's a high-end OLED that delivers stunning picture quality. Its QD-OLED panel displays deep blacks in dark rooms without any haloing around bright objects, which is ideal for working with dark content. It also comes with an sRGB mode that's so accurate that calibrating it doesn't make it significantly better. It even displays a wide range of colors in common color spaces, including DCI-P3 and Rec. 2020, making them look vivid.
Additionally, it features several productivity enhancements, including a USB hub with DisplayPort Alt Mode and 90W of power delivery, allowing you to charge a laptop while in use. It also comes with an ergonomic stand and features a wide viewing angle, which is helpful when sharing your work with someone nearby. Its high 4k resolution makes text and images look sharp, and its 27-inch screen is big enough to open two windows side-by-side. However, you may prefer the bigger ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM if you want extra screen space, but it costs more. However, both of these OLEDs risk burn-in, so you may prefer one of the other recommended options below if that concerns you.
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Best Upper Mid-Range Monitor For Graphic Design
Editing8.0Color Accuracy8.6SDR Picture7.5HDR Picture6.1Brightness8.0Office8.4Color Accuracy (Pre-Calibration)8.5Size32"Panel TypeIPSMax Refresh Rate120 HzSee all our test resultsNative Resolution3840 x 2160If you're worried about burn-in or the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM is too expensive, then check out a cheaper option, like the Dell U3225QE. It's another 4k monitor, but it's still different from the ASUS in a few ways. It has a significantly lower native contrast ratio, so blacks appear gray, and it features a poor local dimming feature that cannot be turned off in HDR. This results in noticeable haloing around bright objects, but if you aren't going to edit content in HDR, it's good to use in SDR.
Like the ASUS, it also comes with an accurate sRGB mode, although it may have a few white balance issues that can be corrected with a full calibration. One of the biggest advantages of the Dell is its large USB hub, which allows you to connect all kinds of devices to it. It even supports Thunderbolt 4 and delivers 140W of power, making it ideal for power-hungry editing laptops. Additionally, it features a KVM switch that allows for easy switching between sources and using the same devices on both. It also features a larger screen than the ASUS, but if a 32-inch display is too large for you, the Dell U2725QE is a smaller and more affordable alternative. However, it has worse accuracy.
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Best Mid-Range Monitor For Graphic Design
Editing7.7Color Accuracy8.9SDR Picture6.9HDR Picture5.5Brightness7.3Office8.5Color Accuracy (Pre-Calibration)9.1Size27"Panel TypeIPSMax Refresh Rate60 HzSee all our test resultsNative Resolution3840 x 2160If you can't afford high-end monitors for graphic design, a mid-range option like the ASUS ProArt Display PA279CRV may better suit your needs. It's a 4k, 27-inch option, but there are some trade-offs versus the Dell U3225QE for getting the lower-end monitor. It has a smaller USB hub and doesn't support Thunderbolt like the Dell. Instead, it supports DisplayPort Alt Mode with 90W of power delivery, so you can still display an image from a laptop and charge it with one cable. That said, it doesn't have a KVM switch like the Dell either, making it a worse choice for multitasking with different computers connected to the monitor.
At least the ASUS has advantages in other ways. It's more accurate before any sort of calibration, which helps if you don't want to pay extra for a full calibration and you still want fantastic accuracy. It even has different picture modes for various color spaces that you may work with, from sRGB to Rec. 2020, and it displays a wide range of colors in the sRGB color space. Unfortunately, it has limited picture quality aside from that, as blacks look gray in dark rooms. It at least gets bright enough to fight some glare in well-lit rooms, but not sunny ones.
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Best Budget Monitor For Graphic Design
Editing7.9Color Accuracy8.8SDR Picture8.2HDR Picture8.0Brightness8.3Office7.6Color Accuracy (Pre-Calibration)9.0Size27"Panel TypeVAMax Refresh Rate180 HzSee all our test resultsNative Resolution2560 x 1440If you're on a tight budget and want something that offers good value, check out the AOC Q27G3XMN. It's fairly different from the ASUS ProArt Display PA279CRV because it has a lower 1440p resolution, resulting in less detailed images and text, and fewer features. It lacks a USB hub, so you can't connect any devices directly to the monitor, which is a trade-off for getting the cheaper option.
Despite this, it has several advantages in terms of picture quality. It has a higher native contrast ratio, so blacks are deep, and it features local dimming, which further improves picture quality, similar to editing content in HDR. It even gets brighter than the ASUS, making it a better choice for working in well-lit rooms. Additionally, it features an accurate sRGB mode and displays a wide range of colors. It has a red tint depending on the settings you use, though, and you can check out the similar AOC Q27G40XMN if you want something similar that doesn't have that issue. However, it's harder to find, depending on where you live.
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Best Cheap Monitor For Graphic Design
Editing6.8Color Accuracy8.1SDR Picture5.8HDR Picture4.9Brightness7.1Office7.7Color Accuracy (Pre-Calibration)7.6Size27"Pixel TypeIPSMax Refresh Rate170 HzSee all our test resultsNative Resolution2560 x 1440If you want the best graphic designer monitor for cheap, like if you're just getting into the craft for the first time, you can get some useful options for a bit cheaper than the AOC Q27G3XMN. One of those is the MSI G274QPF-QD, which is similar in specs to the ASUS because it has a 27-inch, 1440p screen. However, there are some downsides when it comes to picture quality. The MSI has a lower native contrast ratio, making blacks appear gray, and it lacks a local dimming feature to further enhance this. It's not as bright, either, but it's still suitable for use in a room with a few lights around.
Regardless, it's a decent entry-level choice for content creation, as it features an accurate sRGB mode; however, you'll still need to calibrate it to achieve the best white balance. On the plus side, this monitor features a USB-C port that allows for quick connection to a laptop. However, since it's limited to 15W of power delivery, a separate charging cable will be necessary to keep your laptop charged.
Notable Mentions
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Dell S3225QC:
The Dell S3225QC is a QD-OLED that's a cheaper alternative to the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM. It performs similarly for the most part when it comes to content creation, but it's less accurate and doesn't have a KVM switch.
See our review -
BenQ MOBIUZ EX321UX:
The BenQ MOBIUZ EX321UX is a high-end 4k monitor with Mini LED backlighting. It's an alternative to the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM if you want to avoid getting an OLED or you want something brighter. That said, the BenQ is harder to find at times.
See our review -
Apple Studio Display:
The Apple Studio Display is a 5k monitor that has made-for-Mac features, like an extremely accurate sRGB mode. While it doesn't have as good picture quality as the ASUS ROG Swift OLED P27UCDM, it's something to consider if you want to edit content with a Mac.
See our review -
Acer Nitro XV275K P5biipruzx:
The Acer Nitro XV275K P5biipruzx is a mid-range 4k monitor that's better for HDR than the ASUS ProArt Display PA279CRV thanks to its Mini LED backlighting. However, you can't use local dimming on the Acer in SDR, so the SDR picture quality is similar to the ASUS, and colors are less accurate.
See our review -
ASUS ROG Strix XG27ACS:
The ASUS ROG Strix XG27ACS is an entry-level 1440p monitor that competes with the MSI G274QPF-QD. The main advantage of getting the ASUS is that it has better color accuracy, but it tends to cost more than the MSI.
See our review
Recent Updates
Dec 17, 2025:
We made several changes to reflect the current market and for consistency with other recommendations. We replaced the BenQ MOBIUZ EX321UX and the ASUS ROG Strix XG27ACS with the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM and the AOC Q27G3XMN, as they have better picture quality, and we replaced the Dell U2725QE with the more accurate Dell U3225QE. In the Notable Mentions, we removed the Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx and the Dell P2425H, and added the Dell S3225QC, the Acer Nitro XV275K P5biipruzx, the EX321UX, and the XG27ACS.
All Reviews
Our recommendations are based on what we think are the best computer monitors for graphic design currently available. They're 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'd prefer to make your own decision, here's 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.