The 4 Best Mini LED Monitors - Fall 2024

The best Mini LED monitor we've tested is the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 S32BG85. It's a premium 32-inch, 4k monitor that's great for a variety of uses. It has 1,196 dimming zones, more than most monitors, but the number of zones doesn't guarantee good performance either. Regardless, it has a decent local dimming feature that helps deepen blacks and makes highlights pop against the rest of the image, but really small highlights are muted, and it has black crush. Still, it has great picture quality and displays a wide range of colors for a great HDR experience.

In terms of gaming, it has a fast response time for sharp motion at any refresh rate. It has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, and there aren't any compatibility issues with the Xbox Series X|S and PS5. It also offers a high 240Hz refresh rate that's great even for competitive gamers, but you need a powerful graphics card to take full advantage of it. However, if you don't want something with such a high refresh rate, you can also check out the Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 S32BG75, which performs similarly and costs less but can be harder to find.

If the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 S32BG85 is too expensive for you, you can often find the Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx for a lower cost, and it's worth getting when it goes on sale. It's a 4k monitor that's different in a few ways from the Samsung because it has a lower 160Hz refresh rate, so it doesn't feel as smooth, and it has a smaller 27-inch screen. It also has a lower native contrast ratio, but its local dimming feature does enough to compensate for that, as it displays deep blacks against bright highlights. Even though it has 576 dimming zones, which is less than the Samsung, it still provides great picture quality with local dimming enabled, and there isn't much blooming either.

This monitor actually gets much brighter than the Samsung, so highlights truly stand out, and it's a great choice if you want to use it in a well-lit room. Motion looks sharp thanks to its fast response time, and while it works well with the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, it has increased input lag with 60Hz signals. This is disappointing for playing games from consoles at 60Hz, but it isn't an issue for playing games at 120Hz.

Some Mini LED monitors are becoming accessible at budget-friendly prices, like the AOC Q27G3XMN. The main trade-off of getting this versus the Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx is that it has a lower 1440p resolution, so images are less detailed. That said, if you're after pure picture quality, this monitor punches above its weight, as it features a good local dimming feature, even better than the monitors mentioned above, despite having 336 dimming zones. It displays deep blacks with very bright highlights, and blooming is kept to a minimum.

It has a slightly higher 180Hz refresh rate than the Acer. However, although it has a fast overall response time, there's some smearing with fast-moving objects. It also lacks extra features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth to take full advantage of gaming consoles, and it doesn't have any USB ports either. Still, you have to expect fewer features with a budget monitor.

If you don't have much money to spend but still want a good Mini LED monitor for cheap, check out the Acer Nitro XV275U P3biipx. It has the same 1440p resolution as the AOC Q27G3XMN and very similar image quality. It has 384 dimming zones and an okay local dimming feature, but it has more black crush and blooming than the AOC. That said, it still has good picture quality for a cheap display, as it gets very bright, even brighter than the AOC, so highlights really pop in HDR.

Although it has many of the same gaming features as the AOC, the main trade-off is that it has worse motion handling. There's smearing with fast-moving objects, which is the downside of getting a monitor this cheap. On the plus side, gaming feels responsive thanks to its low input lag, and it has a few useful features like a virtual crosshair to give you a competitive advantage.