If you or your kids work or study on a computer at home, an extra monitor may promote better productivity. One or two external monitors placed at eye level can also help with posture, especially if you’re working off a laptop. (We’re all guilty of hunching!) This roundup of the best computer monitors of 2021 will help you find the panel that’s the right fit for your family—from gaming monitors and 4K monitors to screens that are easy on the eyes and wallet.
What type of computer monitor are you looking for?
Best Ultrawide Monitor
Resolution: 2560 x 1080 | Refresh rate: 75Hz | Response time: 5 ms | Speakers: No | Ports: 2 HDMI
A surprisingly affordable ultrawide monitor from one of the best names in display technology, this LG panel is fantastic for multitaskers who don’t want the clutter and bother of hooking up multiple displays. It provides loads of room to view several applications or documents at once. (You might also like our roundup of the best home printers.)
| Pros | Cons |
| The panel leverages in-plane switching (IPS) technology to retain sharp, clear viewing from any angle. | No DisplayPort input limits your connectivity options. |
| On-screen controls let you easily access and adjust display settings with your mouse rather than clunky physical toggles. | The adjustable stand is tilt-only, though it is compatible with other mounts for those wanting better ergonomics. |
| The sleek arc line stand will add an element of sophistication to your home office. |
Best Portable Monitor
Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) | Refresh rate: 60Hz | Response time: 5 ms | Speakers: No | Ports: USB-C
If you happen to need a monitor that you can move around the house to share with others or take on work trips, look no further. This small, portable display from Asus is designed to go anywhere and connects easily to a variety of devices via standard USB-C connectivity.
| Pros | Cons |
| It quickly connects with almost any modern laptop to provide an easy second-screen solution. | It has no touchscreen interface despite its portable, tablet-like design. |
| An intuitive onscreen display system controlled by a pair of physical buttons lets you adjust viewing modes and settings in a snap. | It has no HDMI inputs, though it does support DisplayPort over USB. |
| It weighs just 1.6 pounds—including its clever folding stand, which doubles as a screen cover. |
Best 4K Monitor
Resolution: 3840 x 2160 (4K) | Refresh rate: 60Hz | Response time: 1 ms | Speakers: Yes | Ports: 2 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort
This big, beautiful display brings all the detail and nuance of true 4K resolution to your desktop. And it doesn’t stop there. With support for high dynamic range (HDR) and AMD FreeSync technology to reduce choppy video, this monitor is suitable for everything from watching movies to editing photos and videos.
| Pros | Cons |
| Native 4K content looks fantastic and BenQ’s Super Resolution feature boosts the quality of lower resolution content. | Its 1,000:1 native contrast means you may not see everything that HDR has to offer. |
| Built-in speakers, plenty of connectivity options and easy-access physical controls make it feel almost like a TV. | There’s no height or swivel adjustment, though it does tilt. |
| Relatively low power consumption for a 4K panel this size means you’ll keep saving money even after you bring it home. |
Best Budget Gaming Monitor
Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) | Refresh rate: 144Hz | Response time: 1 ms | Speakers: No | Ports: 2 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort
MSI’s small but powerful curved-screen gaming monitor makes only small sacrifices to help gamers on a modest budget. It’s still lightning-fast, uses adaptive-sync technology to reduce immersion-killing issues such as screen tearing and provides a wealth of connectivity options.
| Pros | Cons |
| The speedy 1 ms response time and 144Hz refresh rate is great for everything from shooters to racing sims. | There is no height adjustment. |
| Anti-flicker technology reduces eye strain during marathon gaming sessions. | The screen may appear a bit dim in bright rooms. |
| The chic, nearly frameless design makes it feel like you’re looking through a window into your virtual worlds. |
Best Gaming Monitor
Resolution: 2560 x 1440 | Refresh rate: 165Hz | Response time: 1 ms | Speakers: Yes | Ports: 2 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort
This gorgeous gaming monitor is built for speed. It has a blazing fast refresh rate and response time to ensure your favourite games remain smooth and tear-free, just as the developers intended. Bonus: The curved screen gently wraps around your field of vision, keeping you in the centre of the action. (You might also like our top gaming laptops.)
| Pros | Cons |
| It uses vertical alignment (VA) technology to deliver amazing contrast and image depth. | A resolution of 2560 x 1440 is a good step up from Full HD, but it’s obviously not as crisp as 4K. If you need perfect clarity, you may want to consider expanding your budget. |
| You can enjoy video source flexibility via a full complement of video ports, including two HDMI and one DisplayPort. | The curved screen may suffer minor glare in brightly lit environments. |
| The ergonomic stand allows for subtle adjustments to improve viewing angle. |
Best Monitor for a Home Office
Resolution: 2560 x 1440 | Refresh rate: 75Hz | Response time: 5 ms | Speakers: No | Ports: 2 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort
Need to get stuff done? This robust LG display is the right monitor for the job. It’s got plenty of screen real estate for comfortable viewing of big spreadsheets, while Reader Mode reduces blue light emissions to lessen eye fatigue while reading documents. When you’re finished work for the day, it’ll even do a respectable job with movies and games. (Get all set with our guide to choosing an office chair and desk.)
| Pros | Cons |
| IPS panel technology provides wide 178-degree viewing angles so others can easily view your screen when you want to share your work. | IPS is a great technology, but one of its drawbacks is that you may notice a glowing effect near the corners of the display in dark environments. |
| Thanks to 16.7 million colours and support for HDR, the monitor delivers images with lifelike contrast and nuance. | It’s not the brightest monitor around, but it’s more than sufficient for office work. |
| It has VESA mounting holes that match most wall mounts, so you can easily attach it to a wall and free up desk space. (Wall mount not included.) |
Best Monitor for Photo and Video Editing
Resolution: 3840 x 2160 (4K) | Refresh rate: 60Hz | Response time: 4 ms | Speakers: No | Ports: 2 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort
If you enjoy working on video content and editing photographs but don’t want to spend a small fortune on a professional display, this Samsung 4K monitor is a great option. It’s large with great pixel density, letting you see even the tiniest details so you can take your image editing to the next level.
| Pros | Cons |
| Support for HDR10 means you can experience bright whites, deep blacks and a rich range of colour. | With a refresh rate of 60Hz, it isn’t the fastest display on the market, but that shouldn’t impact non-gamers. |
| Eye Saver Mode reduces flicker and blue light to reduce eye strain as you work late into the night. | The simple adjustable stand tilts but offers no option to change height, swivel or rotate. |
| Picture-in-picture mode lets you simultaneously view content from two connected sources. |
Best Budget Monitor
Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) | Refresh rate: 60Hz | Response time: 6.5 ms | Speakers: No | Ports: 1 HDMI, 1 VGA
If you need a monitor that gets the job done without emptying your bank account, this onn. screen will do the trick. The budget 22-inch LED monitor works perfectly well for office work, school activities and watching a bit of streaming video when the day is done. And it’s Full HD to boot.
| Pros | Cons |
| Straightforward design and setup mean you can get up and running in minutes. | The refresh rate and response time will prove too slow for serious gamers, but casual players probably won’t mind. |
| It has a surprisingly bright contrast ratio of 3,000:1, making it a good fit for well-lit rooms. | The stand offers no ergonomic features, but the monitor is VESA wall–mount ready. |
| A VGA port (which is rare these days) lets you connect to older PCs. |
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Your Questions, Answered
What are the main types of monitors?
At first glance, many PC monitors seem pretty similar. But look a little closer and you’ll start to see that they’re made for different kinds of activities. Here are some of the most popular types of computer monitors you’re likely to come across while shopping.
- Gaming: Monitors for gaming are typically high-performance, featuring quick response times, speedy refresh rates and higher resolutions.
- Standard office: Whether for home or work, these affordable and reliable mainstays rely on practical and proven components rather than cutting-edge tech.
- Professional: Designed for demanding users, professional monitors are typically large, higher resolution and have great colour accuracy and high contrast ratios.
- Curved: They’re not for everyone, but curved monitors can provide a more immersive experience and improved sense of depth. The trade-off? A bit of screen glare in brighter rooms.
- Ultrawide: Popular among gamers, ultrawide monitors are also useful for multitaskers who don’t want the hassle of setting up and syncing a second screen.
- Touchscreen: Touchscreens can provide a more intuitive interface but are only useful if you have software designed to support touch input.
What computer monitor features should you consider?
Don’t get too distressed when looking through line after line of tech specs. You can quickly and easily figure out if a monitor is right for you by focusing on a handful of features.
- Screen size: Unless you’re looking for a portable monitor, you probably don’t want to go much smaller than 24 inches. A range of 27 to 29 inches is great, while 32 inches and higher will seem downright huge when you sit at your desk.
- Resolution: As with TVs, the general rule here is bigger monitors demand a higher resolution, especially if you’re sitting close.
- Refresh rate: This term refers to how quickly your monitor refreshes the picture. A rate of 60Hz (60 frames per second) is fine, but the higher you go the smoother the video, which is key for gamers.
- Response time: This number tells you how quickly individual pixels switch from white to black. One millisecond (1 ms) is mighty fast—key for gamers—while 5 ms is average.
- Ports: Figure out in advance how you plan to connect your monitor to your computer (HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C, etc.) and make sure the panel has a matching port.
- Speakers: If you don’t want to buy headphones or external speakers, search for a screen with built-in audio.
- Stand: Do you want to be able to tilt, swivel or rotate the screen? If yes, you’ll want to look for an ergonomic stand with all these capabilities.
How we choose products: Simply put, we don’t recommend any products we wouldn’t buy ourselves. Our writers leverage a number of sources as a starting point, including reputable third-party reviews, Walmart.ca user reviews, and Walmart Canada’s category specialists. theHUB editorial staff has final say for all products included in this guide.
Any product claims noted are provided by the manufacturer, unless otherwise stated.
Prices shown are subject to change. Please check Walmart.ca for the latest pricing.
This article is intended as general information. To be sure a product is right for you, always be sure to read and follow the label(s)/instruction(s) that accompany your product(s). Walmart will not be responsible for any injury or damage caused by this activity.
