15 Best Monitors for Photo Editing 2023 – Expert Review

If you are a photographer, you may know the importance of calibrated display for photo editing. Whenever we transfer our photos to a big screen, there is a huge difference in the quality of pictures depending on the display you are viewing.

That’s why it’s essential to buy a photo editing monitor to step up your photography game. It doesn’t matter whether you are a professional or armature photographer, getting yourself the best monitor for photo editing will help you in the long run.

Because every great photo out of your camera needs accurate editing. And that’s why monitors are specifically a matter of fact in your photography career.

There are tons of options available in the market, almost every other brand claims to sell the best monitor for photo editing. Several factors are looked after while nitpicking your next monitor for photo editing. 

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There are monitors available often ranging from full HD+, 4k,5k to  8k resolutions. And offer some high-end features like wide color gamut, accurate color reproduction, deep blacks, and vibrant colors, uniform screen brightness, and contrast with professional calibration options.

These are a few major features that translate into the best monitor for photo editing.

These monitors can cost you from as high as a new car to some good budget-friendly options.

Here we have nitpicked some best monitors for photo editing. All of them are worth your hard-earned money. Here are our top 15 picks for your next monitor.

1.Eizo ColorEdge CG319X

Best Monitors for Photo Editing

Product Specifications

  • Screen size: 31-inch
  • Resolution: 4096 x 2160 @ 60Hz
  • Viewing Angles :
  • Panel technology: IPS
  • Inputs: 2 x Displayport, 2 x HDMI , 3 x USB 3.0

This is our top pick of the best monitor for editing built for professionals. If you are a professional photographer and own a studio, this must be your ultimate choice. Eizo is known for its unmatched display quality calibrated professionally.

Eizo -ColorEdge CG319X 24-bit offers flagship features with a 24-bit look-up table for 10-bit color depth, supporting 99% AdobeRGB, 100% Rec.709, and 98% DCI-P3 color spaces.  Eizo also offers a slightly wider 4K resolution of 4096 x 2160 as compared to the usual 3840 x 2160 4K monitors.

Eizo has a built-in color sync feature, which ensures color calibration is always on point without needing to use a third-party colorimeter.

It also features hybrid-log gamma and perceptual quantization for working with HDR video, conforming to the professional studio work with high-end imagery.

All of these features give you the most accurate colors which are the main concern for professional photo editing. Most professionals overlook this amazing piece of technology due to the high price tag.

But when you experience the clarity, brightness, and vibrancy of an Eizo display, you shall understand why it’s so expensive. Eizo displays are always the top choice for professionals.

2.Dell UltraSharp UP3218K

Best Monitors for Photo Editing

Product Specifications

  • ·Screen size: 32-inch
  • ·Aspect ratio: 16:9
  • Resolution: 7,680 x 4,320 @60Hz
  • Viewing Angles: 178
  • Brightness: 400 cd/m2
  • Panel type: IPS
  • Input : 2xDisplayPort, USB 3.0 hub

Dell UltraSharp UP3218K is another premium choice for the best monitor for photo editing.  Dell’s modern technology equipped with 8k resolution provides a stunning display with gorgeous colors.

It has amazing build quality justifying its premium price tag, this monitor also offers Height, pivot (rotation), swivel, tilt adjustment.

When it comes to color reproduction and accuracy, Dell UltraSharp UP3218K supports 100% AdobeRGB, 100% sRGB, 100% Rec. 709, 98% DCI-P3 with 1300:1 contrast ratio. All these features copped with 8k resolution outstand the competition.

And make this one of the best monitors for photo editing. Dell UltraSharp UP3218K is an absolutely amazing display for photo editing. You can edit 4K content in the native resolution, while you still have three-quarters of your screen left for all your windows and tools. This will help you work more productively.

Although, you need a video card with dual Displayport 1.2 connections to enjoy the full 8K experience at 60Hz. But, when you will see the image quality, it will be stunning.

This monitor produces one of the most detailed image quality. All these features make this an outstanding choice with crazy image detail and color accuracy.  Consider buying this high-end monitor if you need a one-time purchase for your photography work.

3. BenQ PhotoVue SW321C

Best Monitors for Photo Editing

Product Specifications:

  •  Screen size: 32-inch
  •  Aspect ratio: 16:9
  • Resolution: 3,840 x 2,160 @ 60Hz
  • Brightness: 250 cd/m2
  • Viewing Angles: 178/178
  • Input: HDMI (v2.0) x 2 , Displayport (v1.4),  USB 3.1 Hub and USB Type-C

BenQ PhotoVue SW321C Monitor is an affordable professional-level monitor. This monitor can cater to all your needs for professional photography and photo editing. If you are specifically into cinematography this should be your best monitor for photo editing.

BenQ offers an incredibly wide color gamut of 99% of the Adobe RGB color space and 95% of DCI-P3 with HDR10 support.  It also offers a USB-C port with 60W power, which means you only need a one-cable connection to the computer when performing hardware calibration.

BenQ Has added a paper color sync feature to set dedicated color settings based on the printer model, paper type, and color space.

BenQ PhotoVue SW321C also improves its brightness uniformity and enhances the contrast ratio. It does come with factory calibration and then allows for hardware calibration.

Hardware calibration is independent of the computer’s graphic card. And allows to more precisely manage the subsequent color correction curves with a 16-bit LUT.

All of these features are of professional grade. Whether you are a professional photographer or photography enthusiast BenQ PhotoVue SW321C makes its way to your desk. Its price is also a plus point as compared to other similar features based monitors.

4. MSI Prestige PS341WU

Best Monitors for Photo Editing

Product Specifications

  • Screen size: 34 inches
  • Panel: Nano IPS panel
  • Resolution: 5,120 x 2,160 @ 60Hz
  • Aspect ratio: 21:9
  • Viewing Angles : 178/178
  •  Input :HDMI 2.0 x 2 , DisplayPort v1.4 x 1,  USB-C

If you are a multitasked person and looking for a setup to satisfy your pro photo editing needs as well. Here is MSI Prestige PS341WU offering an ultra-wide curved screen with a professional color gamut.

This is one of the best monitors for photo editing packed up with beautiful asthenic and modern design.

MSI Prestige PS341WU offers a nano IPS panel with glorious 5k2k resolution, this results in crisp image quality. This monitor supports a 21:9 ultra-wide aspect ratio with 98% coverage DCI-P3 color gamut, 100% sRGB support, Vesa Display HDR 600 certification, and 1,200:1 static contrast.

All this backed up by nano IPS LCD panel by master LG results in high fidelity image quality. And on top of it, this monitor has exemplary calibration out of the box.

If you are looking for a little bit more than a typical 4k monitor, look at this beautiful MSI Prestige PS341WU. Image quality is superb with on-point contrast and excellent brightness levels. It’s a solid choice at a reasonable budget for critical content creators, specifically for photographers oriented to details and color accuracy.

5. BenQ SW271

Best Monitors for Photo Editing

Product Specifications

  • Screen Size: 27inch
  • Resolution: 3840×2160 @ 60Hz
  • Viewing Angles :
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Brightness:350
  • Input: HDMI (v2.0)x2, DisplayPort (v1.4) x1, USB 3.0 Hub, USB Type-C

 BenQ is taking the display market quite seriously, and producing some great quality displays. BenQ offers affordable and the best monitors for photo editing.  BenQ SW271 is one of the great monitors offering all essentials for photo editing.

SW271 will get you 100% sRGB coverage and 99% of Adobe1998, HDR10 Support, and a 14-bit 3D lookup table. All these features translate into a clear and precise display with detailed image quality.

It comes with a top-notch 4k display supported by an IPS panel.  It also has BenQ’s ‘Hotkey Puck’ which essentially serves as a wired remote controller and a handy feature that is quite useful to switch between color modes.

The BenQ display comes out pre-calibrated and we have to say BenQ calibration is very good. You can calibrate the display as per your liking as well.  The inclusion of a type C port makes things really easy to be calibrated.

Though this monitor comes in 27 inch screen size, don’t underestimate it. 27 inches is also a very ideal size for professional photo- editing. And combining a 27” screen with a wide color gamut and 4k high resolution results in the best monitor for photo editing on the go.

6. ViewSonic VP3268-4K

Product Specification:

  • Screen Size: 32 inch
  • Resolution: 3840×2160 @ 60Hz
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Viewing Angles: 178º horizontal and 178º vertical
  • Brightness: 350 cd/m2
  • Input: HDMI x 2, USB 3.0 Hub , Displayport x 1

Viewsonic offers the best of features in every price tag. If you are on a budget under $1000 bucks you don’t need to look further.

ViewSonic VP3268-4K is one of the most value to money products featuring a beautiful  4k display with a lot of great features targeted at photographers.

Viewsonic comes in a beautiful thin bezel premium look. The 4k IPS display on this monitor supports an sRGB gamut of 100%, Adobe RGB gamut upto 77% with 1300:1 contrast ratio.

View sonic comes pre-calibrated with DeltaE levels below 2.0 supporting 4 commonly used color spaces; sRGB, Rec. 709, SMPTE-C, and EBU.

 ViewSonic VP3268-4K features a true 8-bit panel with support for up to a 14-bit look up table (LUT) and 10-bit through FRC.

Though it’s not a true 10-bit display, You are on a budget and neither anything below $2000 offers that. That’s a great feature packed monitor under $1000.

Viewsonic overall provides great color accuracy on a budget. It’s a solid choice for anyone looking for a pro-grade color accurate monitor with hardware calibration support.

All these features in concerned price tag make this best monitor for photo editing and that too easy on your pocket.

7. NEC MultiSync EA275UHD

Best Monitors for Photo Editing

Product Specification:

  •  Screen size: 27 inches
  •   Panel: IPS panel
  •  Resolution:3840 x 2160 @ 60Hz
  •   Aspect ratio: 16:9
  •  Viewing Angles: 178°
  •  Input: HDMI 2.0, DVI-D Dual Link, DisplayPort 1.2, and  USB 3.0 upstream

 NEC MultiSync EA275UHD is a suitable option for anyone who wants to set up a color accurate monitor at home.

If you want to have an alternative photo editing monitor at your place for on the go editing, this can be a solid option.  It provides pretty solid photo editing oriented features at a reasonable price.

It has a 27” screen combined with 4k resolution,  As said earlier 27 inches is an ideal size to bring at home for some photo editing.

It provides your sharp image quality and is equipped with a color gamut of Adobe RGB 81.6%, sRGB Coverage 110.1%, and 1000:1. All these make this a suitable display for casual to pro photo editing

It also does support rotation adjustment so you can edit your portraits shots more conveniently.  Provides built-in six picture presets (Standard, Movie, Text, Gaming, Photo, and Dynamic) and seven color presets, including four color-temperature settings.

Although you can calibrate the display with software and it works pretty well. It also has a limited sRGB setting and a (DICOM) setting. The display comes pre-calibrated with  excellent grayscale, contrast, and uniform brightness

 NEC MultiSync EA275UHD also comes with touch-sensitive osd controls located in bezels. It also has a power-saving mode to reduce performance by 40% and can be used as a daily monitor for your PC.

Overall this is a great 27 inch 4k display with an adequate color gamut for photo editing.

8. Viewsonic VP3881

Product Specification

  •  Screen size: 38”inches curved
  •   Panel: IPS panel
  •  Resolution: 3840 x 1600@ 60Hz
  •   Aspect ratio: 21:9
  •  Viewing Angles : 178 degrees
  •  Input : HDMI,  DisplayPort and  Type-C

This is the second ultra wide curved monitor on our list. Viewsonic VP3881 is made for people looking for a premium looking monitors with all features of photo-editing monitors. And it does deliver the premium look with wide 38” space to work in an accurate color gamut.

Viewsonic is known for its color calibration and brightness uniformity, and this one is no exception. You shall be experiencing a sharp display with aesthetic design. 

This display supports HDR10,  10bit (8bit+A-FRC), DCi-P3, and Adobe RGB color gamut. Also, the factor color calibration is on point and delivers really beautiful and accurate color reproduction.

It also supports height, swivel, and tilt adjustment for versatile viewing angles.

Being an ultra wide monitor it provides a crazy multitasking experience. HDR10 support can render a true HDR image easily. This monitor is an ideal choice for photo-editing and daily multi-taskers.

You can easily edit your photos on this display. Some people will feel the resolution is a bit low but it’s balanced with the accurate calibration of contrast ratio and brightness uniformity.

It features a great color gamut and brightness with a premium design. Type C connectivity is also a plus point. And in the price tag, this is one of the most premium looking monitors.

9.Benq SW2700PT

Best Monitors for Photo Editing

Product Specification

  •  Screen size:27 inches
  •   Panel: IPS panel
  •  Resolution: 2560×1440@ 60Hz
  •   Aspect ratio: 16:9
  •  Viewing Angles : 178
  •  Input : HDMI (v1.4)x1, DVI-DL x1 and USB 3.0 Hub

Benq SW2700PT is another great bargain for what it’s offering. This mid-range budget monitor offered by BenQ caters to all the photo editing essentials.

Obviously, you can’t expect some flagship features here, But you are also not going to miss all of them. This is a 27” 4k high-resolution monitor supported by an IPS panel.

Benq SW2700PT supports Hardware Calibration and equipped with  100% sRGB, 3D-LUT 14bitsDelta < 2 and  1000:1 contrast ratio. All of these features are pretty solid on this price tag and Hardware calibration is a great steal here.

All of this means you will be getting pretty much accurate colors with on-point contrast and brightness. This is all you need to edit your photos perfectly on a pocket-friendly budget.

Benq SW2700PT attracts more amateur photographers and enthusiasts who are jumping from the intermediate level. And without any second doubt, this is one of the great choices.

Like other monitors built for photo editing, this one also comes pre-calibrated out of the box. Factory calibration is really good. And you can always adjust it with built-in software calibration tools or hardware for advanced calibration.

Design wise its an okayish looking monitor, But you are getting quality over looks. And we think that’s not a big deal. Still, it has an ergonomic build and comes with a hood in the box for anti-glare purposes.

This monitor is overall a great package and you may find some discounts on it, and if you got one, just get this.

10. Dell Ultrasharp U2718Q

Best Monitors for Photo Editing

Product Specification

  •  Screen size: 27 inches
  •   Panel: IPS panel
  •  Resolution: 3840×2160@ 60Hz
  •   Aspect ratio: 16:9
  •  Viewing Angles: 178
  •  Input :1 x DP (ver. 1.2), 1 x mDP (ver. 1.2) 1 x HDMI (ver. 2.0) and USB3.0 Hub

Dell Ultrasharp U2718Q is a steal for color accuracy focus and photo editing. This monitor is built for entry line up under $500.

And the features it offers are amazing for their price point. Starting off with the design, Dell offers a beautiful thin-bezel design. Which add up a bit off a premium look to this budget segment monitor

This monitor supports 4k+ resolution on a beautiful 27 inches IPS panel. It gives you a very detailed and sharp image quality with rich and vibrant colors.

Besides this, Dell Ultrasharp U2718Q is also equipped with 10-bit color support, 99.9% of the sRGB color space calibrated with Delta E  < 2 and 1,300:1 static contrast ratio. All these features are standard at high-end monitors for photo editing. And makes this one of the best monitors for photo editing on a budget.

It also supports HDR, adequate for casual usage.  Overall this monitor offers major essential features required for accurate color editing for photographers.

And with a bit higher resolution than typical 4k, the display output is seriously amazing and vivid. You can definitely buy this one for photo editing if you are on a tight budget.

11. Asus PB278QV

Best Monitors for Photo Editing

Product Specification

  •  Screen size: inches
  •   Panel: IPS panel
  •  Resolution:2560 x 1440 @ 75Hz
  •   Aspect ratio: 16:9
  •  Viewing Angles : 178 degree
  •  Input : DisplayPort 1.2 , HDMI(v1.4) , Dual-Link DVI , USB3.0 hub

Asus PB278QV is a step towards the easy approach to color accurate photo editing monitors on an affordable price tag. Asus provides a solution to everyone for photo editing.

The monitor has a crisp 4k resolution on the IPS panel in order to deliver detailed and accurate image quality.

Regardless of a budget monitor, Asus PB278QV offers professional grade features including out of the box calibration Delta E < 2 with 100% sRGB/Rec.709 color gamut with 1,000:1 static contrast ratio, and 8-bit color depth support.

These features easily make this budget monitor suitable for color correcting and photo editing.

Asus also supports 75hz AMD free sync, which means it allows you to synchronize its refresh rate with your GPU’s framerate. This feature is an extra add-on that can come in handy during video editing.

Overall, you may not find a featured pack monitor like this in the concerning price tag. You get high pixel density accurate and sharp color reproduction.

You can say it’s a perfect buy without comprising that much on essential color accuracy and calibration features.

12. LG 32UD99-W

Best Monitors for Photo Editing

Product Specification

  •  Screen size:32 inches
  •   Panel: IPS panel
  •  Resolution: @ 60Hz
  •   Aspect ratio: 16:9
  •  Viewing Angles: 178/178
  •  Input : USB Type-C,  DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 2.0a x 2, USB 3.0 Downstream x 2

If you are struggling to find a 32inch monitor with a wide and accurate color gamut for photo editing, Here it comes to end.

Most of the budget yet quality options for photo editing monitors comes in 27 inches. But  LG steps up the budget monitors game with  LG 32UD99-W.

 LG 32UD99-W is a beautiful 4k monitor with almost vanishing bezels from the sides. This budget monitor can confuse you for being a premium one. Because it offers all essential basic features for a photo editing monitor.

This monitor is equipped with DCI-P3 95% (CIE 1976) Color Gamut, sRGB over 99% with HDR 10 and free sync support. WOW! All this on a price tag of $363, Isn’t it an amazing deal?

Though this monitor serves the most of essential features keep in mind you cannot calibrate it professionally. It comes factory calibrated with several color space presets, all of them work pretty fine.

When it comes to brightness it can get really bright maintaining an excellent contrast ratio.

Overall picture quality is superb presenting a strong color gamut. You can easily edit your photos on this monitor with high resolution and pixel density.

And this also features quite practical and easy to use OSD controls. All these features make its way to the best monitor for photo editing on a very affordable budget.

13. Dell UltraSharp U2717D

Best Monitors for Photo Editing

Product Specification

  •  Screen size: inches
  •   Panel: IPS panel
  •  Resolution: 2560 x 1440@ 60Hz
  •   Aspect ratio: 16:9
  •  Viewing Angles: 178/178
  •  Input: HDMI, DP connector, USB 3.0 Hi-Speed Hub

Dell is a well known brand for providing the best monitors for photo editing. Here is Dell’s answer to very affordable monitors for photo editing. Dell UltraSharp U2717D comes with a virtually borderless display with a sharp and crisp 27 inch 4k screen.

Dell features Color Gamut of 99% sRGB (DeltaE < 2). Dell has calibrated the display exceptionally, which delivers the color accuracy with pretty good grayscale performance.

Dell has provided an amazing monitor for color correct photo editing. It also supports tilt adjustment and anti-glare coating. Factory calibration is very good but lacks advanced color adjustment.

The company has provided presets for different color spaces.  And all of them work very accurately for different scenarios. It does have easy to approach OSD controls to change color presets.

Dell UltraSharp U2717D can be your ultimate choice for a premium looking 4k monitor with a wide color gamut. Dell calls it display “infinity edge” and it stands by its name. The monitors stand out in terms of look and color plus grayscale performance.

14. LG 27UL500-W 27-Inch UHD

Product Specification

  •  Screen size: 27inches
  •   Panel: IPS panel
  •  Resolution: 3840 x 2160@ 60Hz
  •   Aspect ratio: 16:9
  •  Viewing Angles:178/178
  •  Input :HDMI ,DisplayPort

LG 27UL500-W 27-Inch UHD is an affordable 4k IPS monitor with additional features like Radeon FreeSync™ Technology, accurate sRGB 98% Color Gamut, 10-bit color depth support, and HDR 10.

All these features result in smooth performance and beautiful vibrant colors. LG delivers affordable yet quality monitor for colour-correction based content creation and photo editing

LG calibrated display for casual to semi-pro photo editing and provided essential four color space presets. The display quality you get is brilliant for the price point and can handle casual HDR tasks easily as well. You can edit your photos here for social media or photography pages, it can also handle mediocre color correction and editing as well.

Though you aren’t having any flagship standard features like other budget options. But this monitors shouldn’t be underestimated at all. Lg’s top notch IPS technology delivers very crisp and sharp image quality.

So should not be worried about the quality and there is no need of scaling. Also, the color accuracy is on par considering the price point. You can definitely buy this one for your photo daily photo editing tasks.

And this specific monitor deserves to be in our list of best monitors for photo editing based on excellent quality and value for money ratio.

15. BenQ GW2270H

Best Monitors for Photo Editing

Product Specification

  •  Screen size: 21.5 inches
  •   Panel: VA panel
  •  Resolution: 1920×1080@ 60Hz
  •   Aspect ratio: 16:9
  •  Viewing Angles : 178/178
  •  Input :D-sub x1, HDMI (v1.4)x

BenQ GW2270H is last on our list of best monitors for photo editing. It’s not a fancy 4k monitor but what it offers is far better than typical monitors available in a similar price range.

Let us explain why we count it in. BenQ has delivered a product made for daily usage with the additional advantage of color accuracy as compared to typical monitors.

Obviously, we are lacking some standard features here but keep in mind it’s a tweak up color accurate version of normal monitors. BenQ has managed to give good contrast performance and excellent color accuracy by using TUV Rheinland Flicker-free technology.

In addition to that benQ has included some basic features like True 8-bit Color Performance, 72% NTSC and calibrated sRGB with  3000:1  contrast ratio. This results in an extremely capable Full HD+ monitor. Full HD+ resolution combined with a 21.5-inch screen gives very sharp and clear image quality.

This monitor is perfect for people with a very low budget. But still, you will be getting brilliant color accuracy, thanks to factory calibration and True 8-bit Color Performance, 72% NTSC.

You can buy this monitor instead of normal desktop monitors. And it shall serve you really well in the long run. And overall based on quality it can be recommended as in the list of the best monitor for photo editing on a very low budget.

Buying Guide

Wherever you go to buy a monitor especially for photo editing. You need to be careful about some points to choose the best monitor for photo editing.

It does apply to everyone whether you are new to photography or already a professional. Here is our buying guide to pick out the best monitor for photo editing. Here are few Factors to consider while choosing the best monitor for photo editing

Viewing Angle

With wide viewing angles, you shall have uniform colors throughout the screen. And it’s crucial for editing that colors and brightness remain unfirm while moving through the center on display. This can only be achieved through wide viewing angles minimum angle recommended for photo editing is 178 degrees.

Color Space

Color space is used for accurate attribution of colors to the same pixels. So that the output result produces accurately without any color shade shift. Color spaces are tune through color gamuts. Commonly used color spaces are sRGB, Rec. 709, SMPTE-C, and EBU.

FAQS

Typical monitors don’t come with sRGB support. This means the colors of a picture shall not be true to its real tone may be overexposed or dim. Like when we post a picture on social media from our different devices i.e; mobile or laptop. You are seeing a slightly different color profile. That’s the major difference between a display with calibration and a wide color gamut  For accurate photo-editing color accuracy is an essential thing.

Color gamuts are used in display focused on photo editing, color oriented graphics, or sometimes in gaming. Color gamuts are used to distinguish more shades of color and represent a more true tone of imagery. Most commonly wide color gamuts are sRGB, Adobe RGB, DCI-P3, NTSC.

Color calibrated displays show you the real-life colors on digital displays. What does it mean? It means that any print of the image you are seeing on your calibrated screen shall be exactly the same in color accuracy when printed.

Dimensions of monitors are important criteria while selecting the right display. You can opt from at least 22 inches to further any size you like. The main point for considering dimensions is the ratio of pixel density and resolution to screen size. Obviously, you don’t want to have a 32 inch with 1920×1080 for professional editing.

Conclusion

Being a photographer it’s essential to invest in a specific monitor for photo editing. Here we have nitpicked some best options in every budget and usage. Hope this article will help you out selecting your best monitor for photo editing.

You can select any one of the above-mentioned lists and take our words, you will never regret it. Photography isn’t all about a good camera, it’s a combination of your skills in capturing moments and enhancing them with accurate editing. Hence it’s time to upgrade your monitor to take the best out of your photos.