Which monitor is right for you?  You can read all of our tests in this ongoing survey, or get straight to business, by looking at our selection of the best monitors at the moment.

The computer monitor market has evolved once again.  22" monitors are becoming the standard entry-level option, so anybody looking for quality and innovation will have to look at monitors which measure 23" or more.  On these larger screens, we gain larger viewer angles, more diverse video inputs--HDMI is available on a growing number of screens but the component video found on consoles is increasingly rare--and better design and build quality.

Technology fans will be delighted to hear that manufacturers are now beginning to focus their attention on bigger screens, but it's something that has been coming for a while.  With the growing popularity of HD, more users are looking for versatile screens that are well suited to office use, photo editing as well as movies-–in HD of course.

Good healthy competition

Whether you opt for a 23", 24", 26" or 27" monitor, the resolution will be 1920 x 1200 pixels, although some 1920 x 1080 pixel screens have recently begun to appear.  This is a dream come true for film lovers!  No rescaling is necessary and films are shown with black bands above and below the image.  The only restriction is that you will have to step back a little.  Manufacturers still haven’t integrated the image correction circuitry which is already found in televisions, and the result is slight flickering.

For less than £450, you might be surprised to find that there are not just 24" monitors, but also 26", with the latter sometimes at more competitive prices, despite often not being as responsive.  What should you use to choose?  Check that the contrast ratio is high, and that they include all of the video inputs that you need.  Not every screen comes with HDMI + DVI + VGA ...

Above £450, you'll find screens that have IPS and VA, or more often PVA, panels.  The main advantage is that they have even viewing angles.  The image on cheaper LCD panels which rely on TN technology dips to black when you look at it from below.

One last point: ignore the advertised response times, and look at our tests instead.  We often find results that are very different from what's promised.

See Also

> Product Survey: 20" and 21" LCD Monitors

> Product Survey: 22'' LCD Monitors

> Product Survey: 30" LCD Monitors