If it’s been a few years since your last monitor upgrade, it may be time to grab something new. We’ve seen a huge boom in the quality and range of monitors in the last couple of years, along with some pretty amazing deals. You’ll find some great bargains across 27-inch and 32-inch monitors, especially with higher resolutions, and you can take advantage of a few great deals on gaming monitors as well.
My current monitor is a 27-inch QHD monitor that I bought for $250 (“QHD” equals “quad HD,” or 2,560×1,440-pixel resolution). I nearly went with a 32-inch UHD display that would’ve offered more room and more pixels for only a bit more money (“UHD” is “ultra HD,” or 3,840×2,160-pixel). Between these two different sizes, you can easily find a screen to perfectly fit your desk space, your work needs and, most importantly, your budget.
The world’s creatives, hobbyists and professional gamers — folks more likely to worry about color gamut and refresh rates — might find they need a higher-end screen than you’ll see on our list. But these displays are big enough for most needs, and they’ve got sufficient pixel density to produce a sharp, quality image.
For more, be sure to check out CNET’s monitor buying guide and our rundown of how we test monitors. I’ll continue to keep this story updated as pricing fluctuates and I uncover better deals, so check back often.
Best 27-inch monitor deals
These 27-inch models feature QHD resolution and give you more screen real estate than a 24-inch, FHD (full HD or 1,920×1,080 pixel) display, and better resolution, too. And they give you all that for not too much more money. You might also come across 27-inch 4K displays in your search. Those displays offer a certain quality worth consideration, but in my experience, a QHD or 2K resolution is more than sufficient when stretched across a 27-inch panel.
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The Acer Nitro KG272U is probably one of the cheapest gaming monitors you can get that still has a ton of great features. It runs a 2,560×1,440 resolution but, more impressively, can also hit a 177Hz refresh rate, so if you’re big into action and esports games, the higher refresh rate is perfect. It also includes FreeSync Premium and HDR10, so it has quite a few advanced features at a budget price tag.
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This 27-inch Sceptre monitor features a sleek, nearly bezel-less design, which makes it a great choice if you’ve got a multimonitor setup, and it’s equipped with both DisplayPort and HDMI ports. It has an IPS display with a speedy 144Hz refresh rate. It’s also rated for 450 nits of brightness and runs at QHD, which is excellent for a monitor at this price.
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On the other hand, if you’d like a high-end gaming monitor that isn’t curved, you can’t go wrong with the Razer Raptor. It runs 2,560×1,440 resolution but is slightly slower than the Odyssey G6, with only a 165Hz refresh rate. On the other hand, it has both FreeSync Premium and G-Sync. It also has an IPS panel rather than the VA panel of the Odyssey, which some prefer for slightly better color reproduction and image quality.
Best 32-inch monitor deals
The next step up in size, resolution and price from a 27-inch QHD display is a 32-inch UHD display. Ultra HD is also commonly referred to as 4K.
If you need something that’s good for graphics work or for playing on something like an Xbox Series S gaming console, then the LG UltraFine is a great option, especially with the $90 discount. There’s also an offer that gives you 20% off select Logitech hardware and accessories when you buy these products along with the monitor.
Curved screens can be a lot of fun, and this one from MSI is perfect if you want to do some gaming, since it can hit a 144Hz refresh rate. It also comes with three months of YouTube Premium for free, and six months of Norton 360. Even better, there’s an offer that gives you 30% off select Logitech hardware and accessories.
If you need something powerful for gaming, you can’t go wrong with the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8, which features a 1ms response time and a whopping 240Hz refresh rate. You can also get 30% off select accessories, a great deal if you also need a mouse, keyboard or headset.
