5K and 8K monitors have finally hit the shelves, so it's time for some of us to upgrade and future-proof our setup. That isn't to say, of course, 4K is on its way out. Conversely, 4K panels are only starting to become the standard, and 1080p and 1440p displays are still quite common. However, many creative professionals greatly benefit from a 5K or 8K monitor investment.
If you're a content creator, videographer, or graphic designer, one of the best 5K and 8K monitors should appeal to you despite their high price tag. These displays will not only deliver incredibly sharp and highly detailed images but also offer a lot more screen real estate – enough to run a video project in 4K and still have all your apps and tools on display readily accessible simultaneously.
While there are only a few options, we've still gathered the best 5K and 8K monitors for you. They're the perfect next step for creative professionals. Here are our top picks, from ultrawide panels to curved monitors that offer deeper immersion.
Choosing the best 5K or 8K monitor for you
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For 5K monitors (that's 5,120 × 2,880 pixels), you can choose regular 16:9 aspect ratio or ultrawide monitors with 21:9 (or above) aspect ratios. Ultrawide monitors are a great choice for a multi-monitor experience with a single screen.
Meanwhile, monitors with a regular aspect ratio are generally better for design work as high-DPI modes in Windows and macOS allow for working in scaled resolutions, which lets users zoom in to manipulate images in incredible detail while rendering pin-sharp text and UI elements.
However, ultra-wide monitors present an intriguing alternative that ignores pixel scaling to give professionals acres of screen space for positioning windows, stretching out video-editing timelines, and watching cinematic videos as intended.
Regarding 8K monitors (7680 × 4320 pixels), your choice is far more limited, as currently, there's only one "affordable" 8K screen: the Dell UltraSharp UP3218K.
The good news is that this is an excellent monitor in its own right (as long as you have the budget and the equipment to power it) - and we're sure we'll see more 8K screens in the future.
Also, check out our list of the best monitors.
The impressive Philips 499P9H is one of the more feature-packed ultrawide monitors available today. Its VA panel is 8-bit, rather than IPS and 10-bit, and only supports the DisplayHDR 400 standard - so while it looks fine to the untrained eye, it's less suited to professional photo and video-editing work compared to its rivals. That’s where our gripes end - this mammoth monitor features plenty of connectivity options, including a USB Type-C interface for hooking up a MacBook or other machine. It goes further than rivals by including a pop-up webcam with Windows Hello Support for snappy face-ID login. The icing on the cake is its adaptive sync support, which makes it suitable for light gaming at 60fps if you have a capable AMD graphics card.
Read our full Philips Brilliance 499P9H review
The Apple Studio Display is a monitor designed for creative professionals, specifically those already invested in the Apple ecosystem. It has a 27-inch 5K resolution display with a pixel density of 218 PPI and supports one billion colors, making it an excellent choice for photo and video editing tasks. It also features a P3 wide color gamut and 600 nits of brightness. The monitor has a sleek design and is available with a tilt-adjustable stand or a VESA mount adapter. However, the stand does not have height adjustability unless you pay an additional $400. The display is also compatible with Apple's True Tone technology, which adjusts the white balance to match ambient lighting conditions. However, this feature can be turned off for professionals who require high color accuracy. The screen is reflective, but upgrading to the nano-texture screen can minimize reflections. The Apple Studio Display is expensive, starting at $1,599, and may not be suitable for those outside its target market of creative professionals.
Read our full Apple Studio Display review
This 49-inch is a new breed of ultrawide monitor pitched at productivity die-hards looking to replace their multi-monitor setup. It sports a roomy 5K resolution that gives you the equivalent of two 2,560 x 1,440 displays, making anything from design work to word processing and watching videos more practical and enjoyable in the absence of bezels. Its plentiful connectivity options include two bottom-facing HDMI ports, alongside DisplayPort, two USB 3.0, and a USB-C port that carries power and video, making the LG a good fit for owners of modern MacBooks. Handily, two more USB 3 ports and an audio jack can be found on the monitor's right-hand side. While it has decent sRGB coverage, it lacks the superior DCI support of its rivals.
Read our full LG 49WL95C review
Two years after first clocking eyes on it, we're still salivating over the first 8K monitor to hit the shelves. The UP3218K justifies its cost in ways other than its sheer pixel count, which is so huge that finding content to take advantage of it is no easy task. The monitor is adequately bright, features stellar build quality (it's surprisingly heavy), and its color reproduction is the best in the business. If you absolutely must have the sharpest screen that money can buy, this is it - but beware that it requires two DisplayPorts to run - so pairing it with a beefy GPU is a must.
Read our full Dell UltraSharp UP3218K 8K monitor review
Dell's ultrawide monitor is the most business-like in design and function on our list. Its stand is chunkier than the LG's 49WL95-W's and features a circular cable tidy hole for added convenience. This model places its two USB downstream ports along its bottom edge rather than around the side, and it also features a USB Type-C port. That's alongside two upstream regular USB ports used for hooking up two PCs and using them with a single keyboard and mouse (courtesy of KVM). Dell's Display Manager software makes it easy to better utilize that massive display by managing up to six windows simultaneously.
Read our full Dell U4021QW review
The closest thing to an official Apple monitor until the Cupertino company's 6K Pro Display XDR comes out, this 5K monitor is a thing of beauty (and not just because of how bright it can go). It comes equipped with an IPS panel and covers 99% of the DCI P3 gamut, making it an ideal choice for photographers or video editors seeking the best color accuracy. It uses a single USB-C port to transfer video and data the same time, which makes for a tidy setup; on the flip side its port selection is limited to three Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports located around the back - so get your dongles at the ready.
Professionals can be gamers too, which is why the CRG9 may be an enticing option. Its 5K display, flaunting Quantum Dot (QLED) tech and 1.07 billion colors, is gorgeous - and the monitor also sports VESA DisplayHDR 1000 tech backed up by 1,000 nits of pure room-illuminating brightness. For gamers, adding adaptive-sync tech will smoothen out frame rates up to the panel's 144Hz refresh rate. You'll need a beefy GPU to make the most of this enticing ultrawide. Oh, deep pockets will be required - this is one expensive monitor.
Read our full Samsung CRG9 review
Curved monitors and resolutions beyond 4K
Curved 4K monitors exist in much smaller numbers than their flatter counterparts.
However, no curved monitors have a resolution higher than 4K. The size of the market and higher cost of materials means that it is not commercially viable to push for curved 5K or curved 8K monitors.
Brett Barbour, VP at US monitor vendor, Viotek, explains an attractive alternative: adding two 4K curved monitors.
"Working professionals across many fields can benefit from the extra space afforded by curved monitors – especially if they need (or just want) multiple monitors. Positioning two 27-inch curved monitors side-by-side, for instance, can deliver solid immersion and a more comprehensive field of view than two 27-inch flat monitors, which would just push the end of the screen farther away from you."
Placing two 27" monitors with their lower side bezels could provide a natural viewing experience. And it would do this while taking up less space than two 27-inch flat-screen monitors.
Sometimes, a single curved monitor can even replace a few flat ones. A wave of "superwide" monitors has recently hit the market. With a 49-inch screen size (horizontal), that's the equivalent of two 27-inch screens in a single monitor."
Barbour did warn that there are other factors to bear in mind.
"Possibly another aesthetic preference, but depending on the placement, a curved monitor might not look as good hanging on a wall due to the curve. A flat-monitor can sit flush against the wall it is mounted on, whereas a curved monitor doesn't.
More importantly, though, some VESA mounting kits might not be able to connect to the back of the curved monitor. After all, most VESA mounts are flat. To deal with this, some manufacturers might offer the means to overcome this issue. This solution might include extension post screws with some of their models, as seen with manufacturers like LG and Viotek, or it might involve including a mounting adapter. But if your curved monitor doesn't come with these solutions, you'll have to hunt some down at your local hardware or electronics retailer."
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