Best monitors for home working of 2023

Some companies provide laptop computers to employees because they are smaller and portable. As more people work from home (opens in new tab), many are using their work laptops at home or even their own personal laptops. Either way, they have started noticing the limitations of working all day on a small screen (most range in size from 13 to 15 inches).

The ergonomics of bending over and looking at a laptop all day can lead to neck and back problems, while laptop users also lose screen real estate compared to desktop users.

There’s good news: most modern laptops can connect to an external monitor. An external monitor connected to your laptop will improve your ergonomics and productivity. Thanks to its larger screen size, you will see better, and thanks to its stand or monitor arm (opens in new tab) if you add one, desktop monitors (opens in new tab) are easier on the eyes and help you maintain a healthy posture while working.

How to use an external monitor with your laptop

You can choose your external monitor as your laptop's only display or make it a dual display configuration.  When you plug an external monitor into your laptop, it functions in mirror mode, displaying the same image on both screens. With a larger screen and a higher resolution, you can view more information at once. 

However, you can be most productive by using two screens simultaneously and extending your desktop to two displays. This lets you run two full-screen apps at the same time. This way, the second external screen will let you organize your program windows and work more smoothly.  

Whether you have a single application running expanded to fill the two screens or two full-screen applications (one on each display), the productivity gains are significant: you won't have to scroll to find information, and you won't have to switch between applications. Using two monitors is also ideal if you want to edit a document in a word processor (opens in new tab) or spreadsheet (opens in new tab) while looking up information in another app, such as a web browser (opens in new tab), email client (opens in new tab), or PDF reader (opens in new tab).

You should keep the monitor and laptop at the same height when using this dual-screen scenario. The Scribbler recommends using a laptop stand (opens in new tab) that tilts the laptop’s keyboard at 45 degrees. Once you get used to an external monitor with your laptop, you'll never want to return to a single display.

We've also featured the best business monitors.

The best monitors for home working of 2023 in full:

Dell's 25-inch monitor features a quality 2K QHD IPS panel and is a good choice for a home office desk that complements your laptop's built-in display. 

The screen's panel is bright enough for most types of work, handles reflections well, and has great colors right out of the box. It has great ergonomics, allowing you to adjust its tilt, height, swivel, and 90-degree pivot to work in portrait mode. It also has VESA mount holes if you want to attach them to a wall mount or desk arm.

The panel supports 10-bit input and has an excellent SDR color gamut. But SDR is only available when connected via HDMI. sRGB color space rendering is excellent, but Adobe sRGB coverage isn't optimal, so graphic designers, particularly those working with print media, should look at other options. 

The Dell U2518D acts as a USB 3.0 hub with one input and four downstream USB 3.0 ports, two of which are specifically marked because they provide up to 2AMPs of power for fast charging your tablet or smartphone. Dell's trademark hole on the stand also allows for easy cable management. Moreover, the hub continues to work even when the monitor isn't on, so you'll be able to use USB flash drives or a webcam for surveillance plugged into its hub even without the monitor.

There is also a DisplayPort in and a DisplayPort out, which allows you to daisy chain two monitors while using only one DisplayPort cable for your laptop.

The default monitor settings look great, and you can fine-tune them easily using the On Screen Display menu with the four buttons at the bottom. One of the provided presets, "ComfortView," provides low blue light to ease eyesight during long work hours.

Although more advanced monitors are available, this Dell model is a better option for most home workers looking for the balance between price and features. The fact that Dell offers a three-year warranty is just the cherry on top.        

You need as much flexibility as possible if your home is suddenly your new office. With this model, Dell offers a "docking" monitor, which means it has various connectivity options, including USB-C, to simplify connections and boost productivity. Dell designed it to be your connectivity hub, so you can leave your mouse, trackball, webcam(s), keyboard, and USB sticks all plugged into the monitor and only have to plug a single cable into your laptop. 

On top of this and its big size, it features a gorgeous 31.5-inch 4K IPS display which means you can see more and do more. With a 4K resolution, you will no longer have to squint to see data in big spreadsheets or complex software apps. 

It delivers these superb specs with modern aesthetics: a matte black chassis and a silver metal stand. A single joystick operates the OSD menus to calibrate or switch display modes. With the stand, you can adjust the display height, tilt, swivel and pivot, and rotate to portrait mode. You can also use the VESA holes (100x100) at the back of the monitor to attach it to a monitor arm or wall mount if you don't want to be limited by the stand.

You have three video input options: DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0, and DP Alt mode on USB-C, so you can charge your laptop with the same cord you use for video. Furthermore, it has four USB 3.0 ports and an RJ45 network port, removing the burden from your laptop and routing all the fixed cabling, including high-speed Gigabit Ethernet networking, to the monitor. 

It is worth noting that Dell has made speakers optional. The company’s optional Dell mini soundbar is magnetically attached below the bottom bezel. There is also no headphone jack on this model, so you'll have to use Bluetooth-connected speakers or headphones if you don't want to purchase Dell's SB521A Slim Soundbar.

Read our full Dell P3222QE USB-C Hub Monitor review (opens in new tab).

Working from home has meant that in-person meetings have been replaced by video conferencing. For better or worse, we all got used to seeing coworkers with low-quality webcams, bad lighting, poor microphones, or odd webcam placement that leads to some hilarious image angles and the subsequent adjusting and tweaking until things look "right." Those webcam issues interfere with fluid communication. 

Home-based work also leads to back and neck problems due to small laptop screens and poor posture. Many home workers opt to buy an external monitor for their laptops for this reason. Dell has decided to resolve the problem of the home worker with a silver bullet: the S2722DZ, which combines an excellent screen for home working with a great webcam. 

Because of the IPS panel, the display delivers bright colors that cover 99% of the Adobe sRGB color gamut, making it suitable for even graphics professionals. With 350 nits of brightness, a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, and a refresh rate that can reach 75Hz, it promises to be a reasonably bright and convenient display. 

Nevertheless, what sets it apart from the competition is the handy 5MP IR pop-up camera with wide viewing angles and noise-canceling microphones integrated into the device. Using the camera, you will be able to show off your best side on your video call and sound good thanks to its quality microphone. Moreover, you will be able to hear your partners well, as it has a pair of 5-watt speakers.

Using the connectors on the back of the monitor, you can connect this monitor via DisplayPort, USB-C (alt DP mode), or HDMI. The USB-C port can deliver up to 65W of power to charge a laptop, which is a considerable amount of power. There are two 5Gbps USB 3.2 downstream ports on the unit, one at the back and another on the left underside, making it easy to access.

Read our full Dell 27 Video Conferencing Monitor (S2722DZ) review (opens in new tab).

An ultra-high definition (UHD) 4K monitor will elevate your home office productivity. Creative professionals have heard their wishes as ASUS offers an array of ProArt Displays that produce stunning graphics with varying degrees of color accuracy. Among the many ProArt monitors, we'll refer to this one by its model number, PA279CV.

As an upgrade to the PA278CV, its 2K QHD predecessor, this monitor offers 4K resolution. Content creators can get sharp images and accurate colors thanks to its perfect coverage of sRGB color space. You can choose from twelve preset display modes in addition to manual adjustments using the buttons on the bottom of the display.

Thanks to its wide color gamut and higher information density, it is ideal for home workers editing photos or videos or using productivity apps. The large display makes it easier to work without moving between windows. As it is flicker-free and has low blue light filters, you can work long hours in front of it without harming your eyes, two aspects that are typically lacking in cheaper monitors.

Along with thin bezels and a simple design with metallic finish plastic, its stand has a clip on the back for cable management. With its matte anti-reflective coating, this monitor delivers vibrant colors with 100% of the sRGB color space, which is excellent for most work purposes.

In terms of connectivity, it doesn't disappoint either: you can connect it to your computer through three different methods: USB-C (DP alt mode), DisplayPort, or HDMI. There are also four USB 3.1 type-A downstream ports, so you can connect USB flash drives, webcams, keyboards, mice, or trackballs directly to the monitor, leaving just one cord attached to your laptop or PC. With support for USB-C power delivery, the monitor can deliver up to 65W of power to charge your laptop over the same cable used to transmit video.

You may not have as much space as you would like when you work from home. Sometimes, your laptop may take up a large portion of your desk, and you just need a secondary monitor that won't permanently encroach on your workspace. After you are finished working on it, perhaps you would like to let the kids watch a movie on it. Portable monitors (opens in new tab) like this make it possible for you to do these things. 

Our only caveat is that we hadn’t heard of this firm before. However, the vast number of five-star reviews on Amazon by hundreds of reviewers and positive comments by the picky Mac community convinced us that this wasn't a fly-by-night operation. The brand names like ASUS, still offering only Full HD options, are still behind in this market segment.

Featuring a 15.6-inch IPS panel enclosed in an aluminum chassis, this UPerfect 4K monitor delivers stunning images at UHD resolution. The PU leather cover case doubles as a stand when folded away. With its panel, you get a 100% sRGB color gamut, 400 nits of brightness, a 60Hz refresh rate, and an ample viewing angle of 178 degrees. With its Low Blue Light mode, you don't have to worry about damaging your eyes. 

Additionally, it has a headphone jack and speakers. Furthermore, this monitor can be wall mounted using a VESA mount.

Do not despair if your wallet is thin and your budget is tight. You can still get an external monitor to improve your home working conditions. With this HP 24MH monitor, you will have just the right size. It is larger than your laptop's screen, but it isn't too big that it will take up your entire desk or work surface.  

Aside from its strong design, it also has a slim panel with practically no bezels around the screen, making it attractive. The display's 178° horizontal and vertical viewing angles provide crisp and clear images, and its refresh rate can go up to 75Hz, compared to the Windows default of 60Hz. Make sure you go into Windows display settings and change the refresh rate from 60 to 75Hz.

In addition to the DisplayPort and HDMI inputs, users with limited funds will be pleased to know that it also features an old VGA input that those with very old PCs can connect to.

A 90-degree rotating screen, adjustable height, and swiveling base are just features that set this monitor apart from others in its price range.  Switching to its Low Blue Light mode will put less strain on your eyes as the colors shift in a warmer spectrum with more natural whites. You will find its speaker to be of modest power, but that does not hurt it in any way. 

We've also featured the best ultrawide monitor (opens in new tab).

What you need to know about configuring your external monitor

Once you have plugged in an external monitor, here’s what you need to do to extend your desktop with an external monitor properly:

How to configure your external monitor on Windows: 

Right-click on the desktop, choose “Display Settings,” then scroll down to "Multiple Displays" and select "Extend desktop"

You can arrange your monitor location relative to your laptop by moving the boxes on that screen. Once you have finished this configuration, you can move your mouse cursor between monitors, and your workspace will effectively be doubled. Now you can enjoy running your web browser full screen and your productivity apps (opens in new tab) or video calls on the other.

How to configure your external monitor on a Mac:

Go to System Preferences and select Displays, then click on the Arrangement tab. You have to uncheck “Mirror Displays” there. You can then arrange the screen location relative to your Mac's screen. 

How to choose a monitor for home working

When choosing a monitor, the first obvious hurdle is price, how much to spend on it, and if the price you’re paying offsets the benefits you’ll get. The second issue to consider is connectivity; ideally, you want a monitor that matches your laptop's outputs: USB-C, Thunderbolt, HDMI, or DisplayPort. If your laptop (opens in new tab) is old, maybe it has a VGA output. In that case, you´ll probably need an inexpensive HDMI adapter or, better yet, a USB external graphics adapter with modern outputs. 

Past these basic decision points, the hurdles multiply: you must consider the resolution and color accuracy if you are a creative professional, and finally, display size according to your work needs and also the available desk and room space. 

If you do frequent video calls (Zoom, Google Meet, Jitsi Meet, Skype, etc), you’ll need to decide if you’re going to use your main laptop screen and webcam (opens in new tab) for them or instead get a secondary monitor with a better webcam built-in and use that for your video calls. All these choices will steer your selection toward the monitor that best suits your needs. 

Size: There are no limitations to what you choose, but setting up an improvised workspace at home can limit how big you can realistically go. A 24-inch monitor is a good starting point for limited desk spaces; you can place it almost anywhere. For those with a dedicated home office space, a 27-inch or a 32-inch might be workable, or you can even go up to a 34-inch ultrawide (opens in new tab) for the ultimate home office.

Resolution: If you choose to keep your laptop as your main work display, sometimes a secondary 1080P Full-HD display for video conferencing is a game changer and all you need to improve your workflow without breaking the bank. Full HD monitors are inexpensive these days, so cheap that getting two is no longer a luxury. You can find retailers selling them in packs of two, as 1080P is no longer state-of-the-art technology.

However, if your work requires high information density, like spreadsheets or specialized software with complex user interfaces, 2K, also known as QuadHD, is a good intermediate step before going UHD. Creative professionals that need crisp text and a high DPI display will be better served by going straight to a 4K monitor.

Connectivity: All the digital connections, such as HDMI, DisplayPort (DP), and USB-C / Thunderbolt, will give you a stable picture. You only get limited resolutions, bulky cables, and noisy outputs if your laptop has an analog VGA connector. Adapters between HDMI, DP, DVI, and USB-C are inexpensive and plug-and-play. However, it’s better to stick to what your computer provides. If your computer has a DP output, go for a monitor with a DP input. Likewise, with USB-C and HDMI.