Although Black Friday is officially over, there are still some of the best monitor deals around still live ahead of Cyber Monday deals launching soon.
So whether you want a 4K monitor for your Photoshop work or a speedy 144Hz gaming monitor to top the leaderboards in Halo Infinite, we're here to sift through the scores of discounts so you can spend more time saving and less time digging around - and be sure to check out our Cyber Monday monitor deals for the latest offers too.
But we're more than just deals experts, we here at TechRadar have used and reviewed all of the best monitors, and we know exactly what to look for in a great display for your PC. So, we've also included some helpful buying advice, so you can be confident that the deal you're getting is the best it can be.
- And if you're after a specific style of display, we also have a guide to the best 4K monitors and the best business monitors that are perfect for both work and play
Black Friday monitor sales (US): quick links
- Amazon: Black Friday monitor deals and more
- Best Buy: Has a large selection of Black Friday monitor deals available
- Walmart: Is also offering Black Friday monitor deals
The best Black Friday monitor deals in the US
Black Friday monitor sales (UK): quick links
- Amazon: has a host of cheap monitor deals
- Currys: has also revealed its Black Friday monitor deals
- John Lewis: is also advertising some early deals on monitors
The best Black Friday monitor deals in the UK
Black Friday monitor deals: Our predictions
When will the best Black Friday monitor deals start in 2021?
Black Friday landed on November 26, but the discounts keep going ahead of Cyber Monday on November 29. This weekend period is, usually, when the best deals you can find occur.
We also saw some of the best deals land slightly earlier than usual. Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic we found that deals began dropping in late October and mid-November, before plummeting at the start of Thanksgiving week. Monitor prices then stayed low into the first week of December.
With many brick-and-mortar stores closed thanks to the local pandemic restrictions, and more people than ever shopping online - plus with Covid-19 causing logistical challenges such as shipping delays - it made sense for retailers to spread the deals out.
Where will the best Black Friday monitor deals be?
You'll find all the best Black Friday monitor deals here as soon as they drop. However, some retailers are better than others for monitor discounts, and it can be helpful to know which online stores are good for what. We've listed the retailers we most recommend shopping at for monitor deals over Black Friday - they're worth browsing in the run-up, to get a feel for current, pre-deal pricing on any devices you're interested in.
Top US retailers
Amazon: gaming monitor, 4K monitor
Best Buy: great HD monitor deals
Walmart: HD and 4K monitors available with free delivery
Top UK retailers
Amazon: gaming monitor deals
Currys: free delivery, plus a wide selection of monitors
Argos: home delivery or pick up a cheap monitor locally today
John Lewis: extended warranties on premium monitors
Which monitors will be discounted for Black Friday?
We expect to see a wide range of discounts across HD and 4K monitors that will be perfect for both work and gaming. This will include many of the best monitors from last year but will likely include monitors that were released in early 2021 as well.
Be on the lookout for monitors from a range of brands too like Dell, Asus, Samsung, and BenQ (many of which have devices that feature in our best PC monitors list). We might not see their most powerful monitors get much of a discount, but if you're after a premium experience on a budget, Black Friday is the time to look.
What should I look for when buying a monitor on Black Friday?
When you're looking at Black Friday monitor deals, it's hard to figure out what is actually one of the best monitors, and what's getting discounted just to be cleared off the shelf. Luckily, we use a plethora of different gaming monitors all the time, and we can help you find the right monitor for your needs.
Firstly you're going to want to understand HD (sometimes called FHD or Full HD) vs 4K (also called UHD or Ultra HD). 4K monitors will be filled with more pixels, and therefore put out a better image, than HD monitors in general. However, they can cost quite a bit more and are only really worth it for gamers or those who need high-quality monitors for their job.
If you're after a great viewing experience you'll also want to look out for key terms like HDR (high dynamic range), brightness, and color support. These features will mean that your monitor will be able to output a wide spectrum of colors, making bright moments pop and helping you decipher what is going on during dark scenes.
Next up are refresh rates. You might have heard of people playing games at 120FPS, but to do that you'll not only need a PC that's powerful enough to run a game that well but also a 120Hz monitor that can produce the image. If you aren't a gamer though, high refresh rates aren't going to be too important so if you can save even more by going with a lower option we'd generally recommend that.
Finally, you might want to compare flat monitors with curved screens. Curved monitors offer you a wider field of view, a more immersive experience, and many people find them more comfortable though they're also larger and generally take up more space. If you're short on desk space, are looking for a multi-monitor setup, or are on a budget, flat monitors will be your best choice.
The 3 best monitors to watch out for on Black Friday
It’s hard not to be impressed by the LG UltraGear 38GN950. If you’re looking for the ultimate gaming monitor, this is certainly the one to beat, with a 144Hz refresh rate that can be easily overclocked to 160Hz, 1ms response time, spectacular image quality, and many other gaming features like G-Sync, an ultra-wide aspect ratio and DisplayHDR 600. If you’re serious about gaming and want lots of screen real estate, then this is the best gaming monitor to get – if you can afford it, that is.
Read the full review: LG UltraGear 38GN950
Pro-level displays are no longer the premium priced, inaccessible purchase they started out to be. At least as far as the BenQ SW321C PhotoVue is concerned. This 32-inch 4K photo monitor is up a step or two in terms of both performance and usability, featuring an incredibly wide color gamut of 99% of the Adobe RGB color space and 95% of DCI-P3.
If you’re in the cinematography or photography sphere, that’s exactly what you need. And, that’s on top of all the other features this monitor boasts. This is among the best monitors for photo editing you’ll find, and the best part is you’re getting it for cheaper than all others.
Read the full review: BenQ SW321C PhotoVue
The best gaming monitors typically fall into two camps: fast refresh rate or high resolution. But, they almost never do both. With the Samsung Odyssey, that’s not the case. It manages to pack 1440p resolution in the same display as a 240Hz refresh rate as well as excellent HDR, making this an ideal choice for any gamer that likes to play Esports one day and jump into an immersive open-world game the next. It’s not perfect as it does take some work getting it up and running, but the Samsung Odyssey G7 is an ideal choice for gamers who have some variety in their gaming libraries.
Read the full review: Samsung Odyssey G7
