Best monitors for graphic design 2023: What you see is what you get

Do you want an awesome monitor for graphics design—no matter the price? Asus’ ProArt PA32DC is for you.

Let’s get this out of the way up front: This monitor is $3,499. That’s a lot of money, to be sure, but its quality lives up to the price. This monitor has a 4K OLED panel with tack-sharp clarity, excellent color accuracy, and a very wide color gamut covering 99 percent of DCI-P3 and 98 percent of Adobe RGB. The OLED panel also provides class-leading contrast and strong HDR support, making this an ideal choice if you work with HDR content.

The ProArt PA32DC’s professional focus carries over to its design. It’s built like a tank and includes a built-in handle. You can also detach the height-adjustable stand and instead use a pair of screw-on legs that collapse flat. These unusual features might seem odd for a 32-inch monitor, but they’ll prove handy if your work requires travel to a client’s office or studio.

Connectivity is superb, too, with a total of five video inputs including a USB-C port with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and 65 watts of Power Delivery. The monitor’s on-screen menus offer a massive range of adjustments and customization to help professionals tune the image to their work.

This monitor is expensive, but it’s worth it. It’s an ideal professional display built for the most demanding graphics design work.

The Asus ProArt PA279CRV is a fantastic choice for graphic designers who need a 27-inch 4K monitor with excellent color performance and image clarity. 

This PA279CRV features an exceptionally wide color gamut that competes with higher-priced displays, covering 100 percent of sRGB, 99 percent of DCI-P3, and 98 percent AdobeRGB. Color accuracy is good, as well, and the monitor offers many image quality adjustments. These are essential for accurate color representation. The monitor’s 4K resolution provides superior sharpness, as well, packing 163 pixels into every inch. This will help you view larger images at 100 percent scale and reduce the need to zoom when working with images that exceed 4K resolution.

The monitor has a wide range of connectivity including one USB-C port with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and 96 watts Power Delivery, two DisplayPort 1.4 (one with Daisy Chain support), and two HDMI 2.0. The USB-C port can function as a USB hub connected to three USB-A 3.2 Gen-1 ports. The monitor pairs well with a laptop that supports USB-C, as it can charge the laptop, accept video input, and function as a USB hub over a single USB-C connection.

The PA279CRV struggles with a mediocre contrast ratio that can sap depth from games and movies. Motion clarity isn’t great, either, which means fast-paced games won’t appear as fluid or crisp as they would on a gaming monitor. 

Fortunately, these flaws are excused by the monitor’s affordable $469 MSRP. Few similarly priced monitors can match the PA279CRV’s color gamut and sharpness for less than $500, and those that do typically lack useful features like USB-C.

The Asus ProArt PA348CV is a great monitor for graphics designers who want an ultrawide display.

This ultrawide monitor delivers excellent image quality. Surprisingly, its color accuracy is the best of all monitors on this list, and its color gamut spans 98 percent of DCI-P3 (and 89 percent of Adobe RGB). Overall color performance is right on par with the Dell U3233QE, which is a couple hundred dollars more expensive. The monitor’s resolution of 3440×1440 is not as sharp as 4K but still looks great.

Asus throws in a wide range of features to sweeten the deal. The ProArt PA348CV has a feature-rich menu with numerous image-quality adjustments, a USB-C port that can deliver up to 95 watts of Power Delivery for charging a connected laptop or tablet, and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. It also supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro for smooth gaming. This monitor retails at an MSRP of $749.99 which, though not inexpensive, undercuts competitors with similar features. Other monitors can match the ProArt PA348CV on image quality, features, or refresh rate, but none beat it on all three.

It’s tough to find a truly excellent graphics design monitor for less than $500. The NZXT Canvas 27Q is one such diamond in the rough.

The NZXT Canvas 27Q’s color performance is shockingly good for its price. The monitor’s color accuracy is superb and, in fact, slightly better out-of-box than the Asus ProArt PA32DC and Dell U3223QE. The monitor also has a wide color gamut spanning 97 percent of DCI-P3. That’s not as wide as the best graphics design monitors but, for many, it will be enough.

This is a 27-inch monitor with a resolution of 2560×1440. It doesn’t look as sharp as 4K alternatives but still appears pleasantly crisp. The monitor also supports USB-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode, though it doesn’t have Power Delivery for charging a connected device.

The monitor’s MSRP is $339.99, but it frequently sells for just $249.99. That’s without a stand, which adds $40 to the price. NZXT also offers an optional monitor arm that can clip to your desk. It’s a good pickup if you plan to use the Canvas 27Q as a second monitor.

Viewsonic’s ColorPro VP16-OLED is a portable monitor for travelers and those with limited desk space. It has a top-notch OLED panel with excellent image quality, solid brightness, superb contrast, and an extremely wide color gamut that caters to graphics designers.

The monitor has a unique folding stand that can function as a kickstand or expand into a base that holds the monitor above your desk, offering better ergonomics and saving desk space. This makes the VP16-OLED more comfortable to use over an eight-hour workday.   

Viewsonic throws in extras that graphics designers may appreciate. It has a display hood to reduce glare in bright settings, a tripod mount for on-the-go use, and ships with all necessary cables and power adapters. This includes USB-C, USB-A, and HDMI cables, plus a compact USB-C power brick. The design includes a lip around the display for protection and rigid body panels that feel up to the demands of frequent travel.  

HDR is not supported, however, and the monitor sticks to a 60Hz refresh rate. This is a bit disappointing given the price, but these omissions are unlikely to bother graphics designers. 

The VP16-OLED is expensive but justifies its $399.99 price tag with top-tier image quality, a uniquely versatile kickstand, and numerous extra features. It’s a must-buy for graphics designers who need excellent color accuracy in a portable form factor.