BEST DISPLAYS
A selection of displays that won’t stress your wallet or swamp your desk
UNDER 24 INCHES
Never forget that you will be staring at your screen far more than any other bit of technology
While it’s easy to get distracted by the latest high-end, high-price 4K and 5K displays, most of us find it easier to fit something a little smaller on our desks. This goes even more when you’re setting up a home office, and the price of 24-inch HD-level displays has reached very affordable levels. We selected five monitors at the 24-inch level (including one that’s actually 22 inches) and put them through their paces to see which comes out on top once all the factors – cost, build and performance – have been taken into account.
Price is an important factor here, but it is still important to select a display that will do a good job. Never forget that you will be staring at your screen far more than any other bit of technology that you own. Well, possibly apart from your iPhone, but that’s a discussion for a different time.
The ergonomics of a display are also important, from the initial setup – which proved to be quite easy with all five of the devices we tested – through to the methods of adjusting things, both in physical terms (monitor tilt and so on) and in how they can be fine-tuned for best display quality. It’s easy to overlook these things, but they do make a difference to your ongoing satisfaction.
Shades of grey
We test the colour accuracy of displays to gain an objective understanding of their capabilities. If you’re looking for something just for surfing online and using standard productivity software, precise colour rendering won’t be your prime concern, but you should still aim to avoid displays that struggle to show things accurately. These five displays all did a good job (and achieved very similar scores) considering their price range, so they’re all worth your consideration in that respect.