USB-C is the one connection to rule all of them—actually, in lots of instances, due to a current legislation handed by the European Parliament. Its reputation has made USB-C a typical sight on new displays. A USB-C monitor can simply join with a variety of gadgets, from laptops to smartphones; and a few USB-C displays may even cost a related gadget whereas in use.
The small print of USB-C will be complicated, nevertheless, and pricing for USB-C displays is usually larger than that for displays that lack the interface. Our information to the very best USB-C displays will allow you to choose the best show on your wants.
To be taught extra, see our part on what to search for in a USB-C monitor under our suggestions.
For much more monitor suggestions, try our roundup of the very best displays throughout all classes.
Up to date 05/26/2023: We’ve added the Dell Ultrasharp U4924DW as our choose for the very best super-ultrawide USB-C monitor. This totally huge show is a productiveness dream and affords excellent USB connectivity. Learn extra about this new choose in our abstract under.
Dell U3223QE – Finest USB-C monitor total
Execs
- IPS Black panel fulfills its promise
- Correct shade with vast gamut
- Excessive brightness in SDR
- USB-C hub with 90 watts of energy
Cons
- Edges of show are noticeably vibrant
- HDR efficiency disappoints
- Solely a 60Hz panel
The Dell U3223QE, which ranks as our greatest monitor total, is a wonderful USB-C monitor with an enormous vary of connectivity. It additionally packs a cutting-edge IPS panel with alluring picture high quality.
Connectivity is superb. The monitor has a USB-C port with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and as much as 90 watts of Energy Supply for charging a related gadget. It additionally drives a USB hub with a complete of 5 extra USB-A ports, ethernet, and DisplayPort-out. That’s sufficient to attach a wired mouse, keyboard, and show—and nonetheless have a number of ports left over for exterior drives or your smartphone.
This monitor is among the many valuable few with an IPS Black show panels. Because the title implies, this know-how improves black ranges, providing roughly twice the distinction ratio of competing displays with IPS panels. Only a few displays have this panel, so it provides the Dell U3223QE a big edge over its opponents. The monitor additionally has 4K decision and very good out-of-the-box shade accuracy.
This monitor has a smaller twin, the Dell U2723QE, which packs the identical options and IPS Black panel at a lower cost. It’s a sensible choice if you happen to don’t need an enormous 32-inch monitor or do need a USB-C monitor on a extra modest finances.
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Dell U3223QE overview
NZXT Canvas 27Q – Finest finances USB-C monitor
Execs
- Engaging and sturdy design
- 4 video inputs together with USB-C
- Nice shade efficiency
- Excessive movement readability at 144Hz and 165Hz
Cons
- Restricted picture high quality adjustment
- Audio system not included
- HDR mode is barebones
The NZXT Canvas S27Q is the go-to alternative if you need a USB-C monitor and don’t want a variety of USB-C hub connectivity. Its extra threadbare function set helps NZXT ship USB-C connectivity and very good picture high quality for lower than $300.
This monitor has a USB-C port with DisplayPort Alternate Mode, which means it will probably deal with video enter. It lacks Energy Supply, nevertheless, so the USB-C port received’t cost a related laptop computer or pill. The USB-C port connects to 2 extra USB-A ports. On the plus aspect, this monitor has two HDMI-in ports and one DisplayPort-In, for a complete for 4 video inputs. Most reasonably priced displays have simply two or three.
The NZXT Canvas S27Q is a 27-inch 1440p monitor with an IPS panel and a refresh price of as much as 165Hz. It additionally helps AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync, which is nice information for avid gamers.
The monitor has glorious picture high quality and scores significantly effectively in shade efficiency and accuracy. It could go toe-to-toe with opponents priced $100 to $200 above it, so it’s an important alternative if you need most worth on your cash.
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NZXT Canvas 27Q overview
Asus ProArt PA348CGV – Finest ultrawide USB-C monitor
Execs
- Wonderful SDR picture high quality
- Sturdy, hefty design
- Wide selection of customization
- 120Hz refresh price
Cons
- USB-C hub lacks video-out or ethernet
- HDR is merely satisfactory
The Asus ProArt PA348CGV is a spectacular ultrawide USB-C monitor. It manages to serve an enormous vary of individuals, from avid gamers to prosumers and professionals, with out letting anybody down.
This monitor has a USB-C port with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and as much as 90 watts of Energy Supply, so it will probably cost a related laptop computer or desk. The USB-C port can drive as much as 4 extra USB-A ports, providing a variety of bodily connections. It doesn’t assist ethernet or video-out, nevertheless, so some house owners will nonetheless want an extra adapter.
Picture high quality is excellent. Shade accuracy is superb, the colour gamut is vast, and most brightness is excessive. The monitor’s 34-inch panel has a decision of 3440×1440, which is roughly equal to a 27-inch 1440p monitor and appears sharp in on a regular basis use. The monitor has a most refresh price of 120Hz and helps AMD FreeSync Premium Professional, which is nice information for avid gamers.
The ProArt PA348CGV within reason priced, as effectively, at $729.99—not a cut price, however decrease than most ultrawide displays with related options. Its worth, big selection of options, and glorious picture high quality make the ProArt PA348CGV an important USB-C monitor for avid gamers and content material creators.
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Asus ProArt PA348CGV overview
Dell Ultrasharp U4924DW – Finest super-ultrawide USB-C monitor
Execs
- Wonderful construct high quality and stand
- A lot of connectivity together with USB-C
- Straightforward-to-use menu with quite a few choices
- IPS Black improves distinction ratio
Cons
- Picture high quality is mediocre total
- No HDR or Adaptive Sync
- Costly for its function set
The Dell Ultrasharp U4924DW is the very best super-ultrawide monitor with USB-C. It affords excellent USB connectivity, functioning as a USB-C hub with a complete of six downstream USB ports (4 USB-A, two USB-C) plus Ethernet and audio-out. The USB-C port additionally helps DisplayPort Alternate Mode and offers 90 watts Energy Supply, letting customers join and cost a laptop computer or pill over a single USB-C cable. This eliminates the necessity for a separate USB-C hub or dock which, in flip, reduces wire litter behind your desk.
Dell’s U4924DW is a curved ultrawide however has a much less aggressive curve than alternate options targeted on gaming, which in flip makes it extra appropriate for work duties. It additionally advantages from a sturdy, elegant design, a small but efficient stand, and VESA mount compatibility for each 200x100mm and 100x100mm mounts. The monitor additionally helps picture-by-picture and picture-in-picture modes that allow customers view two enter gadgets directly. It’s excellent to be used in both a house or company workplace.
Picture high quality is stable, however the monitor has a mediocre 60Hz refresh price and lacks assist for HDR. The shortage of those options is stunning given its $1,999 worth level. Nonetheless, the U4924DW is a smart funding if you happen to care extra about productiveness than gaming and leisure.
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Dell Ultrasharp U4924DW overview
LG DualUp 28MQ780-B – Finest USB-C monitor for productiveness
Execs
- Distinctive facet ratio is helpful for picture, video enhancing
- Makes an superior second monitor
- Extremely adjustable stand
- Vivid, correct shade
Cons
- Troublesome to slot in a small house workplace
- USB-C port affords restricted downstream connectivity
- Can lack immersion in some content material
The LG DualUp 28MQ780-B is a USB-C monitor with a singular 16:18 facet ratio that’s nearly precisely sq.. It could rotate right into a 18:16 facet ratio if you happen to’d choose. The monitor is way taller than most displays and, because of this, has an adjustable stand that clamps to the rear of your desk as a substitute of a standard desktop stand.
The monitor’s odd kind issue is good for viewing massive, advanced paperwork and will be helpful for enhancing portrait or sq. images. It’s additionally effectively suited to use as a second monitor alongside a big 32-inch show.
The DualUp 28MQ780-B has a USB-C port with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and 90 watts of Energy Supply, so it will probably cost a related laptop computer or pill. The USB-C port can lengthen connectivity to 2 extra USB-A ports. Sadly, the monitor lacks ethernet or video-out, so some house owners may have an extra adapter.
What about picture high quality? It’s nice. The monitor has nice shade accuracy, a large shade gamut, and respectable sharpness due to its decision of 2560×2880. Simply be warned: The odd facet ratio makes it an odd match for gaming and flicks. It is a monitor constructed for work, not play.
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LG DualUp 28MQ780-B overview
Viewsonic ColorPro VP16 OLED – Finest moveable USB-C monitor
Execs
- Versatile, helpful stands
- Good connectivity, cables included
- Quite a few picture high quality customization choices
- High-tier picture high quality even at default settings
Cons
- Audio system are included, however weak
- Expensive for a transportable monitor
- No HDR
The Viewsonic VP16-OLED is a exceptional moveable OLED monitor that brings collectively top-notch picture high quality, USB-C connectivity, and an progressive stand design.
The monitor’s 15.6-inch 1080p OLED panel delivers distinctive shade accuracy, gamut, and distinction. It surpasses many full-sized OLED displays and almost all moveable displays. This makes it an important alternative for productiveness, although it additionally appears glorious when viewing motion pictures or taking part in video games.
The VP16-OLED’s stand can be utilized as a kickstand or expanded to carry the monitor upright, making it supreme for professionals who wish to maximize their workspace or want improved ergonomics. The stand consists of two USB-C ports, each of which may present energy and video enter to the monitor, and a micro-HDMI port for compatibility with non-USB-C gadgets. The monitor consists of all the required cables in addition to a USB-C energy brick.
There’s a disadvantage: the price. The Viewsonic VP16-OLED’s MSRP of $399.99 is pricey for a transportable monitor. Nevertheless, if you happen to place a excessive worth on picture high quality and need the very best monitor on your moveable workplace, the Viewsonic VP16-OLED is a wonderful alternative.
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Viewsonic ColorPro VP16-OLED overview
What to search for in a USB-C monitor
Many options fascinating in a USB-C monitor are the identical as on every other show. A pointy, vivid, vibrant, and contrast-rich display is greatest. Nevertheless, customers who wish to purchase a USB-C monitor ought to keep watch over particulars solely related to USB-C.
Keep in mind, too, {that a} USB-C show can be utilized in two contexts. First, you may join your USB-C monitor to a desktop PC or laptop computer by way of a USB-C cable, and use it like a conventional USB-C hub by way of the USB-C cable’s 20Gbps interface. That’s fairly simple.
Second, you can too use the USB-C cable as a alternative for a show cable like HDMI or DisplayPort, particularly for newer laptops which may get rid of an HDMI or DisplayPort port.
It’s right here that USB-C displays can get difficult. The standard rule of thumb is {that a} USB-C port can assist a 4K show at 30Hz decision. DisplayPort Alternate Mode (see under) will increase that to 4K60, which is way simpler on the eyes. Newer laptops use DisplayPort 1.4, which mixes a high-bit-rate mode (HBR3) with a DSC compression mode that ought to permit for 4K60 video alongside the flexibility to make use of USB 3.1 storage gadgets.
Remember, nevertheless, that the USB-C cable’s 20Gbps throughput could not permit for video to be handed to premium shows just like the NZXT Canvas S27Q at its full 1440p, 165Hz refresh price. These specs in all probability assume that you simply’re utilizing a devoted video port like DisplayPort, as a substitute, in addition to its separate video cable. You possibly can actually join the show to your laptop computer utilizing each a video cable and the USB-C cable concurrently, nevertheless.
In case your laptop computer makes use of both Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4 or USB4 — all of which use a 40Gbps information connection and a USB-C port in your laptop computer — you need to in all probability haven’t any points connecting your laptop computer to the monitor on the full refresh price utilizing a Thunderbolt cable. Simply seek the advice of your laptop computer’s specs and/or guide to verify.
Energy Supply
USB-C Energy Supply offers energy over a USB-C cable. It’s not a part of the core USB-C specification, so gadgets with USB-C (together with displays) don’t all the time assist it. Energy Supply can pack as much as 240 watts, however most USB-C displays present simply 65 to 90 watts. It’s an ideal match for individuals who personal a thin-and-light laptop computer, 2-in-1, or pill.
Energy Supply is insufficient for some gadgets, comparable to gaming laptops, which eat extra energy than present USB-C displays can present. These laptops should still cost when left at idle however will cost slowly (and even discharge the battery) when in use.
Ethernet
Wired ethernet is a fascinating function in a USB-C monitor. Many fashionable laptops lack a bodily Ethernet port, so its inclusion on a monitor is handy. It could enhance the velocity and reliability of a related gadget’s web connection.
Whereas helpful, that is an costly function obtainable solely on premium fashions. The Dell U3223QE is the one USB-C monitor on this record with ethernet assist.
DisplayPort Alternate Mode
DisplayPort Alternate Mode is a function obtainable to USB-C that handles video as if the USB-C cable was a DisplayPort cable. It helps all of the options you’d anticipate from DisplayPort together with excessive refresh charges and adaptive sync.
A monitor with out this function received’t settle for video over USB-C, which means you’ll have to attach each USB-C and a separate video enter. All of the displays on this record assist DisplayPort Alternate Mode.
How we take a look at displays
PC World’s monitor guides are the results of unbiased exams by PC World employees members and freelance know-how journalists.
We take a look at every monitor with a SpyderXElite shade calibration instrument. This instrument can measure a monitor’s brightness, distinction, shade gamut, shade accuracy, uniformity, gamma, shade temperature, and different essential elements of show high quality. Utilizing a instrument that measures goal high quality helps us objectively examine dozens of displays.
Our exams of USB-C displays additionally take into account the vary of USB-C connectivity and options obtainable. We choose to see a USB-C monitor with an entire vary of bodily connectivity together with ethernet and a minimum of 90 watts of Energy Supply, however these fascinating options are balanced in opposition to the monitor’s worth.
FAQ
Do I really want a USB-C monitor?
A USB-C monitor is a good way to increase your pc’s connectivity with out the added litter of a USB-C hub or dock. It reduces the wires current in your desk, liberating up area for different makes use of. PC World’s information to USB-C hub displays has the complete story.
USB-C displays are glorious when used with a USB-C laptop computer that consumes lower than 90 watts of energy at load. Docking a laptop computer at a desk will be annoying if you happen to use a wired keyboard, wired mouse, and exterior monitor. A USB-C monitor can consolidate all of your wired gadgets to a single USB-C cable.
If these advantages sound good, then a USB-C monitor might be for you. If not, you could get extra worth from a traditional monitor.
Are USB-C displays costly?
Sure, USB-C displays are dearer. Primary displays with out USB-C retail for as little as $100, whereas related displays with USB-C begin round $150.
That worth premium persists by means of all worth classes. You possibly can anticipate to pay round $50 to $100 extra for a USB-C monitor than you’d for the same monitor with out it.
Premium productiveness {and professional} displays are an exception. Almost all displays in these classes provide some type of USB-C assist. They continue to be costly, although, and are sometimes priced between $500 to $1,000 (and generally extra).
Are USB-C displays good for gaming?
Technically talking, USB-C displays will be nice for gaming. USB-C video is dealt with over DisplayPort Alternate Mode, which preserves all the same old advantages of DisplayPort. This consists of nice assist for top refresh charges, excessive resolutions, and adaptive sync.
However there’s a catch: Many displays which have a USB-C port don’t assist essential gaming options like an enhanced refresh price, low pixel response occasions, or adaptive sync. The Asus ProArt PG348CGV, our choose for greatest ultrawide with USB-C, and the NZXT Canvas 27Q, our greatest finances choose, are two notable exceptions. Simply just remember to’re connecting to them with a devoted DisplayPort or HDMI video cable, and never utilizing the USB-C cable because the video cable, too.