Contents
The best 27-inch monitor is Acer’s SB270 Bbix. Its “ultrathin” SB0 line emerged as our top pick due to its “zero-frame” design, slim profile, wide viewing angles, and Vision Care feature. It’s also considered as one of the best budget gaming monitors with its 1-millisecond response time, 75-hertz refresh rate, and AMD Radeon FreeSync support.
To determine the best 27-inch gaming monitor, we examined 24 of the best products and scrutinized them according to resolution and display options, panel type, design, adjustability, eye care solutions, connectivity options, refresh rate and gaming capabilities such as the response time (input lag), picture quality, color accuracy and more.
Top 7 Best 27-Inch Monitor
#1 Acer SB270 Bbix Full HD Monitor
Award: TOP PICK
WHY WE LIKE IT: Touted as one of the best gaming monitors in the mid-budget category, this Acer unit gives you a quick 1ms response time, 75hz refresh rate, and AMD Free-Sync technology. Belonging to Acer’s SB0 ultrathin line, you get a model that sports a very modern look with its thin bezels and profile.
Read Full Review: Acer SB270 Bbix 27
- Best gaming on a budget
- Fast response time
- AMD Radeon FreeSync Technology
- Tilt adjustment only
- No VESA-mount compatibility
This Acer monitor is highly recommended for gamers with AMD graphics card-equipped devices. The AMD Freesync technology support allows you to experience a tear and ghosting-free gaming experience while enjoying the unit’s low response time, 178-degree viewing angles, and borderless frame. As you’ll read in our buying guide, a low response time translates to quick and therefore fluid color and image transitions – a feature that the best gaming monitors definitely need. Its VisionCare technology even includes a low dimming feature that reduces brightness to 15% and BlueLightShield that adjusts colors to decrease your exposure to harmful, sometimes headache-inducing blue light.
This monitor, whose profile is only 1.34″ thick, features an IPS (in-plane switching) panel, which is known for its best color and viewing angles. This LCD monitor features a VGA port for older graphic card users and a port for the still widely used HDMI cables. The device also has a slot for headphones or speakers. For a monitor that will fulfill all of your gaming needs, consider the best 4k gaming monitor instead.
#2 Viewsonic VA2759-SMH IPS Monitor
Award: HONORABLE MENTION
WHY WE LIKE IT: This budget-friendly ViewSonic’s anti-glare coating and SuperClear® IPS Panel technology makes images and colors appear sharp and vivid on screen. It’s also great for multi-screen setups as f this model features a frameless bezel combined with its blue light filter and flicker-free technology.
Read Full Review: Viewsonic VA2759
- Best on a budget
- Built-in speakers
- VESA-compatible mount design
- Affordable price
- Tilt adjustment only
Viewsonic’s SuperClear IPS technology offers accurate color reproduction and wide viewing angles through its SuperClear IPS technology. You can further enhance the way you view your videos or images by using the monitor’s ViewMode feature, which allows you to choose from a variety of presets, including “web,” “text,” “movie,” and “game.” Its dual 2-watt speakers provide audio support when viewing your shows, films, and games.
Its blue light filter and flicker-free technology reduces or eliminates any possible eye strain that comes with prolonged time in front of the monitor. The screen also features a power-conserving Eco Mode that’s made possible with the built-in LED backlighting. The monitor is VESA compatible (100 x 100 mm). If you’re shopping on a budget, you may want to also look at the best cheap monitor.
#3 BenQ GL2780 Monitor
Award: Best TN Panel
WHY WE LIKE IT: This BenQ monitor has everything for every user: superfast response time for gamers, the reader-friendly ePaper mode for researchers and office-based professionals, and Brightness Intelligence Technology for movie buffs.
- TN panel is ideal for gaming
- Eye protection
- Built-in speakers
- Tilt adjustment only
On the gaming side, this BenQ monitor has a 1ms response time and up to 75hz response rate. Its speed is typical of twisted nematic (TN) panels that gamers love. helping you perform with precision due to the absence of tearing or broken frames perfect for an immersive gaming experience. Meanwhile, Brightness Intelligence Technology automatically adjusts the screen’s brightness when it detects ambient light in the room.. Moreover, the monitor’s green and red filters help color-challenged viewers distinguish colors better. Of note, this unit comes with built-in speakers with a headphone jack and audio line as well as several ports: HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI, and VGA for your full multimedia enjoyment.
On the business side, its ePaper Mode gives your display an Amazon Kindle look, making documents and reports easier to read. Completing the package of eye-friendly features is BenQ’s Eye Care technology which offers zero flickering and low blue light. If you need a monitor with a bit more speed, check out the best 144 hz gaming monitor.
#4 HP 27er T3M88AA IPS Monitor
Award: Best Everyday Monitor
WHY WE LIKE IT: This HP monitor provides accurate color reproduction by matching screen and printer colors through its My Display software making it one of the best monitors for photographers and artists. Its edge-to-edge display and ultra-slim profile make for comfortable viewing while its LED-backlighting and ENERGY-STAR power-saving feature ensures that efficient lighting comes at a reasonable cost.
Read Full Review: HP Backlit Monitor T3M88AA ABA
- Very slim profile
- Color accuracy features
- Power-saving mode
- Not VESA compatible
- Tilt adjustment only
View and print images with high color accuracy through this HP unit, whose HP Enhance+ technology prevents picture overexposure. Moreover, the brand’s My Display Software allows you to adjust the settings of your monitor so that colored images on your screen will render equally well on print. You can also set the layout of your desktop with this app. This 0.25-inch (6.6mm)-thick IPS screen has a power-saving mode so you can do your projects for extended periods without overworking the device. Meanwhile, its bezel-less frame, LED backlight, and anti-glare/low-haze surface help ensure you won’t overburden your eyes during prolonged use.
This monitor has 2 HDMI ports with HDCP support and 1 VGA slot. It’s lightweight and slim, making it easy to move between workspaces. If photography isn’t your passion, take a look at the best monitor for video editing instead.
#5 Samsung Curved VA Monitor
Award: Best Curved Monitor
WHY WE LIKE IT: Stay engrossed in your movie-watching, image-editing, or gaming with this Samsung 1800R curved screen with Active Crystal Color technology. Its Eye Saver Mode, Eco-Saving Plus feature, VESA compatibility, and FreeSync support give you a versatile, wide-angle screen with good colors and fantastic image quality.
Read Full Review: Samsung LC27F398FWNXZA
- Very slim profile
- Color accuracy features
- VESA mount
- Tilt adjustment only
- Expensive
As a VA (vertical alignment) panel, this Samsung model has a high contrast ratio that results in good image quality and is highly valuable for doing color-critical jobs and viewing movies. Samsung’s Active Crystal Color feature further improves brightness and contrast. Meanwhile, this unit’s mainstream 1800R curvature rating gives you a greater field of view and cinematic experience.
Casual gamers who don’t mind playing with a refresh rate of 72hz and 4ms response time will enjoy the ultra-wide, high picture quality of this monitor. You can reduce any ghosting or smudging effects by adjusting its response time setting. Its Eco Saving Plus, Eye Saver Mode, and Flicker-Free technology also makes viewing power-efficient and easy on the eyes. This screen comes with an HDMI and Display Port and audio/headphone outputs. If you’re a die hard console player and looking for a monitor to run your favorite games, take a look at the best gaming monitor for the PS4.
#6 Dell Monitor
Award: Best for Business
WHY WE LIKE IT: This Dell model’s Display Manager, which allows you to tile applications for more productive multitasking, and rotate feature, which lets you go on vertical view for coding and space-saving measures, makes this unit the best 27-inch monitor for work. Its thin bezels, viewing angles, and eye protection also helps boost your performance and viewing pleasure.
Read Full Review: Dell 27 Monitor P2719H
- Best 27-inch monitor for work
- Multiple adjustments and VESA mount
- Eye-friendly features
- Not recommended for gaming
Focus better and improve your work output with this Dell product, an IPS panel that offers vibrant colors from any viewing angle and multi-tasking assistance with its Easy Arrange app-organizing feature under its Display Manager. You can work long hours on this monitor with its combined anti-glare feature and power-conserving ENERGY-Star certification. It also offers good ergonomics with its pivot, tilt, and height adjustments.
It has two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 downstream ports, the most number of USB connectors in this buying guide. It also features HDMI, DisplayPort, and VGA ports.
#7 ASUS Eyecare Monitor
Award: Best AMVA+ Monitor
WHY WE LIKE IT: This Advanced Multi-domain Vertical Alignment Plus (AMVA+) panel reduces color washout and provides you an extra high contrast ratio. A winner of Japan’s 2012 Good Design Award and Germany’s 2013 iF Design Award, this ASUS monitor with built-in stereo speakers makes a terrific viewing, image editing, and office device due to its QuickFit Virtual Scale, eye care features, HDR Support and extensive connectivity.
Read Full Review: ASUS VN279Q
- AMVA+ panel
- VESA wall mount compatible
- Built-in speakers
- Tilt adjustment only
- Heavy
This AMVA+ ASUS Full HD screen is excellent for work and entertainment due to its narrow (0.8-cm/0.3-inch) frame, wide viewing angles, and picture quality-enhancing features. Its VividPixel Technology also gives you crisp images by muting noise and improving sharpness. Meanwhile, you can adjust your viewing mode from standard to night view, theater, or game with its Splendid Video Intelligence Technology. This ASUS model also helps you better visualize how small or large an image on your screen will be on a printed page when you activate its QuickFit Virtual Scale.
This VESA-wall mount (100 x 100 mm)-equipped ASUS product has dual two-watt speakers and HDMI/MHL, D-Sub, and DisplayPort slots.
How We Decided
The 27” monitors in this buying guide are available in 1920 x 1080 pixels, also referred to as full high-definition resolution. Although many computers of this size already come in higher resolutions, a full HD 27” screen is a practical option for those saving up for 4K. We featured monitors from every panel and screen type to widen your range of choices and enlighten you about the strengths and weaknesses of each. We also looked at affordable options to find the best budget monitor available.
We also made sure that these full HD units have gamer-friendly features, good refresh rates, and wide viewing angles so that even non-competitive play becomes immersive through ghosting/tear-free capabilities. Finally, we looked for products that offer as much versatility as possible in terms of tilt, height, and rotate adjustments as well as input connectivity.
Best 27″ Monitor Buyer’s Guide
- Resolution
A full HD resolution is adequate for a 27″ screen if you’ll be using it for movie-watching and games, although more avid gamers would recommend a 1440p resolution for a 27″ monitor. You may also want to go for a higher resolution monitor if you’ll be pairing up your screen with your desktop PC, especially for image editing. Twenty-seven inches is currently the recommended screen size for 4K or ultra-high definition viewing. - Display options
Some products are not factory-calibrated so you have to manually adjust the brightness, contrast, saturation, and so on. The best 27″ monitors come with display options that allow you to enhance picture quality further. This feature is for your long-term satisfaction because LED backlighting can deteriorate over time. - Panel type
- TN panels offer the fastest response times and most minimal motion blur among the three panel types so they’re highly preferred by gamers. On the downside, they have poor viewing angles and color accuracy compared to IPS and VA panels.
- IPS panels offer the highest color accuracy and viewing angles so monitors with this type of panel are best for professional image and video editors. However, IPS units score poorly in terms of response times and refresh rates compared to TN, although their performance is faster compared to VA.
- VA panels are the middle ground as they provide better viewing angles and color reproduction than TN units. However, they are inferior to IPS units in terms of picture quality. Some brands can offer a high refresh rate but their response times are typically slow. Modern VA panels for PC monitors include “super” vertical alignment (SVA), multi-domain vertical alignment (MVA), and advanced MVA (AMVA), which offer smoother pixel transitions and greater black color depth.
- Screen type: Flat or Curved
Flat monitors can offer wide viewing angles without requiring a lot of space but this feature pales in comparison to what curved screens can offer. Curved units also widen your peripheral vision and make images appear in 3D. However, they require an allotted space and mounting them on a wall can be complicated. They’re also pricier than flat screens. The curvature rate of a monitor is indicated by a four-digit number ending with the letter R, while a lower number means a greater curve or bend. - Design and adjustability
Look for monitors with a slim bezel and profile so that you can get more out of your display and save on space at the same time. The best 27″ monitors also have a solid construction and plenty of adjustment options: VESA compatibility, height, rotate/pivot, tilt, and swivel. - Connectivity
Make sure your monitor has ports that are required to connect it to your central processing unit or game console. HDMI and Thunderbolt ports would connect your screen to your PC, laptop, or HDTV. A USB port will be useful for your external storage and other USB devices. Meanwhile, you’ll need a DisplayPort port to connect your monitor to the rest of your gaming rig. - Gaming capabilities
- Refresh rate, which is measured in hertz, refers to how fast a monitor can refresh the images displayed on the screen. A 60-hz refresh rate is recommended if you’ll use your monitor mainly for web browsing, office work, and non-competitive gaming. However, a 144-hz refresh rate will be more suitable when playing fast-paced first-person shooter games. An even higher 240hz refresh rate is needed if you’re into esports.
- Response time, which is measured in milliseconds, refers to the speed by which pixels change in color. The response times of monitors usually fall between 1ms and 5ms. TN panels could readily deliver response times of 1-2ms. High-end IPS and VA panels could offer 3-4ms response times but regular IPS and VA screens normally only have a response time of 5ms.
- Adaptive sync technology comes in the form of Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync. Choose the feature that is compatible with your graphics card. They eliminate stuttering and tearing because these technologies let your monitor refresh at the same time as your graphics card.
27" Monitor FAQs
Is 1080p bad for a 27" monitor?
Some say that 1080p is already "good news" with so many higher resolution screens being sold online. Nevertheless, 1080p is still the basic standard. It's good enough in terms of performance and affordability. HD and PS3 movies and YouTube videos render well on full HD monitors, but for reading documents, a 24" screen with a 1080p resolution might be a better fit. A more expensive 1440p unit would also be more advisable for image editors, graphic designers, and photographers.
What is the monitor aspect ratio?
The aspect ratio of a monitor is the proportional relationship between the width and height of the display and is expressed as two numbers separated by a colon. Since 2016, most computer monitors use widescreen displays with an aspect ratio of 16:9.
Why is contrast ratio important?
The contrast on a display refers to the intensity of black as a color on the screen. The higher the contrast, the deeper or darker the blacks. This is an essential part of picture quality and a feature that the best monitor would offer.
What is a Graphics Card?
A graphics card is a piece of computer hardware responsible for rendering images on your monitor. It does this by converting data into a signal your monitor can understand.
What is AMD FreeSync Technology?
FreeSync is an adaptive synchronization technology, for liquid-crystal displays, that delivers dynamic refresh rates and significantly reduces or eliminates visual distortions that distract from the viewing experience. It's a particularly important feature for any video-editing or gaming monitor as it reduces input latency, screen tearing, and stuttering during gaming or video playback.
What is Nvidia G-Sync?
NVIDIA G-Sync is similar to FreeSync technology and aims to deliver the smoothest and fastest gaming experience possible. This performance is achieved by synchronizing display refresh rates to the GPU in your GeForce GTX-powered PC, eliminating screen tearing and minimizing display stutter and input lag. The clear difference between Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync is how they handle graphics cards that produce a higher frame rate than a monitor is designed for. G-Sync locks the frame rate to the monitor's upper limit, while FreeSync will allow the graphics card to produce a higher frame rate. To determine whether a monitor is compatible with G-Sync or FreeSync, simply check out the specifications online. For instance, a quick search on Google shows the Asus Rog Swift is integrated with G-Sync. In contrast, the Dell Ultrasharp 27" Monitor is integrated with neither and therefore a less suitable gaming choice.
Also why not check out:
- 7 Best 4K Monitors in 2020
- Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ Review
- BenQ PV3200PT Review – P-Series Monitor
- Best 1440p Monitor
- Best 24-Inch Monitor in 2020 (October Reviews)
- Best Budget Gaming Monitor
- Best Cheap Monitor in 2020 (October Reviews)
- Best Curved Monitor
- Best Dual Monitor Stand in 2020 (October Reviews)
- Best Monitor for Mac Mini in 2020 (October Reviews)
- Dell UltraSharp 24 Review – Wireless Monitor
- High Res 1440p Monitor only $250 & a 4K 55-inch TV under $600 today in Deals
- LG FLATRON E2350V Review – 23-inch LED Monitor
- Philips Puts Two Monitors In One
- Samsung’s VC240 24-inch Monitor Features A 5 Megapixel Camera And A Massive Price Tag
