Best Curved Monitors

Curved monitors are a stylish addition to a home or office. They offer a better viewing experience and are a gamer’s delight. Since their inception, gamers have shown a definite preference for curved monitors in comparison to flat panels. And it’s not just because of some fad that people prefer curved monitors--they offer a lot more than flat panels. But curved monitors can be over twice the price of flat-screen monitors. Are they really worth the extra expense?

With a curved monitor, your eyes can take in a larger view, and they offer a more realistic experience. Also, you don’t have to sit directly in front of the monitor to enjoy that immersive experience. They can also allow you to enjoy more than one type of content at a time.

But there are other considerations besides price and viewing experience. Let’s look at some of the other features of curved computer monitors.

Here are some of the best curved monitors on the market--hopefully, the list will help you find one that aligns with your needs.

1. AOC C24G1 24” monitor: This curved monitor is known for its frameless design and 1500R curvature. This is a gamer's paradise, with 16.7 billion colors, to enhance your gaming adventures. It is relatively more affordable and has several ports to make the setup easy. It has a flicker-free technology that helps reduce fatigue.

2. BenQ EX3501R 35” monitor: This model is ideal for gamers and plain personal use alike. Although a bit tricky to use, BenQ has designed this monitor to be enjoyable and worth your money. Its ultra-slim feature captures fine details in a bright display. It also has universal multi-platform connectivity with HDMI, Display Port, and USB 3.1 ports, so that you can display content from many different sources.

3. Samsung CF791 34” monitor: This is a monitor with 1500R curvature that offers a complete theatrical experience. The monitor is 34” on the diagonal, which allows for a beautifully clear and realistic image display. It also has built-in speakers, multiple ports to host different types of content, a 100 Hz screen refresh rate, a rapid 4ms response time, and AMD FreeSync.

4. Asus ProArt PA34VC 34” Professional Curved Monitor: With its adaptive sync technology, the Asus ProArt PA34vc is designed for gamers. Also, if you’re into graphic design, or video or photo editing, this Asus can complement your creativity by bringing your ideas to life. This curved monitor boasts a 100Hz refresh rate and support for AMD Sync.

5. LG 49WL95C-W 49” monitor: Did we mention that curved monitors are for multitaskers? If you are a multitasker, then this is just for you. The LG 49WL95C-W is a monitor that allows you to tackle multiple tasks at once. The 49” display allows you to monitor multiple windows all at once. Its USB ports can charge devices, even including laptops. It has powerful speakers for realistic sound and a rich color display. However, if your budget is tight, you may need to pass on this one.

6. MSI Optix MPG341CQR 34” monitor: This curved monitor is designed with exclusive features that are peculiar to gaming activities: great image display, clear sound, and an innovative design.

• Good response time: The response time of a monitor is how fast the pixels in the display change, usually measured in milliseconds. A response time of 4 milliseconds is considered adequate for gaming--even though there are monitors with even faster response times.

• Mounting a monitor: Even a smaller curved monitor may be a hassle to mount, as one person who bought the Samsung U32R592 32” monitor discovered. Some monitors don’t have the mount holes in the center of the monitor--this makes them a bit wobbly. It’s something to look for if you intend to mount your monitor.

• Define your needs: Before purchasing a curved monitor, you need to decide on how it will be of benefit to you. Do you need it at work as a basic external projector, or do you need it for video editing? Perhaps you use more than one screen at present, and you’re hoping that one curved monitor can replace two flat-screen monitors. Or maybe you’re a devoted gamer, or just simply in dire need of a new screen. Your answer to this can nudge you towards the curved monitor that suits your needs.

• Real-Life Experience: Curved monitors can give you a more realistic experience. It’s a popular adage that, if your television can get you so immersed that you forget that you are watching television, then it’s a good one. Curved monitors achieve this realism by considering how we perceive the world around us – length, height, and width. For that theater-like experience, this is a good bet.

• Distortion: People actually notice more distortion in a curved monitor. Flat-panel monitors have distortion because they emit light in a straight line. When you zoom in on an image, it tends to be blurry or stretched, especially towards the edges of the monitor. Curved monitors will bring those distorted edges closer to you so that you see the distortion even more! But, they offer a better viewing angle by as much as 7 degrees--so there is a bit of a trade-off there.

• Degrees of curvature: You’ll see many monitors touting that they have “1500R curvature” or “1800R curvature”. (Some go as high as 3000R or 4000R as well.) “R” here stands for “radius”, and the number is given in millimeters. Thus, a 1500R monitor means that it has the curvature of a circle with a radius of 1.5 meters. A monitor with 3000R curvature is as curved as a circle with twice the radius--thus, the smaller the number, the more curved the screen will be. Since more curvature is a desirable spec here, a lower curvature number will give a more immersive experience.

• AOC is a Taiwan-based company, founded in 1967, that specializes in computer displays. They make monitors with high resolution and accurate colors, for both home and office use, as well as gaming monitors.
• BenQ, with its headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan, is an established manufacturer of consumer electronics. They make projectors and monitors for a wide range of specialties: designing, photography, video, as well as just for entertainment and leisure.
• LG is a Korean electronics corporation, founded in 1947. They make IPS computer monitors, as well as TV/computer monitor displays, and 4K monitors.
• Asus, founded in 1989 and based in Taiwan, makes both laptop and desktop computers, as well as displays and networking electronics. They have a special division of computers and monitors for gaming.

Now that you are acquainted with curved monitors and some of the models out there, you can purchase the one which works best with your budget and preference. Also, read up on reviews made about these and other curved monitors that you find.