8 Best Monitors For Color Accuracy (2023 Reviews & Guide)

Monitors For Color Accuracy Compared 

List Of The Best Monitors For Color Accuracy

This is the quick list of the best monitors for color accuracy that we think set the standard.

8 Best Monitors For Color Accuracy Reviewed

Let us now look at some of the picks. We have also listed budget monitors here that are great for beginner designers and editors. These monitors tend to give the best color accuracy for their price.

1. Philips 246E9QDSB – 24″ – Less than $150 Range

This monitor is beyond amazing for its price range. For a monitor that costs less than $150, it offers exquisite color quality.

Not only does it cover 129% of sRGB color space, it also covers 108% of NTSC color gamut. Although it does not come factory calibrated, for the price, you can’t really ask for more.

sRGB is the color space that defines the color on digital medium. Therefore, any work of art, photos etc that you see on monitors or phones have the colors defined by the sRGB space.

Professionals who work on this medium seek monitors that cover at least 100% of the sRGB space. This monitor goes beyond that. It covers 129% of the sRGB space. This is phenomenal at this price tag.

Since this is a budget monitor for a specialized work, it only manages to offers FHD resolution on a 24 inch display. This monitor also has a 27 inch FHD variant, however, FHD on 27 inch monitor is not recommended for professionals.

If you are looking for the cheapest possible display, then this is one of the best monitors with AMD free sync technology.

2. ViewSonic VP2468 – 24″ – Best Monitor for Color Accuracy in Budget Range

The term budget in monitor market is a relative term. When you are looking for a conventional monitor just for word processing or surfing the internet, then budget implies an item near $100 range.

However, in this sense where you are looking for high performance color accuracy monitors, budget implies a monitor near $200.

If you are looking for the best colors on a 24 inch but at an affordable price tag, then this should interest you. It covers 100% of sRGB color space, comes factory calibrated with Delta E < 2, and has a 14 Bit LUT for highest precision of colors.

As such, this monitor can deliver a palette of 4.39 trillion colors. Compare this to the conventional 8 bit panel monitors that offer 16.7 million colors. Although this monitor too has an 8 Bit panel, but the color depth is further enhanced by the inclusion of 14 Bit LUT.

The only drawback is that it is only an FHD monitor. However, you have to realize that this costs a fraction of the monitors with these color enhancing features.

3. BenQ PD2500Q – 25″ – WQHD Monitor for CAD

Things at this price range tend to become very exiting and this monitor is a proof of that.

Although it does not boast a large screen, it offers a good 2K resolution, as well as color coverage of 100% sRGB.

For starters this monitor offers an unusual and rare 25 inch screen. Although the resolution does not change, the slightly larger size can make work a tad bit more comfortable.

The monitor also comes factory calibrated with a Delta E<2 and is certified through several programs like Technicolor Color Certificate. This is a standard used in Hollywood and other entertainment industries.

Furthermore, the monitor simply looks stunning thanks to its thin bezels and an ergonomic stand.

4. ViewSonic VP2771 – 27″ – Popular Choice for Professional – 2K – 14 Bit LUT

You will almost always find a 27 inch monitor from the ViewSonic VP series in any list of professional monitors online. That is because, over the years, this series has consistently given excellent displays.

This is a 2K monitor with WQHD resolution with a high end IPS panel.

The core features of this display include 100% coverage of sRGB color space as well as 14 bit 3D LUT for color precision. Furthermore, it also comes factory calibrated with a low Delta E.

For most professional, the configuration of high performance monitors with 27 inch screen and WQHD resolution is the best way to go.

They are sharp and provide sufficient amount of screen real estate for depth as well as multitasking. Although the holy grail is 4k curved monitors, they tend to be quite expensive. Therefore, 2K monitors like this ViewSonic VP2771 are excellent monitors for content creators.

Other than the beautiful display, this monitor also offers a fully ergonomic stand. It also offers a plethora of connectivity options including USB 3.1 Type C. Note that this is not the same as Thunberbolt 3 even though they share the same form factor.

5. BenQ PD2700U – 27″ – 4K and HDR – near $500 Range

The reason this monitor is included in the list is because it is very close to $500 range yet it offers 4K resolution with great color accuracy.

Don’t get this wrong, 4K monitors are certainly available in the market for less, but very rarely are they coupled with color enhancing features.

This monitor not only offers 100% sRGB coverage, it also offers HDR features.

Thus making it a pioneer in offering HDR at this price range. It also offers true 10 bit colors. This is a huge improvement over the conventional 8 bit monitors. 8 bit panels offer 16.7 million colors whereas 10 bit panels offer 1.07 billion colors in total.

Consider a professional monitor nothing more than an artists. The more colors it has, the better work it will produce. That is the idea behind color depth i.e the amount of colors you have.

Furthermore, this monitor also offers the KVM Switch feature which allows you to control content on this monitor through multiple devices yet using only a single keyboard and mouse.

I think for most of you this may be the some where at top of your list since it is rightly priced and has decent features. It is perhaps for this reason that this monitor is highly reviewed.

6. BenQ PD3200U – 32″ – 4K Professional Monitor

This is one of the cheapest 32″ monitor boasting a 4K resolution with color precision features.

You can imagine that a monitor with such size and resolution would cost a lot and that is exactly true.

This the cream of the brand and thus this monitor can cost a fortune.

In short, if you want the best out of the box colors, gamma and grayscale accuracy, and image quality, this monitor is the way to go.

This monitor offers 100% sRGB and REC. 709 coverage, offers features that are essential for CAD/CAM designing like Darkroom and has an ergonomic design.

In addition to that, the DualView features expands on your work flow so you can have CAD/CAM mode on one half of the screen where as animation mode on the other half side-by-side.

This monitor has won Editor’s Choice on Tom’s Hardware.

7. ViewSonic VP2785-4K – 27″ – 4K, HDR, 14 Bit 3D LUT, 100% Adobe RGB coverage

This monitor is the epitome of 27 inch monitors. It boasts almost the best features under the sky.

Therefore, it would be safe to say that this IS one of the best monitors for color accuracy. Unfortunately, it is costly.

From 4K resolution to the latest USB Type C connectivity, this monitor has them all. As far as colors are concerned, this monitor is fantastic.

This monitor offers HDR, 14-bit 3D LUT, coverage of not just 100% sRGB but also 100% Adobe RGB color space, 4.39 trillion colors and comes factory calibrated with Delta E<2. Along with that, this monitor offers a KVM Switch, ambient light sensor and an ergonomic stand.

A professional designer always works in terms of color space. Each color space defines a different medium. sRGB defines colors displays on monitors, DCI-P3 defines colors of the projection devices like projectors, Adobe RGB defines the colors of printed media.

Therefore, if you are working on magazines or billboards, then you would want a monitor that covers Adobe RGB colors space.

This monitors does just that. Other than all the core features, this monitor covers a plethora of color spaces.

8. ASUS PA329Q – 32 Inch 4K Monitor

32 Inch 4K monitors are generally the industry standard for professional monitors. The screen size and the resolution go perfectly hand in hand.

Make no mistake, a monitor like this ASUS PA329Q is very expensive. In fact, it is the most expensive in this list.

As far as the color enhancing features, this is second to none. It offers full coverage of b, Adobe RGB, rec. 709, DCI-P3, Rec,2021 color spaces. Along with that it comes factory calibrated and also support calibration hardware like the X-Rite i1. Finally, it also offers 14-bit LUT for delivering 4.39 trillion colors.

So as far as the colors go, you will have absolutely no issue that all. The real difference between affordable 32 inch monitors and the a 32 monitor like this is the color uniformity factor.

ASUS PA329Q offers unparalleled color uniformity across the screen. Hence if you value a large screen with excellent colors, then this is one of the best monitors for color accuracy for you.

People Also Ask (FAQs)

Color accuracy goes hand in hand with an array of features that all function together to provide the best image quality. Therefore, it is good to understand these features first.

Of course as a rule of thumb, the more of the following features a monitors possesses, the more expensive it will be. If you are on a budget, you will need to balance between what you need and what you don’t need. The good news is that you will definitely find a professional monitor that meet your exact needs.

What to Look for in the Best Monitors for Color Accuracy

Depending on the budget, the monitor that you choose may or may not have these features. You don’t have to worry about all the features like high refresh rate, fast response time or AMD Freeysync / NVIDIA GSync.

Wide Color Gamut:

The wider the color gamut, the more colors the monitor can process. There are minimum standard like 100% sRGB. However, better monitors tend to cover 100% Adobe RGB as well as NTSC color gamut coverage as well.

14 Bit 3D LUT:

While the most professional displays likely have true 10 Bit panel, they can have an additional 14 bit 3D Look Up Table for higher color correction.

Calibration:

It is imperative that monitor for high color accuracy follow an error of Delta E < 2 colors. Most monitors come factory calibrated while others require calibration by professionals with tools.

Full Array Local Dimming and Contrast Ratio:

The contrast ratio is defined as a measure of how black the black spots are and how bright the white spots are. This has all to do with backlight arrangement as well as the panel type.

VA panels tend to have three times as much static contrast ratio as compared to IPS or TN panels. Furthermore, a full array local dimming – despite being a rare feature – implies better contrast ratio.

Related: What Does Dynamic Contrast Ratio Mean?

HDR:

This is one of the newest features that is being mass produced in monitors. It expands the color gamut, brightness and contrast ratio of the monitor.

High Resolution:

The higher the resolution the better. More resolution means you get more real estate to work on. Plus, more resolution gives you better control on editing the images.

Here is a Video Guide to Understand Colors on Monitors

Conclusion

Here we looked at the best monitors for color accuracy. We looked at monitors from budget, mid range as well as high end range.

In short, within the budget range we really loved what ViewSonic VP2468 had to offer. For a rather affordable monitor it offers all the important color enhancing features.

We also loved the BenQ PD2700U for its overall value and for offering a 4K IPS panel.

Lastly, in the high end range, we believe that ViewSonic VP2785-4K in the 27 inch size category and ASUS PA329Q in the 32 inch size category truly stand out. Their 4K resolution, and myriad of color space coverage including the Adobe RGB color space makes them truly professional.