Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. Products

The best monitors of IFA 2019

Chuong Nguyen
By
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Whether you’re a gamer looking for a screen that can keep up with the action or a creative professional in search of a color accurate display for your projects, having the right monitor is essential. After Apple dominated the display conversation earlier this summer with its renewed efforts at courting creatives with its pricey $4,999 Pro Display XDR, we’re seeing other companies expand their focus into monitors.

This week, at IFA 2019 in Berlin, we’ve checked out some of the best new offerings for displays and put the best we could together below.

Recommended Videos

Asus ProArt Display PA32UCG

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The ProArt Display PA32UCG is Asus’ Windows PC answer to Apple’s Pro Display XDR. Like the Mac counterpart, the ProArt Display is geared solely at creatives, and it matches a lot of the features that Apple advertised on the Pro Display XDR, like a peak brightness of 1,600 nits, a 10-bit panel that supports a wide DCI-P3 color space, and factory calibration.

Related

With a similar 32-inch canvas, the ProArt Display tops out at 4K resolution and boasts features like a variable refresh rate of 48Hz to 120Hz that makes this panel better than Apple’s offerings for video editors and game developers. To achieve the retina-blinding bright display, the ProArt makes use of 1,152 individual mini LED backlights, and the panel also supports the latest HDR technologies, like HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision.

With two Thunderbolt 3 ports on the rear, DisplayPort and HDMI connections, and a built-in USB hub, this display promises to be future-proof while still working alongside legacy rigs. Asus hasn’t revealed information about pricing or availability yet.

Lenovo Q27q

Lenovo Q27q monitor
Lenovo

Though it doesn’t have the most approachable name, Lenovo’s Q272q boasts a modern design that helps it stand out from the sea of screen options out there. In essence, this is the screen version of Lenovo’s recently announced IdeaCentre A540 all-in-one desktop PC, which is said to draw inspiration from the balanced asymmetry of the Cypress tree.

Like most modern panels, this monitor features extremely slim bezels to give it a sleek, minimalist appearance, and the 27-inch QHD resolution screen provides plenty of display real estate for media consumption and working in your favorite Office apps. And with support for AMD FreeSync technology to help reduce screen tearing for fast games and a 75Hz refresh rate, Lenovo’s Q27q is even versatile enough for gaming. Like its corporate cousin, the ThinkVision S28u, the Q27q’s TÜV Rheinland Eye Comfort certification also helps to reduce screen flickers, helpful for those intent on staring at the screen for long periods of time.

Acer Nitro XV3 series

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Gamers who need a fast, responsive monitor that will give them an edge over the competition and stay ahead of enemies will have to look no further than Acer’s new Nitro XV3 series. Available in both 24.5- and 27-inch display sizes, the new Nitro XV3 monitors come in four variants with variable refresh rates up to 240Hz on select configurations for tear-free gaming. In addition to fast refresh rate, Acer promises response time as low as 1ms with its Visual Response Boost technology, while Game Mode can adjust your screen’s settings depending on the game you’re playing.

Though the panel doesn’t come in an immersive ultra-wide curved configuration, like the competing and recently refreshed Alienware Curved 34, Acer’s panel tops out with a QHD resolution on the 27-inch for gamers who want more pixels on their screens. This panel trades off the 240Hz refresh rate on the Nitro XV3 wit a 27-inch FHD panel for a slightly lower 165Hz rate. In the 24.5-inch space, Acer offers panels with either 144Hz or 240Hz refresh rates.

The Nitro series ranges from $200 to $470, depending on configuration, and it’ll launch in September.

Lenovo ThinkVision S28u

lenovo thinkvision s28u
Lenovo

Lenovo’s new ThinkVision S28u is a monitor that checks off a lot of boxes for business users looking for an enterprise-friendly display. Cloaked in the same black silhouette as Lenovo’s iconic ThinkPad laptops, the ThinkVision S28u boasts a 28-inch IPS display, 4K UHD resolution, and slim bezels that make this a sleek panel for your corner office desk.

Though it won’t appeal to gamers, the better than average 75Hz refresh rate should help this panel play back videos smoothly. And if you’re working in a cramped cubicle, the swing arm mount can help save plenty of desktop space, and the panel’s reduced blue light emissions help reduce eye strain for those staring at PDFs, spreadsheets, or Word documents all day.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Chuong Nguyen
Chuong Nguyen
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Silicon Valley-based technology reporter and Giants baseball fan who splits his time between Northern California and Southern…
MSI is getting slammed on Reddit for a controversial monitor decision
The MSI MPG 321URX gaming monitor.

MSI may have some high-end gaming monitors up for grabs, but unfortunately, some are apparently more desirable than others. A Reddit thread exposed that MSI won't be allowing firmware updates for a large portion of its QD-OLED monitor lineup, and the customers are not happy.

MSI is fairly new to the gaming monitor game, but it's releasing some monitors that tick all the boxes and combine vibrant QD-OLED panels with a reasonable screen size. The lineup is divided into the MSI MAG series and the MSI MPG series; the former includes 27-inch, 32-inch, and 34-inch (curved) QD-OLED screens, while the latter serves up two flat screens (27-inch and 32-inch) and a curved 49-inch monitor. Refresh rates range from 360Hz to 144Hz, and there's a variety of resolutions to pick from, from a standard 2K to 4K or 5,120 x 1,440.

Read more
A new wave of cheap mini-LED gaming monitors has arrived
The Cooler Master GP2711 on a desk against a wall.

HDR-capable gaming monitors are all the rage these days. Whether they're OLED or mini-LED, it's finally possible to get a really killer HDR experience from your monitor. Until very recently, however, you'd be spending lots of money to do it.

Enter a new wave of mini-LED gaming monitors, with prices as low as $280, that call into question similar-priced monitors that are edge-lit or have no local dimming at all. You'd be right to be skeptical, and even though these new monitors can't compare against some of the best gaming monitors, they're a big leap forward for putting proper HDR monitors in front of a lot more gamers.

Read more
MSI and Asus just flipped the script for their OLED gaming monitors
Counter Strike running on the Asus ROG Swift PG27AQDM.

MSI and Asus are stepping up their monitor game. Both companies are now offering burn-in protection as part of the warranties on their OLED displays, which is a welcome layer of security considering how many displays both brands have launching this year.

Although we've had OLED gaming monitors for close to two years, most brands have paid very little attention to the risk of burn-in. In January, we took a look at the burn-in protection that the largest brands offered on their OLED monitors and found only three of the eight we looked at explicitly mentioned burn-in protection. MSI and Asus jumping on board brings that number to five, joining the ranks of Alienware, Corsair, and LG.

Read more