- After spending 35 hours researching 50 monitors and testing seven, we still think the Dell UltraSharp U2415 is the best 24-inch monitor for most people because of its color accuracy, slim bezels, flexible stand, and reasonable price.
- After spending 35 hours researching 50 monitors and testing seven, we still think the Dell UltraSharp U2415 is the best 24-inch monitor for most people because of its color accuracy, slim bezels, flexible stand, and reasonable price.If it’s unavailable (or if you have a laptop that uses only USB-C or Thunderbolt 3), HP’s Z24n G2 is more expensive, but its color accuracy is even better, and it has a USB-C port that can drive the display (plus another one that can charge a phone or laptop). Dell’s P2415Q is great for anyone who needs a 4K display smaller than the ones in our 4K monitor guide, and the Asus VS239H-P is still the best option if you need something under $150 and don’t mind a lower, 1080p resolution.
The best TV for use as a PC monitor in the 40-43 inch size is the Sony KD43X720E. The Sony X720E supports most common resolutions and 4:4:4 chroma. It has an IPS panel with good viewing angles that will not cause any uniformity issues if you sit close to the TV, unlike the similarly priced Samsung UN40NU7100. Your Mac or MacBook's display is already gorgeous. If you're in the market for a second display or something larger than what you have, a 4K monitor is a huge step in the right direction, so you can try and maintain the same level of definition. These are the best 4K monitors for your Mac.
Your guides
- So, with their latest offering, which is the Dell UltraSharp U2414H 23.8″ Inch Screen LED Monitor, they have a product which is a sure shot winner when it comes to finding the best external monitor for MacBook Pro.
- 4 Best Displays and Monitors for Mac Users If you’re a working professional or even a home user, there are times when you wish to have a larger display for your Mac. There is a monitor for Mac users that needs for graphic designing or just to watch what’s new on Netflix.
- Best Monitor For Mac Mini. By Paul Dobell. There are certain features for you to look out for when selecting and purchasing the best computer monitor for Mac Mini. We have explained them in detail below. It is a 27 inch monitor that has IPS LED display along with a frameless design that provides edge-to-edge viewing.
- Justin Krajeski
- David Murphy
After spending 35 hours researching 50 monitors and testing seven finalists, we found that the Dell UltraSharp U2415 is the best option for most people. It's a lot bigger than even the largest laptop screen but takes up less room than a 27-inch monitor. The U2415’s factory-calibrated IPS screen is one of the most color-accurate models we tested—the only monitors we tested with better picture quality cost a lot more, and you wouldn’t notice the difference in daily use. The combination of the U2415’s excellent screen, price, ports, and design make it the best 24-inch monitor you can get.
Our pick
Dell UltraSharp U2415
The U2415 offers amazing color accuracy, a variety of ports, and impressive adjustability at a reasonable price.
Best Led Monitor Review
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $310.
The 1920×1200-pixel resolution of the Dell U2415 gives it 11 percent more screen space than a 1080p monitor, and its HDMI and DisplayPort connections and five USB 3.0 ports allow for more flexibility than other monitors offer. The U2415’s stand lifts, tilts, rotates, and swivels, so you can put the screen exactly where you need it. Plus, it has an ultrathin bezel that makes the screen feel bigger than it is and produces less of a visible gap if you set up multiple monitors next to one another. Dell’s line of UltraSharp monitors also come with a great dead-pixel policy and a standard, three-year limited warranty.
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Runner-up
HP Z24n G2
Like our top pick, the HP Z24n G2 has a great combination of screen quality and features—but it costs more for a similar experience.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $320.
If the U2415 is unavailable, we recommend the HP Z24n G2, which has the same 1920×1200 resolution as our pick and usually costs about $80 more. Technically, its 24-inch IPS screen is a little more color accurate than that of our top pick, but you can’t detect the improvement without expensive monitor-calibration equipment. The HP has HDMI, DisplayPort, and DVI connections, and unlike the Dell, it has two USB-C Type-C ports. That means you can use a single USB-C cable for display data and for the three USB 3.0 Type-A ports and the second USB-C port. Similar to our main pick, this model has a stand that lifts, tilts, rotates, and swivels. The Z24n G2 offers a comparably small bezel and similar warranty coverage, too.
Upgrade pick
Dell P2415Q
If you want a 24-inch monitor to edit 4K photos and video at their native resolution, or to watch higher-resolution television and movies, the Dell P2415Q is a solid choice.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $460.
If you want a 4K monitor, we recommend the Dell P2415Q. Although it typically costs around $100 more than our top pick, the P2415Q has an extremely accurate 3840×2160-pixel IPS display, which means that it can show sharper, more detailed images than our 1920×1200 recommendations when connected to a computer that supports the resolution. The P2415Q has HDMI and DisplayPort connections plus four USB 3.0 ports—one fewer than the Dell U2415. Its stand is just as adjustable as our main pick’s, but the thicker bezel around its screen makes it look chunky by comparison. It comes with the same dead-pixel policy and warranty as the U2415.
Budget pick
Asus VS239H-P
The VS239H-P is the best of the cheap 1080p monitors, but you're better off saving up for our primary pick if you can.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $150.
If you’re on a tight budget, get the Asus VS239H-P. The cheapest good 1080p IPS monitor we've found, it’s usually $100 less than our top pick, and the color accuracy of its sRGB preset is much better than that of other monitors in its price range. (We don’t recommend using the default preset, which is much less accurate.) The VS239H-P has DVI, HDMI, and VGA ports, but no USB ports. It also has limited adjustability (it only tilts) and a thick bezel. Asus’s warranty/pixel policy also isn’t nearly as good as Dell’s warranty for its UltraSharp monitors. Still, the VS239H-P is the best monitor you can get for $150 or less.
Everything we recommend
Our pick
Dell UltraSharp U2415
The U2415 offers amazing color accuracy, a variety of ports, and impressive adjustability at a reasonable price.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $310.
Runner-up
HP Z24n G2
Like our top pick, the HP Z24n G2 has a great combination of screen quality and features—but it costs more for a similar experience.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $320.
Upgrade pick
Dell P2415Q
If you want a 24-inch monitor to edit 4K photos and video at their native resolution, or to watch higher-resolution television and movies, the Dell P2415Q is a solid choice.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $460.
Budget pick
Asus VS239H-P
The VS239H-P is the best of the cheap 1080p monitors, but you're better off saving up for our primary pick if you can.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $150.
Why you should trust us
Wirecutter’s Justin Krajeski has been reviewing everything from laptops for photo and video editing to portable SSDs since 2016, and David Murphy has been testing and reviewing PC components for more than a decade, including writing many Wirecutter monitor guides.
The Wirecutter staff has spent more than 100 hours researching, testing, and recommending monitors since early 2015, in addition to the 35 hours we spent researching monitor reviews and testing 24-inch monitors for this update. We also employed the help of Wirecutter writers Chris Heinonen, a former monitor expert for AnandTech, and John Higgins, who reviewed 27-inch monitors and 4K monitors, to test these monitors’ screens and analyze their measurements.
Who should get this
A 24-inch 1920×1200 IPS monitor hits the sweet spot of size, image quality, and price for most people who want a monitor large enough for multitasking and gaming that won’t take up too much space on a desk. Typically our 24-inch monitor pick is also nearly half the price of our 27-inch monitor pick, making it much more affordable for multiscreen setups.
If you’re a creative professional who does 4K photo or video work, or if you just want a great monitor with a more impressive pixel density for watching 4K YouTube videos and Ultra HD Netflix streams, we have an upgrade pick with 4K resolution. And if you need more usable screen space, we have guides for 27-inch monitors and for 27- and 32-inch 4K monitors.
Our main pick usually costs less than $250, and even if that's a bit outside your budget, this model is worth waiting and saving up if you can. The 1080p monitors that you can find for less than $200 these days are significantly worse than our top pick and our runner-up. If you need a cheap monitor right now, we have a good option, but it won’t look as good as our primary pick, nor will it have the same screen space, features, or ports.
How we picked
These are the features you should look for in a 24-inch monitor:
- Panel type: Your monitor’s display should be IPS, not TN, because IPS panels provide better viewing angles and color reproduction.
- Resolution: We recommend buying a monitor with a 1920×1200-resolution display instead of the more popular 1080p screen. A 1920×1200 display provides more usable vertical space, and the taller screen makes a big difference when you’re browsing the Web, editing spreadsheets, and playing games. If you need to edit high-resolution photos and 4K video, we recommend getting a 3840×2160 monitor instead of a 2560×1440 monitor; either kind will require display scaling at this size, but a 4K monitor will display that media at its native resolution.
- Color accuracy: Monitors that come precalibrated from their manufacturers will have better color accuracy than ones that don’t. And since most people don’t calibrate their monitors, out-of-the-box color accuracy is key. For the best image quality, your monitor should also cover as much of the sRGB color gamut as possible; the more gamut coverage a monitor provides, the wider the range of colors it can accurately represent.
- Price and value: A good 24-inch monitor that meets our requirements should cost around $250 to $300. Some 24-inch monitors may cost much less but sacrifice one or two of our criteria. And more expensive 24-inch monitors can add better color accuracy and other features, but most people wouldn’t need or notice them.
- Ports: Your monitor should have a few USB 3.0 ports so you can connect peripherals such as storage devices, mice, and keyboards. HDMI and DisplayPort connections are universally useful, too: HDMI is one of the most common ports in not just computers but also game consoles, media streaming devices, and other electronics. DisplayPort allows you to connect audio and video, too, but it supports up to 4K resolution, and it allows you to daisy-chain compatible monitors. This article on How-To Geek is useful for determining which ports you should look for on your new monitor. USB-C is nice, but not common yet.
- Adjustability: A monitor stand should be adjustable for your ergonomic needs. While great monitors like our top picks can lift, swivel, tilt, and rotate, cheaper monitors have limited adjustability, and our budget pick can only tilt backward and forward. Monitors should also support the VESA mounting standard so you can put them on monitor arms.
- Bezel: Choose a monitor with a slim bezel, which makes the screen feel more spacious. Plus, if you use multiple monitors right next to each other, you’ll have less of a visible gap between your displays.
- On-screen display: Your monitor’s on-screen display should make it easy to change settings such as text size or brightness. Its buttons—whether capacitive or physical—should also be easy to use.
- Warranty and customer service: A good dead-pixel policy, or a policy that protects your purchase from even one bright-pixel defect, is important to consider. Three-year warranties are standard among 24-inch monitors, although we did come across a couple of models that offered less-extensive warranties. Responsive customer service is important, too, in case you run into any problems.
We combed through monitor manufacturers' websites—those of Acer, Asus, BenQ, Dell, HP, LG, and ViewSonic—and found about 50 models worth considering. We then eliminated models that didn’t meet all of our criteria, weren’t readily available through established retailers, or were too expensive to be competitive with other models. We ended up with seven models to test: The Dell UltraSharp U2415 and HP Z24n G2 were in competition for our top pick, while among 24-inch 4K monitors we found the Dell P2415Q and LG 24UD58-B to be worthy contenders, and the Asus VS239H-P, Acer CB241HY, and BenQ GW2480 were promising candidates for our 1080p budget pick.
How we tested
Most people don’t change their monitor settings, and even fewer calibrate their displays, so default performance is critical. We worked with Chris Heinonen, AV writer for Wirecutter, to test the color accuracy of each monitor’s display using an X-Rite OEM I1 Display colorimeter and customized tests in the CalMAN 2017 software calibration suite. The CalMAN tests produce DeltaE 2000 numbers for each screen, which show how close the displayed color is to what it’s supposed to be; the lower the number, the better. A DeltaE value under 1.0 is perfect. Under 2.0 is good enough for print-production work, and you wouldn’t notice a difference if you had a perfect reference to compare against. Ratings above 3.0 mean you’d probably see a difference with your naked eye.
Color gamut, or the range of colors that a device can accurately represent, is also important—color accuracy doesn’t mean much if your screen shows only a portion of the colors meant to be displayed—so we used our CalMAN tests to determine how much of the sRGB color gamut each monitor’s screen could reproduce. The ideal score is 100 percent; our numbers don’t go past that, because reporting numbers larger than 100 percent can give the impression of full gamut coverage even in cases where that isn’t true—for example, if the monitor displays many colors outside the gamut without displaying all the ones inside it.
For each round of tests, we adjusted the monitor’s brightness to 140 cd/m²—a good value for everyday use—and set its contrast as high as it could go without losing white details. We left every other setting at the default value. While we tested for picture quality, we used each of our finalists for a few days to get a feel for their features.
Our pick: Dell UltraSharp U2415
Our pick
Dell UltraSharp U2415
The U2415 offers amazing color accuracy, a variety of ports, and impressive adjustability at a reasonable price.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $310.
Dell’s UltraSharp U2415 is the best 24-inch monitor for most people. It offers a color-accurate and factory-calibrated IPS screen with a 1920×1200 resolution for less than $300, and it provides plenty of ports. Its stand lifts, rotates, tilts, and swivels, it has an ultrathin bezel, and its on-screen navigation is easy to use via capacitive controls. Plus, it comes with a great warranty.
The U2415 has amazing picture quality; you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the colors on the U2415’s screen and complete color accuracy. We tested our pick’s color quality by analyzing its DeltaE 2000 values, which indicate how far away a displayed color is from what the color should actually be. A value of under 1.0 is nearly perfect, and under 2.0 is sufficient for print-production work; at around 3.0, you begin to see a difference between the screen and a reference photo.
Our pick’s average DeltaE 2000 value for its grayscales was 1.6541. Good grayscale performance like this means that everything is neutral—lacking a blue, green, or red cast—so the images on your screen will look like they’re supposed to in real life, or as the creator (say, the cinematographer for a movie) intended. This Dell monitor’s grayscales stayed below a DeltaE value of 2.0 for more than half of our testing and rarely scored above 3.0, except at the very whitest points.
On our ColorChecker test, which runs through more than 100 colors, the U2415 had an average DeltaE 2000 value of 1.1396, which is excellent. Most other 24-inch monitors won’t hit such values without calibration, unless they cost significantly more than the U2415. Our pick’s average DeltaE across 10 different saturation levels of RGBCMY—a color’s overall brilliance—was great at 1.2962. This monitor also covers 98 percent of the sRGB color gamut. The Dell U2415 is more than accurate enough for doing print-production work and watching TV and movies right out of the box. Although our runner-up pick technically offers better picture quality, you wouldn’t notice the difference.
The U2415 has two HDMI 1.4 ports and three DisplayPort 1.2 connections: one DisplayPort input, one Mini DisplayPort output, and one full-size DisplayPort output. You can use either output to daisy-chain a second display. Many monitors have the DisplayPort input; few have the output. In the box, Dell includes a Mini DisplayPort–to–DisplayPort cable, a power cable, and a USB cable to connect to your computer.
Samsung Px2370
Through the built-in USB 3.0 hub, you can connect storage devices, mice, keyboards, and other USB peripherals, reducing unsightly wires if your computer lives under your desk. Since it’s USB 3.0, you’ll get a huge performance bump over USB 2.0 when transferring files among USB 3.0 devices. Some monitors we researched have three or four USB 3.0 ports, but our pick has five—and one of those can quick-charge devices by providing up to 1.5 A of current, a feature we didn’t see in any other 24-inch monitor we researched. Since the U2415 is an older model, it doesn’t have the USB Type-C port that our runner-up pick has, but that’s an omission most people will be able to live with. It has an audio jack, but monitor headphone jacks tend to be pretty poor quality; we recommend connecting your speakers or headphones directly to the computer instead.
The Dell’s ultrathin bezel also makes it a great monitor. Measuring just one-fourth of an inch thick on the top and sides, and a half-inch along the bottom, the slim bezel makes the screen feel bigger than similarly sized monitors with fatter bezels, and it minimizes the ugly gap between displays in a multimonitor setup. On the bottom are touch-sensitive buttons that are both responsive and aesthetically pleasing—they blend into the smooth bezel when you’re not using them—but if you prefer the reassurance that physical buttons provide, check out our runner-up, the HP Z24n G2.
The U2415’s stand is one of its best features. In contrast with cheaper monitors, which you have to stack on something or attach to a monitor arm to put them at eye level, our pick can raise and lower within a range of approximately 4½ inches from its lowest position to its highest. It swivels about 45 degrees left and right from center, tilts 21 degrees back and 4 degrees forward, and rotates into portrait mode in either direction. You can attach the panel or remove it from its sturdy base in seconds, too. With the stand removed, you can mount the screen to a VESA-compatible wall mount or monitor arm.
Dell’s Premium Panel Guarantee means that Dell will replace the U2415 free of charge (including return shipping) if yours arrives with even one bright-pixel defect—it doesn’t cover dark pixels. The monitor also comes with a standard three-year limited hardware warranty and a three-year Advanced Exchange service in which Dell will ship you a replacement monitor first before you send the defective one back. If you want the benefits of the warranty, however, you should buy directly from Dell or from an authorized reseller like Amazon or Best Buy—Dell might not honor the warranty if you purchase from an auction site, Craigslist, or an unauthorized retailer. (Dell details a number of warranty scenarios on its website.)
Flaws but not dealbreakers
The U2415 lacks a 16:9 aspect ratio mode and 1:1 pixel mapping, which means that your picture will stretch a little if you hook up a device—such as a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One game console, or a Blu-ray player—that doesn’t support 16:10 displays. The monitor doesn’t have a VGA or DVI port, but adapters and adapter cables for HDMI and DisplayPort cost less than $10, and most computers these days can use HDMI or DisplayPort anyway. The U2415 also omits built-in speakers, but most monitor speakers sound terrible—you should use them only when your real speakers or headphones die, and even then only temporarily.
Runner-up: HP Z24n G2
Runner-up
HP Z24n G2
![Mac Mac](/uploads/1/2/6/5/126532104/379412496.jpg)
Like our top pick, the HP Z24n G2 has a great combination of screen quality and features—but it costs more for a similar experience.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $320.
If the Dell U2415 is unavailable or you want a monitor with a USB-C port, the HP Z24n G2 is the next-best option. Although the Z24n G2 technically had the most color-accurate display of any monitor we tested, it’s usually about $80 more expensive than our primary pick, and you wouldn’t notice a picture-quality difference in practical use. It has an HDMI port, two DisplayPort connections, three USB 3.0 ports, and (unlike the Dell) a DVI port and two USB Type-C ports. As with the Dell, this HP model’s stand lifts, rotates, tilts, and swivels; its bezel is just as thin, too, and it comes with a great dead-pixel policy and a three-year warranty.
The HP Z24n G2 has the best picture quality of any monitor we tested, but the difference between it and the Dell U2415 isn’t noticeable enough to justify spending more on this model if our top pick is available. The Z24n G2’s average DeltaE 2000 value for its grayscales was 1.0616, meaning it was practically perfect; when we tested the blackest blacks and whitest whites, the Z24n G2 barely exceeded a DeltaE value of 2.0, which is extraordinary.
On our ColorChecker test, the Z24n G2 had an average DeltaE 2000 value of 0.8259, and its average DeltaE for saturation levels was 0.8573. In both tests, the Z24n G2 barely broke the 1.0 mark—and a value of 1.0 is nearly perfect—except for a stray red measurement here and there. It covers 99 percent of the sRGB color gamut, too. The Dell U2415 gave us values of 1.6541, 1.1396, and 1.2962, respectively, and covers just as much of the sRGB color gamut. Both monitors offer exceptional picture quality, and we can’t overstate just how technically good the HP Z24n G2’s display is, but we don’t think most people would notice a major improvement over our top pick.
The HP Z24n G2 has one HDMI 1.4 port, two DisplayPort 1.2 connections—one input and one output—a DVI port, three USB 3.0 ports, and two USB-C ports (upstream and downstream). You can use the USB-C upstream port on the rear to connect the monitor to a notebook with a USB-C–to–USB-C cable, and it gets a DisplayPort signal, too. The USB-C upstream port offers 15 W power delivery, not enough to charge most laptops at full speed but sufficient to charge USB-C phones and tablets. The USB-C downstream port on the side provides 10 W power delivery, and can connect to peripherals such as a USB drive. The HP Z24n G2 comes with a DisplayPort cable, a power cable, and a USB-C–to–USB-A cable. It has an audio jack, too.
The HP Z24n G2’s stand has the same range of adjustability as our top pick: It can rotate, tilt, swivel, and raise or lower.Photo: Rozette Rago
Unlike our top pick and its capacitive buttons, the HP Z24n G2 has bumpy physical buttons that run along the underside of the bottom bezel.Photo: Rozette Rago
The HP Z24n G2’s stand has the same range of adjustability as our top pick: It can rotate, tilt, swivel, and raise or lower.Photo: Rozette Rago
Unlike our top pick and its capacitive buttons, the HP Z24n G2 has bumpy physical buttons that run along the underside of the bottom bezel.Photo: Rozette Rago
The HP Z24n G2 and the Dell U2415 have similarly thin bezels, but the Z24n G2’s design is more modern-looking. It has a fully black finish, including its stand, and a fresher, more angular design, with a narrower black beam that holds up the monitor’s panel from its base.
The HP Z24n G2 has the best picture quality of any monitor we tested, but the difference between it and the Dell U2415 isn’t noticeable enough to justify spending more on this model if our top pick is available.
On the underside of its bottom bezel, it has physical buttons to control the on-screen display, which some people may prefer to the U2415’s capacitive buttons. The Z24n G2’s stand is as adjustable as our top pick’s: It tilts, swivels, pivots, rotates, raises, and lowers. It’s also VESA-mountable, so you can attach it to wall mounts or monitor arms.
The Z24n G2 is covered by a Zero Bright Dots policy, which means that—as Dell does with the the U2415—HP guarantees zero bright-pixel defects. It also has a standard three-year limited warranty.
Upgrade pick: Dell P2415Q
Upgrade pick
Dell P2415Q
If you want a 24-inch monitor to edit 4K photos and video at their native resolution, or to watch higher-resolution television and movies, the Dell P2415Q is a solid choice.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $460.
If you need a 4K monitor to edit large photos or 4K videos at their native resolution, or if you simply want to enjoy 4K video content from Netflix and YouTube when you’re not at work, we recommend the Dell P2415Q. Its screen is as accurate as the best 1920×1200 monitors we tested—but at 3840×2160 pixels, it has 3.6 times as many pixels as our top pick and runner-up, and four times as many pixels as our budget pick.
Its display is significantly more accurate than that of the other 4K monitor we tested, the LG 24UD58-B, and although it usually costs $50 more, we think the better picture quality is worth the extra cash.
The P2415Q’s screen resolution means that it can display sharper, more detailed images than 1920×1200 or 1080p monitors—you just need to scale Windows so you can read text (150 or 200 percent made it easiest for us to read and use, but you have to figure out what works for you). Most major third-party apps support scaling at this point, but you may occasionally run into apps that look blurry or just don’t display properly. Mac owners won’t have to worry about this problem as much, since macOS and its apps use the same Retina display mode as Apple’s MacBook Pros and iMacs.
Streaming and displaying 4K video takes more processing-power bandwidth than displaying lower-resolution content, although the requirements vary.
The P2415Q also has a thicker bezel around its screen than our top pick and runner-up pick, but it offers a comparable range of adjustability, its on-screen controls are as easy to use as those on our top pick, and it has a variety of ports, though one fewer USB 3.0 port than the Dell UltraSharp U2415.
The Dell P2415Q’s factory-calibrated picture performed very well in our testing. It had a DeltaE value of 1.2166 for grayscales, measuring more than 2.0 only at its blackest points; it also recorded a 0.8324 value for the ColorChecker test, and at 0.7666, the best saturation DeltaE value of all the monitors we tested. It covered 98 percent of the sRGB color gamut, too. This is a huge improvement over the DeltaE values we saw from the other 4K monitor we tested, the LG 24UD58-B, which had DeltaE values of 2.4576, 3.704, and 2.9383, respectively. The LG monitor did have a higher contrast ratio and darker black levels than the P2415Q, which means that images displayed on the P2415Q may not pop as much. We didn’t notice a difference in contrast when we compared the two monitors with our naked eyes, though, and the Dell did better than the LG in every other test.
The Dell P2415Q offers two HDMI 1.4 ports, three DisplayPort 1.2 connections (one Mini DisplayPort and two full-size DisplayPort), and four USB 3.0 ports. Its stand is height adjustable, and it tilts, rotates, and pivots, just like our top pick. It’s VESA compatible, and it has the same great Premium Panel Guarantee and three-year warranty from Dell.
Budget pick: Asus VS239H-P
Budget pick
Asus VS239H-P
The VS239H-P is the best of the cheap 1080p monitors, but you're better off saving up for our primary pick if you can.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $150.
If you can’t afford the Dell U2415 but still want a monitor that provides decent picture quality, get the Asus VS239H-P. It’s a pretty good 24-inch, 1080p IPS monitor that usually costs around $100 less than our main pick, but you sacrifice a few features for the price: Its screen provides 11 percent fewer pixels than our 1920×1200 main pick and less-accurate colors, and the monitor has no DisplayPort connections, no USB ports, very limited adjustability, and an ugly on-screen display that’s awkward to navigate. Still, it looks a lot better than the other monitors in its price range, which tend to use lower-quality TN panels or less-accurate IPS panels.
![Best Best](/uploads/1/2/6/5/126532104/370058106.png)
The monitor’s default color preset had fairly inaccurate colors in our measurements: For example, the Asus stayed above the 3.0 mark for the majority of our grayscale testing, a result indicating that you’d probably notice that the color was off during casual use.
When we switched to its sRGB preset, however, the DeltaE values improved enormously, with its average DeltaE value measuring at 1.8998 for grayscales. Most blacks and whites came in around or below the 2.0 mark, significantly better than with the default preset.
Also on its sRGB preset, the Asus VS239H-P measured an average DeltaE value of 2.6935 on our ColorChecker test, and an average DeltaE value of 2.2869 on our saturation test. That’s nowhere near as precise as our pick, but it’s good enough for everyday use. This monitor also covers 92 percent of the sRGB color gamut. The VS239H-P was more accurate than the two other 1080p finalists we tested: the BenQ GW2480, which had DeltaE values of 4.1296 for grayscales, 3.2228 for ColorChecker, and 2.9645 for saturations; and the Acer CB241HY, which had values of 11.7313, 10.9915, and 9.4783, respectively.
The monitor’s mix of one HDMI, one VGA, and one DVI port makes it compatible with both older and newer systems, though we wish it had a DisplayPort connection (you’ll need a DVI or HDMI-to-DisplayPort cable or dongle if you need to connect a computer that uses only DisplayPort). This model also has no USB ports and provides no cable management, but those aren’t dealbreakers at this price.
As with other cheap monitors, the VS239H-P’s stand suffers from a lack of adjustability. It can’t adjust for height, nor can it rotate or swivel. However, it can tilt 6 degrees forward and 21 degrees back, and it’s VESA mountable so you can at least install it on a better stand or monitor arm if you want more flexibility. Its on-screen controls are awkward to use, but this is true of any monitor that costs $150 or less. Although the VS239H-P comes with a solid three-year warranty, the policy is not as good as Dell’s or HP’s; Asus will tolerate up to three bright-pixel defects before it will replace the monitor, while Dell and HP will replace your monitor if it has even a single bright pixel.
Configuration, care, and maintenance
Our pick’s factory calibration is close to perfect, so you don’t need to calibrate it yourself. (Unless you’re a professional photographer, graphic designer, or video editor, you don’t need to buy a hardware colorimeter to calibrate any display.)
You should definitely adjust your monitor’s brightness and contrast to your liking. If your monitor supports DDC/CI (Display Data Channel Command Interface)—as all four of our picks do—you can more easily adjust its settings using software instead of its on-screen display. To find the best contrast level, go to Lagom.nl’s white-saturation test and adjust your monitor’s contrast to the highest level it will go before you can’t see the difference between higher-numbered values and the all-white background.
If your monitor is too bright, staring at it for hours could hurt your eyes or give you a headache. Too dim, and it’ll look lifeless and drab—and you’ll lose a little black detail. Without a colorimeter, you have no real way to set your monitor’s brightness to an exact luminance like 140 cd/m², which we use for our testing, or 120 cd/m², which is the typical recommendation for monitors in normal conditions. But here’s a tip for finding a good brightness level: The white background of a typical Web page should look white, not gray, without your monitor overwhelming your room (and eyes) with light.
Connecting a second monitor to the DisplayPort output of a monitor that supports daisy-chaining (like the U2415) requires version 1.2 of the DisplayPort standard. Some monitors that support 1.2 are set to 1.1 by default, so if you’re connecting a second monitor, you’ll need to change that in the first monitor’s settings.
Finally, if your monitor’s screen gets dirty or smudgy, don’t use an ammonia- or alcohol-based cleaner on it (that means no Windex). A microfiber cloth and some distilled water (not tap water) will work just fine.
The competition
Dell’s UltraSharp U2412M, our previous runner-up pick for the best 24-inch monitor, lost out to the HP Z24n G2 in the latest update to this guide. The U2412M remains a fine monitor for its price, but we don’t recommend it over the Dell UltraSharp U2415 or the HP Z24n G2 because it lacks factory calibration and HDMI, it has USB 2.0 ports instead of USB 3.0, and it’s a much older model than our other recommendations—the U2412M has been around for more than six years.
We planned on testing the $300 HP Z24n against the Dell U2415, but it’s being replaced by our runner-up pick, the HP Z24n G2. You may still be able to find the first-gen Z24n on the HP store site or Amazon in the coming months, but it will be discontinued soon, so we recommend spending around $20 more to buy its successor, the G2.
The ViewSonic VG2438Sm usually costs a little more than our top pick. For around $250, it lacks HDMI, offers less adjustability than the Dell U2415, and has a thicker bezel.
We didn’t find many 24-inch 4K monitors during our research, but we did test the LG 24UD58-B against the Dell P2415Q. The LG’s screen was less accurate than the Dell’s by a wide margin, though. This model also has fewer ports (two HDMI ports and one DisplayPort connection), and it offers limited adjustability—it only tilts—compared with the P2415Q, which tilts, rotates, and swivels. And the 24UD58-B comes with only a one-year warranty, versus the P2415Q’s three-year coverage.
The extra screen space of a 1920×1200-resolution monitor is useful enough that we didn’t evaluate any 1920×1080 monitors for our main pick. We did, however, consider these models for our budget category.
We researched and tested the BenQ GW2480, which is a decent monitor to get if our budget pick, the Asus VS239H-P, is unavailable. The picture quality of its display still falls pretty far behind that of the Asus in its sRGB preset, but the GW2480 has a DisplayPort connection (something that the VS239H-P lacks) as well as similar adjustability, plus a thinner, more attractive bezel.
We tested the Acer KA240HY bid for this update; it has since been discontinued, so we removed it as a comparison point throughout the guide. We tested the Acer CB241HY bmidr, too, which is currently available. Both Acer displays were much less accurate than our budget pick, the Asus VS239H-P. Although the Acer CB241HY bmidr is more adjustable than the Asus, we don’t think the ability to adjust its height and swivel is worth the major loss in color accuracy.
Eizo’s FlexScan EV2450 and Samsung’s S24E390HL were too expensive to be our 1080p budget pick. Many other 1080p monitors we considered, from Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, and ViewSonic, lacked IPS panels, VESA compatibility, or steady availability.
Footnotes
- Most modern computers will have no problem with 4K displays, but if your computer is more than three years old you should double-check your hardware first. Apple keeps a list of Mac models that can use 4K and 5K external displays; generally, PC owners with integrated graphics need a fifth-generation Intel Core CPU or an AMD A10-7850K processor or newer and a DisplayPort 1.2 port. If you have a PC with dedicated graphics, look for an Nvidia 600-series or AMD Radeon HD 600–series or newer graphics card with a DisplayPort 1.2 port.Jump back.
Sources
- Simon Baker, Calibration Guide, TFT Central, January 24, 2011
- Roberto Baldwin, Keep Your Computer From Destroying Your Eyesight, Wired, September 5, 2013
- Simon Baker, Dell U2415, TFT Central, October 22, 2014
- Adam Simmons, Dell P2415Q, PC Monitors, January 5, 2015
- Craig Simms, Asus VS239H, CNET, October 4, 2012
- Jason Fitzpatrick, The How-To Geek Guide to Cleaning Your LCD Monitor Screen, How-To Geek, August 12, 2013
- Whitson Gordon, Change Your Monitor's Brightness Without Fiddling With Its Buttons, Lifehacker, February 19, 2013