Best 4K monitor? (27" or less)

[Shrek]

What is the best small 4K monitor (27" or smaller) if 60Hz is fine?

Amazon.com: Dell S2721QS 27 Inch 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) IPS Ultra-Thin Bezel Monitor, AMD FreeSync (HDMI, DisplayPort), VESA Certified, Silver : Electronics

is $250 for comparison.

 

[Onasi]

60Hz panels, even at 4K, are a fairly solved tech by now, unless you need extreme color accuracy which then becomes “solved, but expensive”. If you need just a general use display, the linked Dell is plenty fine. I doubt you can quantifiably suggest a “best” in this segment since all the models will use similar panels and be +/- equal. It just comes down to price, warranty and build quality. Dell is usually solid on all fronts.

 

[mechtech]

Best?

Probably a $3k oled.

I have an LG 27UL550W, and I am happy with it.

https://www.amazon.com/LG-27UL550-W-Monitor-Freesync-Technology/dp/B07PX8JMJV/ref=sr_1_1?crid=K58T75FG40K9&keywords=lg%2B27ul550-w&qid=1706409893&sprefix=27ul550%2Caps%2C92&sr=8-1&th=1

edit

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/monitor/#r=384002160&sort=price&page=1

 

[Deleted member 237269]

What is the best small 4K monitor (27" or smaller) if 60Hz is fine?

Amazon.com: Dell S2721QS 27 Inch 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) IPS Ultra-Thin Bezel Monitor, AMD FreeSync (HDMI, DisplayPort), VESA Certified, Silver : Electronics

is $250 for comparison.

Wait a few months for this new wave of OLED 4K

 

[Shrek]

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/monitor/#r=384002160&sort=price&page=1

Nice, I should have said explicitly I'm not after $3K units.

 

[Assimilator]

What @Onasi said - go for whatever's cheapest with the features you need.

 

[P4-630]

Dell makes good monitors in sense of reliability.

 

[Shrek]

I have a 2K Dell and it is very nice.

What @Onasi said - go for whatever's cheapest with the features you need.

Despite what you have seen here, I'm not the sort that likes the cheapest; I'd prefer to avoid monitors with bad pixels.

I also like things to last without having to rebuild the power supply.

 

[P4-630]

I have a 2K Dell and it is very nice.

I got a Dell 1440p 165Hz G-Sync since 2017, great monitor.

 

[Onasi]

Despite what you have seen here, I'm not the sort that likes the cheapest; I'd prefer to avoid monitors with bad pixels.

Unfortunately, bad pixels are a complete lottery. I saw premium priced displays with them (or other QC faults like bad uniformity) and I saw bargain basement cheap OEM screens with perfect panels. Here it’s all about what the warranty is, not the price.

 

[Shrek]

Maybe I'll just stick with my

Dell P2416D

 

[TheLostSwede]

This Acer is going for $200, if you just want something cheap.

Acer V287K bmiipx 28" Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) IPS Monitor with Adaptive-Sync Technology, 4ms (G to G), DCI-P3 90%, HDR10 Support, TUV/Eyesafe Certification (Display Port, 2 x HDMI 2.0 and Audio-Out) - Newegg.com

Buy Acer V287K bmiipx 28" Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) IPS Monitor with Adaptive-Sync Technology, 4ms (G to G), DCI-P3 90%, HDR10 Support, TUV/Eyesafe Certification (Display Port, 2 x HDMI 2.0 and Audio-Out ports) with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.com

 

[Shrek]

I'm after quality but not high refresh rate or OLED; also not too keen about inbuilt speakers.

This thread has been most helpful; thanks to all.

 

[TheLostSwede]

I'm after quality but not high refresh rate or OLED; also not too keen about inbuilt speakers.

What is quality though? Kind of hard to define, no?

My old Asus ROG 4K monitor had a power board failure, got that swapped out on warranty, but they got dust behind the panel, so got that swapped and the new panel started suffering from ghosting that stuck around for a good 15 minutes even after you turned off the display, so they swapped the panel yet another time and after about six months, it started to suffer from the same ghosting... That was close to $1000 new, but I bought it from someone who was leaving Taiwan and had only owned it for six months. Some of the panels also had a stuck or a dead pixel.

I had an AOC 4K monitor that was even worse, there are a couple of rants about that one in the forums somewhere.

Got an Acer now and it's not without faults, but nothing major, just a couple of dumb implementations and lack of auto detection of HDR/SDR switching in the OS. No panel issues though.

Dell is usually good and have good warranties, I got an UltraSharp U2515H that my SO has been using for as her work monitor for a couple of years now and it's never missed a beat.

I've also owned Samsung, LG, ViewSonic and a few others over the years, but obviously not 4K.

 

[Assimilator]

Despite what you have seen here, I'm not the sort that likes the cheapest; I'd prefer to avoid monitors with bad pixels.

That falls under "features you need".

 

[Onasi]

What is quality though? Kind of hard to define, no?

Oh, it’s actually easy to define. EIZO and NEC professional range. That’s it. I have never seen one of those with any defects worth mentioning, they are built like tanks and can run for decades. Some still do.
Anything else, anything consumer, however gilded up with “gaming” or “lifestyle” branding it is - all will be a potential gamble and a compromise somewhere.

 

[Shrek]

What is quality though? Kind of hard to define, no?

Sometimes easy to define, but hard to know; for example if I want long life.

That falls under "features you need".

Fair enough, but the number of bad pixels is not listed under the specs.

 

[P4-630]

Dell.

 

[Shrek]

Yep, looks like it will be a DELL

 

[Remeca]

Sometimes easy to define, but hard to know; for example if I want long life.

Dell has you pretty covered there. I have 3 Dell monitors, no dead pixels or power supplies after over 10-15 years. Only problem is a power button fell off one of the older ones, but the actual button can still be pressed inside the hole.

 

[mechtech]

Yep, looks like it will be a DELL

Dell usually uses LG ips panels. Check the warranty, I know used to be 3 years, but many are 1 year now.

 

[3valatzy]

What is the best small 4K monitor (27" or smaller) if 60Hz is fine?

Iiyama ProLite XU2792UHSU-B1.

Iiyama ProLite XU2792UHSU-B1 review: Back to basics

A stripped-down affair, but if your priorities are 4K and image quality, it’s a steal

www.itpro.com

Compared to many monitors, the XU2792UHSU-B1 isn’t going to wow anyone… until you show them the quality of its output and explain how little you paid for it.