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In today's fast-paced business world, the right technology can make all the difference in supporting your small business's productivity and efficiency. When equipping your office with computer monitors, making informed decisions that align with your business requirements is crucial. From optimizing workspace productivity to ensuring visual accuracy for specific roles, selecting the right monitors can impact your employee's work experience, satisfaction, and overall performance.
In this guide, we'll take a close look at the key factors business owners should consider when purchasing computer monitors, helping you navigate the vast array of options available and empowering you to make the best choices for your organization's needs.
Display Types
LED |
LCD |
| LED monitors use light-emitting diodes to provide a brighter, visually enhanced image. Technically, these monitors also use LCD technology, but are backlit with LEDs to produce a higher image quality. They are typically more expensive than their LCD counterparts. | LCD monitors use liquid crystal displays and are a somewhat older (but still very popular) style for computer monitors. Compared with LED screens, standard LCD monitors can produce a high-definition image at an affordable price point, and while they may not be ideal for certain tasks (i.e., for design or video), they can handle other work applications well. |
Resolution
HD and Lower (1280 x 720) |
Full HD (1920 x 1080) |
4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) |
| HD is the oldest HD designation, but still provides a significantly sharper image than an analog display. These monitors are more affordable, but not as sharp and vivid as Full HD and 4K alternatives. | Sharper than standard HD screens (or anything below them in resolution), these Full HD monitors offer the same image clarity as a 1080p resolution TV. In other words, they can provide a clearer, sharper image that is equivalent to most non-4K modern screens. For many screens and monitors, this will provide a good balance of image quality and price. | 4K displays offer the same resolution as Ultra HD, which is about four times the number of pixels as Full HD. These are cutting-edge screens that are especially useful for designers, video professionals, and anyone who needs additional clarity and usable screen area on their work displays. While these are much sharper than HD or Full HD monitors, they are also the most costly displays of this group. |
Screen Size
20" and Under |
21" – 26" |
27" and Up |
Widescreen and Ultrawide Monitors |
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| A 20" monitor is a bit larger than a typical laptop or notebook display and can be used for basic office tasks like emailing and web surfing. These might also be a good choice to use in conjunction with a laptop screen or when using two monitors in a dual-screen setup. | A monitor in the 21" to 26" range is fairly typical for office applications and can be a great choice for a wide range of tasks, offering more screen area for viewing multiple applications and documents at a time. |
Screens 27" and larger offer a great deal of screen space for professionals and are often used by designers, video editors, and others who need to work with complicated documents on a single screen. |
Widescreen has become the standard in computer monitors of any size and offers proper dimensions for a wide range of work. Ultrawide is an even wider display type that may be preferred for viewing complex data or graphics, or even immersive gaming. |
Curved vs. Flat Monitors
Typically, most LCD and LED monitors have been built with a flat screen, but curved monitors are an increasingly popular choice for certain work applications. These displays offer a more "immersive" experience that wraps around the users' peripheral vision, and while they were originally designed for gaming and similar applications, these monitors may be preferred by professionals who need a larger screen size, use multiple applications at once, or work in media and video.
Other Considerations
Refresh Rate
The refresh rate of a monitor refers to the number of times a new image is generated per second. Typically, most business monitors will have a 60Hz refresh rate, but a higher refresh rate (such as 120Hz or 144Hz) can give the impression of a smoother viewing experience.
Viewing Angle
Your monitor’s picture quality will be different depending on whether you are viewing your monitor from an angle rather than from sitting in front. This is fine for most applications, but for work that requires collaboration or multiple viewing angles, consider a monitor with a 178° (or greater) viewing angle.
Brightness Level
If you work near a sunny window or in bright conditions, the average brightness of a monitor may not be sufficient. (The average is about 250 nits, with nits used as a unit of measurement for a display's brightness level.) Look for a monitor with 350 nits or more to get a brighter viewing experience; some high-end monitors for specialized roles may offer 600 nits or even more.
Response Time
Response time refers to how long the monitor takes for each pixel to modify its color and is more important for gaming than most business applications. However, if your work involves video and media where image blur can be a problem, look for a response time of 2ms (milliseconds) or below.
Connection Ports
Monitors come with different ports to connect easily with different devices. When buying a monitor, make sure to plan for the devices that you want to connect to your monitor, including the computers your team members use. This can help ensure your monitors can be used without adapters (and with other peripherals attached in some cases). Common options include HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA, DVI, and USB-C.
While a single monitor may not seem like a major purchase, providing monitors to a whole team of employees can be a significant investment. You may need to balance issues related to your budget with the needs of your employees, which can be different depending on their role, their devices, and the applications they use. When purchasing monitors for your business, consider the options above to make appropriate choices that will satisfy your employees while enhancing your business's overall productivity.
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Product Compliance and Suitability
The product statements contained in this guide are intended for general informational purposes only. Such product statements do not constitute a product recommendation or representation as to the appropriateness, accuracy, completeness, correctness, or currentness of the information provided. Information provided in this guide does not replace the use by you of any manufacturer instructions, technical product manual, or other professional resource or adviser available to you. Always read, understand, and follow all manufacturer instructions.