The best USB-C monitors of 2020 are fantastic screens that combine stunning image quality with the flexibility of a USB-C connection. It means it's easy to hook up and charge compatible laptops, tablets and smartphones using a single USB-C cable, which makes things a lot easier, especially for people working from home, which is a growing number of us these days.
The ease of a USB-C connection means these monitors are great additions to a desk, and can be ideal for quickly adding a second monitor for your PC or laptop - which can help boost your productivity.
With Amazon Prime Day 2020 and Black Friday 2020 fast approaching, we should see some excellent deals for these great monitors as well, so now's the perfect time to look for a new USB-C monitor.
So, how do you choose the best USB-C monitor for your needs? There are a lot of great options out there (make sure you also check out our guide to the best monitors overall, or our guides to the best monitors for programming and the best monitors for video editing), and our favourite models are below. Whether you want to go all out on the best 4K USB-C monitor for your MacBook, or even just want the most affordable option you can get, we’ve got you covered.
The best USB-C monitors available now
There's a range of prices in this list of best USB-C monitors, but if you want a brilliantly built, yet totally affordable monitor, the is our top pick. It's a stunning 4K USB-C monitor with sleek aesthetics, thanks to its micro-thin bezels. It delivers rich colours and excellent image detail, although colour accuracy could be a little better straight out of the box. But if you’re searching for a reasonably priced 4K UHD monitor with wide viewing angles – that will look great on your desk – this is definitely one of the best USB-C monitors out there at the moment.
With 1ms motion blur reduction, FreeSync technology and Dynamic Action sync, the 34-inch LG 34UM69G-B is packed with game-friendly features, making it one of the best budget USB-C monitors for gaming you can get right now. Housed in a bezel-free black cabinet, there are three customisable gaming modes: two first-person shooter modes and one pre-set RTS mode. Meanwhile, out-of-the-box colour accuracy is good, with strong grayscale performance. This is a brilliant budget USB-C monitor for the price.
The LG UltraFine 24MD4KL-B is one of the best USB-C monitors for creative professionals in 2020, thanks to its beautiful 4K resolution that offers essential colour accuracy. Compared to many of the other USB-C monitors on this list, it is also more affordable, making it an excellent choice for people on a budget. Its 24-inch screen size may seem a little small these days, but that means it's great for people with limited desk space who do not want huge monitors looming over them.
The BenQ DesignVue PD3220U was at the top spot of our best USB-C monitors for a while, and there's a good reason why. The BenQ DesignVue PD3220U has been made with creative professionals in mind, and thanks to its IPS panel, along with support for 4K HDR10 video, image quality is absolutely top-notch. It is a little expensive though.
That all-important USB-C connection is Thunderbolt 3 certified, which makes it a great choice for Macs, and you can charge devices using it, or daisy chain multiple displays at once for the ultimate in productivity.
If you’ve got a larger budget (and desk) to play with, we’d recommend the big and beautiful . The curved 38-inch InfinityEdge screen is stunning and give you a ridiculous amount of screen real estate, so if you’re prone to working with a lot of windows open this one is worth considering. It’s built for professional work – and aimed in particular at creatives, or anyone who needs the highest colour accuracy possible, and it’s great for gaming too. Contrast could be a little better, but colour accuracy is excellent and images are sharp. Best of all, you get a three-year warranty. (Got even more cash? Try the Asus ProArt PA32UC, at number 7 on this list).
The BenQ PD2710QC is one of the best budget USB-C monitors you can buy right now, as long as you don't mind making a few compromises. First of all, this is not a 4K screen, unlike many other monitors on this list. If you want to work with ultra high resolution content, then you'll need to look elsewhere. However, for many people, its 1440p resolution will be more than enough. This does help keep the price down at least, and in other respects this is a fantastic USB-C monitor, with an IPS panel and sRGB support, which means it's capable of stunning image quality.
The sits in the high-end monitor market. Pushed by Apple as its MacBook Pro companion of choice, this superb monitor boasts an incredible 14.7 million pixels across its 27-inch screen. Photos and videos are breathtakingly rich in detail, vibrant and lifelike, with 218 pixels per inch and a 60Hz refresh rate. It’s aimed at Mac-users, with four Thunderbolt 3/USB Type-C ports on the back, and absolutely nothing else, save a plug for the power cord. If you don't mind the lack of other ports, this is fabulous option for photographers, designers and videographers.
Designed for professional video editors, animators, filmmakers, 3D modellers and CAD designers, the offers rich, very accurate colours and fantastic grayscale reproduction. It covers 100 per cent of the Rec.709 (HDTV) colour gamut as well as 100 per cent of the sRGB colour space, and will even remind you when it's due to be calibrated. Flipping into portrait mode is quick and simple thanks to a spring-loaded rotation mechanism; the only feature it’s missing is blue-light settings. If you work with high-definition video in particular, this is a top performer.
The premium is the most expensive USB-C monitor on our list – and it’s in a different league. Aimed at creative professionals, it boasts a 4K resolution with HDR imaging capabilities, and comes in a sophisticated, USB-C and Thunderbolt 3-equipped package with nearly every feature a creative could want for SDR and HDR work. You get a 100% sRGB colour space coverage, 99.5% Adobe RGB and 95% DCI-P3; plus pro-grade calibration features and a hardware calibration tool in the box. You can do sRGB-accurate work, wide gamut-accurate work, and HDR work with the PA32UC. This isn’t a USB-C monitor aimed at gamers, though – the refresh rate is disappointing; we’d recommend the Acer XR382CQK at number 08 in this list instead. But with strong gamma tracking and colour consistency, but if you’re a professional creative working in anything form film to graphics, this is a mean screen that reproduces content exactly as it’s meant to look.
This enormous 38-inch USB-C monitor, the Acer XR382CQK offers AMD’s FreeSync technology and 75Hz, plus an ergonomic stand with height, tilt and swivel, and premium build quality. The curve radius is a gentle 2300mm, which offers an immersive wrap-around effect without image distortion. Colour reproduction is fantastic, while black levels are impressive. And as for gaming – well, it’s wonderful. This is one of the best USB-C monitors for gaming you can get.
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