If you’re sick and tired of cable overload, the best USB-C monitors can offer a great alternative, transferring both power and data in one neat wire - which means you can run your laptop directly to your monitor without plugging it into the mains.
We’ve considered compatibility factors such as this alongside picture quality, resolution, aspect ratio, contrast ratio, viewing angles and brightness to help you choose the best USB-C monitor for your needs. It’s also worth noting that while many USB-C ports offer around 60W PD (enough to power a laptop), some monitors are rated as low as 15W, making wattage an important consideration, too.
This option us over a grand, but you get what you pay for, and it's specs are particularly good for pro photographers. The brightness and colour uniformity is exceptional. Read more below
If money is tight, but you still want a decent USB-C monitor this is a great option, and has really good availability at the moment. You get great colour support, great connectivity, but average brightness. Read more below
Toeing that delicate line between breaking the bank or skimping on the necessities, the BenQ EW3280U offers a 4K display and makes for a great all-rounder that does more than seeing you through general media consumption. Read more below
An ultrawide ratio is great for multitasking since you can see more of your work at once. And this brilliant USB-C monitor offers an immersive 40in curved screen with the equivalent to 4K resolution. Read more below
Want a monitor for gaming and creative work? This 27-inch 1440p panel, which comes with a 1000R curvature, is both an impressive gaming monitor and a great choice for art and design tasks too. Read more below
Our top pick for a USB-C monitor for video editing, this offers 4K resolution and huge HDR. Plus it can reach a peak brightness higher than most TVs, so it’s one of the best ways to work with HDR footage. Read more below
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This monitor specifically tagets photographers and other content creators, with wide colour coverage and high colour accuracy out of the box. And in practice, our reviewer found that doing creative work was a breeze on this 4K resolution display with a large 32-inch screen that lets you see every detail of your work.
When it comes to creative work, colour support and accuracy are critical, and BenQ knows this. It has equipped the SW321C with 95% DCI-P3 and 99% Adobe RGB colour gamuts and excellent colour accuracy of Delta E ≤ 2. On test, it's proven to be one of the most colour-accurate monitors we've reviewed, and delivered on that colour coverage as promised. This monitor is more than enough if you do more broadcast-quality editing.
This display also makes it easy for a minimalist setup. It also comes with thoughtful features like an SD card reader, a boon for anyone working on an ultrabook or MacBook that’s missing one, and a picture-by-picture mode that displays the same image in two different colour modes. There’s also its USB-C hub, which will let you connect your most essential peripherals to your laptop. The OSD navigation buttons, as you'll read in our BenQ SW321C PhotoVue review, is a little inconvenient to use, but the included hotkey puck makes all the difference and helps make your workflow a lot more seamless.
Our choice at number one is great value and seeing regular discounts. But if you're on a really tight budget, the Asus ProArt PA278CV is the best cheap USB-C monitor we'd recommend. It doesn't offer 4K resolution but provides solid Calman Verified colour accuracy of Delta E <2 and 100% sRGB and 100% REC 709 colour gamuts. Brightness is fairly standard at 350 nits.
Other mention-worthy features are its on-screen scaling overlay, the ability to daisy-chain two screens together via its DisplayPort, and the decent number of ports including the one USB-C. A great display for the price.
Not all creative professionals want or need a $1,000/£1,000 monitor. Luckily, something like the BenQ EW3280U is on hand for such consumers. This 4K display is one of BenQ’s entertainment monitors, but it's also a great all-rounder that does more than seeing you through general media consumption.
When we tested the screen, we found it offered good colour accuracy after calibration as well as great sRGB and DCI-P3 colour coverage. Plus, its feature set is impressive for its affordable price. In fact, even though its 60Hz refresh rate isn't the best for fast-paced games, its 4K on a 32-inch panel combo is as much of a sweet spot for narrative-driven games as it is for productivity and creative workloads.
As we noted in our BenQ EW3280U review, we also found its built-in speakers and ergonomics to be a tad lacking – an articulating stand would have been especially handy – but there's already plenty to love and make you forget such limitations.
An ultrawide monitor can be a great option for multitasking since you can see more of your work at once, and the LG 40WP95C-W offers an immersive 40in curved screen native resolution of a 5,120 x 2,160 native resolution, equivalent to 4K on a 32in display, for a tight pixel pitch and tac-sharp fonts
Its USB-C connectivity comes with two high-bandwidth Thunderbolt 4 ports that can deliver 96W, so you can charge a MacBook Pro, for example, while also using a keyboard, mouse or other peripheral. Colour is decent too, covering 98% of the DCI-P3 digital cinema gamut. It doesn't offer true HDR since there's no local dimming and only goes up to 300 nits, but it can process an HDR signal up to 300 nits.
The MSI MPG ARTYMIS 273CQRX-QD is a good USB-C monitor to consider if you're looking for something affordable. This is one of those enthusiast-level creator displays dressed up as a gaming monitor. MSI indeed touts it as one, complete with gaming-focused features, many of which you'll find in pricier models.
It's an impressive gaming monitor, to be sure, on paper and in practice. But when we did our full MSI MPG ARTYMIS 273CQRX-QD review, our tester found it could capably moonlight as a creative enthusiast's editing display as well. With an average Delta E of 0.8, pre-calibration, as well as a wide colour coverage of 100% sRGB, 95% DCI-P3, and 94% AdobeRGB on test, it proved itself a capable tool for content creation. That was on top of its USB-C connectivity for plugging your MacBook or ultrabook in as a source. Note, though, that it only provides 15W power delivery.
Gamers, in turn, will be impressed by its 27-inch 1440p panel, which comes with a 1000R curvature, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, and a 1ms response time. Oh, and it also delivers a blazing-fast 240Hz refresh rate to keep up with fast-paced games and during esports tournaments.
Color support: 100% sRGB, 99.5% Adobe RGB, 97% DCI-P3, and even 85% of Rec.2020
Weight: 14 kg
Reasons to buy
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Feature-packed
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Stunning image quality
Reasons to avoid
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Extremely expensive
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Not for gamers
The Asus ProArt PA32UC-K is for people who want a serious USB-C monitor for video editing, and it doesn’t get much more serious than this. It offers 4K resolution (at the Ultra HD standard) and huge HDR – it can reach a peak brightness higher than most TVs, so it’s one of the best ways to work with HDR footage.
This Asus monitor also offers colour coverage that includes 100% sRGB, 99.5% Adobe RGB and 97% DCI-P3 – not to mention, pro-grade calibration features and a hardware calibration tool in the box. Strong gamma tracking and consistency complete its credentials as a creative powerhouse. Like we said: serious.
As for connectivity, it's not just USB-C, but also Thunderbolt 3, which means you can daisy-chain it to other Thunderbolt 3 devices with colossal bandwidth between them. That includes monitors, or RAIDs with your uncompressed 4K, 6K or even 8K video on it, ready for you to work with live using your tools of choice. The Asus ProArt PA32UC comes with a high price tag, but if you need what it offers, it’s worth every penny.
That 16:18 is the ultimate aspect ratio for productivity
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Ergonomic stand is a well-executed
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Multi-tasking features are really useful
Reasons to avoid
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More color spaces would have been nice
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C-clamp might not fit some desks
In our full review, we described this excellent midrange USB-C monitor as the "ultimate multitasking tool with its unique aspect ratio, a fully-articulating monitor arm and KVM feature". It's one of a new-ish breed of displays offering a squarish format. Such panels aren't so prevalent yet, but many professionals are starting to turn to them, so this new 16:18 productivity monitor from LG has come at the right time.
When we reviewed it, we found that the squarish format makes this 2560 x 2880 monitor wide enough to view multiple windows, whether it's in landscape or portrait mode. In portrait mode, it never feels too tall (read: no more neck craning). Of course, the ergonomic and fully articulating stand lets you tilt, swivel, rotate, and move forward and backwards until you've found the most comfortable position.
If you're starting to feel like you're losing control of the number of windows you've got open, don't worry. It helps you organise those windows by allowing you to snap them up into a stack of two or three. This also brilliantly lets you see all your important windows without taking the time to switch from one to the other. A seamless workflow on a display with wide colour coverage? We've fallen in love with this USB-C monitor.
Color support: 100% Rec 709, 100% sRGB, 98% DCI-P3
Weight: 11.9 kg
Reasons to buy
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A ton of useful features
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Excellent colour coverage and high accuracy
Reasons to avoid
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Expensive
The Dell UltraSharp U3223QZ is a premium 4K display that Dell designed specifically with multitasking remote working professionals in mind. This impressive productivity monitor couldn't have come at a better time with the world back in full swing from the pandemic yet adopting that work-from-home practice reached its height during the lockdowns.
It comes with everything you need, minus a full desktop PC inside. That includes useful multitasking features, different creative colour modes, impressive colour coverage, and naturally, an intelligent webcam that delivers up to 4K at 30 fps or 1080p at 60fps video and comes with a SafeShutter feature. For your ultimate productivity, there's even an Auto KVM (Keyboard, Mouse, Video) feature and what Dell calls "Fast Wake," which allows you to use its power button to wake both the monitor itself and your computer.
Of course, its performance is top-notch as well, giving us rich, vibrant visuals whether we're getting through a busy Monday full of video calls or streaming the latest releases. Though we haven't done a full review of this monitor, we have utilised it in testing and put it through its paces. And, we're happy to report that it's just as impressive in practice as it is on paper.
Excellent colour accuracy for a more business-oriented monitor
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Sleek design too
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USB-C hub with 4 X USB 3.2
Reasons to avoid
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Not fast enough for many gamers
The P3222QE is part of Dell’s productivity monitor range, as opposed to the UltraSharps, which are aimed at creatives. This has features clearly targeted at the office, such as always-on low blue light feature for eye comfort. But when we reviewed it, we found it actually makes an interesting USB-C monitor for creative work too thanks to 99% sRGB colour space coverage and a 4K IPS LCD screen that provides excellent colour and contrast consistency.
It looks pretty sleek for a business screen too, with ultra-thin screen bezels, and the highly adjustable stand makes it super ergonomic. So what about the USB-C hub? In keeping with its productivity orientation, it has a USB-C hub with 65W power delivery – enough to supply a laptop, and 3 x USB 3.2 ports for attaching peripherals. It's a bit of an oddball, but if you're looking for a versatile USB-C hub monitor that can do a bit of everything, it's worth considering.
It’s hard to say that USB-C monitors are necessarily better than those with other connectivity options, but they offer a few advantages. First, USB-C connectivity has become the norm on all sorts of devices, from Windows Ultrabooks and MacBooks to tablets. And now even the latest iPhones support USB-C thanks to a ruling by the EU. So, if you want a second screen for your laptop, for example, you’ll be limited to a USB-C or the fuss of using an adapter.
On top of that, the best USB-C monitors also offer power delivery. So, when you connect your Dell XPS or MacBook Air, the same USB-C cable driving the monitor also provides power to that computer. And typically it’s enough to keep the battery full even when running demanding tasks. This one-cable solution also helps create a more minimal, less cluttered setup.
This advantage benefits mainly laptop users. If you’re using a desktop PC, you’ll probably end up sticking with a DisplayPort or HDMI connection. But you can also turn your monitor into a USB hub (if it has enough other ports), attaching peripherals to the monitor instead of to your computer, which can be a neater solution, avoiding cables trailing over your desk.
Yes, USB-C monitors work with MacBook Pros. In fact, they’re really the only reasonable choice to go for. You can use non-USB-C monitors, but you’ll have to invest and keep track of the appropriate adapters every time you connect and disconnect. And, since all current MacBook Pros come with some kind of Thunderbolt connectivity, which uses the same connection as USB-C, they’ll be able to deliver their video signal and transfer data and receive power from the monitor (if the monitor supports power delivery).
The speeds at which USB-C connections transfer data is more than sufficient for gaming. It’s about on par with DisplayPort 1.4. The only real limitation is how it connects to your gaming computer. If your gaming desktop has a graphics card that supports DisplayPort 1.4, which just about all current GPUs do, then you’ll need to invest in an adapter and adjust some monitor and driver settings on your computer. But, if you’re using a gaming laptop sporting a USB-C port, you don’t even have to use an adapter. It’s essentially plug-and-play.
So what about Thunderbolt? Thunderbolt has exactly the same connection port as USB-C and they can be used interchangeably, but Thunderbolt is a different standard with a superior minimum data rate.
Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 support a data rate of 40Gbps, compared to USB 3.1's minimum of 10Gbps. USB can go as high as Thunderbolt but often doesn't. You might want to go for a Thunderbolt monitor if you want to connect several high-speed storage devices or use external graphics.
One key detail to look out for with USB-C is the wattage. The more power provided to the USB-C connection, the better job it's going to do at keeping the device you connect to it charged. Power delivery can vary from as little as 15W to 100. To check whether a USB-C monitor can provide enough power for your laptop compare the USB-C power delivery with the rated wattage of your laptop’s power adapter. You'll want a monitor that can USB power delivery at least equal to the wattage supplied by the laptop power adapter.
You'll also need to make sure that the monitor and your PC have DisplayPort Alternate Mode. USB itself does not include a video standard, but this optional addition supports video. USB-C monitors should list the version of DisplayPort supported by their USB-C port in the monitor’s specifications. Don't worry too much about the version, just be sure that DisplayPort is included.
Beyond connectivity, you'll want to assess other features of the monitor the way that you would with any screen. This will depend on what you want to use the monitor for. If it's for visual creative work such as photo editing or graphic design, you'll want a monitor with broad colour coverage and good colour accuracy (and you'll want one of the best monitor calibrator tools too). If you're only planning to use your screen for general productivity and office work, such requirements won't be necessary, but you may benefit from other features, such as a good webcam.
We test how monitors perform by trialling them in real-life situations. Our reviewers will typically spend several days using the monitor for tasks such as photo editing, as well as using a monitor calibrator to measure the screen's brightness and contrast, luminance and brightness uniformity, colour accuracy and colour gamut, both before and after calibration.
For this guide, we've sought out USB-C monitors that deliver good enough colour coverage and accuracy for creative work and devices whose USB-C ports provide enough power to be able to charge a laptop and keep it going. In making our selection, we compared our own hands-on reviews as well as those of our sister sites TechRadar and Tom's Guide and feedback from our regular contributors. Many of the latter are working creatives who use USB-C monitors every day for this work, many of them with a laptop such as a MacBook.
Beren has worked on creative titles at Future Publishing for over 13 years. Cutting his teeth as Staff Writer on the digital art magazine ImagineFX, he moved on to edit several creative titles, and is currently the Ecommerce Editor on the most effective creative website in the world. When he's not testing and reviewing the best ergonomic office chairs, phones, laptops, TVs, monitors and various types of storage, he can be found finding and comparing the best deals on the tech that creatives value the most.
