The Best PC Monitors – Early 2023

Great | Differentiating Features
Great color accuracy out of the box. Expansive color gamut. DisplayPort daisy chaining

Good | Most Have It
Built-in KVM

Average | Competitors May Be Better
Local dimming feature is poor, average HDR brightness

For an all-purpose content creation monitor, a combination of a 32-inch size and 4K resolution hits the sweet spot. While there are plenty of options, few offer the same mix of pro features, color accuracy, build quality, and price as Dell’s Ultrasharp U3223QE.

Dell’s experience in producing high-end displays is made obvious with this display. The 3840 x 2160 IPS panel has been color calibrated at the factory to produce 100% sRGB color accuracy out of the box, as well as 98% DCI-P3 and 89% Adobe RGB colors.

The screen boasts 1.07 billion colors and a claimed 2000:1 contrast ratio, while the 400 nits of brightness help it to HDR 400 certification. To ease eye fatigue, the panel features a TÜV Rheinland certification for its flicker-free, low blue light output.

Ports consist of a single DisplayPort 1.4 and another DP output to allow for a second monitor to be daisy-chained. There are also four USB 3.0 slots, a single HDMI 2.0, and a USB Type-C that offers Power Delivery (up to 90W of charging power), DisplayPort Alt Mode, and USB 2.0 data connectivity.

Other highlights include a built-in KVM that lets you switch between two PCs while using one keyboard and mouse. It also comes with tiny bezels (6mm), a low response time, and the minimalist chassis is solid.

The main downside to Dell’s offering is the semi-gloss finish on the screen, as it doesn’t handle reflections from bright sources very well. For some offices, it may be tricky to find the right position to use it without the screen glare being too distracting.

Alternatives with better color accuracy

If you’re looking for something with even better color accuracy, there are multiple options to consider depending on your specific requirements. Dell’s UltraSharp PremierColor UP3221Q 31.5″ display features Mini LED-based full-area local dimming (FALD) backlighting with 2,048 zones, allowing high brightness and excellent contrast.

The 1,000 nits peak HDR brightness means it’s VESA DisplayHDR 1000 certified, and it supports 99.8% and 93% of the DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB color spaces, respectively.

The Asus ProArt PA32DC 32″ is another 4K monitor packed with professional features, such as an automated, motorized colorimeter and multiple preset modes for sRGB, DCI-3, and HDR usage. Adobe software users will be particularly interested in the 99% Adobe RGB accuracy.

The OLED panel doesn’t have the same peak brightness as Dell’s UP3221Q, but it offers support for high dynamic range formats such as HDR10, Dolby Vision, and Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG).

Like so many others in this category, the PA32DC sports a raft of I/O ports: one DP1.4, three HDMI 2.0, four USB 3.2 Gen Type-A, and one USB Type-C that supports DisplayPort Alt Mode and offers 64W of charging power.

The ProArt PA32DC and Dell PremierColor UP3221Q cost $3,500 and $4,000, respectively, so they’re serious investments, but they’re considerably cheaper than other monitors in this segment, such as the Eizo ColorEdge CG319X and Apple’s Pro Display XDR.