If you are looking for the best monitor for photo editing under $500, then this post is perfect for you. I will walk through all of your options and give my opinion on each one. There is no better feeling than finding that perfect product at an affordable price! So let’s get started!
Best monitors for photo editing under $500 are following:
- Dell W4200H
- EIZO CG248-4K
- The Sony VPL-VW300ES
- The BenQ BL2400PT
Dell W4200H
The Dell W4200H is a 24’’ LCD that has a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels. It has 16.7 million colors and has brightness of 250 cd/m2. The EIZO CG248-4K is also an LCD monitor with a resolution of 4096 x 2160 pixels.
It has one USB 3.0 port and two HDMI ports. The Sony VPL-VW300ES is another one but it has three HDMI ports and 1 DisplayPort only though it lacks only 1 USB 3.0 port. The BenQ BL2400PT is an IPS monitor with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels and it also has 16.7 million colors and brightness of 300 cd/m2. It has one USB 2.0 ports and two HDMI ports and supports DisplayPort 1.2a though unlike the Sony VPL-VW300ES it lacks multiple USB 3.0 port(s).
Cons
The Dell W4200H, EIZO CG248-4K, the BenQ BL2400PT are all cheap graphic monitors (of course there is no such thing as cheap when we talk about photo editing for professionals) but they can still be considered cheap even in that context. They range from $340 to $500.
Pros
The Dell W4200H’s pros are that it has an even more reasonable price than the other two (cheapest among these three), it is more compact and lighter, and does not produce any noise. The cons are that its colors could be better and despite having a very nice design it seems too simple, plus one reviewer says that there were some problems he had with the buttons which stopped him from giving this monitor five stars.
The EIZO CG248-4K
The EIZO CG248-4K’s main pro is that it costs no less than $1,000 but you would only need to spend around $400 on it as of today thanks to discounted offers. You also get USB 3.0 ports and two HDMI ports and a DisplayPort connection.
Cons
The cons are that the price is very high though if you wait for deals to come it will be easier on your wallet, plus this EIZO CG248-4K review says that the monitor is too bright even when set at low brightness settings. It also mentions some quality issues with the stand but nothing more major.
Pros
The EIZO CG248-4K’s pros are that it has a great color display and a small footprint of 17 inches. Its cons include its odd connectivity which includes one USB 2.0 port, one USB 3.0 port, two HDMI ports and a DisplayPort 1.2a only plus an indistinguishable remote control from other controls on the monitor’s right side which are very hard to get used to.
Sony VPL-VW300ES
For the Sony VPL-VW300ES you get a resolution of 4096 x 2160 pixels with three HDMI ports and one DisplayPort only plus one USB 3.0 port. The price is around $1,000 at this moment but you can wait for offers on it because it might go down slightly in the future according to some sources so if you have money for this kind of monitor then go ahead and buy it right away otherwise keep waiting.
This Sony VPL-VW300ES review mentions that it has an impressive contrast ratio, great display of shadows and blacks, fantastic motion handling (for such an expensive monitor) and much more which make it worthy of your money. In addition, the monitor has a great design with only one drawback being its lack of multiple USB 3.0 ports which can be inconvenient for some people.
Conclusion:
In all three cases you get a high resolution which is a must if you want your photos to look as clear and sharp as possible on any kind of photo editing software so it does not matter what monitor you opt for – they will all have the same qualities in this regard even if there are minor differences here and there.
What matters is that such monitors help designers create their best work and since we are talking about graphic design here then choosing between those three is like having to choose between blueberry, strawberry or chocolate but except that now we know exactly what each kind offers unlike those three flavors which might be equally good.
