The best USB-C monitors in 2019: charge your laptop too

The best USB-C monitors don’t just make it easier to connect your USB-C laptop and gain a second display. They also let you charge your laptop at the same time, with the same cable – effectively giving you a USB hub for your other peripherals, plus battery charging through the same port.

The benefits on their own are overwhelming for creatives. But now that the latest MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models only sport USB-C – and the port is becoming increasing common on Windows 10 machines – there’s a growing argument for switching to a USB-C monitor. So which are the best monitors with a USB-C port out there?

There are a lot to choose from, so to help you decide we’ve put together our favourites here in this guide. Whether you’re looking for the best 4K USB-C monitor for your MacBook, or a USB-C monitor from a major player like Dell or LG, we’ve got you covered…

When it comes to choosing the best 4K USB-C monitor out there, the 27-inch LG 27UD88-W takes the crown for us. It’s designed for gaming - which means it’s also great for creatives - and it’s the lower-res sibling to the 5K USB-C monitor at number XX in this list, offering a brilliant balance of features and functionality at a much more affordable price. You’ll get 4K resolution and FreeSync anti-tearing processing, plus three gaming presets, two custom presets, and two calibration presets. And as with all the USB-C options here, it’ll power your laptop while acting as a display.

If you’ve got a larger budget (and desk) to play with, we’d recommend the big and beautiful Dell U3818DW USB-C monitor. 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 07 on this list).

The Acer H277HU is a more affordable budget USB-C monitor for anyone with less cash to spend. This isn’t a 4K USB-C monitor - and you’re missing the higher-end specs for video editing and graphic design - but it’s an excellent option if you need a display for casual gaming and film-watching, and comes with an HDMI port and a DisplayPort too. (Looking for the best budget USB-C monitor for gaming? Take a look at the Asus ProArt PA32UC, at number 09.)

Another more affordable option is the HP Envy 27 – 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 – and that looks great on your desk – it’s worth a look.

The LG UltraFine 5K USB-C monitor 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 BenQ PV3200PT 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 Asus ProArt PA32UC 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 color 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 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.

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.

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