Best Mac monitors and displays

Macworld

The monitor might be the most important part of your Mac’s setup–after all, you can’t use any desktop computer without one and even the 16-inch MacBook screen can be extended to an external display twice that size. Because you’ll spend a lot of time looking at it, you’ll want to invest wisely. Not only will you want a monitor that provides a pleasing experience, but the quality of the images on the screen can also affect your work.

However, picking a new monitor can be daunting. Not only are there many manufacturers to choose from, but there are also lots of sizes, resolutions, and features to consider–and when we say lots, we mean lots. We’re here to help guide you while you shop, and we have some tips on what to look for in a monitor.

Below our recommendations for best desktop Mac monitor we test and review the best portable displays for Mac if you want to take a larger display out on the road.

Apple sells displays for its Macs, and you could go with its offerings, but its displays are a quite bit more expensive than what third parties have. Buying from a different company may mean you may not get a feature that Apple offers, but it may also be a feature that you don’t need, depending on how you use the monitor. Note there are compatibility issues for plain M1, M2 and M3 Macs, which, unlike M1/M2/M3/M4 Pro/Max/Ultra MacBooks, can’t natively connect to more than one external display. Fortunately, we can show you how to connect multiple monitors to M1, M2 and M3 Macs.

There are plenty of companies that have great monitors that you can use with your Mac, without having to take out a second mortgage. Our sister publications Tech Advisor and PCWorld have tested several displays, and we list their top-rated ones that we have been able to confirm work with Macs, alongside the monitors we have reviewed below. Here are our recommendations in order, starting with Apple’s most expensive.

Best Mac monitors 2025: Desktop recommendations






Apple Pro Display XDR – Apple's top-end professional 6K display














Pros

Phenomenally well-specced

Peak brightness of 1,600 nits, stunning picture quality


Cons

Seriously expensive (but this isn’t a consumer display)

Stand not included








Price When Reviewed:

5 499 €



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€5499 at Apple





Size: 32-inchResolution: 6K (6016×3384 pixels)Connections: Thunderbolt 3 (96W PD), 3x USB-CWebcam: NoStand: Height, Tilt, Rotation stand extra $999/£949Orientation: Landscape; Portrait with stand

Apple’s highly specced Pro Display XDR is a stunning piece of engineering, and we found it hard to find fault with the picture quality and colour output, but at that price and with these features this is a display for a very specific audience. 

The XDR is phenomenally well-specced: it’s 32in and 6K, offering 40 percent more screen space than Apple’s 5K displays, and offers a peak brightness of 1,600 nits (or 1,000 sustained). But it comes with a seriously eye-watering price tag, especially if you want to include the Pro Stand for adjustability and pivoting.

While this is an expensive monitor by consumer standards, but it really isn’t a consumer monitor. It’s intended for a professional audience.

Picture quality is maintained at ultrawide viewing angles, thanks to industry-leading polariser technology. This is so that a creative team can gather round a single monitor and evaluate a photo, video or design project without suffering a loss of consistency.

Connected via Thunderbolt, it can charge a MacBook at up to 96W.–Neil Bennett

Read our full

Apple Pro Display XDR review






Apple Studio Display – Apple's 'affordable' 5K production monitor














Pros

Handsome design

Good image quality

Impressive spatial audio

12MP Ultra Wide camera with Center Stage


Cons

High starting price and costly upgrades

No HDR or ProMotion

Changing stand after purchase requires a service call















Size: 27-inchResolution: 5K (5120×2880 pixels)Connections: Thunderbolt 3 (96W PD), 3x USB-CWebcam: 12-megapixelStand: Tilt. Height-adjustable stand extra $400/£400Orientation: Landscape; Portrait with $1,599/£1,499 VESA mount adapter

As a production display, the Studio Display is still expensive but is an affordable alternative to the Pro Display XDR. Buyers will enjoy its handsome design, good image quality, and impressive spatial audio, but you can save a lot of money by going with a non-Apple display.

Apple displays have always produced very good image quality, and the Studio Display continues that tradition. Colors are rich, contrast is good, and the brightness is suitable for most tasks.

The Studio Display has a tilt-adjustable stand, but it does not pivot between landscape and portrait modes, like the Pro Display XDR, although a very expensive WESA mount does add a portrait option. You can get a stand that provides about four inches of height adjustment but it doesn’t come cheap. The price tag for the tilt- and height-adjustable stand is a whopping $400/£400 more.

The Studio Display has six speakers (four force-canceling woofers, and two high-performance tweeters) that sound better than any display we’ve used.

Connected via Thunderbolt, it can charge a MacBook at up to 96W.–Roman Loyola

Read our full

Apple Studio Display* review






Samsung M8 Smart Monitor (2024) – Best 32-inch 4K display














Pros

Competitive price

32-inch display with 4K resolution

Built-in Wi-Fi with support for AirPlayAdjustable stand (height, tilt, pivot)


Cons

No Ethernet

Some features require a Samsung account

No support for DCI-P3















Size: 32-inchResolution: 4K (3840×2160 pixels)Connections: Micro-HDMI (with HDMI adaptor), 1x USB-C (video), 1x USB-C peripherals, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 5, AirPlay, ThreadWebcam: HDStand: Tilt and height adjustable (included)Orientation: Landscape

Samsung’s M8 Smart Monitor has been a popular choice for home users since its launch in 2022, offering a 32-inch monitor with 4K resolution at a lower price than Apple’s expensive 27-inch Studio Display. The M80D model, also known as the fourth-generation update, offers several features that make it an excellent value for money at just $699.99/£549.

The glass panel on the M8 still provides 4K resolution with 400 nits brightness, but the M80D model updates several other features to ensure excellent value for money. The monitor comes in three parts that need to be assembled by hand, and the plastic casing used for the display and the detachable 1080p webcam feels flimsy. However, the M8 is not a mobile device, making it suitable for general day-to-day use when sitting on your desk at home.

The M8 supports HDR content and 99% of the sRGB color standard, which is accurate enough for basic graphics work, photo-editing, and presentations. Professional photographers or video-editors who require the more precise DCI-P3 standard will need to look at more expensive alternatives.

The M80D model has a different set of connectors, with one USB-C port, one HDMI, and two USB-A ports, whereas previous models had two USB-C and one HDMI ports. However, it still supports Bluetooth for connecting additional peripherals, wi-fi, and AirPlay for Apple devices. This allows users to stream audio to the M8’s speakers or mirror the display from their Mac or iPad to the M8 without using a cable.

The M8 can be used as more than just a basic computer monitor. It has a built-in ‘entertainment hub’, which includes apps for Netflix, YouTube, Xbox gaming service, and a web browser. Some functions are not available to Mac users, such as the ability to pair the display with a Samsung Galaxy watch for fitness data monitoring, and there’s an Easy Settings app only available for Windows users. Samsung could improve the on-screen menus and controls for the M8 to make them more straightforward.

Despite the build quality not up to Apple standards and the untidy on-screen menu system, the M8 remains an affordable and attractive 4K display for home users, outperforming Apple’s more expensive Studio display–Cliff Joseph.

Read our full

Samsung M8 (M80D, 2024) review






Alogic Clarity Pro Touch Display – Best Mac touchscreen display














Pros

Impressive 4K 60Hz touchscreen

Fantastic adjustable stand


Cons

Fiddly Mac touchscreen software install

Hub doesn’t daisy-chain extra displays















Size: 27-inch or 32-inchResolution: 4K (3840×2160 pixels)Connections: USB-C (65W PD), USB-B, 2x HDMI, DisplayPortWebcam: 8-megapixel (retractable)Stand: Height, Tilt, Swivel, RotationOrientation: Landscape and portrait

The Alogic Clarity Pro Touch offers Mac users a large, premium touchscreen on a monitor that boasts one of the best height-adjustable, tilt and pivot stands that we’ve tested. It’s a precision, 10-point multitouch, One Glass Solution (OGS) touchscreen that combines the monitor’s protective layer with its input layer via a conductive medium keeps the Clarity Pro Touch’s screen as thin as the other Clarity monitors, while maintaining the monitor’s bright picture.

Touchscreens are useful for artists and video professionals, with many pro tools having accurate touch functionality that beats using a mouse. It’s a more intuitive way to fine-tune levels and effects in photo-editing or music mixing, in applications such as Adobe Lightroom and Audition, and Apple Pro Logic.

Alogic has an optional accessory, the $199 Clarity Fold Stand, to better facilitate comfortable drawing or interacting onscreen—the articulating stand securely holds the monitor raised at an angle like a drafting board. It can rotate 360° so that you can share work with colleagues.

We did find the touchscreen setup a little fiddly as you have to install drivers for Mac, but once up and running, the operation was smooth.

The height-adjustable stand offers a versatile swivel and tilt experience, and the screen can be used in either landscape or portrait modes.

Its retractable webcam automatically raises itself from within the monitor when an app requires it, and then auto-retracts when it’s no longer needed.

The 27-inch Pro Touch and new 32-inch Max Touch are the top-end of Alogic’s Clarity range of monitors: the entry-level Clarity (reviewed below) boasts the same premium screen but isn’t a touchscreen and lacks the webcam; the Clarity Pro is also non-touch, but does come with the smart webcam.–Simon Jary

Read our Alogic Clarity Max Touch review for a closer look at the larger touchscreen model.







BenQ GW2790QT – Best budget Mac display














Pros

Thin frame

Sharp and stress-free image quality


Cons

USB ports difficult to access

No high-speed USB ports















Size: 27-inchResolution: 2K (2560×1440 pixels) aka HDConnections: HDMI, DisplayPort 1.2, USB-C, and the integrated hub offers three USB 3.2 ports and one USB-C portWebcam: NoStand: Height, TiltOrientation: Landscape

The GW2790QT monitor from BenQ is a 27-inch IPS monitor with a maximum resolution of 2K and a brightness of 350 nits. It offers a color gamut of 99 percent of sRGB and can be selected for gaming, M-Book, or film. The monitor’s color gamut is good, but homogeneity decreases towards the edges.

The monitor features Low Blue Light Plus technology, which filters out blue-violet radiation harmful to the eyes, and automatic adjustment of screen brightness. A display coating is designed to reduce glare. The monitor can be rotated 20 degrees in any direction, tilted 5 degrees downwards and upwards, and the entire screen can be rotated 90 degrees into portrait format.

In addition to HDMI, DisplayPort 1.2, the USB-C port provides 65 watts of power delivery for the MacBook, while another DisplayPort is available for connecting a second monitor. The integrated hub offers three USB 3.2 ports and one USB-C port with 5 gigabits per second speed.

The monitor has built-in speakers and a microphone optimized for video conferencing, equipped with noise filter and noise cancellation. A USB-C connection to the Mac is required for use. The monitor has a series of buttons for operation, including the integrated microphone, noise filter, Low Blue Light Plus, menu control, and on/off button.

For an additional $20, the display comes with a practical Yogi Pad set, which serves as an iPhone holder, universal shelf, and studs for stacking building blocks. While not the fastest monitor, it is suitable for general office use and does not require professional editing.–Thomas Bergbold.

Read our full

BenQ GW2790QT review






BenQ PD2730S – Best budget 5K Mac display














Pros

Excellent image quality

Handy set of software utilities for color professionals

Nano Matte Panel cuts down glare and reflections

Height-adjustable stand


Cons

No webcam

60Hz refresh rate may discourage gamers














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Size: 27-inchResolution: 5K (5120×2880 pixels)Connections: Thunderbolt 4 (90W PD), Thunderbolt 4 (15W), HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, 10Gbps USB-C, 2x 10Gbps USB-A, audio mini-jackWebcam: NoStand: Height, Tilt, RotationOrientation: Landscape and portrait

The BenQ PD2730S 5K Designer Monitor is a 27-inch display that’s a new addition to the company’s DesignVue lineup of displays geared towards designers, graphics professionals, video producers, and anyone else who demands color accuracy and consistency, and top-notch image quality. Its size and resolution make it a direct competitor to Apple’s Studio Display.

The PD2730S was a pleasure to look at daily. The detail it produces is sharp and satisfying; I used the display with an M4 MacBook Pro, which has a mini-LED panel (what Apple calls Liquid Retina XDR) and it looks nice, but the PD2730S is much crisper. The colors produced by the PD2730S are great, too. BenQ promotes the PD2730S as a display that’s “always accurate” and has “consistent colors” thanks to the company’s AQColor technology.

BenQ also offers two software utilities for adjusting color. The Display ColorTalk app helps you set up your MacBook and the PD2730S so that the colors match between the two as closely as possible. The Palette Master Ultimate app works with hardware calibrators and can be used to create custom color profiles. Both apps are free and helpful to photographers, designers, and anyone else who deals with colors on a professional level.–Roman Loyola

Read our full

BenQ PD2730S review






Dell UltraSharp U2723QE – Best budget 4K Mac display














Pros

Manager software

Good price-performance ratio

Many connections

Wide range of setting options


Cons

Plasticky design

Ports difficult to access















Size: 27-inchResolution: 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels)Connections: 2x USB-C PD, 5x USB-A, gigabit ethernet DP-in/DP-out, 1x HDMI, USB-C upstream (for daisy chain)Webcam: NoStand: Height, Tilt, SwivelOrientation: Landscape

Dell advertises the U2723QE with “exceptional contrast.” This is made possible by the panel’s IPS Black technology. Indeed, the screen offers an unusually high contrast ratio of 2000:1: black looks like black, and colors are very clearly distinguishable. Thanks to its wide color space support (100 percent Rec.709, 100 percent sRGB, and 98 percent DCI-P3) it is on a par with modern Apple LCDs.

The screen settings can be adjusted using the joystick on the back, or directly from the Mac desktop using the Dell Display and Peripheral Manager software. Here you can quickly adjust the brightness and contrast. There is also the option of defining a schedule for changing the brightness or contrast. If required, users can also define hotkeys for brightness and contrast control. However, the software works on the MacBook, Mac mini, and Mac Pro, but not on the iMac.

The ports on the back are hard to reach and not entirely in logical positions. The two connections at the front are also arranged at the bottom, which makes plugging them in from the bottom a gymnastics exercise every time. A side or rear-facing solution like Apple’s would be better here. But this display does offer a lot of ports, and it’s a complete USB-C docking station for MacBooks and a good extension for the Mac mini or Mac Studio.–Christian Rentrop

Read our full

Dell UltraSharp U2723QE review






Alogic Edge 40” Ultrawide QHD Monitor – Best flat widescreen Mac display














Pros

3440×1440 ultrawide screen

Accurate color

Apple-sensitive styling

Built-in USB hub


Cons

Low pixel density















Size: 40-inchResolution: UltraWide Quad HD (3440×1440 pixels)Connections: 5Gbps USB-C (90W PD), HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4, 2x 480Mbps USB-C (5W), Gigabit Ethernet, audio mini-jackWebcam: NoStand: Height, Tilt, RotationOrientation: Landscape

Two large screens side by side can be a big productivity booster, but one super-wide screen means no screen separation and removes issues with matching specs, meaning you avoid potential color, brightness, and display quality discrepancies if the two monitors have different specifications.

This 40-inch flat ultra-widescreen display—also available in a 34-inch model—saves you from buying two displays, each of which needs a connection to your Mac.

It creates a remarkable amount of convenient and ergonomic working screen space for a single monitor to maximize viewable multitasking apps and documents without the bezel gap and setting complications you get with a dual-monitor setup.

Picky creatives may prefer a higher pixel density but for general productivity users the 34-inch to 40-inch screen is even more spacious than having two monitors side by side.–Simon Jary

Read our full

Alogic Edge 40” Ultrawide QHD Monitor review






BenQ MA270U – Best budget rotatable Mac display














Pros

Great image quality

Nano Matte Panel cuts down glare and reflections

Height-adjustable stand


Cons

60Hz refresh rate may discourage gamers

No webcam















Size: 27-inchResolution: 4K (3840×2160 pixels)Connections: USB-C (90W PD), 5Gbps USB-C (15W), 2x HDMI 2.0, 2x 5Gbps USB-A, audio mini-jackWebcam: NoStand: Height, Tilt, RotationOrientation: Landscape and portrait

The MA270U has a Nano Matte Panel front but it’s not a piece of glass. As the name suggests, it’s not glossy, so glare and reflections are practically non-existent, even more so than with the pricey Nano texture glass on the Apple Studio Display.

A stand is included with the MA270U. Some displays sell the stand separately so there’s an additional cost consideration, but that’s not the case here. The stand offers a great range of adjustment: -5 to 20 degrees of tilt, swivels 15 degrees left or right, and 115 mm of height. The display can also pivot 90 degrees, a far greater range of motion than the Studio Display.

The MA270U can connect to a Mac through HDMI or USB-C. The USB-C connection offers 90 watts of power so it can charge your MacBook at the same time. If you want to use the display as a connection hub, you need to connect to the Mac via USB-C.

The one thing that’s immediately noticeable with the MA270U is its impressive image quality. Colors are full of life and the detail is excellent. One standout aspect of the image quality is how sharp text appears. This is great for production and design work, but it can even make it more enjoyable to read and write.

The BenQ MA270U offers image quality that could satisfy users in a production environment–that’s one way of saying that its quality is better than what general users usually get. You might be able to find a 27-inch 4K display that’s a little cheaper, but it won’t look this good.–Roman Loyola

Read our full

BenQ MA270U review






BenQ PD2706UA – Best ergonomic Mac display














Pros

Competitive price

Includes flexible ergonomic arm

Supports 100% sRGB

Good connectivity


Cons

Only supports 95% DCI-P3

400 nits max brightness (with HDR)

Weak speakers















Size: 27-inchResolution: 2K (2560×1440 pixels) aka HDConnections: 4x USB-A, USB-C, HDMI 1.4, 2x DisplayPort 1.2Webcam: NoStand: Height, Tilt, Swivel, Joint (Rotation)Orientation: Landscape

It’s a common criticism of Apple’s own displays that they don’t allow you to adjust the height of the screen unless you pay a ridiculous amount for an optional adjustable stand. Most rival displays do allow you to adjust the height, of course, but BenQ’s 27-inch PD2706UA goes even further. Rather than having a conventional stand, the PD2706UA includes an ergonomic arm that attaches to your desk and allows you to freely adjust the height, tilt and swivel, and even rotate it into the upright portrait mode with just a tap of your finger. You don’t have to pay a fortune for this flexibility either, as the PD2706UA provides an attractive 4K display for just $629.99/£549.99.

The ergonomic arm is designed to either clamp onto the edge of a desk or table, or attach to the circular grommets found on many pieces of office furniture. It does require a little patience to assemble properly, but the free movement of the screen will be a blessing for people who may have problems with their neck or shoulders, or simply for quickly swiveling the display into position to show your work to clients or colleagues.

The display provides 4K resolution with support for HDR10, which is good value at this price. Connectivity is good too, with HDMI and DisplayPort interfaces, along with one USB-C connector that handles video and provides 90W output for charging a laptop. It also includes a built-in USB hub that provides three USB-A ports and one USB-C (for data transfer only), as well as BenQ’s ‘hotkey puck’, which sits on your desk and provides a quick dial control for selecting display settings without using the traditional on-screen menus.

As always, BenQ keeps Mac users in mind by providing a Mac version of its DisplayPilot app, which provides features such as an ‘M-book’ mode that is designed to match the color settings on a Mac. The display also supports 100% of the sRGB color space, and 95% of DCI-P3, so it can handle a wide range of graphics and design tasks. Our only real complaint is that the display only provides modest levels of brightness – 350nits or 400nits with HDR – compared to 500nits for my office iMac. It also works with Benq’s Display ColorTalk and  Palette Master Ultimate color calibration tools.

The built-in speakers are pretty feeble too, but the PD2706UA does have a 3.5mm audio connector so you can use headphones or external speakers if you want to.

Some professional users might prefer a more expensive display that supports 100% of DCI-P3, but the PD2706UA will be a good, affordable option if you just need a 4K display for use at home or in the office, with the added bonus of the versatile ergonomic arm thrown in for good measure.–Cliff Joseph







Alogic Clarity 27in UHD 4K Monitor – Display with most adjustable stand














Pros

Impressive 4K 60Hz screen

Fantastic adjustable stand

USB-C hub with 90 watts of power 


Cons

No webcam

Hub doesn’t daisy-chain extra displays















Size: 27-inchResolution: 4K (3840×2160 pixels)Connections: USB-C (90W PD), USB-B, 2x HDMI, DisplayPortWebcam: NoStand: Height, Tilt, Swivel, RotationOrientation: Landscape and portrait

The Alogic Clarity is a stunning 27-inch display with built-in hub and a fantastic height-adjustable, tilt and pivot stand. It will appeal to Mac users with its Apple looks and is even, in some ways, a superior monitor to Apple’s own Studio Display, although its 4K resolution isn’t as sharp as Apple’s 5K screen.

The stand is one of the best we’ve seen, and easily beats Apple’s standard monitor stand.

It features multiple display connections and can power your MacBook at up to 90W via either USB-C or USB-B.

There is also a Clarity Pro model that features a built-in retractable webcam, although we prefer a standalone webcam (check out our favorite Mac webcams), as well as a touchscreen version reviewed above.–Simon Jary

Read our full

Alogic Clarity 27in UHD 4K Monitor review






Samsung ViewFinity S65TC – Best curved widescreen Mac display














Pros

Affordable

2 Thunderbolt 4 ports

Good contrast

Plenty of screen space

100Hz screen frequency


Cons

Pale colors

Low brightness

No webcam