Best Black Friday monitor deals: 4K displays and gaming monitors

Black Friday is finally upon us, which means we’re seeing loads of monitor deals springing up all over the place. If you’re drowning in a sea of choices, don’t worry, we’ll throw you a metaphorical life preserver.. We assembled a roundup of the best monitors available right now. From blazing fast high refresh rate gaming monitors to super sharp 4K workstations, there’s something for every type of buyer on this list. If you’re looking for something different, check out PCWorld’s complete Black Friday deals coverage.

Best Black Friday gaming monitor deals

There’s nothing more annoying than playing a competitive game on a monitor that lags. When every second matters, you need something that can keep up with the flow. That’s where gaming monitors come in. Their high refresh rates are designed to make your game look as smooth as possible. Check out the options below.

Lenovo G27-20, 27-inch 1080p display/144Hz refresh rate/AMD FreeSync, $229.99 (17% off at Lenovo)Samsung Odyssey G5, 27-inch 1440p display/165Hz refresh rate/FreeSync Premium (AMD Adaptive Sync), $269.99 (27% off at Best Buy)Dell G2722HS, 27-inch 1080p display/165Hz refresh rate/AMD FreeSync/Nvidia G-Sync compatible, $149.99 (46% off at Dell)Alienware AW2521HFL, 25-inch 1080p display/240Hz refresh rate/AMD FreeSync/Nvidia G-Sync compatible, $199.99 (43% off at Dell)The 240Hz refresh on the Alienware AW2521HFL is super fast, which means visuals on this monitor should look nice and smooth. That’s awesome for the price.

Want more options? Feel free to peruse PCWorld’s best gaming monitors roundup.

Best Black Friday 4K workstation monitor deals

Are you a content creator? If so, you should consider picking up a 4K monitor. These monitors are perfect for video editing thanks to their high resolution displays. They’re also a good pick for movie buffs. There’s nothing quite like watching your favorite flick on a 4K display, where the details are ultra-sharp.

ThinkVision P32p-20, 31.5-inch 2160p display/60Hz refresh rate/16:9 aspect ratio/4ms response time, $699 (32% off at Lenovo)Dell 32, 31.5-inch 2160p display/60Hz refresh rate/16:9 aspect ratio/5ms response time, $759.99 (20% off at Dell)Dell S2722QC, 27-inch 2160p display/60Hz refresh rate/4ms response time, $299.99 (25% off at Best Buy)Samsung LS32AM702UNXZA, 31.5-inch 2160p display/60Hz refresh rate/8ms response time, $199.99 (49% off at B&H)The ThinkVision P32p-20 is a solid deal because of its resolution, screen size, and response time. In other words, you’re getting the best bang for your buck.

For more workstations, go on and take a gander at PCWorld’s best 4K monitors roundup.

FAQ 1.
Are Black Friday monitor deals really worth it?

Yes, absolutely, you can find some great deals on monitors during the week of Black Friday—as evidenced by the great deals in the article above. Mind you, in some tech categories—like say, wireless earbuds or phone chargers—you’ll see discounts on off-brand gear we’d never recommend. But when it comes to monitors, highly reputable brands like HP, Dell, Samsung and Lenovo will drop prices on great models. PCWorld strives to only recommend deals on solid monitors that are experiencing legitimate pricing drops. To this end, we look for models that have reached or fallen below their all-time-low prices.

2.
Are Black Friday monitor deals lower quality?

No, there’s no reason why the monitor deals you find during Black Friday should be lower quality—at least if you focus on the big-name manufacturers like Samsung, Philips, LG, Dell, HP, Lenovo and so on. It’s true that some of the discounted monitors may be 2021 models, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Monitor tech moves rather slowly and there won’t be major quality differences between 2021 and 2022 models. The important thing is to get a monitor at a legitimately lower price—and we have done the heavy lifting to curate those legit deals.

3.
What should I look for in a Black Friday monitor?

Ah, we’ve arrived at the question of the hour.

Let’s first talk about refresh rate, which is important if you’re looking for a gaming monitor. The refresh rate is how fast a monitor can redraw the image on its screen. The faster the refresh rate, the smoother your visuals will look. For competitive first-person shooters, we’d recommend 120Hz as the minimum rate. Anything higher is good enough for the eSports realm.

Resolution is another important feature to consider. Much like the refresh rate, the higher the number, the better. We’re talking about the quality of images and video here. 1080p is the bare minimum for most monitors. However, if you’re a video editor, bumping the resolution up to 4K makes a massive difference, as it allows you to see more detail.

The final thing is the screen size. 27 inches is the most common and a good size for a home office. For gaming monitors, 24 or 27 inches is best. Sometimes a larger screen causes eye strain and if you’re going to be staring at one for hours, it’s better to go a bit smaller. For 4K monitors, 32-inches is a good option, as it gives you quite a bit of screen to work with.

4.
Where can I find the highest rated monitors?

PCWorld reviews new monitors every month. So, if you want to see the models we’ve rated the highest, check out our rankings for the best monitors of 2022. We also have more granular picks on the best gaming monitors, as well as the best 4K monitors for desktop workstations. Come Black Friday, a lot of our top picks may be on sale, so don’t limit your shopping only to the deals we’ve called out above.

5.
What Black Friday retailers should I check out?

Amazon’s going to have a slew of awesome deals. That’s a given. However, for monitors, you should definitely peruse the main pages of HP, Dell and Lenovo. Personally, I find myself going directly to the manufacturers more often than not. You can also widen your net and scope out other online retailers like Best Buy and Newegg.

6.
When is Black Friday 2022?

Black Friday is on Friday, Nov 25th 2022. If you consider yourself an avid deals hunter, we’d suggest going online in the early hours to take advantage of the best deals. Deals tend to change and expire at a breakneck pace.

7.
When is Cyber Monday 2022?

Cyber Monday is on Monday, Nov 28th 2022. For the best deals, we’d recommend logging on at midnight, as stock tends to deplete rather quickly.

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