Best HDMI 2.1 Monitors of 2026

275 nits is the number that decides whether this monitor is for you, so we'll lead with it: the 27GX704A-B is not the display for a desk facing a bright window. What the low brightness buys in return is a 1.5M:1 contrast ratio. OLED switches pixels off instead of dimming a backlight, and once you have spent an evening with it, the IPS panels here look like they are viewing the same scene through a gray film.

Motion is the other half of the argument. 240Hz with a 0.03ms response time is as quick as anything on this page, and what we noticed was the absence of smearing behind a fast camera pan. The glossy coating is a deliberate choice too: it reflects more sharply than matte, but color reads cleaner behind glass, and 98.5% DCI-P3 gives it something to show.

Two HDMI 2.1 ports, DisplayPort, three USB ports, and cables for both video connections come in the box — a small thing that saves a trip to the store when a console arrives the same week. The stand handles height, pivot, and swivel. The one place it trails is cover: two years against the three that a few of the others here carry, worth weighing if you keep a monitor for a decade.

4K at 160Hz is a strange amount of monitor to sell at this money, and Asus gets the fundamentals right: 3840 x 2160 on a 27-inch matte panel, a 0.16mm pixel pitch that makes a 1080p screen look coarse beside it, 95% DCI-P3, and certification for both G-Sync Compatible and FreeSync Premium.

The cable situation is the part to read twice. The box holds a DisplayPort cable, an L-shaped screwdriver, and the power cord, but no HDMI cable, which catches console buyers who assume the screen arrives with the lead it needs. Add an Ultra High Speed HDMI cable to the order and a PS5 or Series X gets the signal it is capable of; skip it and you will spend an evening wondering why the picture looks soft.

Where this one earns its place is motion handling. ELMB Sync lets the backlight strobing work at the same time as variable refresh, a combination that usually forces you to pick one or the other, and 160Hz on a 4K panel reads as smooth rather than merely fast. We also appreciated how little desk it takes: the stand's 8.4-inch depth leaves room for a keyboard and your wrists in front of it.

Three years of warranty with Asus's advanced replacement service puts it level with the longest cover here, on a panel where one dead pixel is far more noticeable than it would be at 1080p.

Twenty-four and a half inches is the smallest screen we are recommending, and after using it we think that counts as a feature for anyone who plays shooters rather than watches cutscenes. At 2560 x 1440 the pixel density is tight enough that a distant target reads as a shape instead of a smudge, the whole panel sits inside your field of view without a head turn, and 300Hz makes tracking feel continuous rather than sampled.

Both HDMI 2.1 ports run the full 300Hz, which is more than we expected at this money, and two DisplayPort 1.4 inputs plus a DP cable in the box mean a PC, a PS5, and an Xbox can all stay connected at once. FreeSync covers the variable-refresh side, and the stand does height, pivot, and swivel — adjustments budget monitors usually skip.

Two things to know before ordering. There are no built-in speakers, only a headphone jack, so plan on a headset or a pair of desk speakers. And the color arrives punchy: 130% sRGB is a lot of saturation for a desktop, so expect a session in the menu pulling reds and greens back toward neutral before it stops looking like a showroom demo.

The safety net suits the price — a 30-day money-back window and lifetime technical support from a brand most people have not bought from before.

Measure the desk first, because this monitor is 31.9 inches wide and that number is most of the decision. On a deep desk the 1800R curve does what a curve is for: the edges of the screen sit roughly as far from your eyes as the middle does, so a spreadsheet stops needing a head turn and a racing game fills your peripheral vision. On a shallow desk it is a wall.

The panel is VA, and that is a trade we are glad to take here. A 4000:1 contrast ratio gives dark scenes real depth, and 99% sRGB keeps the color honest enough for photo work. What you give up is speed: 160Hz is the slowest refresh we are recommending, so if your week splits between editing and Counter-Strike, know that this is the editing half of that pair.

Two HDMI 2.1 ports, DisplayPort, built-in speakers, and a stand with height, tilt, and swivel cover the practical side. We treat the speakers as a backup for a video call rather than a substitute for real ones, and at 22 pounds the monitor wants a second pair of hands plus a wall mount rated for the weight if you go that route.

Acer sells this as a 4K 160Hz monitor with a 320Hz mode, and that second number is what separates it from the other 4K screens here. The pitch is simple: 3840 x 2160 for the games that reward detail, and a doubled refresh for the ones that reward reaction time.

The rest of the sheet holds up for the money: IPS, 0.5ms gray-to-gray, FreeSync Premium, HDR, two HDMI 2.1 ports plus DisplayPort, and three years of parts-and-labor warranty. The stand is where the corners were cut — it tilts, but it does not rise, so screen height comes from a VESA arm or a stack of books.

What earns it a place on this list is the combination rather than any single number. Two HDMI 2.1 inputs on a 4K panel at this money means a console and a PC both stay connected, and the 160Hz mode is the one you will actually live in. Give it a calibration pass when it arrives: IPS panels at this price rarely look their best in the default picture mode, and confirm your graphics card is outputting 4K at 160Hz before deciding the panel is at fault.

The built-in speakers are a checkbox rather than a substitute for a pair of desk speakers, and for a buyer who cares more about resolution than contrast or a fancy stand, that is the whole trade.