Best HDR monitors in 2024

HDR, short for high dynamic range, is one of the most sought-after features in high-end monitors. Without getting too deep into it, HDR means a monitor can display a wider range of brightness levels while retaining visible detail. The way monitors usually work means that you have to choose between blowing out the highlights or losing all details in the shadows, because brightness is usually controlled for the entire display at the same time.

But with HDR, it's possible to have images with both bright and dark elements and have all of the images retain the intended details while keeping light and dark levels true to the original vision. It makes for an incredible experience if you're playing games on a gaming PC, or watching movies that support HDR.

To properly enjoy HDR, though, you'll need a good monitor that fully supports it. There are a lot of great HDR monitors out there, but we've rounded up some of the best options you can find right now.

The top HDR monitors in 2024

If you want the best HDR experience, you can't do much better than a QD-OLED panel. The Alienware AW3225QF is one of the latest models available, adopting the latest QD-OLED technology to deliver one of the absolute best experiences you can get.

This 32-inch QD-OLED panel is the world's first to come in 4K resolution, making it perfect for gamers who want to see every detail in their favorite games. But on top of that, it also boasts a 240Hz refresh rate, so it's also super smooth. Most PCs out there today can't play modern games at 4K and 240Hz, so this can be your monitor for years to come.

As far as HDR goes, this panel can hit 1,000 nits of brightness, and because it's an OLED panel, each pixel has its own backlight, so you get true blacks, bright whites, and everything in between. What's more, the panel is certified for VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400, as well as having support for Dolby Vision. The panel also covers 99% of the DCI-P3 color gamut.

The monitor has one DisplayPort 1.4 port support 4K at 240Hz using Display Stream Compression (DSC), and two HDMI 2.1 ports so you can play at 4K 120Hz on the latest consoles, with one of the ports even supporting eARC. It also serves as a USB hub with three USB Type-A ports and one USB-C port with charging capabilities.

Otherwise, the monitor has a gamer-oriented aesthetic, but it's very clean and elegant, so it fits well in almost any setup. It supports 110mm of height adjustment, tilting between -5 and 21 degrees, and it can swivel 20 degrees in either direction. Unfortunately, pivot isn't supported, so you can't use it in portrait orientation.

While it's definitely pricey, the Alienware AW3225QF is the best HDR experience money can buy right now.

If we're talking about HDR experiences, brightness is extremely important, and the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 leads the pack in this regard. This 32-inch monitor can reach a massive 2,000 nits of brightness and, thanks to mini-LED technology with 1,196 dimming zones, it provides stunning contrast levels that result in gorgeous and detailed visuals with super-bright highlights and dark shadows all preserving their detail.

Beyond that, this is simply a top-tier monitor overall. The panel comes in 4K resolution, so it's super sharp and perfect for watching content or even productivity. But it's also fantastic for gaming with its smooth 240Hz refresh rate and support for AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, making this an incredibly capable monitor for gaming that will stress even the most powerful PCs on the market today. Plus, it has a 1ms response time, so you'll never miss a beat in competitive games. The panel has 1000R curvature, bringing the edges of the screen into your peripheral vision, so you can game or work more comfortably.

You also get a height-adjustable stand with tilt, swivel, and pivot support, so you can easily make adjustments to the monitor, so it works perfectly for your setup. You also have a few inputs to connect multiple devices, with one DisplayPort 1.4 port and two HDMI 2.1 ports to make the most of the capabilities of this screen.

Such a high-end monitor has to come at a price, of course, but you can often find the Samsung Odyssey G8 well below its official $1,500 MSRP, which makes it very easy to recommend.

Dell's Alienware brand made a huge splash with the launch of the Alienware AW3423DW monitor in 2022, but the company quickly outdid itself with the AW3423DWF model, which is very similar, but with some small changes. Both models use a QD-OLED panel, and even though it's not the latest generation of QD-OLED, it's still terrific. It's a top-tier OLED monitor with up to 1,000 nits of brightness and DisplayHDR 400 True Black certification, so you'll get an HDR experience like no other.

This is also an ultrawide monitor with a 21:9 aspect ratio, which makes it perfect for immersive gaming experiences. The resolution is 3440x1440 and the refresh rate is 165Hz, so you'll be pushing your PC pretty hard to make full use of it, but that also means you'll be future-proof for a good few years. In fact, a screen like this can make your friends jealous for the foreseeable future. The G-Sync model had a slightly higher refresh rate of 175Hz, but considering this model is $200 cheaper, that's definitely worth the sacrifice.

More importantly, this model also comes with upgradeable firmware, whereas the G-Sync model would require you to send the monitor back to Dell if you needed an upgrade. Otherwise, this model also has a more subdued all-black look, and it actually looks sleek despite its gaming-oriented aesthetic. It also has two DisplayPort 1.4 inputs and one HDMI 2.0 port, in addition to serving as a USB hub with four USB Type-A ports.

At $1,000, this is an absolutely fantastic choice if you want an ultrawide monitor for gaming that also looks great when doing anything else. Non-gamers may not like the aspect ratio, but otherwise, it's one of the best monitors around.

What if you want the benefits of an OLED panel, like vivid colors, true blacks, and fantastic HDR, but without the curve that so many models seem to have? The Asus ROG Swift PG27ADM is for you.

This monitor has everything you need for a stellar HDR experience, with an OLED panel that can reach up to 1,000 nits of brightness, which combined with the self-emissive pixels of OLED, makes for some stunning visuals. That, paired with the Quad HD resolution and 240Hz refresh rate, makes this a fantastic monitor for gaming, giving you visual fidelity and smoothness. You also get stunning colors, since this OLED panel covers 99% of DCI-P3. All of that comes in a flat panel, something many do prefer over the curved displays we've looked at so far.

The design is a potential downside of this model, as it is a gaming monitor with a look some may find garish, and the three-legged stand may make it a bit harder to fit this one on a desk. However, you can turn most of the lighting effects off to get a cleaner experience. Looks aside, the design is great, as the stand supports 110mm of height adjustment, tilt between -5 and 20 degrees, 30-degree bi-directional swivel, and the ability to pivot in either direction for portrait mode. You also get one DisplayPort 1.4 input and two HDMI 2.0 ports for connecting multiple devices.

The Asus ROG Swift PG27ADM is still one of the best HDR monitors out there, if you want a flat screen, you really can't go wrong with it.

HDR is a fairly premium feature that requires some work to be built into a product, so monitors that support HDR generally aren't very budget-friendly. However, you can find some great cheaper options, and the Gigabyte M27Q is one of the best examples out there. This is an affordable monitor, but it still obtained DisplayHDR 400 certification, so it provides a solid baseline HDR experience. It can't rival the far more expensive options on this list, but it's a great way to get started if you have a more limited budget.

It still has other great specs, too.

We're specifically looking at the second revision of this product, and it comes with a Quad HD panel with a native 165Hz refresh rate that can be overclocked to 170Hz, plus it has a 1ms response time. The original model had a 170Hz refresh rate out of the box and a 0.5ms response time, but this revision supports 10-bit color depth and covers 95% of DCI-P3, so colors look more vibrant and realistic on this panel. It does use IPS technology, so the blacks won't be as deep as a VA or OLED panel, but this is still great for the price.

Rounding things out with the design, the Gigabyte M27Q comes in a very clean and professional look that makes this a great option for any setup you might want to use it in. Plus, it has a few ports, with DisplayPort, two HDMI, and a USB Type-C input. What's more, it has two USB Type-A ports and a Type-B upstream port, so it works as a KVM. What that means is that you can use the USB-C connection with one PC and the USB Type-B connection with another, and the peripherals you connect to the monitor can be used with either computer.

For under $300, which seems to be its most common price despite the $330 MSRP, this is a great way to get your first HDR experience, or simply something to get you by until you can afford one of the more expensive models.

For creators, there's much more to a monitor than HDR support, but the Asus ProArt PA32UCG is a monitor that combines the features creators need with the benefits of a top-end HDR experience. This 32-inch panel comes with a super-bright mini-LED panel that can reach 1,600 nits of peak brightness in HDR (1,000 nits typical maximum brightness), and it's even certified for VESA DisplayHDR 1400. That's one of the best HDR experiences you can get already, and with support for HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision, pretty much any HJDR content should be supported.

But on top of that, this is a super-sharp 4K monitor with stunning color reproduction Asus touts 100% coverage of sRGB, 99.5% coverage of Adobe RGB, and 98% coverage of DCI-P3. And if that's not enough, this is one of the rare monitors that has a color accuracy rating of Delta E < 1, exceeding the standard for the vast majority of users, and it includes a calibration tool, so you can ensure it's performing at its best. If you need to do color-sensitive work, it's hard to do much better than this. And let's not forget the screen also supports up to a 120Hz refresh rate with VRR support, so you could feasibly use it got some gaming, too.

Because it's designed for creators, the Asus ProArt PA32UCG looks much sleeker than other monitors on this list, and it will fit right on any desk. It also comes with a monitor hood to ensure that outside light can't affect the perceived colors on the screen. The monitor stand supports height, tilt, swivel, and pivot adjustment with a wide range of movement to fit your setup. It sports three HDMI ports, one DisplayPort 1.4 port, and one Thunderbolt port, though it can only provide 60W of power this way, which isn't enough for most creator laptops.

At nearly $3,000, the Asus ProArt PA32UCG is insanely expensive, but it's hard to get much better than this for creative professionals.

While OLED can deliver some of the best HDR experiences in the industry, not everyone is on board with that. OLED panels are a bit more prone to burn-in, and so you may prefer an IPS panel instead, but that doesn't mean you have to give up HDR. The Sony Inzone M9 is a great option, offering DisplayHDR 600 certification and full-array local dimming for a solid HDR experience without having to go with OLED or the more expensive mini-LED panels.

It's also just a great monitor in general, sporting 4K resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate (with Adaptive Sync and G-Sync compatibility) to take full advantage of high-end gaming PCs and the latest PlayStation and Xbox consoles. The IPS panel won't produce the deepest blacks, but it does have great color reproduction with 10-bit color support and 95% coverage of DCI-P3, on top of having a 1ms response time which makes it great for competitive gaming where quick reactions are essential.

The Sony Inzone M9 also has a minimalist look that fits well into any environment, and while it bears some resemblance to the PlayStation 5, it arguably looks better. Sadly, it's not the most adjustable monitor, lacking support for swivel or pivot, but it offers 70mm of height adjustment and 20 degrees of tilt.

The three-legged stand also provides a way to route cables through the center, so they come cleanly out the back and for ports, you get one DisplayPort 1.4 and two HDMI 2.1 inputs, plus a USB Type-C port for easy single-cable connectivity. The monitor has three USB Type-A ports for peripherals, and it also can be used as a KVM thanks to the additional USB Type-B upstream port.

It's a bit more on the expensive side, but the Sony Inzone M9 strikes a good balance of price and features, and if you can find it discounted, it's a great choice for HDR.

Gaming is all about immersion, and while HDR can definitely provide a much more realistic experience, having a big screen that curves around you can provide an experience like no other. The Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 57-inch is arguably the best monitor for immersion, and it also happens to offer a terrific HDR experience. It can hit a maximum brightness of 1,000 nits, and it's certified for VESA DisplayHDR 1000, so you get a fantastic HDR experience already with the ability to see details in the brightest and darkest parts of a scene.

But immersion really is the name of the game here, and this massive 57-inch panel has a 32:9 aspect ratio that extends well into your peripheral vision to make you feel like you're in the game. And you don't sacrifice visual fidelity for that huge size, either. This panel comes in a super-sharp Dual Ultra HD resolution, or 7680x2160, meaning it's basically the same as having two 4K monitors side by side. Plus, it supports up to a 240Hz refresh rate, so your games will run very smoothly. Of course, you'll need the PC hardware to back it up, and even premium PCs today won't be able to take advantage of these insanely high specs, but that just means you can use this monitor for years to come.

Design-wise, the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 feels very much in line with Samsung’s other monitors, but the huge display means this is a monitor you can't easily fit in just any setup. It may be hard to find space for this one. Thankfully, the monitor does look good, so at least you don't have any reason to hide it. Of course, it supports height, tilt, and swivel adjustments, and it has a lot of ports, including one DisplayPort 1.4 and three HDMI 2.1 inputs. It can also serve as a USB hub if you want to connect some peripherals to it.

With a price tag of $2,500, this monitor certainly isn't for everyone, but it offers an experience you can't really get anywhere, and that investment can last you a long time.

Best HDR monitors in 2023: The bottom line

HDR support isn't cheap, especially if you want a quality experience, so the choices above are a bit more expensive than what you might expect from monitors in general. However, these choices all offer great HDR experiences, and they're the best ways to experience your games and movies that support HDR. And if you want the best of the best, then the Alienware AW3225QF is the one you're looking for. With 4K resolution and a 240Hz refresh rate, plus 1,000 nits of brightness and the latest QD-OLED technology, there really isn't much better out there. It's not cheap, but it's not the most expensive option out there, either.

If you're looking for an affordable way to experience HDR for the first time, then the Gigabyte M27Q is the way to go. At under $300, it offers a great overall experience, with DisplayHDR 400, Quad HD resolution, 10-bit color support, and a 165Hz refresh rate. It's hard to complain about a setup like that at this price, and it's definitely a great way to get your foot in the door. If you don't care about HDR, we have a list of the best budget monitors that are even cheaper than this.