The 4 Best Multimedia Monitors - Spring 2025

The best monitor for movies and multimedia content that we've tested so far is the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM, which is a premium 4k QD-OLED monitor. The main advantage of getting this for watching content is that it has remarkable picture quality. Its QD-OLED panel displays deep and inky blacks in dark rooms, and a wide range of vivid colors that make your favorite content look realistic. It also makes small highlights pop against the rest of the image, which is ideal for watching HDR content.

However, one thing to know is that a QD-OLED like this performs best in a dark room. Using it in a bright room causes the black levels to rise, making them look purple, and for dark colors to desaturate quickly. That said, even if you want to use it in a room with some lights around, it gets bright enough to fight glare and has fantastic picture quality. Another positive is that it supports Dolby Vision, so it can take full advantage of content available in that format. However, if you don't need that and prefer a monitor with a built-in smart platform so you don't even need a PC to stream content, then check out the Samsung Odyssey OLED G80SD S32DG80. It performs similarly, but with a matte screen coating, images aren't as clear as on the glossy coating of the ASUS.

If you find that the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM is too expensive but still want premium picture quality, then check out the Dell Alienware AW2725Q. It costs less than the ASUS, and you can also get it directly from Dell's website if you can't find it available through retailers. The main difference is that it doesn't get as bright as the ASUS, so it performs worse in bright rooms, but like with the ASUS, it looks best in a dark room anyway. Another difference is that it isn't as accurate in HDR, because it displays some dark content brighter than what the creator intended, but this is the trade-off for getting something cheaper.

While that's one downside, it still has all the positives that you'd expect from a QD-OLED. Blacks are deep and inky in dark rooms, and it displays a wide range of vivid colors with bright highlights. It also supports Dolby Vision and has a 4k resolution like the ASUS, so it delivers detailed images. That said, if you don't mind a 1440p QD-OLED that costs less, the MSI MPG 271QRX QD-OLED is another fantastic choice, but images aren't as detailed, and it doesn't support Dolby Vision.

Should you want something in the mid-range price category, there are some great options you can find that are cheaper than the Dell Alienware AW2725Q. One of those is the ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG, which is another 27-inch OLED, but it has a few differences from the Dell. Firstly, it has a lower 1440p resolution, so images aren't as sharp and detailed. Another difference is that the ASUS has a WOLED panel and is not QD-OLED like the Dell, so the colors aren't vivid, which means it's a step down in overall HDR picture quality.

On the plus side, the ASUS offers all the benefits of an OLED with deep blacks in dark rooms. While the black levels rise in bright rooms like on the Dell, they don't rise as quickly. It also gets very bright for an OLED, so highlights really pop, and it fights glare in most well-lit rooms. However, if you want something brighter, you can also check out a Mini LED option like the Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx. It's a 4k display that usually costs less than the ASUS, but it doesn't display the same deep blacks because it isn't OLED.

If you're looking for the best monitor for watching movies and you're on a budget, there's a more limited selection of good monitors to choose from compared to higher-end displays. That said, there are still some options that are better than other entry-level displays for HDR, which is the case with the AOC Q27G3XMN. It's a 27-inch, 1440p display like the ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG, with the main difference being that it doesn't have an OLED panel. This means it doesn't have the same deep blacks without any blooming, but this is what you should expect from a budget monitor.

However, this monitor punches above its weight compared to its competitors because it's one of a handful of budget monitors to have Mini LED backlighting. This helps improve its contrast ratio, so it displays deep enough blacks against bright objects, but there's still some blooming. It also gets very bright, ideal to use in a bright room, and highlights pop in HDR. Plus, it has good reflection handling, but unlike the higher-end OLEDs, it has a matte screen coating instead of glossy, which introduces some haziness to images.