The Best Monitors For MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, Tested And Reviewed - Fall 2024

The Apple Studio Display is the best monitor for MacBook Pro that we've tested. It's one of two monitors available from Apple, as it's the lower-end version of the Apple Pro Display XDR, which is meant for professional content creators. While the Studio Display has fewer features than the Pro Display XDR, like the lack of HDR, it's still a great monitor, and it delivers sharp text clarity thanks to its 5k, 27-inch screen.

This monitor has an impressive selection of additional features, including a built-in webcam and microphone. It also includes four USB-C ports, but only one supports Thunderbolt 3 to display a video signal from your laptop. It even has exceptional accuracy before calibration thanks to its outstanding sRGB mode, which you can only access with a macOS device. Lastly, you can get it in different variants, as you can get the standard tilt-only stand, a height-adjustable stand, or one without a stand if you want to mount it. You can also choose between a glossy or matte screen finish, and regardless of which screen finish you choose, it doesn't have issues in a well-lit room, as it gets very bright.

If you want the most screen space possible to work with your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, look into an ultrawide display like the Dell U4025QW. It has different features than the Apple Studio Display as it doesn't have a webcam or mic, and it has a lower 5120x2160 resolution, which means that it has lower pixel density, but it still delivers very sharp text. It doesn't get as bright as the Apple monitor either, which means it isn't as good to use in a bright office space, but it's still fine if you have a few lights around.

However, it has a few advantages over the Apple monitor because its 40-inch screen has a wide 21:9 aspect ratio, so there's plenty of space to open multiple windows at once. It also has a massive USB hub that includes five USB-A ports and five USB-C ports, so you can easily connect various devices, which is great if you don't have ports available on your laptop. It even supports Thunderbolt 4 for fast data transfer, and you can even use this to daisy chain a second monitor if you want even more screen space.

Both the Dell U4025QW and the Apple Studio Display are high-end monitors with premium price tags, so if they're too expensive for you, an upper mid-range monitor is a good alternative, like the Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx, which often goes on sale. It has a 27-inch screen like the Apple monitor, and although it has a lower resolution, images are still full of detail, and it has sharp text clarity. It doesn't have as many features as the Apple or Dell monitors, either, as it lacks a built-in webcam and doesn't support Thunderbolt. Instead, its USB-C port supports DisplayPort Alt Mode with 90W of power, so you can easily connect your laptop and charge it.

Unlike the Apple monitor, it supports HDR and even delivers great picture quality in HDR. It has Mini LED backlighting with a decent local dimming feature that helps it display deep blacks against bright highlights, which is great for editing or watching content in dark rooms. It's even a great choice if you want to use it in a bright room, as it gets bright enough to fight glare. Lastly, it has much better ergonomics than the Apple monitor, making it very easy to adjust to your ideal position.

Although the Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx often goes on sale, if you want something cheaper, or you simply prefer a more office-oriented monitor, look into the Dell U2723QE. It has the same 27-inch screen size and 4k resolution as the Acer, so it displays the same detailed images, but its overall picture quality isn't as good. This is because it has a terrible local dimming feature, so blacks look gray in a dark room, and highlights don't pop in HDR. That said, this isn't an issue if you don't need a high-end monitor for video editing in dark rooms anyway. It still gets bright enough to fight glare in a well-lit room, though.

What makes this monitor great for use with a MacBook or MacBook Air is that it has a massive USB hub, making it easy to connect different devices. This is great for multitasking, and it includes a KVM switch so you can easily switch between devices and use the same peripherals on both. That said, if you don't need these extra features, you can also check out the cheaper Dell S2722QC, which is another 4k monitor that has a smaller USB hub.

If you're looking for something on a budget, check out the AOC Q27G3XMN. It's different from the Dell U2723QE as it has a lower 1440p resolution, so images aren't as sharp and detailed, and it doesn't even have a USB hub. This means you need to connect your laptop over HDMI or get a DisplayPort adapter, and it works well without issues once you do. However, the AOC has even better picture quality than the Dell, as it uses Mini LED backlighting, similar to the Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx. It has a good local dimming feature, so it displays deep blacks next to bright highlights, which is great if you want to use it in a dark room.

It's even a good choice if you're a content creator, thanks to its good picture quality. It also has an accurate sRGB mode, but there are some issues of a red tint depending on which combination of settings you use. One thing to know is that this monitor sometimes goes out of stock and is hard to find. If that's the case, the Acer Nitro XV275U P3biipx is another good choice with Mini LED backlighting, but it has worse accuracy before calibration.

If you don't want to spend too much money, consider an entry-level model like the Dell G2724D, which you can buy for a low cost directly through Dell's website. It has the same 1440p resolution as the AOC Q27G3XMN, but it has worse picture quality as it lacks Mini LED backlighting. It doesn't get bright enough for highlights to pop, and blacks look gray in a dark room. It also has far less vivid colors, but that's what you can expect with a cheaper display.

However, the Dell still works very well with a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, but like the AOC, you'll need to use an HDMI connection or a DisplayPort adapter. It's very accurate before calibration and gets bright enough to overcome glare in a bright room, so it's a good choice for doing basic work on your laptop. It even has wide viewing angles, which is great if you often need to share your screen with someone next to you.