Video editing is complicated and time-consuming. It’s also an expensive venture. You need a high-end PC with a powerful processor and graphics card, and an ultrawide monitor to help you do that.
Ultrawide monitors aren’t just great for gaming, but they’re also really great for editing due to the added visual real estate.
In this article, we’ll help you pick out the best curved monitor for video editing based on your budget, needs, and more.
What Do You Look For In Curved Monitors?
Whether you’re in the market for curved monitors or just a regular ultra wide flat monitors, it helps to pay attention to the following factors. These are what you’ll mostly find listed on their specs, and we’re here to help translate the technical stuff for you.
Screen Size
This is probably the biggest draw if you’re in the market for a new video editing monitor. The screen size is important because it affects the video editing process. It’ll also affect the graphics card’s power to run high-end software like DaVinci Resolve or Adobe Premiere Pro.
In most cases, you’d do well with a 21:9 monitor as you’d have a wider field of view for video editing. A 34-inch screen is more than enough for video editing, regardless if it’s a flat monitor or curved monitor.
Screen Resolution
Resolution measures the number of pixels that comprise the entire screen, and the higher the number of pixels, the better the quality of the video. Higher resolutions also give you sharper and bigger images.
A 34-inch curved monitor will probably get you an additional 1.3 million pixels, and that’s a handful for graphic designers.
You should be able to find the numbers on the monitor’s OSD, right alongside their refresh rates and G-Sync.
High Dynamic Range (HDR) Support
High resolution quality means a lot for video editing, and if you want high-resolution viewing, you need to find a monitor that has HDR support. The latest curved monitors and flat monitors are equipped with HDR support and other important technology.
Panel Types
An important factor to consider is the panel type. IPS and VA panel types are great choices, but they are expensive. IPS panels tend to be more expensive but recent upgrades to technologies used by computer monitors are reducing the effect of panel type on the monitor price.
A good example is the mini-LED backlight technology and high 8K resolutions are available in IPS monitors.
Video editors and graphic designers lean towards IPS panels because they have better contrast than other panel types.
What Is The Best Curved Monitor for Video Editing?
If you’re ever in the market for a new curved monitor, then you’re in luck. We’ve listed down some of the best curved monitors in the market right now. They’re not arranged in any particular order, so feel free to find which one’s good for video editing.
Dell UltraSharp U3421WE
The Best Curved Monitor Money Can Buy
SPECIFICATIONS
- Screen Size: 34.1-inch
- Aspect Ratio: 21:9
- Resolution: 3440 x 1440
- Curvature radius: 1900R
- Panel type: IPS
Why Buy It?
- Excellent color production
- USB-C with 90W power delivery
Why Avoid It?
- Expensive
- Only 3440×1440 resolution
First on the list is the 34-inch Dell Ultrasharp U3421WE, which is probably the best curved monitor for video editing that money can buy. Literally.
The Dell Ultrasharp U3421WE sports an IPS LCD panel technology, which is uncommon amongst curved monitors, and gives you amazing color and contrast accuracy compared to VA-type curved monitors. Dell Ultrasharp U3421WE’s wide gamut panel also gives you excellent color reproduction at 99% sRGB, 99% Rec. 709, and a whopping 95% of the DCI-P3 color space. This monitor competes with the display systems found on 120Hz gaming laptops.
However, we’re quite disappointed that the Dell Ultrasharp U3421WE is less than your 4K resolution, so it’s got about a 109ppi pixel density. It’s not crisp enough that you get a Retina-like effect when you look closely at images or videos.
But all in all, the Dell Ultrasharp U3421WE is a solid choice if you don’t mind that it’s not a 4K monitor.
Dell UltraSharp 40 Curved U4021QW
The Best 40 Inch Curved Monitor In The Market
SPECIFICATIONS
- Screen Size: 39.7-inch
- Aspect Ratio: 21:9
- Resolution: 5120 x 2160
- Curvature radius: 2500R
- Panel type: IPS
Why Buy It?
- Higher than 4K resolution
- Practical 21:9 Aspect Ratio
- Excellent color space coverage
Why Avoid It?
- Expensive, but worth the money
All right, if you really want 4K curved monitors then look no further than the Dell UltraSharp 40 Curved WUHD Monitor. This humungous monitor sits at 40-inches and brags a 21:9 ultrawide display with 5120×2160 resolution.
The Dell UltraSharp 40 Curved WUHD Monitor sports a 2500R screen curvature radius, so you get 929mm viewable screen width, so everything is just visible even within the corners.
The Dell UltraSharp 40 Curved WUHD Monitor’s resolution gives you genuine 4K/UHD vertical resolution with additional pixels to help you fill in the 21:9 aspect ratio. The color accuracy is just as impressive at 100% sRGB, 100% Rec.709, and 98% DC-P3 color space.
If money is not an issue, the Dell UltraSharp 40 Curved WUHD Monitor is a solid choice as it goes beyond being just a video editing monitor. Watching movies or gaming on this beast will probably be a unique experience in itself.
Gigabyte G34WQC
Best Budget Curved Monitor for Video Editing
SPECIFICATIONS
- Screen Size: 34-inch
- Aspect Ratio: 21:9
- Resolution: 3440 x 1440
- Curvature radius: 1500R
- Panel type: VA
Why Buy It?
- HDR10 certified
- Decent color coverage
Why Avoid It?
- Not an IPS Panel
- Less than 4K resolution
If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on a video edit monitor, then consider the Gigabyte G34WQC.
The Gigabyte G34WQC is a good example of a budget curved monitor because it doesn’t compromise on screen resolution. It has the same 3440×1440 pixel density as the first monitor, but the Gigabyte G34WQC is way cheaper.
Now, the compromise you do need to make is the color coverage, the lack of 4K display, and the VA panel type. But these are all minor drawbacks compared to what kind of value you’re getting with the Gigabyte G34WQC. At best, you still get a 1ms response time and 144Hz refresh rate. Combined with the AMD FreeSync support, video editing and gaming on this monitor is going to be a pleasant experience.
ASUS ProArt Display PA34VC
Curved Monitor with Excellent Color Accuracy
SPECIFICATIONS
- Screen Size: 34-inch
- Aspect Ratio: 21:9
- Resolution: 3440 x 1440
- Curvature radius: 1900R
- Panel type: IPS
Why Buy It?
- 100%R sRGB Coverage
- Thunderbolt 3 Connectivity
- Factory Color Calibratd
Why Avoid It?
- Expensive
- Below 4K resolution
The ASUS ProArt line of monitors is designed with graphic artists and video editors’ needs in mind. And their entry into the curved monitors scene proves that they are good at what they do.
The ASUS ProArt PA34VC is a 34-inch curved display sitting at 3440×1440 resolution, capable of displaying 100% sRGB color space. It’s also factory color calibrated to the accuracy of Delta-e <2. It’s got uniform back-lighting so you see the image displayed on the entire screen surface.
And on top of that, the ASUS ProArt PA34VC makes for a good dual monitor setup when paired with a gaming laptop thanks to its Thunderbolt3 USB C ports.
LG 34WP85C-B
Best Value Curved Monitor for Video Editors
SPECIFICATIONS
- Screen Size: 34 inches
- Aspect Ratio: 21:9
- Resolution: 3440 x 1440
- Curvature radius: 1800R
- Panel type: IPS
Why Buy It?
- 95% P3 color coverage
- HDR10 support
- USB-C with power delivery
- IPS Color Consistency
Why Avoid It?
- Not 4K resolution
The LG 34WL75C may not be the cheapest curved display on here, but it’s also not the most expensive one either. It’s sitting at about $700, give or take. But don’t let the price tag fool you. LG 34WL75C’s a decent monitor for video editing because of its color accuracy and because it’s an IPS display too. The image quality on IPS panels is anything but terrible.
The LG 34WL75C is also good for video editing because of its HDR10 certification. You get to enjoy HDR content, from gaming to movies to photos, on the fly.
The downside here is that it’s not a 4K display, so it might be severely lacking compared to the other displays on here that share the same price tag. But again, you get what you paid for. The LG 34WL75C is a good buy, all things considered.
Samsung CHG90 QLED
Widest Curved Display That You Could Buy
SPECIFICATIONS
- Screen Size: 48.9-inch
- Aspect Ratio: 32:9
- Resolution: 3840 x 1080
- Curvature radius: 1800R
- Panel type: VA
Why Buy It?
- Uber-wide aspect ratio
- HDR support
- 92% Adobe RGB coverage
Why Avoid It?
- Very expensive
- 1080p vertical only
If you want the widest curved monitor for video editing, then the only thing on your list should be the SAMSUNG 49-Inch CHG90, or the Samsung CHG90.
It measures at a whopping 49.5 inches and it will literally consume a lot of deskspace. But the visual real estate you’re getting beats out dual or multiple displays at any given time.
The Samsung CHG90 comes in with a 3840×1080 resolution and HDR support. Even though it doesn’t get you 4K resolution, the wide viewing angle makes up for it. Due to its immense size, you should be able to work on different photos and videos better than using multiple monitors.
The Wrap Up
So, is a curved monitor good for video editing? If we’re going for screen size here, then a curved screen should just be as competitively useful as flat screens. Screen real estate is the name of the game here, so you really want to make sure that the monitor you get has more than enough for your needs without having you use a secondary smaller screen.
What’s the best monitor on this list based on what we’ve shown you? Well, if you don’t mind spending the money, the Samsung 49-inch curved display is the best bang for buck if you want a lot screen real estate.
On the other hand, if you want peak brightness and all the color accuracy for photo editing or video editing, then you can’t go wrong with the Dell Ultrasharp U4021QW 40 Inch Curved.
