Computer Monitor: Flat or Curved Display?

[dddave]

My old eyes get tired quickly when using my laptop's 14" display for anything beyond thirty minutes.  I've been using an older 17.5" flat display monitor and it helps but I've decided to go larger: 24" to 28" for increased readability and for enhancing video content.

There are many models on Lazada for reasonable prices with both flat displays and curved.  

When curved TV's hit the market some years ago, I wasn't impressed as it appeared viewing angles were critical and one had to sit close to center.

With a monitor, one is viewing from much closer (about 32" in my case) and centered anyway so perhaps not so much an issue.

I am not a gamer.  Mostly email, forums, news sites, YouTube and Netflx.

Flat screen Vs. Curved??  Opinions??  Experiences??

[Woof999]

Personally I use multiple ultrawide 34" screens that have a subtle curve (about 6000R I beiieve). The newer screens that have a much more pronounced curve don't sit so well with me.

 

In your shoes I'd go for the biggest screen you can afford (or justify). 28" would be the minimum I would go for personally, and stick to flat. Resolution is at least as important as size. If you only browse the odd web page and watch a few videos then 1920x1080 is still an OK resolution for you. Mine are 4k, but as I've gotten older I need to increase the font sizes.

 

When the monitors I have now (Samsung SE790C) break, I'll be buying the same equivalent model again. For me they are perfect. For you, perhaps overkill, but I use the computer pretty much all day.

 

Your mileage may and probably will vary.

[tomazbodner]

Given what you plan to do with it, you may wish to consider matte rather than gloss display. I don't know about other brands, but apart from insanely expensive nano coat on Apple display, HP has EliteDisplay and Z display, which are targeted at office work for people who stare at the screen the whole day (like me). Probably Lenovo and Dell have something similar as well.

 

As these displays have literally no reflection, the image is very crisp and legible, so your eyes don't get tired like they do on glossy home displays.

 

Given my eyes are also not what they used to be, despite using 5k display when typing this now, I actually prefer 24-27" FullHD displays for everyday work. With this resolution and matte coat, they are just so gentle on the eyes.

 

If you're into media and gaming - then high contrast glossy display, flat up to 27" and possibly slightly curved if over 30" makes more sense.

[Pmbkk]

I was looking at TVs recently - I have a large Samsung curved TV for the living room, I was looking for a smaller version(27/32') for one of the guest bedrooms - Samsung has stopped making them due to issues - but mine has been working fine for 5 years.

 

Again this is TV, don't know re monitor. The screen viewing is definitely better when looking at an angle. However with a pc monitor I'm usually sat right in front of it so I don't know if there would be much benefit.

 

 

[Mac Mickmanus]

16 minutes ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

 mine is curved--the gf seems to like it  ????

Why does your girlfreind prefer a curved screen , rather than a flat screen ?

[ChrisKC]

Not sure I can answer this question directly, but for me, this is just the kind of product I wouldn't buy from the internet.

 

There are plenty of stores that do exceptional deals but important as anything, you can examine each type directly and ask various questions to help with your decision. 

[JeffersLos]

10 hours ago, dddave said:

Mostly email, forums, news sites, YouTube and Netflx.

 

10 hours ago, dddave said:

one is viewing from much closer (about 32" in my case)

Use a 42" Full HD TV instead of a monitor. 

[HarrySeaman]

If you have only a single large high resolution TV or monitor on your computer think about how far you will be from it to be comfortable.  Let me explain.

 

I use dual flat screen monitors.  I used to do a lot of photography, and still do some, so I wanted a setup that would let me use an image editing program on one HD monitor and have the image editing window on a second monitor.  They are a BenQ PD2500Q 25-Inch QHD (2560 x 1440) 16:9 IPS Monitor (pixel pitch 0.216 x 0.216 mm = 117 ppi) for the image and a LG 23MP65HQ 23" (1920x1080) 16:9 IPS monitor (pixel pitch 0.24795 x 0.24795 mm = 102 ppi) for the program.

 

For normal use I can have two different programs opened in individual windows on each monitor at once, for a total of four programs.  I can expand any program to fill a full monitor.  The monitors are angled toward me.

The total dimensions of the two screens is about 1 m (39") wide and about 30cm (13") high.  My eyes are about 0.8m (31") from the screens and I have special glasses that give me sharp vision at this distance.

 

If you have a very wide monitor or dual monitors like I have is you wind up looking at only one screen/side or the other most of the time, thus your head is on a swivel.  If I was using a meter wide HD TV for a monitor my head would be constantly swiveling both side to side and up and down.

 

Figure out how far your eyes are from your monitor, getting special glasses for this distance if necessary, then try out various HD TVs in the stores.  Find the size, flat or curved, that is most comfortable for you.  Higher resolution is never wasted.

[Mutt Daeng]

1 hour ago, JeffersLos said:

 

Use a 42" Full HD TV instead of a monitor. 

That's what I do. (40")

[Digitalbanana]

I had a curved 27" Samsung screen for a few years and was so pleased with it bought another to double the number of screens. It does help on the eyes vs a laptop screen. Both are higher res than FHD, something like 2K as FHD doesn't do it for me.

 

Unfortunately the exact same Samsung model was no longer sold so I had to buy their updated unit with the same size but different frame design, similar slightly higher price but the build quality was nothing short of a POS.

 

The curved screen is just a flat screen bent into a curved frame. On the original model this was clamped into the frame and secure. On the newer model the screen is unbelievably just glued onto the outside of the curved frame at the top with nothing to clamp it on, so within six weeks the screen peals away due the force of the screen trying to return to its original flat built format and leaving an annoying white light emitting from the gap created.

 

Rather than fix it, simple solution was black insulation tape all around top edge of screen.

[JeffersLos]

The bonus of using a TV is that you're not destined to have to sit in one place, you can use a wireless keyboard and mouse, so if you have a living room dining room set up together, you can put on your netflix or youtube, take the wireless keyboard and mouse to the dining table or coffee table and do other things, or watch them from the sofa. That's a big advantage over using a small monitor on a computer desk. 

 

You can also change the resolution and screen size on the computer so that it isn't full screen on the TV, if you are using it up close.

[BritManToo]

13 hours ago, dddave said:

Flat screen Vs. Curved??  Opinions??  Experiences??

65" LCD TV is my choice of computer screen.

Don't understand why anyone would go smaller these days.

[kiteman9]

 

Any modern laptop should be able to connect to whatever external monitor you have, but you may need to get creative. The first step is to figure out what outputs your laptop supports. It's likely going to be HDMI, mini-HDMI, a USB-C port with Thunderbolt and / or DisplayPort support, DisplayPort, or Mini DisplayPort.

[vinci]

you can plug in any monitor size you like and it still work, but that is not the problem, most computer monitor support 1080p, the bigger you go the bigger graphic cards you will need to support higher resolution, if not you will get pixelated.

 

[dddave]

4 hours ago, JeffersLos said:

 

Use a 42" Full HD TV instead of a monitor. 

I actually do the same in another residence with a 40" TV and like it.  The issue here is my computer space is a small alcove with limited room for a monitor; 28" max.

I like using the alcove because no windows near-by, thus no reflections

[bert bloggs]

13 hours ago, Pmbkk said:

I was looking at TVs recently - I have a large Samsung curved TV for the living room, I was looking for a smaller version(27/32') for one of the guest bedrooms - Samsung has stopped making them due to issues - but mine has been working fine for 5 years.

 

Again this is TV, don't know re monitor. The screen viewing is definitely better when looking at an angle. However with a pc monitor I'm usually sat right in front of it so I don't know if there would be much benefit.

 

 

Our son bought us one of those 65 inch curved screen tvs,hated it,in the end went back to flat screen , must admit wouldnt like a curved screen computer either

[Freddy42OZ]

I use a 4K 43" Samsung TV as my computer display. 

Great for media and loads of screen space for working. 

[flexomike]

13 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Why does your girlfreind prefer a curved screen , rather than a flat screen ?

Don't think he was talking his TV

[chalawaan]

Google says flat. That was easy!

[khunPer]

I was considering a 32" curved monitor, but it seems like some pixels might not be working due to the curved screen and that kind of failure is not under warranty. I instead bought a flat 27" Philips monitor instead of my flat 24", and that is very fine. It's said that too large monitors fairly close makes it difficult to view the screen without moving you head; I tried using a 32" TV as monitor, duplicating the normal screen, and yes, it can be too large on a desktop. However it's a personal subjective impression, we are all different...????

[Pdavies99]

Is it not possible that you need an eye test (straining to view a monitor?)

 

In the UK it is often the norm to be recommended glasses specifically set up for watching a monitor at say 24 inches distance.

[extercy]

I would go with a TV if you have HDMI on your laptop for your usage. TVs with VGA ports are getting harder to come by. Not much point paying more for pixels that you will never fully utilize. TV comes with speakers which helps with Youtube and Netflix thru HDMI.

TV with a Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse combo is what I have been using for a few years, single or dual - extended screen mode. For single screen mode, I just place a magnet on the laptop sensor to switch off the laptop monitor. I do this so I do not need to open and close the laptop monitor to have single screen mode on TV... and also for cooling of the laptop.

 

[dddave]

49 minutes ago, extercy said:

I would go with a TV if you have HDMI on your laptop for your usage. TVs with VGA ports are getting harder to come by. Not much point paying more for pixels that you will never fully utilize. TV comes with speakers which helps with Youtube and Netflix thru HDMI.

TV with a Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse combo is what I have been using for a few years, single or dual - extended screen mode. For single screen mode, I just place a magnet on the laptop sensor to switch off the laptop monitor. I do this so I do not need to open and close the laptop monitor to have single screen mode on TV... and also for cooling of the laptop.

 

It's almost impossible to find a TV 32" or less that is 1080P.  They are all 720P which doesn't work well as a monitor as 720P does not render type very well, especially smaller fonts.

[FriendlyFarang]

I've had flat and curved screens on and off over several years (also used alternating at home/office), so I would say I have some experience with it.

In my opinion it doesn't matter for everyday use, choose whichever you like, you get used to it.

The only situation where it matters is if you do a lot of CAD, vector graphics etc. where it's important to see if a line is straight or not, working on a flat screen makes it easier to see this. It's still possible to do this on a curved screen, so if you do this occasionally don't worry, if you do it every day get a flat one.

[ignis]

Been using for about 16 years a TV 32" as a monitor, then used a 42" was not that good + really to large so bought about 6 months ago a 32" Curved 'Acer' Monitor.....  Great

 

As already said difficult these days to find a TV with 1920 x 1080 or above.

[Digitalbanana]

On 5/31/2022 at 10:43 AM, kiteman9 said:

Any modern laptop should be able to connect to whatever external monitor you have, but you may need to get creative.

Is it possible to get more than one ext monitor running off a laptops single USB-c port with some sort of USB-c port adapter/splitter?

[kiteman9]

2 hours ago, Digitalbanana said:

Is it possible to get more than one ext monitor running off a laptops single USB-c port with some sort of USB-c port adapter/splitter?

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/baseus-16-ports-in-1-usb-c-hub-project-three-computer-screens-type-c-to-multi-hdmi-usb-30-with-power-adapter-docking-station-for-macbook-pro-rj45-otg-usb-usb-hub-i508760364-s3124946187.html?

[FriendlyFarang]

2 hours ago, kiteman9 said:

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/baseus-16-ports-in-1-usb-c-hub-project-three-computer-screens-type-c-to-multi-hdmi-usb-30-with-power-adapter-docking-station-for-macbook-pro-rj45-otg-usb-usb-hub-i508760364-s3124946187.html?

Seems to be only possible with the "17 in 1" version which is currently sold out though.

I didn't look at the spec sheet, but it wouldn't surprise me if it does 4k only at 30hz, or only up to 1080p or something like that if you connect multiple screens.

[lopburi3]

Expect OP has decided but another thing that can help old eyes is putting Windows into dark mode in settings.  Not all programs work well but for most it is a real eye saver having yellow text on black background.