9 Curved vs Flat Computer Monitors excellent curved displays 2023

9 Curved vs Flat Computer Monitors excellent curved displays 2023

It doesn’t get more immersive than with the best-curved monitors. Skip the ancient flat screens and take a look at these curved beauties instead. They’re not just cool looking with a unique and somewhat futuristic design, these computer displays actually have some real benefits over the traditional flat monitors.

One of the benefits, of course, is how immersive they are. While flat displays suffer from edge distortion, the best curved monitors remedy that by equalizing the viewing distance at every point of the screen which ends up reducing potential eye fatigue and providing a wider field of view. In essence, you end up with a much more immersive viewing experience no matter if you’re editing photos and videos, bingeing the latest from Netflix, or are hours into the latest AAA game.

So, take the plunge and switch from a flat display to one of the best-curved monitors to get that immersion. Now is as good a time as any to look at the best ones available at the moment. Don’t forget to take advantage of our exclusive price comparison tool, so you know you’re getting the best deal available.

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Curved vs. Flat Monitors: What Are the Benefits of Curved Monitors?

Curved monitors have just started to catch on, despite being widely available for a few years. As monitors have grown in size, it has become more and more difficult to maintain an accurate image across the entire screen when sitting up close. Curved monitors were one of the solutions monitor manufacturers came up with: a gentle curve brings the edges of the screen into your field of view, so the image remains accurate and uniform even if you’re sitting close to a large screen.

Notable Mentions

• ASUS TUF VG32VQ: The ASUS TUF VG32VQ is a great gaming monitor with limited office performance, and it’s not as good overall as the Samsung CHG70. See our review
• LG 34GK950F: The LG 34GK950F-B is a great gaming curved monitor, but its refresh rate is lower than the LG 34GN850-B. 
• Gigabyte G32QC: The Gigabyte G32QC is a great gaming monitor with a 1440p resolution, but it’s more expensive than the AOC CQ27G2. 
• LG 38GL950G-B: The LG 38GL950G-B is a great overall monitor, but it’s not worth the price difference over the LG 34GN850-B

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Recent Updates

1. Jan 05, 2021: Minor text and structure changes, replaced Samsung CHG70 with Samsung Odyssey G7, removed Dell S3220DGF.
2. Sep 04, 2020: Replaced the LG 34UC79G-B with the Dell S3220DGF; replaced the Samsung CF398 with the AOC CQ27G2; moved the Samsung C49RG9 to a main pick.
3. Jul 07, 2020: Replaced the 34GK950F-B with the 34GN850-B and the Alienware AW3418DW with the AW3420DW.

All Reviews

Our recommendations are based on what we think are the best curved monitors currently available. They’re adapted to be valid for most people, in each price range. Rating is based on our review, factoring in price, and feedback from our visitors.

If you would prefer to make your own decision, here is the list of all of our curved monitor reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. Most monitors are good enough to please most people, and the things we fault monitors on are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.

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The 5 Best Curved Monitors – Winter 2023 Reviews

Curved monitors are relatively new technology, but they are quickly overtaking flat monitors among discerning users. Why make the upgrade? There are a number of benefits to curved monitors unique to their design, including reduced eyes strain and better field of view.

Read on for more details on how a curved monitor may help you get a better visual experience or 

click here for some recommended curved monitors.

1. Do you remember comparing the difference between CRT and LCD monitors?
2. Well, that’s in the past! Today, those shopping for monitors must decide between curved monitors and flat monitors

Do you know which is best for your needs?

If you don’t, then let’s take a step back. Long story short, curved monitors are the new flat! At least that’s what it seems like based on the number of curved monitor options entering the market for applications spanning from gaming to work, and even to general entertainment.

With a curved monitor, your eyes are immediately drawn to their flowing curved screen and sleek look – but how do they perform? Below, we’ve set out to compare curved monitors and flat-screen monitors to find out for ourselves. What are the benefits of curved monitors? What are the benefits of flat monitors? Read on below to see our list of curved monitor advantages and full breakdown between curved monitors and flat monitors. Moreover, we will provide some info regarding the ultrawide variants of curved and flat monitors.

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Pros and cons of curved monitors

The main reason curved screens are popular is that they fill more of your peripheral vision, allowing you to focus on your work rather than being distracted by what’s going on around you. If you are watching or playing a game, this fascinating experience can be hard to beat.

The downside to this style of monitor is that its curved screen can capture light from more angles. Glare, which can make part of the screen harder to look at, negates the biggest advantage curved screens have over flat-panel monitors. To be clear, flat panel monitors can still be susceptible to glare, but it is easier to install them in an area where that will be less of a problem.

Curved vs. Flat Monitors Compared

Curved Monitors Are Immersive

In the world of viewable media, immersion is a golden standard to work towards. If a product can make you forget, so to speak, that you’re staring at a screen, then you’re much more likely to enjoy the experience.

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To create this sense of immersion, products must be engineered in a way that replicates real life. The monitor technology specifically used in this case is called ocular perception. This is something everyone learns from an early age. We see the world in three dimensions – length, width, and height. If our collective reality was based only in two dimensions, then everything would appear to be flat. This is where the battle of curved vs. flat monitors come into play.

Curved monitors take advantage of all three dimensions. Further, they expand on peripheral vision. In contrast, flat monitors, which live up to their namesake and don’t require the use of peripheral vision, offer a weaker immersive experience. 

Curved monitor benefit #1:

• A more immersive experience

Curved Monitors Eliminate Distortion

Imagine how annoying it is when you experience a blurry picture. Next, consider how you feel when that blurriness is not due to a poor internet connection, but instead a hardware issue. In another example, consider how when you enlarge a video or picture, the quality ends up suffering a fair amount of distortion, particularly at the edges.

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When it comes to the debate between curved vs. flat monitors, the situations above are almost exclusively associated with flat monitors. Although examples of distortion can occur on screens of any size, they become more prevalent as monitor size increases. Less distortion is one of the advantages of curved monitors over flat monitors as distortion issues are minimized on curved monitors.

There is a simple explanation for this.

The difference between curved and flat screen distortion comes down to the physics of light projection. Put simply, flat screens blast their images in a straight line, both at the viewers and past their sides. Curved screens, on the other hand, take advantage of their shape, and aim everything at the viewer, thus limiting distortion. 

Curved monitor benefit #2:

• Less distortion on a curved monitor

Curved Monitors Are More Comfortable for Your Eyes

The same physics that limit curved-screen distortion also make their use more comfortable. Essentially, the curvature of the monitors allows our eyes to take in everything at once, without strain.

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This comes in opposition to flat screens, which, depending on the size, may cause eyestrain if the screen exceeds a viewer’s natural field of view. The ability to take in a scene without strain is something that occurs naturally in everyday life.

By being able to take in the entirety of a curved screen, even at its largest sizes, your eyes will take advantage of that natural feeling to remain comfortable. All in all, when considering curved vs. flat monitors, bear in mind that your eyes will be able to do their job more comfortably when viewing the former.

Curved monitor benefit #3:

Curved Monitors Cover a Wider Field of View

When researching curved vs. flat monitors, it’s common for the specs of curved screens to correlate greater immersion with superior field of view. Frankly, this is true for the same reasons that curved screens are also more comfortable than their flat counterparts.

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Since a curved screen directs light from all angles towards the viewer’s eye, the idea is that you will be able to take everything in without much ocular exertion. Therefore, if your eyes are more easily covering a larger field of view, as compared to flat screens, then curved monitors will thus feel larger. 

An additional benefit of a wider field of view is that it also attributes to your perceived level of immersion.

Curved monitor benefit #4:

• Curved monitors offer a larger perceived field of view.

Things That Will Take Some Getting Used to with Curved Monitors

Nothing is ever 100% perfect; there’s always a catch. Although that certainly goes for claims that appear too good to be true, it, unfortunately, goes for curved screens as well

Thankfully, the drawbacks of curved screens are very minor and will probably not be sending any buyers running for the hills to purchase flat screens instead. 

Wall mounting

First and foremost, as a result of its eponymous shape, curved screens face difficulty when it comes to wall mounting. Unlike flat screens, which are typically flush with the adjacent wall, curved screens require specific mounts and positioning in order to be mounted.

Broadly speaking, curved screens necessitate a situation where they are kept from being too close to the wall. Although they don’t resolve the fact curved screens will jut out, tilt & swivel brackets and adjustable arm mounts are great options to overcome the hurdle of mounting in general.

The good news here that this is mostly a superficial issue and has no impact on performance. 

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Glare

Due to the geometry involved in its curvature, a curved screen will regrettably be prone to glare, when viewed at certain angles. As compared to a flat screen, which projects light at a single uniform angle, curved screens will do so at a countless number.

With that in mind, while it is easy to keep light sources away from a single angle, it may become nigh impossible when dealing with many.

The best way to mitigate this issue is to place the screen away from as many light sources as possible. Or, simply using your monitor with most lights turned off.

Ultrawide Curved vs. Flat Monitors

A frequent adage is that bigger is better – ultrawide monitors are a testament to this statement.

Although monitors have come in many sizes for a long time, it is a somewhat recent development that curved monitors have also made an appearance in the ultrawide space. These ultrawide curved monitors are different because they utilize a 21:9 aspect ratio as opposed to the traditional 16:9 aspect ratio.

As you can see in the image above, the 21:9 ultrawide monitor offers approximately 33% more horizontal screen real estate than the standard 16:9 monitor. The resulting ultrawide curved combination fits together nicely and it would make sense to go with an ultrawide curved monitor over a standard 16:9 curved monitor. Having the extra horizontal screen real estate of an ultrawide monitor further accentuates the benefits of curved monitors that we outlined above.  

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Furthermore, for those who require multiple displays for work or gaming-related purposes, ultrawide monitors will allow you to ditch the other screen. In regard to gaming, some games even support the ultrawide 21:9 aspect ratio, resulting in all the benefits of a curved monitor for gaming plus an extended field of view in-game!

For more on the benefits of an ultrawide monitor, check out this ultrawide vs. dual monitor comparison article. In certain situations, this shift could help increase productivity and efficiency, as well as open up extra space on your desk and power extension cord.

If you like the sound of upgrading to a curved monitor or ultrawide curved monitor, we’ve left links to a few of our top picks below:

Does a curved monitor make a difference?

Curved monitors can have a 21:9 aspect ratio, which means they’re significantly wider than they are tall. This proportion allows you to spread more information on the screen, but also means it’ll likely take up the entire length of your desk.

Is curved monitor bad?

Glare. Due to the geometry involved in its curvature, a curved screen will regrettably be prone to glare, when viewed at certain angles. As compared to a flat screen, which projects light at a single uniform angle, curved screens will do so at countless numbers.

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Is it worth buying a curved monitor?

The world around us isn’t flat, so curved monitors do a better job of mimicking a three-dimensional space than flat monitors. You’re still playing a game on a screen, but the curvature of the monitor helps create the illusion of peripheral vision, which in turn makes playing a game more immersive.

Do pros use curved monitors?

Even though curved monitors have their own benefits, but Pro Gamers don’t use them that much. Looking at many esports competitions in the past, most of the pros, if not 99% of them, were using flat gaming monitors. … That is why pro gamers do not use them.

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Last update on 2024-11-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API