Curved monitors are quite the rage today. Not only do they look rather cool thanks to their concave display, but they also offer a number of significant advantages over regular flat monitors!
With that said, curved monitors can be quite expensive. Would it be even worth it for you to invest in a curved monitor?
In this post, we will overview the pros and cons of curved computer monitors to help you decide what to buy. Read on to find out whether a curved monitor is the right choice for you!
Advantages Of Curved Computer Monitors
Let’s start with the pros of curved monitors. In case the pros outweigh the cons, you should definitely consider getting yourself such a monitor because for many use cases it is an ideal choice.
Wider Field of View
The biggest advantage of curved computer monitors over flat ones is their wide field of view. Curved monitors are typically ultra-wide and therefore have much more screen space than flat monitors.
Some curved monitors are small, but to be fair, we don’t think that the curve makes much sense in 21 or 24 inch monitors. You have to go much larger for the curve to be reasonable – both in terms of price and functionality.
A good size for curved computer monitors is anything larger than 33 inches and also wider than 16:9.
Anyway, in games, the ultra-wide aspect ratio means that your field of view gets much wider. And when it comes to production, curved ultra-wide monitors can easily replace multi-monitor setups!
With that in mind, curved monitors can make you much more efficient without the hassle of setting up multiple monitors.
Little to no Distortions and Reflections
Now, why are ultra-wide monitors generally curved? To make sure that you can easily see the far right and left sides of the screen!
Had ultra-wide monitors been flat, you would have to move your head right or left to see what’s going on at the sides. But thanks to their curve, ultra-wide monitors allow you to see the entire screen space by just turning your head.
Aside from convenience, curved monitors ensure that the color at the edges isn’t distorted for you due to the angle of viewing.
When compared to multi-monitor setups, you also don’t have the annoying monitor bezels right in the center of the picture. This can especially matter when gaming or watching movies.
Immersive Gaming & Movie Experience
Curved monitors allow you to improve gaming immersion without 3D or VR, though 3D isn’t really a thing today anyway, to be fair.
Needless to say, a curved monitor isn’t going to replace you a VR headset. The immersion isn’t quite there because your field of view is limited by the monitor bezels.
Still, if you try a good curved monitor even once – whether in gaming or production – you will probably struggle to go back to flat monitors.
In movies shot in ultra-wide aspect ratios, you are going to get more immersion as well. And if you have an HDR monitor plus a decent sound system, then your experience will get unforgettable!
Disadvantages Of Curved Computer Monitors
Curved computer monitors are not perfect, and it’s key to consider their disadvantages before investing in them. In this section, we’ll have a look at the biggest disadvantages of curved monitors.
Steep Pricing
First up, curved monitors are rather expensive. Although they’ve been on the market for several years, they still aren’t available to the masses.
When you think about it, buying yourself one curved monitor may be more affordable than purchasing several flat monitors to get the same screen space. However, you can get flat monitors one by one when your budget allows, while for curved monitors, you’ll have to dig into your pocket here and now.
Large Size
It’s great that curved monitors are large (around 33 to 35 inches) – they provide you with more screen space for gaming and working. However, curved monitors are less space-efficient compared to flat monitors that provide the same amount of screen area.
Curved monitors are very wide, so you are going to need plenty of desk space for one. This might especially be a problem if your PC is sitting right next to you on the desk. You may need to move your computer away to safely and conveniently install a curved monitor.
Difficult Setup with Multiple Monitors
If you are looking to use multiple curved monitors, then you are going to have a hard time setting them up. Curved monitors are unwieldy and heavy, which makes multi-monitor arrangements annoyingly difficult to get working.
This isn’t that huge of an issue, and you can actually make curved multi-monitor setups work. The hassle is just too much.
Increased GPU Requirements in Gaming
Curved monitors have higher resolutions than flat screens. This is simply because they have a wider screen space.
A 1080p flat monitor has a resolution of 1920 x 1080, while an ultra-wide curved 1080p monitor is typically at 2560 x 1080, though you might find even wider monitors and higher resolutions (such as 3440 x 1440 for example).
The additional horizontal pixels will increase the load on your GPU. If you have a decent GPU – something like an RTX 2060 or up – you probably aren’t going to notice a huge difference.
But if you are barely getting 60 fps in your favorite games with a GTX 1050 Ti, then you are probably going to see a huge fps dip.
If you have a half-decent GPU, then switching to an ultra-wide curved monitor should not be a huge issue. But if you have something old and not too powerful already at your current resolution, you may also need to upgrade your graphics card.
Conclusion
So there you have it!
In the end, do you really need a curved monitor?
In our opinion, curved monitors are worth it for production environments or for gaming. The added screen space is invaluable when writing text, editing video, working with multiple windows, or watching movies.
As for gaming, curved monitors can be great as well, but only if you can afford one. Not only are curved monitors expensive by themselves, but they also require more GPU horsepower.
If your budget is tight, then hold onto your money – a curved monitor isn’t a must-have for gaming.
Barry says
The screen is extremely delicate. I have not been able to successfully get a 34 inch curved monitor into the house, out of the box, and set up without breaking it. I have broken two – one I broke myself while trying to plug the HDMI cable into a socket that was very poorly located and one was broken by the courier during transport. I do not plan to try a third time.
Harris Andrea says
Barry, I understand your frustration.
Maybe next time ask the company if they offer delivery and installation services.