The last 18 months have seen huge changes for many workers across the globe, with the pandemic shutting down workplaces and forcing millions to work fully remotely for the first time.
The idea of spending all your time in an office now seems rather outdated, with hybrid working universally recognized as the best way to get the most out of your workforce, allowing both the collaboration workplace experience, but also the opportunity for focus and productivity in a comfortable, familiar environment.
Many workers have had to DIY a home working set-up, often using whatever hardware and software they had at their disposal. But now hybrid working has become a common experience for many, you might be wondering how you can improve the process.
External monitors in particular can greatly improve productivity by allowing you to have multiple apps, programs or windows open across a much wider field of vision.
If you haven't invested in an external monitor for your home office, then Black Friday 2021 could be the ideal time, with a range of discounts set to go live over the next few days. But what exactly do you need to look for?
- If you're after a specific style of display, we also have a guide to the best 4K monitors and the best business monitors that are perfect for both work and play
Best early Black Friday monitor deals so far
So if you are looking to get your hands on a new monitor this Black Friday, where should you start looking?
We've been hard at work tracking down some of the best early deals around, and have already collected some top offers from the likes of Samsung, Dell and LG - so here's the best early Black Friday monitor deals.
What type of monitor should I buy?
When you're browsing through Black Friday monitor deals, it can be difficult to tell what device is actually a good buy and what monitors aren't even worth the discounted price. We're here to help you decipher the deals by telling you what specs to look out for.
Firstly you're going to want to understand HD (sometimes called FHD or Full HD) vs 4K (also called UHD or Ultra HD). 4K monitors will be filled with more pixels, and therefore put out a better image than HD monitors in general. However, they can cost quite a bit more and are only really worth it for gamers or those who need high-quality monitors for their job.
If you're after a great viewing experience you'll also want to look out for key terms like HDR (high dynamic range), brightness, and color support. These features will mean that your monitor will be able to output a wide spectrum of colors, making bright moments pop and helping you decipher what is going on during dark scenes.
Next up are refresh rates. You might have heard of people playing games at 120FPS, but to do that you'll not only need a PC that's powerful enough to run a game that well but also a 120Hz monitor that can produce the image. If you aren't a gamer, high refresh rates aren't going to be too important so if you can save even more by going with a lower option we'd generally recommend that.
Finally, you might want to compare flat monitors with curved screens. Curved monitors offer you a wider field of view, a more immersive experience, and many people find them more comfortable though they're also larger and generally take up more space. If you're short on desk space, are looking for a multi-monitor setup, or are on a budget, flat monitors will be your best choice.
