It’s sad that no smaller (21 to 24 inch) 4K monitors are made anymore
Posted by Balance-@reddit | hardware | View on Reddit | 159 comments
It’s kind of sad how 21”–24” 4K monitors have basically vanished from the market. We used to have great options like the 21.5” LG UltraFine 4K—super sharp, compact, and ideal for dual monitor setups or tight desk spaces. Now, that size/resolution sweet spot is basically gone.
To me, the perfect display trinity is: • 21.5” 4K (204 PPI) when space is limited • 27” 5K (218 PPI) as great all rounder • 31.5” 6K (219 PPI) for maximum real estate
All three hit that ~200+ PPI mark, giving you retina-like clarity without resorting to massive scaling. But the 21.5” 4K option is becoming a unicorn—most companies are pushing 24” 1080p or 1440p now, which just feels like a step backward in sharpness.
Would love to see more compact high-DPI panels again. Not everyone wants a 32” monster on their desk.
-FancyUsername-@reddit
For anyone coming across this, the ViewSonic VP2488-4K was announced 3 weeks ago. It‘s 24 inch and 4K. It also has many other good specs like 500 nits, P3, 1300:1, 2 Thunderbolt 4 with daisy chaining and 100W laptop charging, height adjustable stand, factory calibration (Pantone validated) for $549.
Balance-@reddit (OP)
Wow that’s quite cool! Do you know anything about the panel or the panel manufacturer? Is it new?
-FancyUsername-@reddit
There‘s also an older model, the Asus ProArt PA24US, which is brighter at 600 nits but costs as much as a Studio Display …
TDYDave2@reddit
ASUS ProArt PQ22UC 22" 3840x2160 OLED
ASUS PA24US 24" 3840x2160 IPS
LG 22MD4KA 22" 4069x2304 IPS
LG 24MD4KL 24" 3840x2160 IPS
Dell P2415Q 24" 3840x2160 IPS
Apple Studio Display 27" 5120x2880 IPS
ASUS PA27JCV 27" 5120x2880 IPS Black
BenQ PD2730S 27" 5120x2880 IPS Black
Dell UP2715K 27" 5120x2880 IPS
LG 27MD5KL 27" 5120x2880 IPS
Samsung S27C900P 27" 5120x2880 IPS
Eizo CG3145 31" 4096x2160 IPS
Eizo CG3146 31" 4096x2160 IPS
HP Z31x 31" 4096x2160 IPS
LG 31MU97 31" 4096x2160 IPS
NEC PA311D 31" 4096x2160 IPS
Just have to look for retailers that cater to the professional market rather than the consumer market.
GrumpyRodriguez@reddit
I can never afford these but somehow it makes me happy that they exist. Thanks for the hint.
Historical-Painter37@reddit
Everything in that list 24 inches and under are discontinued
TDYDave2@reddit
But you don't have to look very hard to find at least some are available
ASUS PA24US 24" 3840x2160 IPS
LG-22MD4KA
and so on.
WaitingForG2@reddit
Hard agree, it's sad that laptops often have high PPI small size displays, but it's completely gone for monitors
21.5 inch/4K is my favorite size to resolution ratio too
Vb_33@reddit
Since the dawn of LCD people have been buying bigger and bigger monitors. It's to the point monitor sizes are now rivaling TVs. But the market has spoken, people love buying their large monitors and that means smaller monitors are becoming a larger risk. Seems most <20" displays have gone extinct on desktop.
proto-x-lol@reddit
Vb_33 said:
I am part of this problem. I voted for getting 27 inch to 32 inch monitors to replace/sell off the 24 inch existing monitors at the office. I work at a tech company and my reasoning is that people love bigger monitors and that smaller monitors is a sign of lesser masculinity, to which my supervisor agreed on (as a joke), lmfao.
Turns out 3.5 years later, people love the bigger 32 inch 4k monitor over the shitty 24 inch 1080p outdated garbage.
People love bigger monitors and that's the end of the story. Same reason why people buy laptops with bigger screens and bigger smartphones. Size matters and picking a smaller size means you have lesser masculinity (joking), lmao.
Verite_Rendition@reddit
Where the heck are people putting these monsters? Cubicles and most desk tops aren't known for their space. Never mind the strain of such a large display 2 feet from your place.
cocktails4@reddit
Ergotron arms. I've got 3 32" displays.
hyperblaster@reddit
Oh wow, those arms cost more than the monitors
cocktails4@reddit
You can find them used all over the place from office liquidations.
Strazdas1@reddit
Both at home and at work my desk could fit 3x27" setup. I tried 32" but that was a hit or miss (good for productivity, too big for gaming).
CommanderArcher@reddit
80 inch uplift solid wood desk with a dual extruded aluminum pillar monitor mount that supports up to 6 27inch monitors.
schmerg-uk@reddit
I have two 43" 4K TVs as monitors, less than £300 GBP ($350 USD) each, and the newer one is a QLED.
As a fulltime WFH s/w developer I need screen real estate and I'm not too bothered about retina style displays (and these match a 21" 1080P)
makemeking706@reddit
Part of that has to do with how desktop is utilized these days. Gaming and workstations are their bread and butter. Small monitors do not lend themselves to either task.
Everything else is mobile, particularly phones.
komtgoedjongen@reddit
Exactly. If I don't have place for at least 27 inch on my desk then it means that I need laptop. I use laptop and 42 inch tv as second monitor/tv for Xbox. I'm thinking about hooking old 32 inch 1080p tv as third screen
IKnowCodeFu@reddit
I have the 4K 2017 iMac with that size screen, and it’s ruined reading text on a 1080p screen for me. I’d love to get another panel the same size/resolution for a 2nd monitor but there’s nothing in that size that’s not a $3000 studio reference monitor =(
Like seriously I could buy a second iMac for cheaper than just the display.
makemeking706@reddit
Asus has their 5k 27" display that is like $700.
One-Spring-4271@reddit
Massive difference between 21.5” and 27”, mate.
makemeking706@reddit
That's what I keep trying to tell her!
Seriously though, I think I misread what op was saying.
CarbonatedPancakes@reddit
You may be able to build a 21” 4k “iMac monitor” by grabbing a broken iMac from eBay/Craigslist/etc, opening it up, and replacing the computer bits with an Aliexpress display panel drive board with DisplayPort/HDMI/etc inputs. I’ve seen a bunch of people do that with the 27”5k iMacs.
katt2002@reddit
High PPI doesn't need anti-aliasing too. 24 inch/4K is perfect for me.
sinisterpisces@reddit
I'm still rocking a pair of 21.5" LG Ultrafine 4Ks. They're from 2016, though this pair was bought new around 2020.
The electronics are failing in one of them (limited to only 30 fps) and they occassionally lose their brightness settings. I'm dreading figuring out what to replace them with when they finally die. 21.5" at 4K 16:10 can't be beat for crisp, easy to read text when you work with documents for hours a day.
EnvironmentPrize719@reddit
21,4 inch. 1080p de the best .
littlelowcougar@reddit
I have eight 17” 4K displays precisely because I loved the high DPI of Retina laptop screens, but also like lots of individual screen real estate. Have them connected to… let me count… five different boxes, running Linux/Windows, but thankfully all controllable via my main mouse/keyboard thanks to Synergy.
aunsafe2015@reddit
Hey, have you been happy with using the "portable" monitors as your primary displays? Are "portable" monitors worse for eye strain or fatigue than "non-portable" monitors?
littlelowcougar@reddit
Yup, I’ve been using that brand I linked for the last 3 years or so, they’re great. No more or less eye strain than usual.
aunsafe2015@reddit
Cool, thanks for the info.
VenditatioDelendaEst@reddit
Aha, so that's GTK4's target hardware.
Balance-@reddit (OP)
Damn that’s insane.
How do you have them tiled?
littlelowcougar@reddit
Arranged to maximize staring out my window to the left.
Balance-@reddit (OP)
This is insane, love it.
Thanks for sharing!
Xurbax@reddit
A quick search turned up a 23.8" 4k portable on Amazon as well.
It does look like the typical 24" 4k monitors have all vanished though, which is sad. I love my LG 24" one.
shadowtheimpure@reddit
They exist, but they're all portable monitors these days.
aunsafe2015@reddit
Does the fact that they are "portable" inherently make them worse? Any reason to think something like this linked portable monitor would cause worse eye strain/fatigue than a similar "non-portable" monitor? https://www.amazon.com/Innoview-Portable-100-sRGB-Speakers-180%C2%B0Adjustable/dp/B0DKT69JYB/
shadowtheimpure@reddit
It's more the form factor, they tend to have flimsy kickstands rather than proper mounts. Not really suitable for a permanent installation.
aunsafe2015@reddit
Interesting. The one I linked could be VESA mounted, which might resolve that concern...
tukatu0@reddit
The amoled portable displays probabpy are not even rgb displays. But that triangle subpixel thing with one blue representing two subpixels. So your 1080p phone is actually more like 800p ish. Same for 4k.
It's a giant pain since no one tests this stuff en mass. Displaymate has some older reviews. https://www.displaymate.com/Galaxy_S20_ShootOut_1U.htm search diamond pixel. I was wrong about blue sub pixel. It was actually green. I would like to see some current displays. Especially apple ones. So if anyone can point me to microscope pictures. It would be very appreciated
vandreulv@reddit
Pentile. Also a plague that infests smartphones.
Oh, let's not forget Pentile displays, in addition to having 1/3rd less subpixels, also have hideiously low PWM rates that cause eyestrain due to flicker.
Sarin10@reddit
for a small number of people.
Kqyxzoj@reddit
For a sufficienty large number of people it's fucking annoying.
vandreulv@reddit
Sure. Minimize the problem because it doesn't affect you personally.
I remember the 70s and 80s when everything was lit with 60hz ballasts and fluorescent tubes in offices. People complained about strain and headaches all the fucking time.
Such a small percentage that there's sudies and regulations for it all.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15980316.2021.1950854#d1e115
A lot of research for a small number, indeed.
Except it's not that small. 10%.
https://www.oled-info.com/pulse-width-modulation-pwm-oled-displays
Ploddit@reddit
Anything under 27" is far too small for 4K imo. Even 27 is pushing it. Congrats on your eyesight.
Former_Cat_9470@reddit
pixelated text looks bad? lol
BrewingHeavyWeather@reddit
What about 14"?
randombrain@reddit
The thing is that 4K is a perfect doubling of 1080p in both directions, so you can run it in HiDPI/Retina mode as if it's a super-crisp 1080p monitor. I have two 24" 4K monitors that I use for that.
I agree that a 24" package is too small for simple 4K but I don't think that's the use case OP is talking about, and it isn't my use case either.
Zaptruder@reddit
because most people's vision isn't that good. sucks for you better than 20/20 vision people.... but I'm happy with the 1440p 27 inch ppi standard for resolving text information.
Igor369@reddit
Shortsightedness has nothing to do with it if you are wearing proper glasses. The eye check panel is positioned 15 times further than an average monitor on desk on purpose...
Zaptruder@reddit
20/20 vision isn't short sighted. it's the average level of visual acuity for corrected vision.
I'm talking about viewing with corrected vision, ignoring short/long sighted compensation (where you'd obviously take off your glasses or put them on if required at the viewing distance to resolve the maximum amount of information.)
Igor369@reddit
So your issue is... Not being able to use the screen while having impaired vision... ... ... ???
Zaptruder@reddit
Nah - I'm simply saying that the current ppi monitor standard is decent enough for normal sighted people.
It's slightly under retina resolution for us, but when balanced against text size, monitor scaling (many programs don't have great scaling), refresh rates, etc, it's definetly a reasonable sweet spot (1440p 27/4k 32").
Igor369@reddit
Well yeah, when you are only browsing the web and maybe play match 3 games from time to time sure, you do not need more than 100 ppi if not even less.
My phone has 206 ppi while 4k 24 inch is 184. Are phone screens too densely packed with pixels too?...
Zaptruder@reddit
They're fine for their intended purpose (generally held in hand and can move between a decent range of viewing distances easily)... but some screens (the higher end ones especially) have more pixels than is necessary yeah.
Former_Cat_9470@reddit
nah. the higher ppi compensates for OLED subpixel structure and uh higher ppi is needed for kanji etc compared to english. some people don't mind pixelated text just like some people don't mind 128 kbps mp3. "good enough" looooooool
One-Spring-4271@reddit
What is “decent enough”? And who gets to decide?
Text on a 1440p 27” monitor is going to look like hot trash.
I guess many people are OK with blurry, pixelated text. But many aren’t.
Zaptruder@reddit
The market is essence decides by buying these devices (or not).
It's telling to me that 24" 4k monitors are not popular enough to see significant production - it seems to be a niche that people in this thread are angrily demanding, while ignoring where monitor development is going and why it's going in that direction (rather than their preferred higher PPI).
Additionally, text doesn't look terrible at that PPI - it could simply look better.
One-Spring-4271@reddit
This is true. But the issue seems to be that very little attention is given to monitors under 27", period (outside of Apple).
I'm guessing this is because the great majority of monitors between 21.5-24 are being sold to businesses, and they want whatever is cheapest.
The only innovation at all in the monitor space is thanks to gamers, and they tend to prefer larger displays (unfortunately for me).
So all of the bells and whistles (high refresh rate, OLED, high resolution, etc.) will be available only on panels 27 or above.
Sadly, for the foreseeable future, you'll need to accept a relatively low quality panel for anything under 27, unless you buy a Mac, which has amazing displays at all sizes.
Zaptruder@reddit
Can you use mac monitors with PCs?
Seems like the way to go. Also someone seems to have linked a bunch of professional smaller monitors with higher PPI - they appear to be made, just... in smaller batches, so I guess be ready to pay a lot... and a lot more again with recent tarriffs.
tukatu0@reddit
Its not a vision thing. Its training thing. Same thing as looking at screen tearing. Its right infront of you but a person who has not percieved it yet is not going to until it gets too noticeable.
Its like in phones companies downgrading 1440p to 1080p. Not true at all. But people must have been looking at a near blank screen of google.com seeing no difference. When they could have if they just looked at youtube thumbnails.
Zaptruder@reddit
It's a vision thing - you can only resolve so many visual features in a given space... if you continue scaling down text, it gets to the point where it's difficult to read, and then just unreadable. You only need to setup your phone so you can walk back from it to realize the truth of the statement.
For most people... 1440p 27" @ 100% windows scaling produces reasonably sized text that's comfortable to read. Smaller than that and you gotta play with screen scaling (at that point, you just have sharper features but no more screen real estate), or it'll simply be harder and harder to read.
One-Spring-4271@reddit
Many people in this thread, including me, have smaller 4K monitors. Mine is 21.5”.
I’m sorry, but you are just plain wrong. The text clarity on my monitor blows your monitor clean out of the water. There is no comparison.
I knew there’d be at least one reply making a bogus claim bout the limitations of human vision.
dssurge@reddit
It's actually more about the sub-pixel pattern than pixel density.
This image gives a good idea of what I mean by this. OLED is on the left, LCD on the right. Pixels having different physical footprints, regardless of scale, will always cause it to look bad on thin edges.
BrewingHeavyWeather@reddit
The scale is what matters, though. With high enough PPI, those anomalies become imperceptible. With striped RGB/BGR, at 2-3' viewing distance, ~200 generally does the job, but ~100 DPI still makes single pixels obvious. Those oddball arrangements, not made for text, will need higher PPI to reach the same threshold (but will be fine for video, and large highly-stylized game text, at lower PPIs).
f3n2x@reddit
It's not about the text size, fonts look just awful at 1440p 27" @ 100%. Most fonts can't even be rendered properly at that pixel density without massive amounts of font distorting pixel grid trickery. 4k at 150% is both easier to read and looks significantly better.
Strazdas1@reddit
I am reading your comment on a 1440p @27" (100%) and the fonts are fine. Meanwhile on the 32" 4k display (150%) the fonts of that same comment look worse.
f3n2x@reddit
I'm sorry to hear about your disability but the letter is still objectively better for rendering text, all else being equal.
sunjay140@reddit
Imma be honest with you,sounds like a skill issue
Zaptruder@reddit
Yeah, would rather have usable desktop realestate over nicer font rendering.
So... that also means bigger screens preferred!
tukatu0@reddit
You are assuming only text will have fine detail. That is wrong.
Ill just leave https://testufo.com/aliasing-visibility adressing your latter half comment. Use your phone and see how far you can see. To me its like 5 feet. From a 6 inch display....
VenditatioDelendaEst@reddit
At least on my setup, that test's built-in AA filter is gamma-incorrect. That is, with anti-aliasing set to on, the line looks "lumpy" even if I sit way back and squint.
Like you, I can still see the ants crawling at 5 feet on my phone with AA off.
CarVac@reddit
It's a training thing.
Your eyes are accustomed to scanning at a certain angular rate. If the text is smaller than you're used to, then you scan too many characters per second and the result is unreadable.
You can, however, learn to scan your eyes more slowly when the text is smaller. This lets you read unscaled 24" 4K moniters, distant text, and the fine print on pill bottles.
DontPeek@reddit
Haha 100%. The eye strain is crazy squinting at text that tiny.
BrewingHeavyWeather@reddit
The text is the same size, it just looks 1000% better, like it was professionally printed onto the screen.
ZekeSulastin@reddit
So typically when a display is running at such high PPI you're not using 100% scaling - you'd instead run at 150% or 200% scaling so that the glyph takes the same amount of physical space but consists of many more pixels.
TophxSmash@reddit
that defeats the purpose of a high resolution display...
DontPeek@reddit
But with such a small monitor the UI takes up so much more space with scaling. Every workspace becomes cramped. I have a 4k 15" laptop and scaling makes most software I use impractical to navigate. I guess it depends on the software but 3d design, 2d design, video editing, etc all become a nightmare.
PeakBrave8235@reddit
Bullshit
ConsequenceNo9803@reddit
AG Neovo 24” 4K monitor selling on Amazon @ $239. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DVSRJYYT/ref=smop_skuctr_view
ConsequenceNo9803@reddit
Just found this one, AG Neovo EM2451, 24'' (23.8'') 4K Monitor, on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DVSRJYYT
ashetha@reddit
Just bought this. Should come in few days. I already have the old LG 24 4k, but will aee how this compares!
RecklessReasoning@reddit
Recentlly found the ASUS ProArt PA24US Professional Monitor @ 24 inches, 4K (3840 x 2160). Looking good so far...
yoloxxbasedxx420@reddit
Just move your monitor further back
BrewingHeavyWeather@reddit
But then it would be outside. Not a good place for them.
tornado99_@reddit
As an owner of a 23.8" 4K (LG), a 23.5" 4K (the new iMac), and a 21.5" 4K (the old iMac), I would say the sweet spot is the two larger ones when you have lots of windows spread out, and the smaller one for less intensive work.
My proposal would be to buy a 2nd hand 2017 or 2019 21.5" iMac and install Linux Gnome on it. The optimisations of Linux these days makes that hardware feel very fast, and you get that perfect display with perfect quality to go with it. All for a cheaper price than a Dell office monitor!
Tantvalacruche@reddit
https://videocardz.com/newz/asus-officially-presents-610hz-fhd-and-dual-mode-4k-160hz-fhd-360hz-rog-gaming-monitors
CarVac@reddit
I love my UP2414Q... except the shitty two-scaler-multi-stream nonsense.
IOVERCALLHISTIOCYTES@reddit
Had it a month after it came out. Still going strong. Hopefully I get to 8k 32 at some point.
dog-gone-@reddit
I love hi resolution and HATE HATE HATE low resolution but I can't remember a time where there was ever a 21.5" 4K monitor. A real gripe I have is that ALL ALL in ONE PCs are 1080p 27". Why????
Rivale@reddit
5K 27 inch is coming eventually, it's been in the apple ecosystem for a while. That'll get you over the 200ppi.
Thotaz@reddit
Yes. Monitor manufacturers seem to think bigger = better. While I'm personally not interested in 4k 24 inch displays (4K is too demanding for me), I do want a 1440p display and there's practically no options.
user3296@reddit
Right there with you. Was looking for the exact same. 24in 1440p. After an eternity of digging I picked up one of these: https://a.co/d/fogD3Zo
Not a bad display. Doesn’t look super pretty but fit the bill and supports USB C and PD.
One-Spring-4271@reddit
Dell makes the P2425D which is 24”, 1440.
They used to make a 24” 4K too, but stopped in 2016.
Thotaz@reddit
True, but that's not for gaming which is what I'm looking for. It doesn't support variable refresh rate, and it only goes up to 100 Hz (higher than expected, but not high enough). The reported response times are also slow.
chisholmdale@reddit
Well, I do electronic circuit design, simulation, and PCB layout. I would MUCH rather have TWO 22" or 24" monitors on my desk than a single, huge monitor.
Beneficial-Law-171@reddit
theory is easier, no body gonna to pay the same pricing for smaller size monitor if there is a biggest size with same resolution, office nowaday is targeting 24-27 inch for comfortable view, previously most of them use 19-21 inch due to pricing is solid expensive for bigger size, now i believe only engineer/designer/gamer is care about the PPI
Visual-Educator8354@reddit
You can get small “portable” monitors that are 4 k and stuff
kyralfie@reddit
You've listed exactly my thoughts and preferences. I even serched for the OG true 4K 21.5” LG UltraFine back in the day! You are either my monitor bro>!or my schizo alt account that I don't remember about!<.
skottay@reddit
I’m in the exact same boat. I wish I could find the 21.5” 4k but they’re 10 years old, overpriced, and beat to hell. So I got 2x Ultrafine 5k until the 32” Asus 6K comes out this quarter.
SleepingBear986@reddit
Can't you just push the monitor farther away to achieve the same effect?
peakdecline@reddit
I wouldn't want to go below the 27" size range for my desktop, personally. I have a 4K 28" monitor now and really enjoy it over my prior 27" 1440P (which is now my second monitor). For my usage its excellent and the majority of games I play are indie titles so gaming isn't an issue.
But I do agree there are still benefits of the high resolution on smaller screens. I like 4K laptop sized screens quite a bit. They're exceptionally crisp. Which for my use of looking at terminal windows, code editors, etc. most of my day its very nice.
VenditatioDelendaEst@reddit
What's your speaker setup? I have 2x 21.5", and if the montiors were any larger, my speakers would have to be above, below, or way too wide for ideal equilateral triangle stereo.
peakdecline@reddit
A sound bar below my center monitor. I use headphones for serious audio listening (a pair of HD650s I've had for many years). Once upon a time I did have some JBL monitors on my desk and I put them on the sides of my main monitor.
Strazdas1@reddit
Not the person you asked by my speakers are bellow the monitors and then the subwoofer is under the table. Works fine for stereo.
panckage@reddit
Yep also its sad how there are no 4:3 monitors or similar anymore
endlessfield@reddit
There are 16:18 monitors that are arguably a better ratio for coding.
panckage@reddit
I can't tell if it is serious or not. The image clearly shows a bezel in the middle. Looks like 2 16:9 panels Frankensteined into one monitor 🤣
endlessfield@reddit
Do you mean the application's menu bar? Because there's obviously no bezel in the middle.
The Dual Up monitors have the perfect desk real estate. Two 27" monitors are an inferior option
Strazdas1@reddit
exotic mouse, exotic keyboard, exotic monitor setup but is that the cheapest fake stone table cover laminate?
panckage@reddit
Yep you are right. Hilarious how there are like 10 low res images for the monitor but not a single one without the menu bar. It took me a while to figure out what the image you just linked actually was.
Looks interesting but i think your monitor preferences are even more exotic and esoteric than my own! It really depends on the IDE for the ideal ratio of width to height on these things. Big monitors for coding are best long newspaper shaped while square shaped works better for small ones IMHE.
endlessfield@reddit
It depends on your desk (both width and depth), monitor arms and the rest of your desk objects. For me, my desk is relatively short in terms of width, and I have two large speakers on each side, so I need the space under the monitor(s). If I had two 27" monitors set up vertically, I'd have little to no space under if I were to set them up at a height that would be comfortable for long periods.
AK-Brian@reddit
That's just an application border being shown, although it is a questionable choice of sample image for sure. It's a single panel:
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/lg-dualup-review/
AlliRmbrIsDrtSkyDrt@reddit
That's not a bezel, it looks like the title bar of a program.
Forgiven12@reddit
Is it about the ratio specifically, or does it make more sense to go tall with limited desk space?
Strazdas1@reddit
for coding specifically you want to see more lines vertically and its good practice not to go too far in your code horizontally.
teh_weiman@reddit
I've used a 24" 4k Dell omfor years and I don't get why everyone here is so wild about it. The pixels are TINY so running it at 100% scale makes things hard to read. Gaming is ridiculous because it's hard to actually see the detail.
iDontSeedMyTorrents@reddit
You run it at higher than 100% scaling. You won't get the benefit of ultra crisp and clear desktops/applications otherwise.
For gaming you can use upscaling or just integer scale from 1080p.
Strazdas1@reddit
you wont get clear UI with scaling.
VenditatioDelendaEst@reddit
"hey doc, it hurts when I go like this"
tukatu0@reddit
Games are designed for tvs or monitors specfically for some odd reason..
Then there is the other type of video game that is not designed with visibility in mind regardless of what you do. Play an old call of duty like black ops 2 or something. Then play apex legends. You are not going to see sh"" in the latter
The ither guy is wrong about running games at 1080p. Its his preferance for fps thing. Unless the ui is broken because uts a game from 2005
skycake10@reddit
No one but Apple seems to care about high DPI monitors, so the market is basically Apple and those appealing to Apple customers. I have an M4 Mac mini and the 5k 27" Asus and it's great, but it's basically the only good option at this price point.
Asleep-Card3861@reddit
Hopefully they will top out in size wars and start to focus on hires next. 110ppi is just passable. I want size and high ppi 160ppi would probably do it.
I settled from 34” wide 3440x1440 oled as higher res options were unfeasibly expensive for me
shugthedug3@reddit
They barely sell any 24" 1440P models in the west even.
Thradya@reddit
Buy a larger desk, it's not that complicated.
TophxSmash@reddit
you guys using scaling to remove all the screen real estate benefits of 4k or are you guys ants?
zeldaink@reddit
Yeah, I can't find any 4k monitor in the 21-24" range. It's all 1080p at >100Hz.
I can clearly see either how bad text is aliased or the orangey-blue sub-pixel antialiasing. There isn't any good font that I can set. It's either stuck on KDE with Terminus or blown up Segoe UI on Windows that makes 50% less text on screen to look good. There is no middle ground.
My phone looks like it's paper and my crappy laptop from 2012 has better text than my current LG monitor (and LG made the laptop monitor ffs). On my monitor it's not very visible, but on some other 24" monitors you can see the pixel grid, and they're 1920x1080. It's either a laptop or the monitor would stick from my desk. I don't like that >:(
euvie@reddit
There’s a few based on the only 23.8” 4k panel in production, but your choices are $1200 for Asus’s professional offering, $400 for a dim “portable” version, $240 for a non-portable dim version, or try your luck on AliExpress
euvie@reddit
There’s a few based on the only 23.8” 4k panel in production, but your choices are $1200 for Asus’s professional offering, $400 for a dim “portable” version, $240 for a non-portable dim version, or try your luck on AliExpress
kuddlesworth9419@reddit
I use a 55" 4k LG OLED TV as a monitor a couple of feet away from me I cannot see the pixels. My eyesight at least short distance is pretty good so it's not my eyesight. I have a 27" 1440p next to it and that is the same. I can't think having a 21"/24" 4k monitor would make all tha tmuch difference to be honest as it's already very good.
drnick5@reddit
21.5" monitors are a lil small at 1080p, I can't imagine at 4k. The sweet spot for monitor size seems to be the 23.5" - 24" for 1080p, so I'm guessing many figure 27" is the "starter" size for 4k.
I run 3 x 24" 1080p monitors at work and love it.
chronocapybara@reddit
Problem is that if you have a tiny monitor then at a high resolution and 1:1 scaling the Windows desktop and most apps are so small they're unreadable. Yes, you can scale them, but windows scaling sucks, and some programs like Steam have just absolutely awful scaling.
iDontSeedMyTorrents@reddit
?
Windows scaling has been nearly flawless for me for countless years now. It wasn't great a decade ago but it's completely fine for all but the oldest or most niche software. And steam scales fine... it was made DPI-aware like 7 years ago.
-protonsandneutrons-@reddit
I'm with you here.
It's likely the 21.5" LG 4K was a direct Apple order / partnership; only Apple has taken high-PPI monitors in the consumer market. Once that partnership died, the entire market evaporated.
The lone holdout in the US was the Surface Studio (192 PPI), but it seems to be an abandoned segment.
We in the high-PPI, small-monitor crowd are facing the same extinction as 16:10 monitors; only once businesses or market-leading OEMs "prove" the market has returned (e.g., have a popular product) will we see proliferation.
The panels certainly are being produced, but I can't find even one monitor in the US. It must be primarily Asian / MEA / EU consumer markets or maybe bespoke orders. For now, at least we have something with 1440P @ 24" at 122 PPI. It's miles better than 1080P @ 24" to my eyes.
DogAteMyCPU@reddit
For work im running a 24in 1080p 144hz monitor in portrait and i would love a 4k option that i can just scale up for a boost in clarity
wickedplayer494@reddit
I too would like a 24" OLED if someone can actually be fucked to make one.
randomperson32145@reddit
24.5 are still the goto for cs2 players.
iDontSeedMyTorrents@reddit
You're the commenter equivalent of people who talk only because they're in love with their sound of their own voice.
randomperson32145@reddit
Not really correct
Plantemanden@reddit
Many 27" gaming monitors come with a 24.5" mode for tournaments.
randomperson32145@reddit
Zowie benq makes them at 24 . 600hz and official monitor for 2025 katowice major..
randomperson32145@reddit
Zowie benq makes them at 24 . 600hz and official monitor for 2025 katowice major.. Modelname XL2586X+ They have a bunch at lower Hz for lower prices too.
Pretty sure this is the best cs2 monitor. Op take a look at Zowie.
InevitableSherbert36@reddit
Unless I'm missing something, that's not 4K.
randomperson32145@reddit
Its the best fps gaming screen on the market. 600hz is insane. You want 4k on that its gonna coat like 2000+ dollars
iDontSeedMyTorrents@reddit
"I want a 20" 4K monitor"
"Here's a 24" 1080p monitor. You never mentioned gaming once so buy this esports screen."
randomperson32145@reddit
O shit i posted in the wrong thread then. My bad. Lol.
Winter_2017@reddit
I have a 24" 4k monitor. The resolution is far too high - I have to lean in to see greater detail. I've used a 27" 4k for over a year, and I just got a 31.5" 4k monitor and I cannot notice a quality difference at a normal viewing distance.
For reference, at 31.5", I have to be about 1' away to see the pixels. At 24" I have to get within 6 inches. 4k 31.5" is still noticeably better than a 27" 1440p monitor.
31.5" is almost the perfect size. 43" is far too big IMO. I'd like to see a ~34" 16:9 display, which will probably be my size limit.
Sevastous-of-Caria@reddit
27 inch is already a stretch for most in terms of ppi and from the viewing distances associated. And the fact that you need to have a panel production without defects at 22 inch is unneccessarily costly.
folowerofzaros@reddit
Eh dunno, difference of 1440p and 4k at 27 inch is very noticeable for me. I am currently on 27 inch 4k and I would still like more pixels. I think next time I upgrade my gpu I will get a 5k screen cause I highly doubt smaller 4k ones that do not suck are happening. Hopefully 5k screens will not be restricted to 32 inches because I find using such a large screen physically uncomfortable.
CarbonatedPancakes@reddit
I can also easily see the difference between 1440 and 5k at 27” at normal viewing distance. 1440 27” isn’t bad by any means but 5k 27” is visibly notably better.
The difference is particularly visible with non-Roman characters. Hanzi and kanji for example greatly benefit from the extra pixels with the fine detail those characters are loaded with.
iDontSeedMyTorrents@reddit
People don't seem to realize that you don't have to see individual pixels to see the difference in clarity.
roniadotnet@reddit
I see many laptops of different sizes that come with 4K. Is there a reason why 21-22 inch is more costly?
SupportDangerous8207@reddit
Mass production probably
I couldn’t personally think of a single human being I know or have heard of before this post who wants a sub 27 inch monitor
Laptops meanwhile sell in such quantities that almost anything is worth it if it serves a big need in the market
GenericUser1983@reddit
This here; the number of people who have room for a desk in general who can't fit at least a 27" monitor on said desk has to be just tiny. Which means the only viable nice for smaller monitors are either budget or extreme fps markets, which cuts out having 4k support.
aes110@reddit
I agree, I used the same 24" 4k display for 7 years until a few months ago when I did a total PC upgrade and couldn't find any 24" 4k that isnt many years old
I ended up getting a 27" 4k 160hz display and honestly I'm glad I did cause I do appreciate the extra size and the overall size isn't much bigger since my previous one had big bezels
It would still be nice to have the option though
Plantemanden@reddit
Just get a bigger desk and sit further away from your screen; or get a wall mount and slam than thang onto the wall.
anxietywilderness@reddit
Yeah I've just accepted using small 720p monitors as my side ones just to keep things more compact. I don't like big monitors either and it just makes multitasking harder. I feel like it's been the same with phones too where all the companies decided big is better but it's not the case.
roniadotnet@reddit
I agree. I use one 24” 4K and one 27” 5K monitors, and anything below just look subpar. On macOS, there is no doubt. 27” 4K is somewhat acceptable, especially given how cheap they are, but not ideal.
The 24” is appropriate especially when I use a smaller desk. It’s sad there are not many options but just one LG UltraFine. Though, nowadays, there are some newer and affordable 27” 5K options. It used to be just Studio Display, which is perfect all around but eye-popping expensive. I recently got the Asus one, and it’s amazing.