Is A Curved Monitor Worth It? What Are Perks?
Gone are the days when monitors came in one style—these days monitors come with various advanced specifications that include response time, resolution, curvature, refresh rate, etc. These features play a vital role in your gaming, regular tasks, and business projects.
Just like features, monitor types have also emerged, like curved monitors—a recent invention. Curved monitors used to be expensive but now they are far more affordable—as they are getting less at price, so considering them is not a deal of loss. There were many impossible things that are becoming doable these days and it is all due to the latest inventions and variations. These curved monitors with wide displays are good for editing, graphic designing, gaming, and providing an immersive display.
Well, enough with the talks, let’s explore more about curved monitors, their benefits, and drawbacks.
So, let’s begin without further ado!
What is a Curved Monitor?
Curved monitors are gaining popularity in the market and have been present there since 2014.
The only thing to ponder is that their cost falls slowly. There is not so much difference between a flat monitor and a curved monitor. The major difference as everyone knows is the curvature.
The curvature of the curved monitors is shown by ‘R’, or radius, and this is measured in millimeters. Already present curved monitors in the market have three common R measurements and that is 1800R, 3000R, or 4000R. The greater the curve will be,
When the R measurement is lower. Same as when the aperture works in an SLR camera. These are not the only measurements in which curve monitors are available, you will also get the radius in between these numbers.
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Is A Curved Monitor Worth It?
Let’s discuss our main point that continuously hits our mind: Is A Curved Monitor Worth It? Yes, it is worth a little as it provides more immersive views and a wider field of view with a larger 21:9 display. However, there is no other significant advantage so whether it is truly worthy is still a point to discuss.
A curved monitor with a standard aspect ratio of 16:9 does not carry either of the benefits mentioned above.
As you know when investing in any monitor, there are a lot of things to keep in mind, including response time, refresh rate, maximum display resolution. In all these, you will easily forget about one thing that is not technically considerable but still crucial for any gaming monitor and that is the curvature of the screen.
Indeed curved monitors have now been present for the last 7 years and carry a lot of benefits and pitfalls.
Things To Consider When Getting Curved Monitors
Nothing is hundred percent perfect in this world and that goes the same with curved monitors too. Luckily the drawbacks associated with curved monitors are not so much and will not force anyone to change the decision and go towards buying a flat monitor either. Some of the necessary considerations before going to buy a curved monitor is as follows:
Wall Mounting
Because of their different shapes, the first thing to consider is that curved screens are a little difficult to mount on the wall. The flat-screen can be easily adjusted on the wall, but the curved screen needs specific positioning and mounts to be placed on the wall. Generally speaking, it will be possible to save desk space and hang them on the wall with little adjustments. Adjustable arms, tilt, and swivel brackets will be best to overcome this issue and make wall mounting comfortable. The great news is that this issue is not a big one and has no impact on performance either.
Viewing Angle / Monitor Curvature
The thing to consider when buying a curved monitor is the curvature and viewing angle. These are things that determine the angle of the display and proper viewing. Curvature ratings have come in different numbers ranging from 1800R or 3000R. These curvature numbers correlate directly with viewing distance. It means a display with a curvature of 1800R has a minimum viewing angle of 1800mm. Less intense the curvature with the larger number.
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Advantages Of Curved Monitors
If you are confused about curved monitors and wondering whether you should buy them for your office work or not, you can undergo the below-mentioned advantages.
So here you go!
Eliminate Distortion
It would be very frustrating if your monitor continuously showed you blurry images. And the scenario will be even worse when you know that blurriness is not because of a bad internet connection but because of the hardware issue. Let’s see another side of the picture. When you enlarge a picture or image, the quality suffers greatly as it faces distortion at the edges. This is a common issue arising in flat monitors more. Although the problem of distortion arises on any screen size; it will become bigger as the screen size increases.
One of the advantages of curved monitors is less distortion. This issue is minimized in curved monitors and makes them better than flat ones. Let’s explain it with an example, both flat and curved monitors come under the light projection of physics. In simple words, a flat-screen shows the images in a straight line to the viewers. Contrary to this, a curved screen takes advantage of its shape and aims everything towards the viewer, eliminating distortion.
Comfortable for the Eyes
The same physics that helps overcome distortion in curved monitors makes them more comfortable for viewers. The screen’s curvature allows users’ eyes to take everything simultaneously, thus reducing eye strain. This is the opposite of a flat-screen, which puts more stress on the eyes due to the large size, especially if the size exceeds the natural field of view of the viewer.
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Cover a Wider Field of View
Curved monitors are designed to provide a wider field of view. They also deliver great immersion to Pc users and especially gamers. They get this by using a slight curvature that allows the users to enjoy a realistic view of the action.
These monitors are built with an ultra-wide aspect ratio so the users can use them even as a substitute for their dual-monitor setup. The aspect ratio makes them ideal for gamers as they allow better peripheral vision. They are popular among those who love to play first-person shooting games.
Downsides of a Curved Monitor
Although they save money, you have to spend on getting a dual-monitor setup. Unlike flat screens, large curved monitors cost you more. The extra specification such as resolution, G-sync, high refresh rate, blue light filters is the perks that added more bucks to the price. One of the fantastic picks from the curved monitor is the Acer Predator 34-inch ultrawide for gaming, which costs around $1000.
To increase your investment worth, it is suggested to go for a large screen as the curved effect will minimize in smaller ones. Flat monitors take less space on the desk and are easier to mount on the wall.
To enjoy the screen visuals, it is recommended to place the monitor away from direct sunlight. Also, if you are searching for a monitor for both play and work, go towards a flat-screen. Curve monitors will make the lines less than exact if your task is related to designing and mostly works with straight lines.
Curved Monitor Options
If you can afford it, there are numerous options available in the market, and below, we have listed two best picks that are our personal favorites. So if you don’t have much time to search for yourself, you can choose one of these.
Samsung 34-inch CJ791 Curved Monitor
- It supports Thunderbolt 3
- Provide excellent color accuracy
- Have 3440 x 1440 resolution
- 100Hz refresh rate
- 4ms response time
Dell UltraSharp U3415W 34-Inch Curved LED-Lit Monitor
- Built with 3440 x 1440 resolution
- Have 60Hz refresh rate
- Carries 5ms response time
- IPS panel with 99% sRGB
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The Bottom Line
Keeping the conversation in mind, we can say that if you want to grab curved monitors, consider it best for those who are in the mood to splurge. Curved monitors bring fewer disadvantages than advantages, so the bottom line is—if you can afford to buy monitors, you can upgrade your monitors with the curved monitor.
Buying a monitor is your choice, whether it is flat or curved but we have mentioned a complete detail above, so you can buy according to your choice.
