[ChrisHawkins]

Hello, I have found the website via Google, searching for monitor reviews. I appreciate your in-depth testing of monitors and I hope you can help me find a monitor that is the closest match for my criteria.

First, let me tell you for background that since moving from CRT to LCD, I have only used two monitors over the last 12 or so years: Samsung 960 BG (19″ glossy 1280×1024 monitor) and Samsung S27A950D (27″ glossy 1920×1080 monitor). Yes, there is no coincidence: I very very much prefer a perfectly glossy panel for my monitor. I can’t stand looking at a grainy screen. The light in my room is completely under control, light reflection never bothered me. Luckily for me the 27″ monitor lasted me a few good years and to be honest I didn’t keep in touch very much with the market, what’s new, and when it died this spring I started research and was very surprised (and disappointed to realize) that the glossy panels have been almost eradicated in favor of matte with various degrees of coating. I’ve always admired the Apple systems for their beautiful, crystal clear displays. If I could match an Apple monitor to my PC that would certainly be my choice. But here I am, in 2018, looking for a glossy 27″-to- 30″ monitor with the glossiest screen possible in the current market, which is probably semi-glossy at best. I have a LG 42LB5610 TV in my room so I know what a semi-gloss panel looks like, I think I could deal with that, worse case scenario.

Now what am I looking for: I want to build a new PC for my newly discovered passion which is photo and video editing (Adobe suite). But I also want it to be capable of gaming because I still game occasionally. Here is the system that I have in mind:
-Intel 8700 + MSI B360 mb + 16 GB Ram + RTX 280

I need a monitor that is:
– glossy or semi-glossy;
– very good color depth and reproduction, if not out of the box, at least doable with the right tools which I am willing to learn;
– 27 to 30 inches (do you think 1440 would look good for photography on a screen that’s bigger than 30″?);
– fast enough for normal gaming (not competitive, I prefer slower paced rpgs like Skyrim and Witcher but I might occasionally play a Formula 1 or flight simulator as well, so I do care about overdrive, tearing, input lag and eye strain);
– I am not very picky about brand, but it should be a model that is available in the shops in my country, I don’t want to import something exotic;
– Price wise, I hope I could find something below 1000 EUR, but knowing my requirements are rather niche, I would make efforts to pay more if there is a more expensive model that’s worth the price. 1500 would probably be my hard limit;
– I would rather this monitor already is available or will be very soon (end of 2018 at worst). I’m currently back on my 19″ monitor but it’s so not suited for my work.

Thank you for reading and I hope your experience with so many current models and actual real world tests could help me find what I’m looking for. Best regards!

[PCM2]

Hi ChrisHawkins and welcome,

The current selection of glossy models is very slim. And so might the market for ‘semi-glossy’ be, depending on what your expectations are and how you’re defining it. Because it is such a general term and open to interpretation, it isn’t one I like using myself. Really it refers to models with a lower than average haze value but which still have a matte anti-glare surface. But what one user considers ‘semi-glossy’ another would simply consider matte or, in the case of a very low haze value, glossy. It’s more of a continuum.

If you are looking for a glossy monitor or close to it, you’d have to consider something like the Dell S2718D. I’ve only used it briefly myself, not fully reviewed it. But my first impressions largely echo user feedback. It offers a good ‘out of the box’ calibration, delivers the sort of crisp and clear image you’re after and is good in terms of responsiveness. Within the confines of the 60Hz refresh rate.

If you’re open to light matte anti-glare or very light matte anti-glare options, at least those with a smooth enough screen surface to avoid ‘obvious graininess’ to the image, there are many options. Otherwise you’re really very restricted. Another important question – what is your end goal with the photography? What I’m getting at here is whether you need access to a wide colour gamut (Adobe RGB), which might might sense if you’re going to end up printing the photographs or simply storing them and your camera suppots the format. Or whether you’re simply going to be distributing the photographs digitally and perhaps showing them to other people on other devices, in which case sRGB might make more sense.

You will undoubtedly want to invest in a colorimeter if you don’t already have one. Even if a monitor is nicely calibrated out of the box, things change over time and you should always calibrate and re-calibrate on your own system to maximise accuracy.

[ChrisHawkins]

Hello again, thank you for the prompt and elaborate answer! The Dell S2718D does indeed look very slim and stylish, and I’m glad to see it’s still available at my local retailers, what bothers me about it is the connectivity, only HDMI 2.0 seems a little on the cheap side and, while I’m aware HDMI is sufficient to game at 1440 60Hz, it makes me wonder what other corners were cut in this model’s production if they couldn’t fit one displayport there…

I have read your matte vs glossy article, very informative. Based on the article and your example with the Philips BDM4350UC picture, I think I could tolerate a very low haze (1-5%) antiglare treatment as long as the surface texture itself is as smooth as possible. I will surely take very low haze HP and Philips screens into account, although I have read somewhere dissatisfied users saying that HP monitors and Nvidia gpus don’t work well together, I didn’t get why though. For me the 2080 rtx gpu is set in stone at this point.

Regarding photo editing, my main goal is to create, and self publish an illustrated novel. For the illustrations I would take real world pictures with my mirrorless camera, do the color grading and rasterize the shapes I need in Photoshop, then add contour drawing in Illustrator and then arrange them for printing using Indesign or something similar. The end goal would be a file ready to print on paper by a professional publishing house, most likely in vector format as they will request. I assume I would need accurate colors for the entire workflow to prevent colors changing tones from file to paper.

[PCM2]

It is common for Dell’s S-series models to only feature HDMI. There is no need for the S2718D to support DP as it would give it no benefit over HDMI 2.0. It also features USB Type-C (far from “cheap” as far as ports go) which has a DP alternative mode. So they’ve just kept things as compact as possible without unnecessary extras such as DP ports. Another aspect to consider is that the S2718D has its ports mounted into the base to help make the screen itself more slender. There isn’t really any alternative for a glossy (very low haze or otherwise) screen at the moment that fits your criteria.

[ChrisHawkins]

Thank you very much PCMonitors, I will try to make the purchase in September when the new gpus are available. Your appreciation of HDMI is reassuring. Of course I would have loved to have many options to choose, but I guess it could always be worse 🙂
Keep up the great work, best regards!

[marilari]

Hello to everyone,
I’m going to buy a new monitor for programming and photo editing. I don’t care about gaming specs.
I’m looking for a 1440 resolution, glossy coating and obviously actractive image quality. 24″ or 27″.
I’ve already read Aoc q3279vwf‘s reviews (Really nice work!). It would be perfect for my use, but my gf doesn’t let such big monitors into our home XD.

Budget possibly less than 300€
I’ll appreciate each suggestion.

[PCM2]

Hi marilari and welcome,

I’ve merged your thread with this one because I like to minimise duplication and me giving the exact same response to users on separate threads. I know that gaming is not a priority for you and you were specifically looking for glossy models, but I’m afraid the choice of such models is extremely limited. So the Dell S2718D mentioned above is really the only option. Unfortunately it is well beyond your budget, so unless that is flexible you’ll have to adjust your requirements.

I also don’t think the AOC Q3279VWF would be the best choice for photo editing, even if your partner did accept such a large screen in the house. VA panels are never ideal for colour-critical work due to the perceived gamma shifts – and these shifts are even stronger on the AOC than many VA models of the size. It doesn’t mean you can’t use them for a bit of hobbyist photography, but ideally you’d consider an IPS-type model.

[marilari]

thank you for your prompt reply. Dell S2718D is far over my budget. Maybe a have to give up a completely glossy monitor and choose one with a low Anti-glare. What do you think about Benq GW2765HT?

[PCM2]

The BenQ GW2765HT is really good value. Decent out of the box setup, decent responsiveness and good ergonomic flexibility. And importantly, it does use a nice (very) light matte anti-glare finish.

[marilari]

I’ve found BenQ Gw2765he at 230 euros. Have this monitor the same panel? Is it a good deal a this price? Is there a significant quality difference with benq pd2500q? Sorry for too many questions

[PCM2]

I have no feedback to share on the GW2765HE. It uses the same panel, but there’s more to a monitor than just the panel. The BenQ PD2500Q is fairly similar to the Dell U2518D. For your uses I don’t think you’ll notice much difference over the GW2765HT. Aside from a slightly tighter pixel density and smaller screen. As for the GW2765HE, as I have no user feedback to share and I have no experience with the model myself, I can’t really compare it.

[ronakkaria]

Love this thread! I’m a fan of glossy monitors as well, as I primarily use a MacBook pro. Recently decided to get an external monitor to increase productivity. One of my concerns is a matte finish screen next to my glossy Macbook pro screen would look kinda imbalanced.

For the most part I’ve settled on the LG 27UK650 (4k 60Hz), but I’m not sure how vibrant the display would actually look. I know it has a “light matte” finish from a review you wrote on this site, but I’m not actually sure if it’s what you would describe as semi-glossy?

I know the term is subjective, but in comparison to other “light matte” finish screens out there in the market today, how would you rate this ‘percentile’ wise in it’s “glossiness”? I’m just looking for a subjective estimate here in your experience, not anything technical necessarily.

[PCM2]

Hi ronakkaria and welcome,

I’m glad you’re finding this thread useful.

That’s a slightly tricky one to answer because the 27UK650 actually uses two different panels interchangeably. One from LG (IPS) themselves and another from BOE (IPS-ADS). Overall characteristics of the panels are similar, but I believe the screen surface is slightly different. The BOE uses a ‘light’ (or ‘relatively light’) matte anti-glare screen surface and would give quite a vibrant look to the image overall. As I understand, it’s a similar screen surface to that used on the Philips 276E8VJSB. This is just based on my observation of similar BOE panels, I haven’t seen the LG with that panel myself in person.

The LG IPS panel is slightly ‘lighter’ (lower haze value) such that I might even classify it as ‘very light’. The screen surface is similar to that used on various older generation LG panels. So the ViewSonic VP2780-4K would be an example with a similar screen surface. Certainly good vibrancy potential from that screen surface, but also a bit of graininess to the image. It’s ‘lighter’ (lower haze) than the BOE variant but I believe the screen surcace textures is slightly rougher which gives a bit more of a grainy appearance to lighter content. Quite confusing, I know. The BOE panel is exclusively used on the newer 27UL650, incidentally.

[Anonymous]

Hi, I’m also looking for a glossy screen (for a while now). I have 2 HPO2210i glossy screens. A screen like HP 2210i is not on the market anymore, The Dell S2718D or Philips 276E8VJSB looks great but it aint popping colors as a real glossy screen.
I don’t know why the all in one pc all have a glossy screen build in and a lose monitor is always with a antiglare layer. Put a allinone pc next to the Dell S2718D or Philips 276E8VJSB and you see what I mean. I think it is more a marketing thing. I want to replace my old screens and I need 2 more screens. In the mean while I still use the HP2210! and some even older (mat) screens. I kinda won’t settle for less. and keep my bucks in my pockets until there is a gloss screen for a decent price.

Please let me know If there are some models coming or if I am overlooking something.

[PCM2]

I’m afraid manufacturers simply cater to the desires of most consumers. And most are ignorant to the advantages of glossy screens but all too willing to complain about the disadvantages. I can’t remember the last time I wrote a news article about a glossy screen. I’ll be at IFA this year and will certainly be hunting them down, but some of those models (if there are any) may be some way off.

The Dell S2718D does have a glossy screen and most users enjoy the ‘pop’ it gives. It has a very mild (low haze) anti-glare finish. If you’re looking for a glossy monitor without such a treatment then I’m afraid you’re likely out of luck completely.

[Anonymous]

Thank you! Yes I’am afraid so. Is a TV a good alternative?

[PCM2]

A TV is an alternative. Glossy options are more common there, although they’re quite often very low haze matte as well just like Dell’s current preferred surface type. It depends what you’re after and where you’re willing to compromise really. You can’t get 2560 x 1440 TVs, you don’t usually get high resolution and high refresh rate options (not true refresh rate), you can forget ‘G-SYNC’ (even ‘G-SYNC Compatible Mode’ as most models lack DP) or UltraWide options. Plus latency is usually higher. Flicker-free backlights are also considerably rarer on TVs.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the information. I started looking for a Tv already. Now I see that it probably is not the best option. I will wait until my screens die and can’t be repaired. hopefully they figure out that glossy screens are a thing. In the meanwhile I keep my bucks in the pocket. and put this site in my favorites.

[bjax]

Looks like I came to the right place here in 2020. Has there been anything released in this year or late last year that would be a good 24″ to 27″ glossy monitor? Right now, I’m trying to decide between the legit glossy monitor (Dell S2715H) and two semi-glossy monitors you mentioned here – the LG 27UL650-W and the BenQ GW2765HT. My use case is for multimedia consumption. I watch a lot of Netflix (especially these days) from my monitor. I have an old Dell ST2220t monitor that I don’t use for touch screen, but it has a glossy screen that looks great. I’m just looking for a second monitor to pair it with. I’m a little hesitant about the low haze models without having seen one, but I can really see the difference between matte and glossy when characters where anything black. The matte loses information and the blacks look blotchy or crushed(?), so I don’t know how a low haze performs. Of the three that I mentioned, unless you know of any other contenders, which would you go with?

[PCM2]

I wish I had better news, but there is a complete dearth of recent glossy monitor releases. The smoother and ‘light to very light’ matte screen surfaces mentioned don’t give the same ‘patchy’ quality that you describe. The emission of light is fairly direct and it doesn’t appear like there’s a smeary ‘window’ in front of the screen. Although they don’t have quite the same look as a pure glossy screen. It’s really something you’d need to observe for yourself.

[Author]

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