Have you already seen curved monitors? Perhaps you’re wondering if you should get one for your gaming setup. Read on and find out if a curved monitor is for you.
Curved vs flat monitor – which one to choose? With curved monitors getting increasingly popular and becoming more affordable than ever, you can notice that they enter the mainstream more confidently these days. It’s not something reserved for the rich Twitch streamers anymore.
But is a curved monitor really worth it? Is gaming more comfortable on a curved monitor? Or the advantage is only noticeable in some particular games or game genres? Or maybe there’s no difference at all and it’s all just the hype and marketing?
Today we’ll take a closer look at curved and flat monitors and the differences and similarities between the two. Are curved monitors better than flat ones? Are there some specific use cases where curved monitors outshine – or are overshadowed by – the flat ones?
Let’s find out.
The Rise of Curved Monitors
Curved monitors become increasingly popular mainly due to the fact that they’re still considered something fresh and novel. Combined with the fact that they’re more affordable now than ever, more people decide to give them a try and often find out that they’re actually better to use than a traditional flat-surface monitor.
However, it’s not always the case and there are some particular scenarios where flat ones are still superior.
Curved monitors shine the most when you compare ultrawide monitors to multiple flat monitor setups or ultrawide flat monitors. When you compare one to one on a typical 16:9 resolution 20 to 27-inch screen, the difference will be barely noticeable. In this case, the curvature would make sense if the monitor has bad viewing angles, meaning it distorts the image too much if looked at extreme angles; the curvature on the sides could help alleviate the distortion.
One of the unquestionable pros of a curved monitor is the immersion factor. Having one huge curved monitor can vastly increase the immersion when compared to having several monitors standing next to each other, thanks to the lack of monitor bezels and spaces between the monitors as seen in a multiple monitor setup.
This is especially true if we’re talking about big, ultrawide monitors, but it also holds true – to a lesser extent – in the case of the smaller 16:9 ones.
A small but important – and often overlooked – thing to consider when comparing a single ultrawide curved monitor versus multiple smaller flat ones is cables. One monitor needs only one free port, such as DisplayPort or HDMI, on your motherboard. With two or three separate monitors you need to make sure that your motherboard has enough ports of the required types.
It would also be best if they’re all of the same type to ensure the quality of the image stays the same across all monitors. If you had to choose between one ultrawide flat monitor or one ultrawide curved monitor, the curved one is usually a much better choice.
The Reliability of Flat Monitors
Even though curved monitors gain popularity, the flat ones remain a stable and reliable choice and there are a number of reasons for that.
Despite price drops for curved, flat monitors are still a cheaper alternative, especially if you’re low on budget and want to get a basic model; the entry-level monitors are generally much cheaper on the flat side.
Flat monitors work much better if you’re planning to go for a multiple monitor setup; multiple curved ones may look unnatural and somewhat weird and they’ll also take up more space when compared to flats.
Continuing on this, multiple flats will give you more freedom when compared to one ultrawide monitor, as you can freely rearrange the position of the monitors in any way you want. You can also turn off the monitors you don’t use at the moment to save money; with ultrawide, it’s always on, no matter how much of the working space you’re actively using.
Flat monitors are the best choice for artists, designers, architects, and so on, because curved monitors will affect your ability to draw straight lines.
Some video games don’t support ultrawide resolutions, which would be another important reason to consider picking up several smaller flat monitors instead. Some games and entire game genres may also feel more comfortable playing on flat screens. If you’re looking for maximum immersion for action-packed FPS titles or survival games, curved ones would be better, but for strategy games or platformers, a smaller flat monitor may be better.
The only time when you almost never want a flat monitor is when you have a choice between one ultrawide flat and one ultrawide curved. In this case, ultrawide curved is much better for almost everything, except drawing-related work, in which case you’d probably want a set of multiple flat monitors anyway.
Head-to-Head: Curved vs Flat Monitors
Size and weight:
Curved monitors tend to be heavier and bigger than flat ones. Due to their curved nature, they also take up more space.
Color quality:
Flat monitors, especially the bigger ones, may have slightly desaturated colors at the side edges due to the fact that the pixels on the sides are at more extreme angles relative to your eyes. The more extreme the angle, the more visible the difference; curved monitors have much more uniform color distribution.
Hardware demands:
There are no significant differences between flat and curved when you compare similar resolutions and aspect ratios. An ultrawide 21:9 flat monitor has similar requirements to an ultrawide 21:9 curved.
Refresh rates and gaming performance:
There are no differences between the two here, either, unless you’re considering which one gives the most bang for the buck. In that case, a flat monitor would offer better performance for the same money.
Making The Right Choice
If you’re still not sure what to choose, here are some tips that could help you make the right choice.
If you are, for any reason, limited to only one, standard size and aspect ratio monitor, such as 16:9 and 20 to 27-inch, go for flat, because it’s a more versatile and future-proof option; if you ever decide to go for a multi-monitor setup from here, you can just add one or two extra to that existing one, and flat monitors generally work much better in such setups – having two or three curved monitors standing side by side, or even worse, a mix of flat and curved, may feel strange and could be aesthetically unpleasant.
If you are limited to one monitor, but a bigger one, for example, something above 40 inches and a 16:9 aspect ratio, a curved monitor may be worth giving a shot. If it’s ultrawide, such as 21:9, choose the curved one, unless you are planning to do a lot of office work or, more importantly, work that involves drawing; in such cases, it may be better to choose multiple flat monitors instead, because curved monitors will affect your straight lines when drawing.
Office work is a debatable topic though and you may see no difference whatsoever in that regard; it may be easier to organize work on multiple monitors if you’re working with a lot of windows.
If you are allowed to choose between a multiple monitors setup or one ultrawide monitor, you can go for both options, depending on personal preferences, keeping in mind that multiple monitors require more cables and, as stated earlier, curved ones don’t work too well for drawing, but it’s a more future-proof solution; if one of the small monitors from a three-monitor setup goes bad, you still have two working ones. If your ultrawide one dies, you have to get a new one.
If you are primarily a gamer or you love to watch movies, curved ultrawide will work best for immersion reasons, unless you play mostly strategy games, in which case you may consider going for one or more standard 16:9. Important note: some games and genres are naturally more comfortable to play on smaller monitors and some games don’t support ultrawide resolutions at all, which means you will be forced to use only a part of your ultrawide screen to play.
Or, even worse, the game’s GUI may be stretched all over the place, while the action will take place exclusively in the middle.
Conclusion
There are a lot of variables to consider when choosing between flat and curved monitors. It’s not only about flat versus curved but also about ultrawide versus dual or triple monitor setup.
Depending on your own needs and preferences you may want to try different solutions. Hopefully, we were able to clear things up a little so now you’ll be able to make a more conscious decision.