The right monitor for your home office

Laptops are supposed to be small, light and convenient. While portability is a great advantage, it also limits the potential screen sizes. Many laptops have 12 to 15-inch displays and 17-inch laptops are already considered to be enormous. However, for most office work on the PC, it is important that screen content is displayed clearly and legibly. Laptop screens are not ideal when working with different programs simultaneously (multi-tasking) in particular.

External monitors with large display sizes have a clear advantage in their size alone because they can easily accommodate several application windows next to each other. With a little practice, programme windows can be quickly and clearly arranged next to each other using shortcuts. Working with these types of desktop monitors makes work more efficient and more comfortable. This saves valuable time and is also healthier and more ergonomic as texts and graphics are displayed in a larger, clearer size, which reduces eye strain. More information is available next to each other and you don’t have to constantly change between different programme windows.

Screen size and resolution

We recommend screens with the highest possible resolution to ensure the sharpest image reproduction. Due to the fact screens of the same size have a higher detail sharpness at high resolutions, the following simple rule of thumb applies: the higher the detail resolution, the better. This drastically improves readability, which is particularly important when working at a screen all day.

Detail resolution is measured in ppi (pixel per inch). This value describes the distance between the individual pixels and is therefore also called pixel density. To come back to the rule of thumb: the higher the pixel density, the finer the details that can be displayed on the monitor and the sharper the image.

Some users shy away from high-resolution monitors because they are concerned that the higher detail resolution also means that the font or the menus and user interfaces will be smaller. While this phenomenon was indeed associated with high pixel density in the early days of 4K monitors, this problem is now a thing of the past. Software manufacturers of operating systems and programs now offer scaling functions that allow you to scale fonts and menus to your preferences, giving you the benefit of a sharp display without having to compromise on your usual font size.

Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule. For special applications such as graphic design software or CAD/CAM, for example, we generally recommend 4K or UHD resolutions.

You can find out more about 4K here.

Ideally, you want to connect your laptop at home with as little effort as possible. With USB-C, if you have the right monitor, you can connect a single cable to your PC and transmit all possible image, audio and data signals via the cable. If you use another graphics port, an additional USB cable is required. In both cases, the right monitor can eliminate the need for an additional docking station.

Image and audio signals

To ensure that the display you’ve chosen works as it should with your computer, your PC or laptop must have a suitable graphics output for image output in the desired resolution and with the correct signal type. Old analogue connections (connected via VGA/DSub sockets) sometimes do not even allow Full-HD signals without interference. The following ports are recommended for resolutions above Full-HD: HDMI, DisplayPort, Mini DisplayPort or USB-C. This means it is essential to check the computer’s available video outputs when selecting the right monitor.

The latest generation of monitors commonly has three types of ports: DisplayPort, HDMI and USB-C. Often, there are also ports of the older DVI type.

Information on the possible applications of different ports can be found here.

Daisy-Chain

If you want to operate several monitors on your laptop, it is of course particularly convenient if you only need to connect a single cable to your computer. For this purpose, you should look out for the daisy chain function via USB-C or DisplayPort (depending on the model). This allows you to connect several monitors to each other in series.

Data signals

An appropriately equipped monitor can be used as a USB docking station for accessories such as keyboard, mouse, webcam, hard drives, and similar components without the need to connect any additional cables. Furthermore, a stable network connection is possible via a LAN port directly on the monitor. The KVM switch on certain models lets you conveniently run multiple PCs simultaneously.

KVM switch

If you want to use a mouse and a keyboard on several computers (for example, desktop PC and laptop), you should make sure that your monitor has a KVM switch. This automatically connects the mouse and keyboard to the computer currently activated on the monitor.

In a home office, for example, a private PC and company computer can share the monitor, the keyboard and mouse connected to it as well as further daisy-chained monitors.

Power

Using the USB-C, you can even power and charge the connected computer if your monitor has an appropriate power delivery function (PD).

Thanks to this, you no longer even need to connect your laptop or tablet to a power supply. So forget the hassle of carrying your laptop charging cable around and benefit from more space on your desk.

Different monitors use different panels or, in other words, different display technologies. We recommend IPS panels for daily work in your home office because they offer the best picture quality. An IPS panel gives you a balanced combination of outstanding colour reproduction and high viewing angle stability. This means that contrast and colour reproduction are only minimally affected even at widely varying viewing angles.

The monitor’s gamut is another factor that needs to be considered during the selection process. A monitor with a good sRGB gamut is sufficient for office applications. Graphic design applications and photo editing often have higher requirements. If your monitor at home is to be used not only for work, but also for hobbies such as photography, video or graphic design content in your leisure time, it’s worth taking a look at devices with a wide gamut – these are called graphics monitors.

The fundamentals on gamuts and what you need to pay attention to when selecting and using a monitor.

In addition to a clear and high-contrast display, the hallmark of a good monitor is that it reduces back strain and eye fatigue while working first and foremost. After all, it is well known that working in front of a screen for a prolonged period leads to ‘tired’ eyes, among other things. There are a number of possible reasons for this.

Expand your workspace with multiple screens

Leave your laptop open. Although using just the built-in laptop display is not ideal for daily work, using it in conjunction with an external monitor is all the more valuable. If you place your laptop next to your monitor when it is open (ideally with an external mouse and keyboard) and use the ‘Extended desktop’ setting, your usable monitor space increases considerably.

We also recommend using a height-adjustable laptop stand to ensure that you can also better position your laptop in an ergonomic sense. This has the added bonus of further improving your laptop’s ability to remove heat. When shut, most laptops suffer a noticeable reduction in their capacity to remove heat. This leads to the integrated fan having to work harder, generating noise in the process. Using a laptop stand means there is a good chance that the irritating roar of your laptop’s fan will only be reserved for hot summer days when it has to work at maximum capacity.

We hope these explanations will help you choose a suitable monitor for your home office.