Hardware
Monitors — LG, and the Samsung I miss
LG 31.5-inch is my daily driver, bought June 2024
The LG UltraFine 31.5-inch is my daily driver and easy to look at for hours on end. Buy the highest resolution you can afford — it is the specification you feel every day.
My rule on monitors is short. Buy the highest resolution you can afford at the time. Not the fastest, not the one with the most features — the sharpest. You are going to sit in front of it for hours at a stretch, and text that is easy to read is the difference between finishing the day tired and finishing it worn out.
The LG UltraFine 32UP83A-W is my daily driver, and it is the one I would point most people at. It is 31.5 inches of 4K, which puts a great deal of readable text in front of you, and it is easy to look at for hours on end — which is the whole job. It also takes power and picture down a single USB-C cable to a laptop. One cable to the desk is worth more than it sounds.
The LG UltraGear 27GL83A-B is the smaller, faster one — 27 inches at QHD, 144Hz. It is sold as a gaming monitor and it is good at that, but it is also a perfectly sensible work screen. I have bought this model three separate times, which is the most honest thing I can say about it.
The Samsung 49-inch S95UA is my all-time favorite and they do not make it anymore. What I liked was the curve and the 32:9 shape — a single panel at 5120 by 1440 doing the work of two screens, with no bezel down the middle of your work. Samsung has replaced it with the ViewFinity S9, so if that shape appeals, start there.
While we are on shapes: I prefer 16:9 to 16:10. That is a minority opinion — plenty of people want the extra vertical space 16:10 gives you, and they are not wrong. I have used both and I keep coming back to 16:9. Know which one you are buying, because the listing does not always make it obvious.
Look at more than one seller on a purchase this size. On the day I checked, the same 31.5-inch LG was $385.86 at B&H, $399.00 at Amazon, and $531.00 at Walmart — where it was not actually available to order anyway. That is a hundred and forty-five dollar spread on one monitor.
And the cheapest was not the compromise. B&H had it in stock as an LG authorized dealer, and theirs is the newer 32UP83AK-W revision rather than the version Amazon lists. Least money, newest hardware, authorized seller — but only if you look.
What is good
- The 31.5-inch 4K is easy on the eyes over a full working day
- Resolution is the specification that pays you back every single day
- The LG 31.5-inch 4K carries power and picture on one USB-C cable
- The LG 27-inch is good enough that I bought it three times
- Both LG stands tilt, raise and pivot, so the screen meets your eyes
What is not
- The Samsung 49-inch, the best of them, is discontinued
- The LG 31.5-inch runs at 60Hz — fine for work, not for fast games
- The LG 31.5-inch has a glossy screen, which shows reflections in a bright room
- Two revisions are in circulation — 32UP83A-W and the newer 32UP83AK-W — so check which one a listing is selling
Where to buy
Every seller I found, including the ones that pay me nothing. Prices are what they were on the date shown — check before you buy.
| Retailer | Price | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon — LG 32UP83A-W, 31.5-inch 4K | $399.00 | 2026-08-15 |
| Amazon — LG 27GL83A-B, 27-inch QHD | $246.00 | 2026-08-15 |
| Newegg — LG 32UP83A-W | — Out of stock. Marketplace seller shipping from Canada. | 2026-08-15 |
| Walmart — LG 32UP83A-W | $531.00 Not available to order, and $132 above Amazon when it was. | 2026-08-15 |
| Micro Center — LG 32UP83A | — Listed. Price varies by store, so check your local branch. | 2026-08-15 |
| B&H Photo — LG 32UP83AK-W | $385.86 In stock. LG authorized dealer, and the newer 32UP83AK-W revision. | 2026-08-15 |
No used listings appear here. Factory refurbished is included where it carries a warranty, and is labeled.
Other reviews
- Logitech Pebble mouse A quiet, slim Bluetooth mouse for people who live on the keyboard and reach for the mouse now and then. The silent click is the reason to buy it.
- Das Keyboard My number one keyboard, and the one I keep coming back to after trying others. Buy once, cry once.
- Captain O-Ring switch dampeners, blue 40A-R Twelve dollars and half an hour takes the clack out of a clicky keyboard you already own. The cheapest upgrade on this page.