Budget
€0–€150
Published category bar
PC Monitors (approx. 24–49 inch, office/gaming/creative)
This is the exact versioned market bar used by the deterministic engine. It defines what is mandatory, typical and above-class for each European price class.
- Version
- 2026.07-5
- Status
- Active
- Price classes
- 5
European price classes
Mid-range
€150–€300
Upper mid-range
€300–€600
Premium
€600–€1000
Ultra-premium
€1000+
The lowest documented European price selects the class. Within ±10% of a boundary, both neighbouring classes are calculated and the better result counts.
Mandatory category features
CE marking (EMC, low-voltage and RoHS compliance)
At least one digital video input (HDMI, DisplayPort or USB-C with DisplayPort alt mode)
Expected features by price class
Budget
- Resolution at least Full HD (1920×1080) at ~24–27 inch — a higher resolution fulfils the expectation
- IPS or VA panel (no TN)
- Refresh rate at least approx. 100 Hz
- Adaptive sync (AMD FreeSync or similar) against tearing
Mid-range
- Resolution at least WQHD (2560×1440), typically ~27 inch — a higher resolution (e.g. 4K) fulfils the expectation
- Refresh rate at least approx. 144 Hz
- Height-adjustable stand (in addition to tilt)
- Both DisplayPort and HDMI inputs present
- Colour gamut coverage approx. 99% sRGB or an equivalent manufacturer figure (e.g. approx. 72% NTSC, approx. 90% DCI-P3)
Upper mid-range
- 4K from approx. 144 Hz or WQHD from approx. 240 Hz (or UWQHD from approx. 144 Hz)
- HDR support at least at DisplayHDR 400 level
- Ergonomic stand: height and tilt, plus swivel or pivot (pivot is not expected on ultrawide/large formats)
- USB hub or USB-C input (connectivity beyond the video signal)
- HDMI 2.1 or DisplayPort 1.4: native resolution usable at maximum refresh rate per manufacturer specification (DSC compression permitted)
Premium
- OLED or mini-LED panel (real HDR hardware); for office/creative models and 49-inch large formats a panel with documented contrast from approx. 1500:1 (e.g. IPS Black, high-grade VA) is sufficient
- Refresh rate at least approx. 144 Hz (49-inch office formats from approx. 120 Hz; pure office/creative models from approx. 60 Hz)
- USB-C with power delivery and/or KVM switch
- Above-standard format: approx. 27-inch 4K, 34-inch UWQHD, 49-inch DQHD — or 27-inch WQHD OLED from approx. 240 Hz
Ultra-premium
- 4K OLED from approx. 240 Hz or specialist (5K/6K creative, 57-inch dual 4K, esports from approx. 360 Hz)
- DisplayPort 2.1 (UHBR) or HDMI 2.1 with enough bandwidth for the native resolution at maximum refresh rate (DSC permitted)
- HDR peak brightness approx. 1000 nits or True Black 400 or better
- USB-C with approx. 90 W power delivery and KVM switch (for esports specialists from approx. 360 Hz one of the two is sufficient)
- Factory calibration with included calibration report (approx. Delta E < 2)
Above-class bonus features
- Panel/resolution/refresh clearly above class expectation (e.g. WQHD/180 Hz in budget, OLED in upper-mid, 4K OLED below approx. 900 EUR)+5
- Real HDR (mini-LED with local dimming or OLED, DisplayHDR 600+/True Black) below the premium class — or, within the premium class, a certified HDR rating of DisplayHDR 600 or True Black 400 or better+4
- USB-C single-cable dock (approx. 90 W PD, USB hub, optionally LAN) below the premium class+4
- OLED burn-in explicitly covered by warranty (approx. 3 years or more)+4
- Hardware calibration into the monitor's internal look-up table via manufacturer software (e.g. ColorNavigator, ProArt Calibration, Palette Master)+3
- KVM switch below the premium class+3
- Manufacturer zero bright pixel / premium panel exchange guarantee+3
- Factory calibration with report (approx. Delta E < 2) below the ultra class+3
- DisplayPort 2.1 (UHBR) below the ultra class+2
- Built-in speakers+2
- Height adjustment/pivot already in the budget class+2
- User-installable firmware updates (USB or software tool)+2
- Spare parts obtainable through EU channels (e.g. power supply, stand, cables listed in the manufacturer shop or service portal)+2
- Energy efficiency class D or better per the EU energy label (EPREL entry for the model)+2
Negative characteristics
- Repeatedly documented severe unit variance/quality defects (frequent dead pixels, scanlines, panel lottery within the same model number)-5
- Prominently marketed as an HDR monitor (HDR in the product name/marketing) although independent measurements show no HDR hardware (no local dimming, peak brightness below approx. 350 nits)-4
- Disturbing PWM flicker documented by independent measurement (e.g. PWM below approx. 1 kHz at reduced brightness)-4
- Severe documented firmware/OSD defects with no update path-4
- OLED monitor but burn-in explicitly excluded from warranty-3
- External power supply with proprietary connector/voltage, not replaceable by commonly available units (no IEC power cord, no USB-C PD) — no deduction if the manufacturer verifiably offers the matching unit as a spare part through EU channels-3
- No VESA mount (75x75 or 100x100) — arm or wall mounting therefore impossible-3