20 Main Types of Monitor: Complete Guide with Names & Pictures

Types of Monitors in Computer

A monitor, a video display terminal (VDT) or a video display unit (VDU) serves as an electronic output device to show pictures and text from a connected computer. If we compare these types of monitors with the TVs, they have a higher resolution. As we all know, the first computer monitor was developed with the Xerox Alto computer system on March 1, 1973. Early types of monitors were heavy and big because they used a fluorescent screen and a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT). Today, modern types of monitors use flat-panel display technology with LED illumination. It not only improves resolution but also makes monitors much lighter and saves space on your desk compared to older computer monitors.

Different Types of Monitor Images

Types of Computer Monitors

CRT Monitors (Cathode Ray Tube)
LCD Monitors (Liquid Crystal Display)
LED Monitors (Light-Emitting Diode)
OLED Monitors (Organic Light-Emitting Diode)
Curved Monitors

Ultrawide Monitors
4K Monitors
5K Monitors
6K Monitors
8K Monitors
Gaming Monitors
Touchscreen Monitors
Portable Monitors

HDR Monitors (High Dynamic Range)
Medical Monitors
Broadcast Monitors
E-ink Monitors
Security Monitors
Multi-Screen Arrays
Projectors

Types of Monitor

CRT Monitors (Cathode Ray Tube)

In old-school monitors, a cool tech used electron beams to create images. Inside the screen, there were electron guns shooting beams at the surface. These guns were like artists, making a bunch of colors, especially the main red, green, and blue.

Mixing these colors to make different hues. But now, those bulky monitors have been replaced by slim, flat-panel ones.

LCD Monitors (Liquid Crystal Display)

An LCD monitor is like a modern screen for computers, commonly seen in laptops and flat panel displays. It’s an upgrade from the old CRT monitor, which offers better picture quality.

LCDs are now good in color and clarity and support high resolutions. This progress enhanced the visual experience and made manufacturing more cost-effective than the older CRT monitors.

LED Monitors (Light-Emitting Diode)

An LED monitor is like a flat-screen TV that uses tiny light bulbs called LEDs to create pictures. These LEDs light up to form the images you see on the screen. There are two main types of monitors: some have LEDs all over the back (full-array backlighting), while others have them on the edges (edge lighting).

OLED Monitors (Organic Light-Emitting Diode)

OLEDs, or Organic Light light-emitting diodes, are high-tech devices with organic layers between electrodes. When electricity is applied, it excites, leading to light emission (electroluminescence) and heat.

OLED displays are thin, energy-efficient, and offer excellent image quality. They are transparent, flexible, and potentially rollable or stretchable, making them cutting-edge in display technology.

Curved Monitors

A curved display is found in monitors and televisions. It is different from the traditional flat design. Its curvature depends on the ratings such as 1800R, 2300R, 3000R, and 4000R.

It signifies the radius of the curve. The numerical value indicates the optimal viewing distance for an immersive experience in millimeters.

The degree of curvature varies, with higher ratings reflecting a more modest curve and lower ratings indicating a more prominent curvature.

Curved monitors offer advantages such as alignment with natural peripheral vision and reduced eye strain compared to flat monitors. This reduction in eye strain is attributed to the monitor’s curvature aligning with the viewer’s field of vision.

Ultrawide Monitors

An ultrawide monitor with a 21:9 aspect ratio offers one-third more horizontal screen space than a standard 16:9 monitor.

This extended screen helps multitask by allowing the concurrent display of multiple windows. Hence the overall enhancement of workflow visibility.

Furthermore, super ultrawide monitors boast an impressive 32:9 aspect ratio, equivalent to placing two standard 16:9 displays in pairs.

This configuration provides an exceptionally wide field of view. It minimizes the need for constant window switching and enables seamless application navigation.

The increased width of super ultrawide displays offers a unique and immersive computing experience, particularly beneficial for tasks demanding extensive lateral workspace.

4K Monitors

“4K” denotes a screen resolution with approximately 4,000 horizontal pixels. The “K” stands for “kilo,” meaning a thousand. Currently, most 4K displays have a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels (4K UHDTV), precisely four times the pixel count of full HD displays (1920 x 1080 pixels).

This bunch of pixels per unit area enhances image clarity, vibrancy, and sharpness. The advantage of 4K extends beyond improved picture quality. It allows the creation of larger monitors without sacrificing resolution.

It means you can enjoy larger screens without compromising the visual experience. Many people choose 4K monitors primarily for the colored picture clarity they offer.

5K Monitors

5K resolution, represented as 5120 x 2880 pixels, determines the number of dots forming an image on a screen. A higher pixel count means clearer visuals.

While 5K laptops are rare, some desktop displays like Apple’s 27-inch iMac Pro and LG’s Ultrafine 5K monitor offer this impressive resolution, providing sharper and more vivid images for a better visual experience.

6K Monitors

6K resolution means a display has around 6,000 pixels horizontally, offering better detail than 4K but not as much as 8K (with 8,000 pixels). Common in digital cinema and professional video, 6K provides enhanced clarity. However, these displays are rare and expensive.

It is mainly used in industries that require top-notch visuals, making them less accessible to the general public.

8K Monitors

8K technology means there are many more pixels in the picture than 4K. While 4K has 3840 x 2160 pixels, 8K boosts it to 7680 x 4320 pixels, giving us 33.2 megapixels. This increase in pixel density makes images and videos clearer and more detailed.

Gaming Monitors

Gaming monitors are essential for getting the best visuals from your computer while gaming. They’re designed to improve how your graphics card and CPU display images.

These types of monitors vary in how they show color, motion, and image sharpness, but they excel in enhancing gaming performance. If you want top-notch gaming experiences, choosing a specialized monitor is key.

Touchscreen Monitors

A touchscreen monitor is an interactive interface for a single peripheral device, typically a laptop with touchscreen capability. It eliminates the need for a separate keyboard or mouse.

The users can effortlessly input and retrieve information by directly interacting with the screen. It enhances efficiency and convenience in data input as tactile touch gestures replace traditional input devices.

Portable Monitors

Portable monitors are slim, lightweight screens designed for dual monitor setups to enhance productivity. These monitors are easily transportable, so they work with computers, smartphones, and tablets through USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 ports.

While most of them require external power, and some models have built-in batteries for untethered use.

HDR Monitors (High Dynamic Range)

HDR, or High Dynamic Range, is a tech that makes displays show videos and images more accurately. Lenovo’s X Series tablets and convertibles now have HDR displays, which gives you better colors and details.

It’s not just for laptops; HDR is used in TVs, monitors, tablets, and phones. Having HDR in these devices makes images look richer and more detailed, which gives you a better visual experience.

Medical Monitors

A medical or patient monitor is an electronic device that checks and shows important details about a person’s health.

It measures heart rate, SPO2 levels, blood pressure, temperature, breathing rate, and oxygen saturation. These indicators give vital information about how a person is doing.

Medical monitors measure these factors and record and share the information in real-time. It helps doctors and healthcare professionals closely monitor a patient’s health.

These monitors are crucial for understanding and managing heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes. They also help track how illnesses progress, providing valuable insights into a patient’s changing health status.

Broadcast Monitors – Types of Computer Monitors

A broadcast monitor is also known as a video reference monitor. It is a screen used to check the output quality of a video-generating apparatus. It ensures that videos meet specific standards.

These types of monitors help quickly review important details, like checking camera focus and recording quality. The main goal is to ensure that the final video looks exactly how it should be.

E-ink Monitors – Types of Monitor

E-ink monitors, or electronic paper displays, are commonly used in e-readers like Kindle and Kobo. They’re popular because they save energy, reduce glare like real paper, and are easy on the eyes. Their low power use makes them perfect for long reading sessions. It provides a comfortable and unique reading experience.

Security Monitors – Types of Monitor

A security monitor, also known as a CCTV monitor. It displays video footage from security cameras. It connects to DVR or NVR devices to show live or recorded video.

These types of monitors are crucial for surveillance and working with indoor and outdoor cameras. They receive signals from cameras, providing real-time feedback for effective security monitoring.

Multi-Screen Arrays – Types of Monitor

A multi-screen array is a setup that groups multiple monitors on a single stand to create a larger display space for a computer. Users also refer to this configuration as a multi-monitor or multi-head setup.

Each monitor is connected to the computer with its display port. The operating system sees these monitors as one big desktop, making it seem like a single, larger screen.

Projectors – Types of Monitor

A projector is a cool device that shows big pictures and videos on a wall or screen. It works by sending light through a lens to make the image bigger. Old projectors use a regular lens, but now there are fancy ones that use lasers to show pictures.

You can connect projectors to computers, DVDs, and game consoles. It allows us to play videos and show cool stuff from different devices.

20 Main Types of Monitor: Complete Guide with Names, Functions & Pictures