BIG DECISIONS: How to choose your perfect monitor

Stick a pin in this month’s Labs and you’ll likely end up with a great screen that delivers high-quality colours. Even if you randomly visit a retailer’s website, there’s an excellent chance that you’ll end up with a screen you’re happy with. Despite this, it helps to know exactly what you’re looking for – what specs matter, what specs don’t – and whether you’ll really benefit from spending another £100 on the monitor one up in the range.

Pixel density

There’s a reason that Apple grabbed the name “Retina” for its high-pixeldensity screens. To have enough pixels per inch (ppi) that the eye can’t discern them removes one layer of friction between the screen and your brain: you just focus on what you’re looking at and aren’t distracted by jagged edges. There’s no magical number, but if you want a rule of thumb then aim above 100ppi.

However, it really depends on how far away from the screen you’ll be sitting. For a handy guide, head to pcpro.link/313retina. Pump in your choice of screen size and resolution and this