How many inches of monitor? The pixel density math

For sharp text without scaling up, 24″ at Full HD and 27″ at QHD. At 27″ Full HD the pixel density drops and the letters look less defined. The Radar reads the spec sheet and doesn’t know how far away you sit, so the final choice is yours.

It’s pixel density, pixels per inch. The math is the square root of width squared plus height squared, divided by the inches. At 24″ Full HD it comes to about 92 ppi; at 27″ 4K, about 163. Each monitor’s page shows the value calculated by the Radar.

It works, but the letters look less defined than at QHD, because the same pixels cover a bigger screen. For gaming and video, plenty of people accept it. For close-up text, the Radar suggests QHD at 27″. The price difference between the two resolutions appears in the resolution guide.

The Radar’s rule is up to 24″, because two 24″ monitors side by side take up about 1.1 m. The real width changes with each model’s bezel, so measure your desk. Height adjustment and VESA mount holes help line up the screens.

No. Size is a purchase choice, and the score compares monitors of the same type by the specs: picture, smoothness, ports, ergonomics and how current it is. Pixel density counts toward the picture, because it depends on resolution and size together.

Today there are 415 monitors in the 06/11/2026 catalog, with a median price of $224.00 and the cheapest from $63.00. The price varies with size, resolution and type, and the range table shows the median for each size.

Each dot is a new monitor. The further right, the more expensive; the higher up, the better the spec sheet score. The price uses a logarithmic scale: each step is worth more dollars than the one before, so the cheaper ones don’t get bunched together. The line connects the monitors that no other, among those filtered, beats on both score and price at once. Compare monitors of the same size: pick the inch range in the top bar.

From the monitor’s spec sheet, with public weights (image, smoothness, connections, ergonomics and recency). The score compares within the type: the Hz of an office monitor are measured against the office yardstick, those of a gaming monitor against the gaming one. It shows what the spec sheet states, not the calibration or the measured brightness. Size doesn’t count toward the score. The full calculation is in How we calculate the score.

Because the store’s spec sheet doesn’t give enough information: we need at least three components of the score. We’d rather leave a monitor without a score than make one up. Those monitors stay off the chart and remain in the table, with the price and the button to compare stores.

For a work desk, 24″ at Full HD and 27″ at QHD are the sizes where text looks sharp without scaling up. At 27″ Full HD the density drops to 82 pixels per inch and the text looks less defined; 32″ calls for QHD or 4K. Each monitor’s page shows the pixel density calculated by the Radar.

This is the lowest price from Amazon.com, a direct store, the manufacturer’s official store or a seller rated 4.0 with 100 or more sales, usually paying upfront, on the date we checked. It changes without notice, and the color can change the price. The buy button goes straight to the store, where the price of the day applies.