Best Products Computer Components The 4 Best Touchscreen Monitors of 2021 Incorporate touch control into your workstation by Mark Thomas Knapp Writer Mark Knapp has been a technology feature writer since 2012. His work has appeared in publications such as The Cheat Sheet and TechRadar. our editorial process Twitter LinkedIn Mark Thomas Knapp Updated on February 26, 2021 Tweet Share Email The Ultimate Guide to Monitors The Ultimate Guide to Monitors Introduction Monitor Basics All About HD PC Monitors TVs vs. Monitors CRT vs. LCD Monitors Learn About Refresh Rates 3D Computer Displays CRT Monitor Resolution Specifications Why You Need a Second Monitor Add or Connect a Monitor Is Having More Than One Display Useful? Add a Second Monitor to Your Windows Laptop How to Connect Your Computer to Your TV You Can Use Your Old iMac as a Monitor How to Use Your iPad as a Second Monitor Calibrate It Yourself Why Monitor Calibration Is Essential Adjusting a Monitor's Settings Why Printer Colors Don't Match Monitor Colors Color Gamuts on LCD Monitors Troubleshooting Issues Testing a Monitor That Isn't Working Fix a Second Monitor Not Working Checking for Loose Power Cables How to Degauss a Traditional CRT Monitor Can Burn-In Happen to LCD Monitors? How to Change Refresh Rate in Windows Our Recommendations: Best Monitors The Best Computer Monitors The Best 4K Monitors The Best 27-Inch LCD Monitors The Best 24-Inch LCD Monitors The Best 32-Inch Monitors The Best USB-C Monitors The Best Monitors for Coding The Best Curved Monitors The Best 5K & 8K Computer Monitors The Best Touchscreen Monitors The Best Ultra-Wide Monitors Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our review process here. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. The Rundown Best Overall: Dell P2418HT at Amazon A straightforward option with plenty of screen space and flexibility to match. Best HD: Acer UT241Y at Amazon Has a sleek design, Full HD display, and flexible stand, making it an excellent option for those who want a high-definition monitor. Best Tablet: Microsoft Surface Go at Amazon You have a touchscreen without needing to lug around a computer as well. Best Desktop Computer: Lenovo IdeaCentre AIO 520 at Walmart Get touchscreen functionality and high resolution without needing to plug in another computer. in this article Expand Our Picks What to Look for in a Touchscreen Monitor FAQs The best touchscreen monitors provide the same crisp imagery and their non-touch counterparts but also offer a responsive, slick, and elegant way to interface with your PC or other devices. In the modern display market, you no longer need to pay a massive premium for a touchscreen either—while they're still generally pricier than standard displays, the markup is significantly less brutal than in previous generations. Dell's P2418HT at Amazon takes our top slot due to its amazing display, with great viewing angles on a crisp 1080p monitor. It's got great connectivity options, and features an anti-glare coating so it's easy to set up at the office (whether at work or at home) regardless of lighting conditions. Continue on to our roundup for more of the best touchscreen monitors money can buy, or bop on over to our best computer monitors list for even more great options. Best Overall: Dell P2418HT View On Amazon View On B&H Photo Video For a straightforward option with plenty of screen space and flexibility to match, the Dell P2418HT is a great pick. This touchscreen monitor remains on the affordable side while offering a Full HD, 23.8-inch LCD display. It also uses an LED-backlit IPS panel to offer excellent viewing angles. An anti-glare coating on the screen helps with bright office environments, even more so if your desk is near a window and you're constantly getting sunlight on your screen. (Although that same anti-glare coating can also make the contrast better between parts of the screen that have fingerprints on them and parts that don’t.) There’s also a 3H Hard Coating on the display to help protect it from damage. The Dell P2418HT is meant to easily integrate into your workspace. It includes a USB hub on the back, so you can wire your peripherals directly into the monitor. Extra handy for a touchscreen monitor is the highly flexible stand, which lets you position the Dell P2418HT at the best height for touch interaction. Best HD: Acer UT241Y View On Amazon View On B&H Photo Video The Acer UT241Y has a sleek design, Full HD display, and flexible stand, making it an excellent option for those who want a high-definition monitor. It also sports Acer's Zero Frame display design, which runs the screen almost to the edges of the monitor for a virtually borderless appearance. The Acer UT241Y uses a 23.8-inch display with an IPS panel for wide viewing angles and a dual-hinge design that lets you tilt and angle the Acer UT241Y to a range of different heights. This is especially useful if you have an adjustable desk and tend to alternate between sitting and standing. Adding to the package are two ports for USB 3.0 and one USB 3.1 Type-C port (which can handle video and touch signals), dual speakers for your audio, and a quick 4ms response time that’s suitable for gaming. Note that the touchscreen functionality of this monitor is only available with Windows 10 computers. The 8 Best 24-Inch LCD Monitors of 2021 Best Tablet: Microsoft Surface Go View On Amazon View On Staples Sometimes a great option might be one you wouldn't think to look for — that’s where we think the Microsoft Surface Go fits in. While it’s actually a full-featured tablet running Windows 10, the touchscreen display is a high-quality option that you can make excellent use of on the go. The Surface Go has a 10-inch display with a resolution of 1800x1200, making it fairly sharp at 217 pixels-per-inch. It also has 10-point multitouch for all your touchscreen needs and supports the Microsoft Pen for stylus users. When you’re on the go, you have the option of using the Surface Go and a standalone tablet or converting it into a laptop experience with a keyboard and mouse. That way, you have a touchscreen without needing to lug around a computer as well. Alternatively, if you want to use the Surface Go as more of an external monitor for another computer, you can use a remote desktop client to control your other computer from the Surface Go. The 10 Best Drawing Tablets of 2021 Best Desktop Computer: Lenovo IdeaCentre AIO 520 View On Walmart The Lenovo IdeaCentre AIO 520 is actually a fully-functional desktop computer with a touchscreen monitor, which makes it more expensive but also streamlines the hardware you have on your desk. It offers a large, 27-inch touchscreen display with Quad HD (2560x1440) resolution. That display supports full, 10-point multitouch. What you get inside the monitor in this case is a full Windows 10 computer with an 8th-Gen Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM. There’s also 1TB of storage, dual speakers, and a popup webcam. So, you’ll get all the touchscreen functionality and high resolution without even needing to plug into another computer. The IdeaCentre 520 does support HDMI input from external devices, but if you want to the use the screen’s touch functionality with a different computer, you’ll have to look into remote desktop tools. The 9 Best Touchscreen Laptops of 2021 Final Verdict Dell's P2418HT at Amazon is the best overall touchscreen you can currently great, with a crisp display and a full set of features and connectivity options. For the absolute best HD display on the market, however, consider Acer's UT241Y, also at Amazon. What to Look for in a Touchscreen Monitor Refresh Rate The refresh rate of a monitor refers to how many times per second the screen can update with new image data. This is most important for playing games, and you’ll want to look for a monitor with a refresh rate of at least 144Hz if you’re really serious. Most gamers will be satisfied with a refresh rate of 75Hz or more, but if you don’t use your computer for gaming, you can opt for lower. Display Type Monitor display types can be hard to understand because there are several different types of LED displays. IPS monitors have great color reproduction and viewing angles, so they’re good for watching video content, any work that requires accurate colors, and most general use scenarios. TN monitors have worse viewing angles, but fast refresh rates make them perfectly suited for gaming. Resolution Resolution refers to the number of pixels that the monitor can display, which impacts the sharpness and clarity of the image. The lowest resolution you should settle for is 1920 x 1080, which is referred to as full HD. If you want to take it to the next level—and your video card can handle it—go for a 4K monitor with a 3840 x 2160 resolution. FAQs Will a touchscreen monitor work with any computer?Yes, you can add a touchscreen monitor to virtually any computer (desktop or laptop). Your only real concern is ensuring there's the proper port/connection for your new monitor on your machine: ensure you have an open HDMI/USB-C/DVI, etc. slot(s). How does a touchscreen monitor work? Touchscreen technology is either capacitive or resistive. Capacitive screens rely on a change in electrostatic fields triggered by a finger or specialized stylus/device to register an input. Resistive screens, on the other hand, are pressure-sensitive, regardless of the source of the pressure. Do touchscreens work over HDMI?Not exclusively, no. For touch technology to work, a signal needs to be sent over another data channel, usually a USB connection, though an HDMI connection may be used separately to carry the video signal. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! 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