In the past view years, many companies have come out with curved monitors. You may be thinking that they are just a gimmick like 3D movies. What’s the point?
Well it isn’t all just clever marketing for a new technology. There are some benefits to using a curved monitor over a regular flat monitor. We will compare a few notable areas.
Image Distortion
When using a flat monitor that is positioned ergonomically, the edges are going to be at a different viewing angle than the center. But they will still be shining their pixels in a straight line away from the screen. This can cause some color and image distortion to the viewer.
Curved monitors can create a more consistent viewing experience by keeping the viewing area at a consistent distance and turning all the pixels toward the viewer.
Eye Strain
Curved monitors offer a unique advantage over standard flat monitors in regards to eye strain. The viewing distance to every part of the screen should be almost uniform because of the curvature. This uniform distance plus reduced image distortion may cause less eye strain.
Glare
A curved screen can be difficult to make completely glare free. The curvature creates more angles for the screen to reflect light from. You will need to be extra thoughtful about setting up the lighting in your office with a curved monitor.
Measurements
Regular flat panel monitors are usually measured from corner to corner. So a 27″ monitor measures 27 inches from the bottom left corner to the top right corner. Curved displays are described more by how curved they are.
This is denoted by their radius in millimeters. So a 1800R curved display would form a 1800 millimeters or 1.8 meters radius. Basically the smaller the number, the more curve to the display and the larger the number, the less curve to the display. 1800R seems to be the generally recommended curvature for monitors. Larger, shallower curves are more suited for televisions that will be at a greater viewing distance.
Multiple Monitors
If you are planning on using multiple monitors, and you should definitely consider it, another option is an ultra wide curved monitor.
An ultrawide monitor will let you replace 2 screens with a single continuous desktop. It may take some getting used to, but is worth considering. Make sure your desk setup and office will support it.