Black Friday monitor deals 2021: what we expect to see

If you're thinking about picking up a Black Friday monitor deal this year, you're in the right place. With more and more of us working from home these days, it's become ever-more important that we equip our home offices with technology that will help us be productive and ensure that we look after our health.

Using a good PC monitor is one of the easiest ways to do just that. And with hundreds of monitors likely to go on sale in this year's Black Friday deals event, November will be a great time to upgrade your existing monitor - or maybe finally upgrade to the multi-monitor setup of your dreams.

Black Friday's a while away yet though - November 26, to be precise. But if you want to grab the best monitor deal possible on the day, preparation is key. So with that in mind, we've pulled together everything you need to know to bag a brilliant Black Friday monitor deal this year, from when and where we expect to see the lowest prices, to what specs to look for, and more.

We've also rounded up a few of the best deals you can get today, if you're after an early bargain, further down the page. Be sure to check our best monitors guide too, if you want to find out which screens you should be looking out for.

Black Friday monitor deals: FAQ

When will the best Black Friday monitor deals start in 2021?

Black Friday officially lands on November 26th this year, but we expect the discounts will begin before then. However, the best discounts usually land on the day itself, so if you're after a real Black Friday monitor bargain you might want to set a reminder in your calendar.

If you can't wait that long, there will likely be plenty of early discounts in the weeks leading up to the big day – some might arrive as early as mid-late October. Those that hold out will be rewarded though, as the biggest discounts will likely drop the week of Black Friday. (If you need a hand searching for the best Black Friday monitor deals, be sure to bookmark this page and keep checking back as this is where we'll be rounding them up.)

If last year is anything to go by, we might also see the best deals land slightly earlier than usual. Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic we found that deals began dropping in late October and mid-November, before plummeting at the start of Thanksgiving week. Monitor prices then stayed low into the first week of December. 

With many brick-and-mortar stores closed thanks to the local pandemic restrictions, and more people than ever shopping online - plus with Covid-19 causing logistical challenges such as shipping delays - it made sense for retailers to spread the deals out.  

We don't yet know if this year's Black Friday monitor deals will start as early as last year's, but our money's on retailers looking to space their best offers out once again. As always, we recommend having your eyes peeled from late October / early November just to be safe. 

Where will the best Black Friday monitor deals be?

You'll find all the best Black Friday monitor deals here as soon as they drop. However, some retailers are better than others for monitor discounts, and it can be helpful to know which online stores are good for what. We've listed the retailers we most recommend shopping at for monitor deals over Black Friday - they're worth browsing in the run-up, to get a feel for current, pre-deal pricing on any devices you're interested in.

Top US retailers
Amazon: gaming monitor, 4K monitor
Best Buy: great HD monitor deals
Walmart: HD and 4K monitors available with free delivery

Top UK retailers
Amazon: gaming monitor deals
Currys: free delivery, plus a wide selection of monitors
Argos: home delivery or pick up a cheap monitor locally today
John Lewis: extended warranties on premium monitors

Which monitors will be discounted for Black Friday?

By November, we expect to see a wide range of discounts across HD and 4K monitors that will be perfect for both work and gaming. This will include many of the best monitors from last year but will likely include monitors that were released in early 2021 as well.

Be on the lookout for monitors from a range of brands too like Dell, Asus, Samsung, and BenQ (many of which have devices that feature in our best PC monitors list). We might not see their most powerful monitors get much of a discount, but if you're after a premium experience on a budget, Black Friday is the time to look.

What specs should I look for when buying a monitor on Black Friday?

When you're browsing through the Black Friday monitor deals, it can be difficult to tell what device is actually a good buy and what monitors aren't even worth the discounted price. We're here to help you decipher the deals but telling you what specs to look out for.

Firstly you're going to want to understand HD (sometimes called FHD or Full HD) vs 4K (also called UHD or Ultra HD). 4K monitors will be filled with more pixels, and therefore put out a better image, than HD monitors in general. However, they can cost quite a bit more and are only really worth it for gamers or those who need high-quality monitors for their job.

If you're after a great viewing experience you'll also want to look out for key terms like HDR (high dynamic range), brightness, and color support. These features will mean that your monitor will be able to output a wide spectrum of colors, making bright moments pop and helping you decipher what is going on during dark scenes.

Next up are refresh rates.  You might have heard of people playing games at 120FPS, but to do that you'll not only need a PC that's powerful enough to run a game that well but also a 120Hz monitor that can produce the image. If you aren't a gamer though, high refresh rates aren't going to be too important so if you can save even more by going with a lower option we'd generally recommend that.

Finally, you might want to compare flat monitors with curved screens. Curved monitors offer you a wider field of view, a more immersive experience, and many people find them more comfortable though they're also larger and generally take up more space. If you're short on desk space, are looking for a multi-monitor setup, or are on a budget, flat monitors will be your best choice.

Today's best monitor deals

If you're after an early monitor deal, there are plenty of discounts to be found at the moment too. 

US: the best Black Friday monitor deals last year

If you want to get a feel for the best deals coming this year, check out what monitor deals were available last year. These were the biggest savings we could find on great monitors last year.

There's a wide range of options available for every budget, so keep that in mind when you're digging around for deals. Just because the best monitor isn't discounted very much doesn't mean that other deals won't be available on monitors that are almost as good.

Black Friday monitor deals for under $100

These monitors probably work best as a second monitor for a desktop PC but can also double up as an extension for your laptop screen.

HP V21 20.7" LED 1080p Monitor (HDMI, VGA) Black $99.99 $59.99 at Best Buy
Save $40 on this basic but good quality monitor from HP. Rated at 4.4 out of 5 on Best Buy, this FHD/1080p monitor has VGA and HDMI inputs, an adjustable viewing (tilts between 5 degrees forward to 20 degrees backwards), and a Low Blue Light mode, which makes it easier on the eyes. Perfect for a second screen.

Black Friday monitor deals $100-$199

The best monitors to use as your main screen and perfect to hook up to your laptop.

Acer 27-inch IPS LED 1080p Monitor (HDMI, VGA) $199.99 $119 from Best Buy
Save $80 on this FHD 1080p monitor from Acer. This is a great price for a monitor that's great to use as your main screen. At 27-inches, you'll get plenty screen real estate to view docs side-by-side and its 75Hz IPS panel with means it'll be easy on the eyes with smooth motion and accurate colors.

Asus TUF Gaming 23.8-inch IPS 1080p 1ms FreeSync Gaming Monitor (DisplayPort, DVI, HDMI) - Black $199.99 $119 from Best Buy
Save $80 on this high refresh-rate Asus monitor. Don't let the 'gaming' part put you off: this is an excellent monitor for business use. The near 24-inch screen provides a serious upgrade from your laptop's screen, and that IPS panel running at 144Hz gives you a superb image quality, especially at this price. And if you do fancy a bit of gaming after-hours, then it's great for that too.

Samsung SR650 Series 27-inch 1080p Monitor for Business $229.36 $179.99 from Amazon
Save $49.37 on this excellent business monitor from Samsung. This monitor's 1080p 27-inch screen is perfect to use as your main monitor either for a desktop or laptop PC. It has an IPS panel, which means that colours will look bright and vibrant and it has plenty of connectivity, with a built in USB hub. It can even rotate 90 degrees so you can view documents in portrait view. Oh, and its Eye Saver and Flicker Free modes reduce eye-strain. An excellent choice for the business user.

Black Friday monitor deals $200-$299

Business monitors with higher screen sizes and resolutions.

Samsung T85F Series 27-inch 1440p 75Hz Monitor for Business  $349.99 $249.99 from Amazon
Save $100 on another great business monitor from Samsung. With a 1440p panel, this 27-inch screen has a higher resolution than your typical 1080p business monitor, so you can view more documents at the same time, increasing productivity. Connectivity is excellent, with HDMI, DisplayPort, and a built-in USB Hub. Comes with a 3-year warrantee.

Acer CB282K 28-inch UHD 4K IPS Home Office Monitor $349.99 $279.99 from Amazon
Save $70 on this multi-purpose monitor from Acer. If you're looking for a monitor which is great for business and for entertainment as well, then this is a great choice. Its 4K resolution is perfect for work and for movies, and it supports the DCI-P3 Wide Color Gamut, which is perfect for viewing and editing photos. It also comes with FreeSync tech, so works great with a gaming PC too.

Black Friday monitor deals for over $300

Premium monitors for a top-tier home office set up.

Samsung Business 34-inch 3440x1440 Ultrawide Curved Monitor for Business $593.21 $479.99 from Amazon
Save $113.22 on this superb ultrawide curved monitor from Samsung. As long as you have the desk real estate, ultrawide monitors look fantastic and basically do away with the need for a second monitor. This one's fantastic for the business user with the laptop or desktop PC to power it. It has HDMI, USB-C and DisplayPort connectivity, a 100Hz refresh rate, a 3000:1 contrast ratio, and a highly adjustable stand. It also comes with a 3-year warrantee, so you know it's a quality product.

Samsung 49-inch CRG9 3440x1440 Curved Gaming Monitor, Black $1499.99 $999.99 at Amazon
Save $500 on this superb ultrawide curved monitor from Samsung. This is the monitor we'd go for if you like to do a bit of PC gaming on the side. This QLED monitor boasts all the latest monitor tech including 120Hz refresh rate and FreeSync 2 (for ultra-smooth gaming), HDR color with a peak brightness of 1,000 nits (it's very bright), and connectivity options that will let you connect another device to it and view it picture-by-picture.

source https://www.techradar.com/news/the-best-black-friday-monitor-deals-for-every-budget/