Best Monitors Under £100 UK 2026 | 6 Tested & Ranked

1. COOLHOOD 15.6-inch 1080P Portable Monitor

At £49.99, the COOLHOOD portable monitor is frankly ridiculous value. When you’re hunting for the best monitors under £100, portability usually means paying a premium. Not here. This 15.6-inch IPS display delivers proper 1080p resolution in a package that weighs less than a hardback book and slides into any laptop bag without complaint.

I’ve been using this as a second screen for my laptop whilst working from coffee shops, and it’s transformed my productivity. The IPS panel offers decent viewing angles (not professional-grade, but perfectly adequate), and colours look natural enough for everyday work. Brightness maxes out around 220 nits, which is fine indoors but struggles in direct sunlight. The slim bezels give it a more premium appearance than the price suggests.

Build quality is where you notice the budget pricing. The plastic chassis feels lightweight (because it is), and there’s a bit of flex if you press the screen. But for under fifty quid? I’m not complaining. The included stand works but isn’t adjustable beyond two fixed angles. You get mini-HDMI and USB-C connectivity, though the USB-C only carries video, not power, so you’ll need the separate power cable for most setups.

For students, remote workers, or anyone needing a portable second screen without spending serious money, this is sorted. It’s one of the best monitors under £100 specifically because it does one thing brilliantly: gives you a proper display anywhere you need it. See our full COOLHOOD 15.6-inch 1080P Portable Monitor review for detailed testing results.

Editor's pick: COOLHOOD Portable Monitor 15.6'', 1080P FHD Plug&Play Travel Laptop Monitor w/Smart Cover, USB-C HDR Portable Second Computer Display, Portable Game External Screen for PC Phone Mac Xbox PS4/5

2. Acer Nitro KG242Y Gaming Monitor

The Acer Nitro KG242Y proves you don’t need to spend silly money for proper gaming performance. At £69.90, this 24-inch monitor delivers 165Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, and FreeSync support. Those are specs you’d expect on monitors costing twice as much. For anyone searching for the best monitors under £100 with gaming in mind, this is the one.

I’ve tested this with both competitive shooters and single-player games, and the high refresh rate makes a noticeable difference. Motion clarity is excellent, and FreeSync eliminates screen tearing when paired with an AMD GPU (though it works fine with Nvidia cards too, just without official G-Sync certification). The 1ms response time isn’t quite as snappy as premium gaming monitors, but you’d need to be a professional esports player to notice the difference.

The IPS panel is the real win here. Budget gaming monitors typically use TN panels with terrible viewing angles and washed-out colours. Not this one. Colours look vibrant, blacks are reasonably deep (for IPS), and you can view the screen from the side without everything turning grey. Colour accuracy won’t satisfy professional photographers, but for gaming and general use, it’s brilliant.

Compromises? The stand is basic with limited height adjustment, and build quality feels plasticky. The OSD controls are fiddly (tiny buttons on the back), and there’s no USB hub. But honestly, at this price point, those complaints feel churlish. This is one of the best monitors under £100 because it prioritises performance over premium features, and that’s exactly what budget gamers need. We covered this in our Acer Nitro KG242Y Gaming Monitor review with frame rate testing.

3. Philips 27-Inch FHD Monitor

Getting a 27-inch display for £74.98 sounds too good to be true, but the Philips 27E1N1100A delivers. This is one of the best monitors under £100 if screen real estate matters more than pixel density. Yes, 1080p stretched across 27 inches isn’t razor-sharp (you’re looking at 82 PPI compared to 92 PPI on a 24-inch), but for most people, the extra workspace is worth the slight softness.

The IPS panel offers consistent colours across the entire screen, and the 100Hz refresh rate makes scrolling and casual gaming noticeably smoother than standard 60Hz displays. Philips includes their LowBlue mode, which reduces blue light emission without making everything look like it’s been dipped in orange juice. I’ve been using this for long work sessions, and eye strain is genuinely less of an issue than with my old monitor.

Build quality is acceptable for the price. The stand is plastic but doesn’t wobble excessively, and you get basic tilt adjustment. The bezels are slim on three sides with a chunkier bottom bezel (standard for budget monitors). Connectivity includes HDMI 1.4 and VGA, which feels dated but covers most use cases. The built-in speakers exist, but you’ll want external audio for anything beyond system sounds.

This monitor shines for office work, web browsing, and media consumption. The extra screen space lets you have multiple windows open comfortably, and the 100Hz refresh rate makes everything feel more responsive. It’s not ideal for competitive gaming (the 4ms response time is adequate but not exceptional), and content creators will notice the limited colour accuracy. But for general use among the best monitors under £100, the size-to-price ratio is outstanding. See our full Philips 27-Inch FHD Monitor review for workspace testing.

4. UPERFECT 15.6-inch FHD Portable Monitor

The UPERFECT portable monitor at £69.99 sits in an interesting position among the best monitors under £100. It’s more expensive than the COOLHOOD but offers a slightly more premium experience with better accessories and build quality. With over 5,000 reviews averaging 4.5 stars, it’s clearly doing something right for the portable monitor crowd.

The 15.6-inch IPS panel delivers the same 1080p resolution as the COOLHOOD, but colours look a touch more vibrant and brightness is slightly better (around 250 nits versus 220). The magnetic cover is genuinely useful, doubling as a stand with multiple angle options. Build quality feels more solid, with less flex in the chassis and a more premium texture to the plastic. These are small differences, but they add up to a nicer overall experience.

Connectivity is more versatile than the COOLHOOD, with both mini-HDMI and two USB-C ports (one for video, one for power). The included cables are better quality too, which matters when you’re constantly packing and unpacking. The speakers are still rubbish (as they are on all portable monitors at this price), but they’re marginally less rubbish than the competition.

Is it worth the extra £20 over the COOLHOOD? Depends on your priorities. If you’re using a portable monitor daily and want something that feels a bit more premium, yes. If you just need a cheap second screen occasionally, the COOLHOOD makes more sense. For professionals who travel frequently and want one of the best monitors under £100 that won’t embarrass them in client meetings, the UPERFECT justifies its price. We covered this in our UPERFECT 15.6-inch FHD Portable Monitor review with travel testing.

Buying Guide: What to Look For in the Best Monitors Under £100

Shopping for the best monitors under £100 means making smart compromises. You can’t have everything, so you need to prioritise what matters for your specific use case. Here’s what actually matters and what’s just marketing nonsense.

Screen Size vs Resolution

All the monitors in this roundup offer 1080p (1920×1080) resolution, which is the minimum you should accept in 2026. But that resolution looks different depending on screen size. On a 24-inch monitor, you get 92 pixels per inch (PPI), which looks sharp for text and images. Stretch that same resolution across 27 inches and you’re down to 82 PPI, which is noticeably softer. For office work and media consumption, 27-inch 1080p is fine. For detailed work or if you sit close to the screen, stick with 24 inches.

Panel Type Matters

Every monitor here uses IPS panels, which is brilliant news. Budget monitors used to mean TN panels with terrible viewing angles and washed-out colours. IPS offers much better colour reproduction and you can view the screen from the side without everything turning grey. The trade-off is slightly slower response times than TN, but unless you’re a professional esports player, you won’t notice.

Refresh Rate for Your Use Case

Standard monitors run at 60Hz, meaning the screen refreshes 60 times per second. Higher refresh rates (75Hz, 100Hz, 165Hz) make motion look smoother. For gaming, higher is better. The Acer Nitro’s 165Hz makes a massive difference in fast-paced games. For office work, even 75Hz feels noticeably smoother when scrolling documents. But if you’re just browsing the web and watching videos, 60Hz is perfectly adequate.

Connectivity Reality Check

At this price point, don’t expect USB-C with power delivery, DisplayPort, or USB hubs. You’ll typically get HDMI (sometimes HDMI 1.4, which is fine for 1080p) and possibly VGA (which is ancient but still works). The portable monitors offer mini-HDMI and USB-C, but the USB-C often only carries video, not power. Check what your laptop or PC outputs before buying.

Build Quality Expectations

These are budget monitors. Expect plastic construction, basic stands with limited adjustment, and no premium features like cable management or quick-release VESA mounts. The Dell offers the best build quality here, but even that’s still mostly plastic. If you need height adjustment or portrait orientation, budget for a separate monitor arm (which often costs as much as these monitors).

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Don’t buy based on marketing claims about “ultra-wide colour gamut” or “cinema-quality HDR” at this price point. These monitors cover roughly 99% sRGB, which is fine for general use but not professional colour work. They don’t have proper HDR (you need 400+ nits brightness and local dimming for that). Also, ignore the built-in speakers. They’re universally rubbish on budget monitors. Buy separate speakers or use headphones.

For more technical information on monitor specifications, Dell’s monitor guide offers detailed explanations, and RTINGS provides comprehensive testing data for understanding monitor performance metrics.