Just about any monitor can work with a Mac. It doesn’t need to be made by Apple or have any official certification. There’s a case to be made for using a cheap 1080p monitor, but most Mac users will want something a bit more premium. As you can see from options like the Dell 27 Plus 4K, that doesn’t have to mean overly expensive. Either way, here are the four elements to consider when shopping for a good monitor to go with your Mac.

Size and resolution: 27- and 32-inch monitors are the most common sizes these days, but there are larger options. I would also consider a 34-inch ultrawide monitor if you like the wider 21:9 aspect ratio with the curved shape. With Apple, resolution is king. There's a reason it invests so much in high pixel density for every screen it sells, even in midrange options like the MacBook Air. Pixel density is what gives a screen its sharpness, and you need a lot more pixels when they're stretched across a large external monitor. If you want to keep fidelity up, I wouldn’t buy anything less than 4K, and bumping up to 5K or 6K on a 32-inch monitor can be helpful. Read more to learn the details on the funky way macOS handles resolutions and scaling. You should also consider the refresh rate: a 120-Hz refresh rate is what the MacBook Pro supports, offering smoother animation, especially in games.

Adjustability: Apple monitors and iMacs aren’t exactly known for adjustability. They often have none at all, and cost more when they do. That isn’t the best for your posture and ergonomics. Famously, the discontinued Pro Display XDR charged an extra $1,000 for a Pro Stand with proper adjustability (now a $400 add-on for the newer Studio Display XDR). For ergonomics, the top of the screen you're working on should be as close to eye level as possible, and that ranges depending on someone’s height. If a monitor doesn’t have height adjustability, you’ll need a separate monitor stand or arm. Beyond height adjustment, many monitors also have stands that can swivel, tilt, and rotate, all of which matter when using multiple monitors. This is also needed if you want to use a second monitor vertically, which ha...