Computer monitor
Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2021 3:28 pm
Had a few people asking me about computer monitors. Here's what I found.
1) As of 2021, while some manufacturers have started to move production of TVs outside of China, production of computer monitors continues to grow in China.
https://notochina.org/best-tvs-not-made-in-china/
My first recommendation? Buy a TV and use it as a computer monitor. That's what I've been doing. I have a 50" Sony TV that's my main computer monitor and I can't go back to using a regular 24" display. I have windows scattered all over the place, and it's glorious. And I can pop in a Blu-Ray and watch a 4K movie anytime (and because 99% of my use is for work, 99% of my cost was tax-deductible).
2) If you're after a computer monitor, your choices are slim, as China continues to grow in domination of that market.
Eizo - https://amzn.to/3kRBYIn
These seem to be fairly consistently made in Japan; a user on Reddit did some research and found that only certain models destined for the China market are made in China. That said, it's going to be hit-or-miss when it comes to the LCD panel used in making the monitor. Still, buying from a company that has some operations outside of China is better than buying from a company that is all-in to China.
Eizo monitors are more expensive, but bear in mind that Eizo's bread and butter is supplying the very high end imaging market. So you are buying the best that is used not just by business and creative users, but also healthcare, air traffic, security companies.
Samsung - https://amzn.to/3oiwrN5
In 2020, Samsung Display announced that they were moving their monitor manufacturing from China to Vietnam. Samsung has already left the LCD panel market, so when shopping for monitors you'll want to focus on OLED/QLED monitors.
That said, Amazon still lists the Country of Origin for most of these models (where they bother) as China. When I contacted Samsung Customer Service, they openly lied and told me the monitors were made in the USA (albeit this was probably just a rogue salesperson who thought he could lie to me to close a sale). Bottom line, there doesn't seem to be a definitive way to tell whether a Samsung unit you want to purchase is from China, so your best bet will be to go to a physical store to check the box.
1) As of 2021, while some manufacturers have started to move production of TVs outside of China, production of computer monitors continues to grow in China.
https://notochina.org/best-tvs-not-made-in-china/
My first recommendation? Buy a TV and use it as a computer monitor. That's what I've been doing. I have a 50" Sony TV that's my main computer monitor and I can't go back to using a regular 24" display. I have windows scattered all over the place, and it's glorious. And I can pop in a Blu-Ray and watch a 4K movie anytime (and because 99% of my use is for work, 99% of my cost was tax-deductible).
2) If you're after a computer monitor, your choices are slim, as China continues to grow in domination of that market.
Eizo - https://amzn.to/3kRBYIn
These seem to be fairly consistently made in Japan; a user on Reddit did some research and found that only certain models destined for the China market are made in China. That said, it's going to be hit-or-miss when it comes to the LCD panel used in making the monitor. Still, buying from a company that has some operations outside of China is better than buying from a company that is all-in to China.
Eizo monitors are more expensive, but bear in mind that Eizo's bread and butter is supplying the very high end imaging market. So you are buying the best that is used not just by business and creative users, but also healthcare, air traffic, security companies.
Samsung - https://amzn.to/3oiwrN5
In 2020, Samsung Display announced that they were moving their monitor manufacturing from China to Vietnam. Samsung has already left the LCD panel market, so when shopping for monitors you'll want to focus on OLED/QLED monitors.
That said, Amazon still lists the Country of Origin for most of these models (where they bother) as China. When I contacted Samsung Customer Service, they openly lied and told me the monitors were made in the USA (albeit this was probably just a rogue salesperson who thought he could lie to me to close a sale). Bottom line, there doesn't seem to be a definitive way to tell whether a Samsung unit you want to purchase is from China, so your best bet will be to go to a physical store to check the box.