Expand the screen real estate on your M1 MacBook or Thunderbolt 4 laptop using these best Thunderbolt 4 monitors. These monitors connect and charge your notebook through a single Thunderbolt 4 cable, bringing a universal experience to your workplace.
While laptops are great for portability, their smaller screens are not suitable for multitasking and productivity work. Buying an external monitor gives you the best of both worlds—more screen to work on and a portable PC for your travel needs.
Choosing a Thunderbolt 4 monitor means you only need a single cable for power, display, and data, clearing the cable clutter on your desk.
Here are the best Thunderbolt 4 monitors in the market, in no particular order.
Table of Contents
The Best Thunderbolt 4 Monitors Compared
Best Thunderbolt 4 Monitors – Our Picks
| Image | Product | Details | Check Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 | LG 40WP95C UltraWide Monitor | Screen Size: 40-inch Resolution: WUHD (5120x2160), 72Hz Panel: Nano IPS HDR: HDR 10 Thunderbolt 4 Ports: 2 Power Delivery: 96W | Check on Amazon |
 | Lenovo ThinkVision P40w-20 | Screen Size: 40-inch Resolution: WUHD (5120x2160), 75Hz Panel: IPS HDR: HDR 10 Thunderbolt 4 Ports: 2 Power Delivery: 100W | More at Lenovo News |
1. LG 40WP95C UltraWide Monitor – First Thunderbolt 4 Monitor
LG 40WP95C UltraWide Monitor is the first monitor with a Thunderbolt 4 connection on the market. It was officially unveiled at CES 2021, taking home a CES Innovation Award Honoree. This monitor comes with a large, expansive 40-inch display with many productivity tools, making it a serious multitasking powerhouse.
The 40WP95C has two Thunderbolt 4 ports, supporting 96W charging, enough to charge the monstrous 16-inch MacBook Pro while running full throttle. You can use the second port to daisy chain other devices such as Thunderbolt 4 docking station, external drives, and eGPUs.
Design
LG 40WP95C flaunts good looks and aesthetics with a clean, matte white finish and a silver stand. It has narrow 3-sided bezels and no logos in the front to prevent any distractions. The whole unit looks so premium and should blends well with most modern notebooks.
The 40WP95C comes with a curved screen, which is essential for a monitor of this size. It has dual 10W built-in speakers, excellent for audiophiles and sound editors.
Like most LG ultrawide monitors, the 40WP95C has an ArcLine stand that clicks into position. It is ergonomically designed to offer tilt, height, and swivel adjustable for a comfortable viewing experience.
Image Quality
The LG 40WP95C features a rather unusual 5120×2160 resolution, which has the same number of vertical pixels as a 4K display. That means if you’re upgrading from a 4K monitor, you’ll see a significant increase in horizontal screen real estate, allowing you to put more apps and windows side-by-side.
While large, this monitor has a decent PPI of 140PPI, which results in detailed images and crisper text, great for text-based work like coding. It combines LG’s Nano IPS technology with 98% DCI-P3 coverage and HDR 10 to produce vibrant and accurate colors, making the 40WP95C the best Thunderbolt 4 monitor for photo editing.
With low blue light technology, you can comfortably spend longer editing sessions on the 40WP95C without hurting your vision. The display features Ambient Light Sensor to automatically adjusts the brightness based on the surroundings for a seamless user experience.
Connectivity
In addition to two Thunderbolt 4 ports, the LG 40WP95C also comes with two HDMI ports and two USB 3.2 Gen1 ports for other USB accessories.
- 2x Thunderbolt 4 (96W, 15W)
- 2x HDMI
- 2x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A
LG 40WP95C is a perfect Thunderbolt 4 monitor for multitasking and professional editing work. It has excellent color reproduction and accuracy and powerful built-in speakers. With 96W power delivery, the 40WP95C is ideal for demanding Thunderbolt 4 laptops and the latest M1-based MacBooks.
- Two Thunderbolt 4 ports with 96W charging
- Sharp, colorful display
- Full range ergonomics
- Built-in powerful speakers
- Supports AMD FreeSync VRR
- No DisplayPort
2. Lenovo ThinkVision P40w-20 – Thunderbolt 4 Monitor for IT Admins
Lenovo ThinkVision P40w-20 is another 40-inch ultrawide monitor with a Thunderbolt 4 connection. It is the first Thunderbolt 4 monitor to support Intel Active Management Technology (AMT), making it a perfect choice for IT administrators.
If you’re unfamiliar with AMT, it allows secure remote access to Intel vPro clients such as laptops and desktops. IT admins can use AMT to push updates to PCs, address OS problems, and other remediation remotely. It’s an important feature for commercial applications as it reduces downtimes and onsite visits.
The monitor also features handy multitasking tools such as a screen split software and a built-in KVM switch. You can split the screen for seamless multitasking, view content from two PC sources, and manage those PCs with a single keyboard and mouse.
Design
The ThinkVision P40w-20 is designed for business use. It has a clean, professional look with a black finish and thin 3-side bezels. The screen is 2500R curved to fill more of your field of view for more immersion and less distraction.
The stand provides outstanding workplace ergonomics with -5/ 22 degrees tilt, -45/ 45 degrees swivel and 130mm height adjustments. The large base is a great place to keep your keyboard and mouse when not using them to save desk space.
Image Quality
Like the LG 40WP95C, ThinkVision P40w-20 features a 39.7-inch 10-bit IPS panel with a 5120×2160 resolution and 140PPI. It produces super accurate colors with 99 percent sRGB and 98 percent coverage of the film industry standard DCI-P3.
While this monitor supports entry-level HDR, the 300nits brightness won’t give you the best HDR picture quality.
The display comes factory-calibrated with a Delta E of less than 2 for high color accuracy out of the box. Unbox and start editing right away. A calibration report is included.
The ThinkVision P40w-20 features Natural Low Blue Light technology to reduce eye fatigue when working on the monitor for long hours. The technology filters harmful blue rays while ensuring proper white balance and accurate colors.
Connectivity
One of the top selling points of the ThinkVision P40w-20, in addition to Intel AMT, is its connectivity. This monitor comes with two Thunderbolt 4 ports with up to 100W power delivery and a USB-C port with 27W power delivery. The second Thunderbolt 4 port supports daisy-changing capabilities.
Besides, you also get one DisplayPort 1.4, one HDMI 2.0, four USB3.2 Gen1 Type-A downstream ports, one USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C upstream, RJ45, and a headphone jack.
According to Lenovo, the Ethernet port supports Wake-on-LAN (S3/S4/S5), PXE Boot, and MAC address pass-through to transfer and securely maintain your network to up to two connected sources simultaneously. The monitor supports Intel AMT through the Ethernet port.
- 2x Thunderbolt 4 (100W PD)
- 1x USB-C (27W PD)
- 1x DisplayPort 1.4
- 1x HDMI 2.0
- 4x USB3.2 Gen1
- 1x USB3.2 Gen1 Upstream
- 1x Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45)
- 1x Audio Out (3.5 mm)
This monitor will go on sale starting June 2021.
Our TakeLenovo ThinkVision P40w-20 is everything you would want in a Thunderbolt 4 monitor. 100W power delivery, more ports, ergonomic build, a large display with accurate colors, multitasking tools, and remote system maintenance capabilities. It’s easy to recommend it to IT admins, data analysts, and pro multitaskers.
- Intel AMT support for remote remediation
- Two Thunderbolt 4 ports /w 100W power delivery
- Rich connectivity
- Large and crisper display
- Ergonomic design
- Screen split software and built-in KVM switch
- Only 300nits
- No built-in speakers
Choosing the Best Thunderbolt 4 Monitors – The Ultimate Buying Guide
Choosing the best monitor with Thunderbolt 4 connectivity shouldn’t be hard. Here is what to look out for in a good Thunderbolt 4 monitor.
1. Number of Thunderbolt 4 Ports
You want a monitor with as many Thunderbolt 4 ports as possible as it allows you to connect many peripherals and devices to your laptop. If you have multiple Thunderbolt accessories such as external drives, eGPUs, or multiple monitors, ensure to select a monitor with more than one Thunderbolt 4 port or be ready to spend further on a Thunderbolt 4 docking station.
The LG 40WP95C comes with two Thunderbolt 4 ports, which is enough for most setups. One port to your laptop and the other for peripherals and daisy-chaining.
Having more than one Thunderbolt 4 port lets you take advantage of Thunderbolt daisy-chaining and hook multiple devices through a single Thunderbolt 4 port.
2. Thunderbolt Power Delivery
Like Thunderbolt 3, the new Thunderbolt 4 specification supports power delivery of up to 100W through the same cable. You can connect and charge your laptop at the same time, reducing cable clutter on your desk. That means you don’t need to carry your laptop’s power adapter to work.
The power delivery wattage differs across Thunderbolt 4 monitors, and so do the power requirements of laptops. You can check your laptop’s adapter rating in our complete list of Thunderbolt 4 laptops.
Most of the latest laptops come with 65W power adapters, meaning a Thunderbolt 4 monitor with 60W or more power delivery can charge most laptops in the market. Please note that a monitor with less power delivery than your laptop’s requirements will still be able to charge it, but slower than usual.
With 100W power delivery, the ThinkVision P40w-20 can charge every Thunderbolt laptop in the market while running full throttle.
3. Pixels Per Inch (PPI)
If your eyes are on a bigger monitor, you need to be careful of the monitor’s resolution. That’s because a monitor’s resolution and size determine an essential aspect of the display known as Pixels Per Inch (PPI).
High PPI is always better as it results in sharp picture quality and crisper text.A Full HD (1920×1080) resolution on a 27-inch monitor has 82PPI, which may result in fuzzy images and blurry text. But if you upgrade to a 4K (3840×2160) resolution on the same monitor, the pixel density jumps to 163PPI, meaning sharp, detailed images with crisper text.
Pro Tip: Always aim for more than 90PPI.
Below is the recommended minimum resolution at each size for better picture quality.
| Size | Recommended Resolution (minimum) | Pixel Density |
| 24-inch | FHD (1920×1080) | 92 PPI |
| 27-inch | QHD (2560×1440) | 109 PPI |
| 32-inch | QHD (2560×1440) | 92 PPI |
| 34-inch Ultrawide | WQHD (3440×1440) | 110 PPI |
| 38-inch Ultrawide | WQHD+ (3840×1600) | 111 PPI |
| 40-inch Ultrawide | WUHD (5120×2160) | 140 PPI |
| 43-inch Ultrawide | WQHD+ (3840×1200) | 94 PPI |
| 43-inch | 4K UHD (3840×2160) | 102 PPI |
| 49-inch Ultrawide | Dual QHD (5120×1440) | 109 PPI |
4. Brightness
Will you be using the monitor in bright rooms? Is HDR picture quality a priority?
If your answers to the above questions are Yeses, you need a Thunderbolt 4 monitor with higher brightness. Most desktop monitors have 250 to 350nits brightness. That’s okay for everyday use in normal lit rooms. But if you’ll use this monitor in bright rooms, ensure it has at least 400nits typical brightness.
If you want the best HDR experience, brightness is a feature you shouldn’t skimp on, ever. While some cheap monitors with 300 to 400nits can still support HDR, you’ll get the best HDR picture quality in a brighter monitor, such as 1000nits.
Other factors such as dimming technology significantly improve the HDR picture quality, but brightness plays a bigger part. If you’re buying a Thunderbolt 4 monitor for HDR, always go for 1000nits or 600nits minimum.
5. Panel Type
Monitors use different panel technologies, notably IPS, VA, and TN. The IPS panel is the best out of the three; it produces high, consistent picture quality with accurate colors and wide viewing angles. Today’s IPS panels can achieve a 1ms response time, making them great for competitive gaming.
If you want a Thunderbolt 4 monitor for photo editing and video editing, make sure it has an IPS panel. However, some cheap IPS monitors suffer from screen bleeding, something you should know before buying a budget IPS monitor.
LG uses an improved IPS technology known as Nano IPS in its 40WP95C ultrawide monitor. According to LG, Nano IPS panels produce richer colors than standard IPS displays.
VA panel trumps IPS in contrast ratio. VA panels have a higher contrast ratio out of the three panels, meaning better HDR picture quality. IPS is still the best for color accuracy and viewing angles.
We usually don’t recommend monitors with TN panels unless you’re looking for a gaming monitor. TN panels are the best for gaming as they can achieve really fast response times. But they have the worst colors and viewing angles. If you buy a TN monitor for office use, make sure to sit directly in front of it for a better picture.
6. Screen Split Software & KVM Switch
Ultrawide monitors are becoming more popular than multiple-monitor setups. Ultrawide monitors offers more screen real estate for multitasking and office productivity.
A screen split software can help you benefit more from the massive screen space. It specifically allows you to partition the screen into different layouts of multiple windows so you can open more apps side-by-side like you would in dual monitors.
On the other hand, KVM Switch is a productivity tool that allows you to view content from two different PCs and control them using a single keyboard-mouse setup. It will enable you to share the display, keyboard, and mouse with two or more computers.
The ThinkVision P40w-20 comes with a screen split software called True Split and a built-in KVM switch for seamless multitasking.
If you’re buying a Thunderbolt 4 ultrawide monitor for productivity and office use, ensure it comes with a screen split software and built-in KVM switch. Sure, you can get a third-party KVM switch or split-screen software, but that will accrue extra costs.
7. VRR Support
Thunderbolt 4 monitors are mostly designed for office use and productivity, and they rarely feature higher refresh rates. The LG 40WP95C comes with a 72Hz refresh rate, which is not ideal for competitive gaming.
If you were to play games on this monitor, there is a high chance of screen tearing. Extreme screen tearing results in a terrible gaming experience and can even make games unplayable.
One way to counter this is to select a monitor with Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) technology such as FreeSync. VRR syncs the GPU’s frame rates to the refresh rate of a monitor, resulting in a smooth and fluid gaming experience.
The LG 40WP95C combines a 72Hz refresh rate with AMD FreeSync to deliver smooth gameplay. It’s the best yet for a Thunderbolt 4 monitor.
8. Ergonomics
A Thunderbolt 4 monitor with tilt, pivot, swivel, and height adjustments is the best for office use and productivity. Ergonomic monitors let you adjust the screen to your favorite viewing position for comfortable viewing and use.
If your monitor’s height is too low, that means you have to bend your head repeatedly when using the monitor. Do that for eight hours a day, seven days a week, and you’ll soon be visiting a chiropractor.
It’s essential to buy a Thunderbolt 4 monitor with a fully-adjustable stand if you’ll spend more hours working for safety and comfort. Note that ultrawide monitors don’t support pivot adjustments because they are too wide; you can rotate them into portrait mode.
9. Connectivity – Number of Ports
If you own one of the latest laptops, you’ll quickly realize you have fewer ports than expected. Actually, most Thunderbolt laptops like the MacBook and Dell XPS only come with Type-C ports.
Getting a monitor with more ports can save you the hassle of disconnecting and connecting devices or buying dongles and docking stations. The bets Thunderbolt 4 monitors should come with extra video ports (HDMI or DisplayPort), a couple of USB-A ports, and other connectivity options like headphone jack.
The ThinkVision P40w-20 is the best Thunderbolt 4 monitor in terms of connectivity. It has 12 ports of connectivity, including two Thunderbolt 4 ports, four USB-A ports, and an extra USB-C port.
Best Thunderbolt 4 Monitors – Frequently Asked Questions
What can Thunderbolt 4 do?
Thunderbolt 4 supports power, data, and video on the same cable. You can use a Thunderbolt 4 port to connect an external monitor, charge a laptop, and transfer files.
Can I charge my laptop with Thunderbolt 4?
A Thunderbolt 4 monitor with power delivery can charge a laptop. The laptop must power deliver via Thunderbolt. The good thing is that all Thunderbolt 4 laptops must have at least one port for charging, making it easier to charge a laptop via a Thunderbolt 4 monitor.
Is USB-C the same as Thunderbolt 4?
USB-C has the same connector as Thunderbolt 4, but they are not the same. Thunderbolt 4 supports dual 4K monitors or a single 8K monitor, while USB-C can only drive a single 4K monitor.
If you need other Thunderbolt 4 devices and accessories, check out our other buying guides on the best Thunderbolt 4 docking stations, best Thunderbolt 4 cables, and the complete list of Thunderbolt 4 laptops.
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