Gamers and movie fans looking to have a more immersive experience with their entertainment have started buying curved monitors.
A curved monitor, as its name might suggest, curls at the ends, seeming to wrap around you.
Buying this sort of immersion doesn’t come cheap, however.
Why Are Curved Monitors So Expensive? (10 Reasons)
The average price of a curved monitor is around $1,000 with some models costing more than $2,000.
Curved monitors are expensive due to the cost of including extra features to support better visuals, the length of the screen, whether it’s built for gaming or not, the brand name, and overall manufacturing costs.
Let’s look into these and some additional factors in more detail.
1. Extra Length Costs
For a monitor to curve around you, it needs to be long.
As such, curved monitors are typically longer than standard monitors.
Smaller monitors don’t have the length available to stretch around you.
The longer the monitor is, the more curved it’s going to be.
That’s why expensive curved monitors tend to be the longer ones.
It needs more length to create the curve.
The problem with more length is that it requires more materials.
The manufacturer is essentially making more of the product.
It’s using more materials to increase the length of a monitor.
It’s almost like buying a large-screen TV except the monitor has a very specific shape.
Since more materials are going into the monitor, manufacturers are spending more money on the monitor.
To offset their prices, manufacturers have to sell curved monitors at higher prices.
Curved monitors are expensive because their lengths require more materials which means higher costs of manufacturing.
2. High Resolution
A lot of curved monitors also focus on providing high resolution.
Resolution refers to the number of pixels on the screen.
The more pixels that a screen has, the better definition the visuals have on the screen.
Back in the day, 1080p monitors were all the rage.
At the time, it was the highest number of pixels a monitor could show.
4K then replaced 1080p monitors.
Today, some monitors are even starting to boast 8K resolution.
As the number of pixels increases, the better the picture quality is.
However, having high resolution is expensive to make.
It requires more engineering and manufacturing.
Since the cost of producing high-resolution monitors is more expensive, the price of the monitor is also going to be expensive.
Curved monitors are already a relatively niche product.
This technology doesn’t exactly appeal to the broad masses just yet.
As such, when a curved monitor also boasts 4K or 8K resolution, then it’s doubling down on its niche.
It’s advertising itself among its smaller target audience to those who have a specific interest in picture quality.
That might be gamers, professionals, or people who take watching movies or TV very seriously.
High resolution increases the monitor’s value to these people.
Since it has a higher value to them, they tend to be willing to pay more for the product.
Curved monitors are expensive because some of them come with high resolutions.
3. Aspect Ratio Adjustments
Since curved monitors aren’t flat planes, the aspect ratio on the monitor is a bit different.
For a long time, the standard aspect ratio was 4:3.
This refers to a full-screen aspect ratio.
However, as technology started to turn to high-definition TV, the aspect ratio changed.
Now, 16:9 is the standard aspect ratio for screens.
It’s commonly referred to as “widescreen.”
Curved monitors don’t use a 16:9 aspect ratio.
At the very least, they shouldn’t be using it.
You might find some cheaper curved monitors that do use a 16:9 aspect ratio.
The problem with a 16:9 aspect ratio on a curved monitor is that it stretches the image.
While 16:9 may seem like it should go well with curved monitors, that isn’t quite the case.
Curved monitors go beyond widescreen.
It’s ultra-widescreen if anything.
As such, curved monitors actually have a 21:9 aspect ratio.
This aspect ratio allows the monitor to stretch the image without distorting it.
The problem with a 21:9 aspect ratio is that it’s still relatively rare.
Manufacturers have to spend a bit more money to achieve that sort of aspect ratio on the monitors.
Not every game, movie, or service supports that sort of aspect ratio either.
It’s more expensive to make a 21:9 aspect ratio since it isn’t the norm, so manufacturers put higher prices on their products.
Curved monitors are expensive because they use non-standard aspect ratios.
4. High Refresh Rate
The refresh rate is another important aspect of monitors.
The refresh rate of a monitor determines how smooth the action on the screen is.
You can usually tell when a screen has a high refresh rate compared to one that has a low refresh rate.
The action on the screen tends to be smoother and more fluid with a high refresh rate.
The screen with a low refresh rate tends to look a bit jerky or choppy.
Monitors that have high refresh rates tend to be more expensive.
That’s because, to achieve a high refresh rate, the monitor has to update the image on the screen quickly.
That requires a lot of power on both the system’s hardware and software.
To ensure the monitor is able to perform this action without wearing down quickly, the manufacturer has to use high-quality materials.
Those materials are expensive to source, so the manufacturer puts a higher price on the product.
You can see what a monitor’s refresh rate is by looking at its Hz reading.
For example, a monitor might say that it has a 60Hz refresh rate.
This means that it refreshes the image 60 times every second.
A high refresh rate also increases the value to some people.
Gamers, for example, will appreciate a higher refresh rate since it helps them perform better.
Cinephiles will appreciate a higher refresh rate since it makes the movie quality better.
Curved monitors are expensive because they often feature high refresh rates.
5. Number Of Ports
The number of ports a curved monitor has can also increase its price.
Ports are important on a monitor because they determine what type of systems can connect to the monitor.
Some systems, like Macs, require a specific type of connection.
If the monitor doesn’t have a port for the connection, then users can’t use their Mac with the monitor.
The reason that not every monitor has every port imaginable is that it costs more money for them to manufacture it.
The manufacturer has to make each port individually and ensure that it works.
That adds more time to the manufacturing process which equates to higher costs.
Curved monitors tend to support various ports.
The manufacturers try to make their monitors available to all types of different devices.
However, because they have a higher number of ports, curved monitors are also more expensive to make.
Curved monitors are expensive because they typically have a large number of ports.
6. Gaming Monitor
Curved monitors are also expensive when they’re primarily used as gaming monitors.
Although not all curved monitors are for gaming, some are made specifically for gaming.
These curved monitors tend to be on the expensive side.
That’s because they often have high-quality features.
For example, these types of curved monitors have high refresh rates, high resolution, and other attributes designed to make the picture quality incredible.
Since they tend to feature the best technology, they also come at high prices.
Curved gaming monitor manufacturers also know their audience.
They know that PC gamers tend to have a bit more money to spend.
They’re already spending around $2,000 on their PCs alone.
They’re not going to want to spend that much on a PC without getting a monitor that will allow them to get the most out of their computers.
As such, the manufacturer can price its monitor relatively high with the expectation that PC gamers can afford it.
Curved monitors are expensive when they’re specifically made for and targeted to gamers.
7. Brand Name
The brand name attached to the curved monitor can also impact its price.
When it comes to electronics, there are a few brand names that are well-known and trusted.
Samsung, Sony, and Asus are some of the top brands in the industry.
Buying a curved monitor from one of these brands usually means you’re going to spend a lot of money.
That’s because these companies have spent a good deal of time earning their reputations for producing high-quality and reliable products.
When buying an electronic, there needs to be some element of trust between the buyer and the brand.
Electronics usually don’t come cheap.
As such, the buyer needs to trust that the product that they’re receiving is going to be worth the money.
Brand names that have produced high-quality products over time can offer that trust.
Since it offers some peace of mind, it also means that brand names can get away with putting higher prices on their products.
Buyers tend to be willing to spend more on a product if it comes from a brand name because it’s less of a financial risk.
Curved monitors are expensive when they come from well-known brand names.
8. Limited Production
Unlike traditional monitors, curved monitors aren’t produced at quite the same scale.
They have limited production because they’re not a huge hit among the masses just yet.
Other technologies haven’t improved to the point where having a curved monitor makes a lot of sense for people.
Those who have monitors at home are usually gamers, professionals, or students.
Of that group, gamers are typically the users who will enjoy the benefits of a curved monitor the most.
Since the demand isn’t quite there in the market yet, manufacturers are mindful of how much they produce.
However, that also impacts the price of curved monitors.
Since the supply isn’t always readily available, the price increases.
There’s a limited number of them in the market.
Curved monitors are expensive because they are produced in limited quantities, which creates scarcity and increases the price.
9. Niche
Curved monitors are still relatively niche in the wider monitor market.
That’s because they appeal to a very select number of people.
Those looking for immersive experiences are likely interested in buying a curved monitor.
The majority of people are still happy with flat monitors.
However, because there’s still enough demand out there for curved monitors, it makes it a niche product.
Niche products tend to be expensive because it usually means there are only a few companies producing the product.
Since the buyer has no choice but to buy from them, they also have to pay whatever price the seller wants to put on the product.
Curved monitors are expensive because they’re a niche product.
10. Complex Manufacturing Costs
A final reason curved monitors are expensive is because of their unique manufacturing costs.
It’s a bit more complicated to make a curved monitor than it is a flat one.
Manufacturers have to invest in new materials or learn how to use standard materials in new ways.
That costs money.
The curved monitor has to function despite its unique shape.
Since the cost of manufacturing curved monitors is a bit more complex and expensive, the price of the monitor is going to be higher to offset those costs.
Curved monitors are expensive because they have complex and unique manufacturing costs.
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