A Large, High-Resolution Monitor

For a long time, I was a strong advocate of dual or even triple monitor setups. For the past few years, though, I’ve been using just a single 40" 4K monitor (3840 × 2160) — and I wouldn’t go back. The combination of size and resolution effectively replaces multiple screens:

It works like having four Full HD monitors. The advantage of 4K here isn’t so much pixel density (ppi), but the sheer amount of usable screen space.
Long documents are easy to handle. The left, right, and even center sections can display more content than a vertically oriented Full HD screen. For example, you can comfortably run three windows side by side at 1280 × 2160 each.
Large spreadsheets stay readable. A 40" 4K display can show well over 40 columns and 200 rows at a comfortable size.

4K monitor resolution comparison — Multiple windows on 4K – without bezels between displays

Portrait window layout on monitor — Three portrait windows side by side possible

Tables on large monitor — Over 40 columns and 200 rows readable

My current monitor is no longer available and technically outdated, but the Philips monitor has been a reliable daily driver since 2017.

Choosing a replacement today isn’t straightforward. Many popular 21:9 or even wider displays, like the Dell 499P9H, offer more total pixels and larger diagonals, but typically reduce vertical resolution to 1440 pixels. Compared to the 2160 pixels I’m used to, that’s a noticeable loss in usable height.

If I had to buy a new one today, I’d probably go with something like the Dell U4021QW: a 5K display with a more traditional 16:9 format.