

Previously named X-Rite i1 Display Pro, the brilliant Calibrite ColorChecker Display Pro is a monitor calibrator that offers a whole lot of features and options, although you do pay for them. The more expensive SpyderX Elite (see number 5) offers some extra features, but for most people, this standard option will be all they need for reliable monitor calibration. We find Datacolor's software, which comes with the device, is easy to use, allowing us to get started calibrating immediately. It detects light conditions to ensure a monitor looks its best wherever you're working.

That said, it's still one of the best monitor calibrators we've tried for overall value, offering useful advanced features like multi-monitor support. The SpyderX Pro is now the cheapest option in the Datacolor calibration range (the former Spyder5 range had a budget "Express" model). If you calibrate your monitors regularly (and we recommend you do), the faster calibration can save you quite a bit of time in the long run. SpyderX monitor calibrators use a new lens-based sensor system that makes calibration faster while also increasing accuracy so you can be even more confident in your screen's colour accuracy. For a selection of monitors that meet creative artists and designers' needs, see our guides to the best 4K monitors, the best USB-C monitors and the best monitors for MacBook Pro.ĭatacolor is one of the best-known brands when it comes to monitor calibration, and it's followed up its Spyder5 range of monitor calibrators with SpyderX, which we've found to improve on nearly every aspect of the previous models.
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For a detailed look at how monitor calibration tools work, see our article on how to calibrate your monitor.īear in mind that even the best monitor calibrators can't work miracles and that you need to start with a monitor that has decent colour accuracy to begin with. Datacolor and Calibrite both offer several models, with a standard option, an enhanced model or two with extra features and a "studio" package that can also calibrate printers.īelow, we've picked the best monitor calibrators at a range of price points taking into consideration accuracy, the types of screens they can calibrate and extra features like ambient light detection and multi-screen calibration. When it comes to choosing the best monitor calibrator, we find it's generally a choice between two brands at the moment: Datacolor's Spyder X range and Calibrite's ColorChecker, although Wacom also has a calibrator specifically designed for its own drawing tablets if you're using one of them.

Monitor output fluctuates over time, and so calibration should be carried out at least once every couple of months. And it's not enough to calibrate your screen once and then forget about it either. That means that if you don't calibrate your screen, it's quite easy to end up oversaturating images or choosing colours that will look quite different on a client's screen or in print. Why is a monitor calibrator so important? We go into the topic in greater depth in the questions section at the bottom of this guide, but the upshot is that even if you think the colours on your monitor look good, they aren't necessarily accurate.
