Who this is for

Few people actually need a monitor that can be rolled around a house. We have recommendations for a variety of monitors (including portable ones), as well as TVs. But after testing freestanding monitors, I think that they could be most useful for people who want to minimize the number of screens in their home, or those who have a specific need that a giant moveable screen could address.

Freestanding monitors are much larger than a portable monitor, which is typically 14 to 16 inches and gives you a secondary laptop screen. Freestanding monitor screens range from 27 to 32 inches, and they also typically have a touchscreen, remote control, and some kind of entertainment operating system, like Android, Roku, or LG’s webOS. They’re also more expensive than traditional computer monitors, ranging from about $600 to $1,300.

Hinges, clips and other mobile features of freestanding monitors make them outstandingly flexible for a variety of scenarios. Dave Gershgorn/NYT Wirecutter

If you don’t want to permanently mount a TV on a wall, for aesthetic reasons or just to reduce screen time, a freestanding monitor means you don’t necessarily need a TV in your living space all the time. If you work remotely, a freestanding monitor could live most of its life near your desk, then get rolled out into a living space when you want to watch TV.

For those who want to add another screen to their existing setup, a freestanding monitor offers flexibility and extra capacity. If a loved one is sick and wants a TV in their room for a short time, for instance, you could wheel in a freestanding monitor instead of handing them a laptop or a tablet. Some freestanding monitors also have internal batteries that let you watch TV for hours without needing to plug in, which could come in handy during power outages or even a tailgate-style get-together. These displays mainly stream video from the internet, though, so you’ll still need either an internet connection or a method of playing offline media.

Why we love freestanding monitors


Dave Gershgorn/NYT Wirecutter

I tested the LG Swing and KTC A27Q7 and found some real advantages to using a freestanding monitor.

They can flexibly be placed almost anywhere in your house, no table or furniture required. Since freestanding monitors don’t need to be placed on a desk, TV stand, or other furniture, they can be used differently and more informally than a stationary TV or monitor.

A freestanding monitor can live in a corner, acting as a TV most of the time, but be wheeled out when you’re cooking to follow along with an instructional video or watch a show while your muffins bake. Or, if your desk is in the middle of the room, you could place a freestanding monitor on the other side of the desk and use it as a normal computer monitor. After work, you could wheel it over in front of the couch and watch TV, or put on a YouTube fireplace video near your reading nook.

During testing, I used one in my office as a second computer screen, in the kitchen while cooking, in my living room to help practice music, and in my bedroom as a gaming screen. Those with children might use it as a portable Ms. Rachel device, or DIYers might wheel it to the garage or a room where they need to follow along with digital instructions or a YouTube video. You can, of course, do all of these with a much cheaper device, like a tablet. But watching content on a giant screen is an elevated experience.

Touchscreen controls are incredibly useful. These freestanding monitors mostly rely on their own operating system, so having touch control is an absolute must. I really loved the ability to hit the power button, tap on an app, and hit play on a video to start watching something in seconds. They can be used with remotes, but then you have to find it, point it at the right place on the monitor where the IR receiver is, navigate to what you want to select, and select it. Touch is a faster and more convenient way of controlling the monitors, especially a freestanding monitor that you’re already touching to place somewhere. We don’t think a freestanding monitor without a touchscreen is especially practical.

It’s a unique product that’s difficult to replicate on your own. As I was testing, I wondered if I could build a freestanding monitor setup for much cheaper. So I bought a monitor floor stand, mounted a monitor with speakers on top, and plugged in a Roku Streaming Stick 4K. My DIY model was functional, but when using it alongside the freestanding monitors built by the pros, we found ours sorely lacking. The biggest drawback to our DIY device was how we could (or couldn’t) control it. My contraption didn’t have a touchscreen, a feature I loved on the other models, and the Roku remote couldn’t turn the monitor itself on and off. It’s the worst of both worlds: You have to physically turn the monitor on and off and use a remote to choose what you want to watch. There’s likely a golden formula of a touchscreen monitor and some kind of Android device that would support its touch capability, but those monitors are typically expensive enough that a pre-built freestanding monitor would be cheaper and have better integration among its parts.

An internal battery is a game changer. One model that we tested, the KTC A27Q7, had an internal battery that allowed the monitor to work even when not plugged into the wall. This battery lasted for a few hours, depending on what we were doing, but the ability to not worry about having an outlet nearby meant the freestanding monitor had actual freedom to be anywhere in our home. Conversely, while testing the LG Swing and our DIY model, we found that having to plug and unplug the monitor whenever we wanted to move it was pretty annoying after a few days.

Why we don’t recommend freestanding monitors — yet

Despite the flexibility they offer, a freestanding monitor isn’t for everyone.

Freestanding monitors without batteries feel too limited. One model I tested, the LG Swing, is a fantastic freestanding monitor, with a bright, vibrant 32-inch display and a hinge that allows the monitor to be used while standing, at desk height, or on the floor. However, it doesn’t have an internal battery, so every time I wanted to move it I had to make sure there was a plug nearby, then unplug the monitor, roll it over to its new location, and plug it back in. That’s fine every once in a while, or if you’re hardly moving the Swing around. But to continuously have to plug and unplug your monitor to achieve its core function of mobility is mildly Sisyphean. The KTC A27Q7’s screen isn’t as nice, but its internal battery meant we could park it in the middle of a room for a few minutes to a few hours and not have to worry about plugging it in. I had to charge the KTC twice over the course of a workweek, which felt reasonable.

The right operating system can make or break your experience. I tried three different operating systems during my testing: Android, LG’s webOS, and a Roku attached to my DIY golem. I found Android to be, by far, the best operating system, as the monitor can act like a large Android tablet, providing access to familiar apps and a good settings menu. The Android OS was fast to load, responsive to our touch, and designed for touch input, which makes sense as it was built for touchscreen phones. Conversely, LG’s webOS felt like it was meant to be used with a remote (it’s the same OS that powers LG’s smart TVs) and was dramatically slower to load any app compared with the KTC’s Android OS.

Other screens get the job done. Truthfully, most people are well-served by their existing TVs, monitors, smartphones, and tablets. We build our living rooms around the TV and our offices around our computers, and these spaces do their job well. After rolling a freestanding monitor around my house for a few weeks, I wasn’t able to find a place where it felt like I really needed a medium-size screen. I have a main TV in my living room for most of my needs, and I have portable devices like a laptop and Steam Deck for gaming or web-browsing around the house. I think freestanding monitors will work best for people who don’t want to build their living room or office around a screen, or who already use a TV or computer monitor for multiple purposes. I can also imagine numerous other uses someone might have for adding a freestanding monitor that’s specific to their home, like adding a TV to a garage workshop to watch instructional videos, or a display that can be wheeled out onto a screened porch during good weather.

The bottom line

I only tested two freestanding monitors in our reporting (and tried to build our own), and neither one is good enough to be a Wirecutter pick. The LG Swing is the easier monitor to recommend, because it has a much nicer 32-inch 4K display and its hinge really lets you bring it down to a lower floor level. But it’s more expensive than almost any other monitor I recommend, and it has a really short power cord that defeats its main purpose: portability. I think if you see the Swing and have a use in mind that doesn’t require moving it between rooms, it’s a good option. The KTC A27Q7 had better features, like its integrated battery and faster Android operating system, but its display is small and lackluster. We also found that the KTC can’t be delivered to some locations when purchased on Amazon.

Despite all that, a freestanding monitor is an interesting device — or even a thought experiment — to keep in mind when planning a space. Does a monitor need to go on a desk? Does a TV need to be on a wall? We should expect our screens to fit seamlessly into our lives instead of designing our lives around our screens.

This article was edited by Arthur Gies and Caitlin McGarry.