Monoprice CrystalPro 44522
Summary
An affordable 4K display that includes USB-C and an array of legacy ports delivered in a functional design aimed to work rather than impress. And work it does…just as well on large spreadsheets as on 4K video.
Monoprice CrystalPro 44522 Review
Monoprice isn’t the company you go to when you want high-style, state-of-the-art technology. They are the companies that you go to for functional technology that democratizes access to very good technology. Need a 4K monitor that won’t break the bank? That’s Monoprice. Their $299 Monoprice CrystalPro 44522 offers 27 inches of glorious color. It’s good enough to act as the main desktop display for work but also plenty powerful enough to watch HDR movies.
I use this monitor every day. It is attached to two hubs and my MacBook Pro laptop. I evaluate a number of multi-dispaly USB-C hubs, many of which claim support for two or three 4K displays. This monitor allows me to test those claims, and at its price point, it suggests that many users could afford two or three 4K monitors.
What we like
Pros
- Very good 4K display with good color reproduction
- Great price
- Decent stand and good mounting options
- Multiple connectors, including USB-C
- Vertical flip available
Monoprice’s CrystalPro 44522 IPS panel delivers great color saturation with sRGB at 100% and DCI P3 at 95%. Other specs include 400 nits of max brightness, 1200:1 contrast ratio, and a 7ms response rate. Not top of line, but good enough for everyday work and play.
The display includes an HDMI input, Display port, USB-C and 2 USB Type-A ports, along with audio for redirecting its speakers. For simple setups, the CrystalPro 44522 can act as a hub. Unfortunately, this is not a USB-C, but one that takes USB Type-B as input. While it does support USB Type-C Power Delivery (PD) at 65W, meaning it will power a laptop, it isn’t a hub that supports Thunderbolt speeds.
The display uses a standard 3-prong plug for power. It is not powered via USB-C.
So its a good basic display. Well, it’s actually better than a basic display, which is what makes the $299 price tag so appealing. Buyers who shop around will find it at even lower prices. This monitor makes entering into 4K affordable.
The stand isn’t the focal point of the Monoprice CrystalPro 44522, though like every other aspect of the display, it is functional. In horizontal position it pivots left and right (-/+ 20 ) and tilts up (-5 ° /15 °). It extends up and down to improve line-of-eyesight. And it also rotates verticlely for working on documents, pivoting 90-degrees. For those looking to mount the display on a wall or on a monitor third-party monitor stands or arm, the CrystalPro 44522 includes a 100X100mm VESA compliant mount.
Macs and 4K
Apple’s OS can become overwhelmed by 4K. Unlike Windows, it doesn’t adjust fonts; it just shrinks them. I purchased SwitchResX to manage my 3008×1682, a lower-than-4K 16:9 resolution option. I found it comfortable. While 4K (3840×2106) offers more screen real estate, it also makes the UI, especially the font, very tiny. I prefer to live in a slightly less hardware-native world, one optimized for my work rather than the top specs of the hardware I use. I trade-off lower resolution for windows without magnification.
Look, display conosuires can spend several thousand dollars on a display that will wrap around, immerse their peripheral vison in light and rumble their eardrums with sound. That isn’t the CrystalPro 44522. Monoprice made an understated workhorse that just works, during days into a bit more pleasure with a bit more color, more pixels to reduce screen swapping, and an otherwise reliable experience. And that’s well worth $300.
What could be improved
Cons
- Ports aren’t easy to get to
- Speakers are weak
- On-device menu system isn’t great
Issues with port access aren’t new for displays. Thankfully, most displays are light and easy to flip around, but still. Putting all the connectors facing down may theoretically make for neater desks, but for people who share displays or use a display with multiple computers and hubs, hard-to-reach ports add a frustrating obstacle to likeability.
I would much rather see the ports on the back, even if that means the back isn’t a clean, flat surface. This is a display made for the future and for the past, however, so some of its cables might look even more unwieldy than a USB-C cable or two.
Most people don’t buy displays for their speakers. Monoprice shoppers shouldn’t either. The 4Ω/3W speakers will work in a pinch, but they won’t fill a room with simulated surround sound. I never use them, choosing rather to rely on Monoprice’s affordable multimedia speakers for a bigger sound out of my laptops and desktops.
A single button controls the CrystalPro 44522’s features. The documentation is not in the box. Though it should be clear how things work and what can be changed, it isn’t completely clear. It took some playing around to figure out the settings and consistently get the display to recognize inputs. It’s all stable now and I don’t futz with it anymore.
Monoprice CrystalPro 44522: The bottom line
As work becomes more complex, regardless of AI’s infiltration of simplification, automation, and replacement, we all experience the need for more windows, icons, threads, and simultaneous feeds. Multiple monitors help manage some of that, but even HD displays start feeling small for big spreadsheets or large, high-resolution images and video. 4K has become the new foundational resolution. With displays like the Monoprice CrystalPro 44522, this new foundation has become affordable.
Monoprices provided the CrystalPro 44522 for review. Images courtesy of Monoprices unless otherwise noted.
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