Since the invention of HDMI in 2002, it has quickly become the king of compatibility.
HDMI refers to High-Definition Multimedia Interface and basically refers to a cable that can transmit video and audio at a speed and quality far superior than tradition DVI or VGA.
If a device features HDMI connectivity then it becomes compatible with a huge range of other multimedia devices thus making a HDMI port extremely valuable.
Now imagine all these benefits and double them. That’s what you get with 2 HDMI ports.
There’s not much else to it. HDMI is incredible and two ports is better than one.
Gone are the days of endlessly replugging cables while bending over backwards every-time you want to switch from your PS4 to your Desktop PC.
Keep reading to learn about the best monitors with 2 HDMI ports…
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List of Monitor with 2 HDMI Ports
Here is a quick list of monitors with dual HDMI ports.
- Sceptre E248W-19203R – 24 Inch – Ultra budget
- Asus MZ27AQ Designo – 27 Inch – Unparalleled Aesthetics and Sound
- Acer KG241Q bmiix – 24 Inch – Budget Gaming
- Dell S2719H – 27 Inch – Versatile Monitor
- ViewSonic VP2468 – 24 – Budget Professional Monitor
Short Reviews of the Selected
We have tried to cover here monitors from various categories including size, prize, and specialization.
#1. Sceptre E248W – Cheapest Monitor with 2 HDMI Ports
If you are looking for the cheapest possible monitor that you can get with 2 HDMI ports, then this is it. No other monitor can come close to the valuation of this piece.
From, a faster than typical, 75 Hz refresh rate to built in speakers, this monitor is a complete package at an unbelievably low price tag.
The only relative drawback of this monitor is that it hails from a lesser know brand. As such you might be reluctant to go for it.
The good news, however, is that not only has this monitor been tried and tested by thousand of customers, but also with Amazon’s return policy, you are completely safe.
Another marginal drawback of this monitor is that it does not have the best of looks. It has a mundane and old school shape. However, as far as the core features are concerned, this monitor is one of the best for its price.
Essentials: 75Hz, 1920 x 1080, IPS, 24″
Connections: 2xHDMI, VGA, Audio Out
Response Time: 5 ms
VESA: 100×100 mm
Speakers: 2×2 Watts
#2. Asus MZ27AQ Designo – 27 Inch – Monitor with 2 HDMI Ports and Speakers
Departing from our extra budget listing above, we now have a rather expensive monitor.
Asus MZ27AQ Designo is a mid budget range monitor that offers many high end features along with 2 HDMI ports.
For starters this is a large 27 inch monitor that offers QHD resolution of 2560 x 1440.
Therefore, as far as the productivity and the screen real estate is concerned, this monitor has you covered.
Other than that, this monitor is a gorgeous masterpiece. In fact, Designo series monitors from ASUS are known for their pleasing aesthetics. This monitor is a testament to that notion.
Another great feature of this monitor is that has a great sound system. It is one of few monitors in the market to offer a subwoofer.
Essentials: IPS, 2560×1440, 27″, 100% sRGB
Connections: 2 x HDMI v1.4, DP v1.2
Speakers: 2×6 W + 5W Subwoofer
VESA: No
Response Time: 5 ms
#3. Acer KG241Q bmiix – 24 Inch – Budget Gaming
This could be the best monitor with 2 HDMI ports for those who are seeking to connect their PC and gaming console to a monitor.
This is a fairly cheap monitor that boasts a 1 ms response time. A faster response time is essential for gaming to remove the annoying ghosting effect.
Moreover, this monitor also offers AMD FreeSync. This technology syncs the monitor with the graphics card on your PC to remove the screen tear and screen stutter.
The only drawback of this monitor is that it harbors a TN panel.
Although this is a sacrifice that you must accept if you want a 1 ms response time, some of you may want to go for the color rich IPS panels instead. Unfortunately, there are no IPS panels with 1 ms response time.
Essentials: TN, 1920×1080, 24″
Connections: 2 x HDMI v1.4, VGA
Speakers: 2 x 2 Watts
VESA: No
Response Time: 1 ms
#4. Dell S2719H – 27 Inch – Versatile Monitor
Here we have yet another 27 inch monitor in our list. However, this time it is a much cheaper 27 inch monitor by Dell.
Although, it does not have the WQHD resolution or a high end sound system like the Asus MZ27AQ Designo above, it does have great aesthetics as well as 99% sRGB color coverage.
As far as the colors are concerned, you will have no issue thank to the great IPS panel on this display.
The only issue with this monitor is that it does not offer any input other than the dual HDMI ports. Therefore, if you have an older PC, you might have an issue trying to interface with DVI or VGA ports.
This monitor is made for multitude of tasks. You can use it in your office, at home, for casual gaming, for entertainment, as well as for moderate levels of graphic designing work.
Additional, it offers a fairly loud sound system with its 5 W speakers.
Essentials: IPS, 1920×1080, 27″
Connections: 2 x HDMI
Speakers: 2 x 5 Watts
VESA: No
Response Time: 5 ms
#5. ViewSonic VP2468 – 24 Inch – Budget Professional Monitor
If you are into graphic designing and photo editing and are thus looking for a rather affordable monitor with 2 HDMI ports, then this could be it.
No other monitor offers 100% sRGB/Rec 709 coverage as well as 14 Bit 3D LUT at this price range.
In addition to that, this monitor also comes factory calibrated with color precision of Delta E < 2.
All this means is that you get billions of colors on your screen with extreme clarity and accuracy.
If you compare this monitor to an average dual HDMI 24 inch monitor, this may seem a bit expensive.
However, if you compare with the rest of the professional designing displays out there, you will realize how great of a deal this piece is.
Essential: 24″, 1920 x 1080, IPS, 14-Bit 3D LUT, 4.39 trillion, Delta E < 2 (Factory Calibrated),colors,
Ergonomic Stand
Connections: DisplayPort, Mini DisplayPort, HDMI 1.4 (x2), DisplayPort Out and USB 3.0 (Type A,B)
VESA: Yes
FAQ
What is an HDMI Port? – A Useful Video on Ports
If you want to learn more about different display ports in general, we recommend that you watch this video. It thoroughly explains all the mainstream video input ports.
Can You Connect two Monitors with Only One Output HDMI Port?
Simply put, NO! You cannot. If you think that an HDMI splitter would allows you to use two monitor independently, then you are wrong.
An HDMI splitter only splits a single video into two identical signals. This means that both monitors would show the same display.
If you want two independent output to the monitor, you essentially need two ports.
You may have also heard about HDMI switches. Again these devices do not produce two independent signals.
With a switch you can basically connect two or more monitors to a single HDMI output on you PC. However, you can only use a single monitor at a time.
This is one of the reason why dual HDMI monitors are so popular.
Can You Daisy Chain with a Dual HDMI Monitor?
Daisy chaining is a process in which you connect one monitor two your PC, and the second monitor to your first first PC. This is great for those who only have a single output on their PC.
Unfortunately, daisy chaining can ONLY be done with DP or mDP ports. Not with HDMI ports. Therefore, if your intentions of getting a dual monitor were to daisy chain in the first place, then forget about it.
Is There an Advantage of Connecting Two HDMI Input to PC?
This is also one of the common questions asked. Is there any advantage of connecting two HDMI ports on a monitor to two HDMI outputs both on the same PC?
The answer is no. There is not advantage. Essentially, the only advantage of dual HDMI on monitors is so that you can connect two devices to it for example a PC and a gaming console.
Difference Between HDMI 1.4 and HDMI 2.0
HDMI 2.0 is the latest version of the HDMI. HDMI 1.4 is the most widely used and if you have an older PC or a monitor then chances are they you have an HDMI 1.4. In fact, even the original PS4 and XBox one came with HDMI 1.4. HDMI 1.4 has the following capabilities
- Full HD Support i.e 1080p at upto 144 Hz frame Rate
- Full HD Support i.e 1080p at 120 Hz for 3D TV and monitors
- 2560 x 1600 at upto 75 Hz Refresh Rate
- UHD/4K Support i.e 2160p at only 30 Hz
- Supports 6-8 bit color depth
The HDMI 2.0 is the latest version and allows the support of UHD/4k at a high refresh rate as well as HDR. HDR is basically a feature that enhances the colors of the display.
- Full HD Support i.e 1080p upto 240 Hz
- Full HD Support i.e 1080p at 120Hz with HDR Enabled
- UHD/4K Support i.e 2160p at 60 Hz with HDR
- Supports 10-12 bit color space
The bottom line here is that only the high end monitors and devices use the HDMI 2.0 port. You will not find HDMI 2.0 on conventional budget monitors. This is not going to change at least for a few years when 4K and high color depth becomes cheaper.
You can use HDMI 1.4 devices on monitors with HDMI 2.0 ports since it is backwards compatible.
How to Connect Two HDMI Devices to One Monitor with HDMI Input Port?
If you find yourself in a situation where you have many devices that you want to connect to your monitor but your monitor only has one HDMI port, then you should get yourself a switch.
This has several input and one output. The inputs are where you will connect your devices like PC, gaming consoles, Android box etc and the output is where you will connect your Monitor.
The switch has buttons on it that allows you to change the input source. Many also come with remote controls so that you can easily switch between the input devices from a distance.
Difference Between a Switch and Splitter
A switch, as mentioned earlier, takes multiple devices and connects to one output display device.
A splitter, on the other hand, takes one input and splits it into an IDENTICAL signal to multiple output devices. Note that the keyword here is ‘identical signal’. This means all the output display devices will show the same image.
This is again reiterating the points made in earlier FAQ question that you cannot have a independent dual monitor setup with just one HDMI port on your PC.
If You Have an HDMI and Some Other Port Like VGA Can You Do Dual Monitor?
The answer is a resounding YES!. You can! You don’t need to have two HDMI ports in order to have a dual monitor setup.
You can have one HDMI with some other port like VGA or DVI to connect two monitors.
However, just be aware that VGA and DVI do not carry sound channel. Therefore, the audio-out port will not work on the monitor.
Can you Display Two Devices on One Monitor that the Same Time?
Yes, you can. Few monitors have a feature called Picture in Picture/ Picture by Picture. This allows you to essentially connect two PCs or any two output devices and display them on the monitor at the same time.
The Picture-in-Picture feature will allow you to adjust the screen size of each input.
For example it can allow you to have 3/4 of the screen dedicated to one PC, and the 1/4 of the screen dedicated to another.
Although most monitor that feature PIP allow for 2 input devices, there are some monitors that even allow up to 4 connected devices to display side by side. These are called multi-client monitors and are mostly found in CCTV surveillance systems.
Can you Run Three Displays with Two HDMI Ports?
No, you cannot. For starters, if you not have a dedicated graphics card and you are only relying on the integrated graphics like the Intel HD on a motherboard, then you can only run a maximum of two displays at the same time.
If you do have a dedicated graphics card, then you will definitely get additional ports with it like VGA, DVI or even a third HDMI port.
With that, you should be able to interface 3 monitors together.
If you do not have sufficient video output for triple monitor setup, then it is advisable to get a dedicated graphics card installed.
If you already have one installed and still do not have sufficient output ports, then get a similar make and model of the installed graphic cards.
Make sure that you have sufficient PCIe slots on your motherboard to install the second graphics card.
Once installed, you need to put them in SLI configuration if it is NVIDIA make, or Crossfire configuration it it is AMD make.