With more screen real estate comes more power. Think of it this way: is it easier to watch movies, send emails, and surf the web on an iPhone 3 or using the latest iPad? The iPad wins every time, thanks to its larger screen space. While the functions of both items might be nearly identical, you simply can’t beat the improved user experience of a display that’s easier to navigate.

Let’s take a look at some of the best reasons why a widescreen monitor should be at the top of your tech wish list this year.

1. Increase your productivity

The great American motto “bigger is better” certainly applies to widescreen PC monitors. When you have a wider screen, more of your documents, media, and games can be displayed at the same time.

With a widescreen computer monitor, you can easily perform side-by-side tasks that would otherwise be impossible with a standard screen. View two documents at once, watch media in multiple separate windows, and set up your workstation to maximize productivity.

Instead of constantly switching between tabs and sifting through several programs, you can arrange the windows on your screen so that everything you need is easily within view.

Creative professionals, like video editors, photo editors, graphic designers, animators, and architects, can greatly benefit from the bigger workspace of a widescreen monitor. If spreadsheets and data sets are your area of expertise, imagine the possibilities of having multiple streams of information visible at once.

Students considering a computer for college can enjoy having their reference documents open right beside their research paper in order to transition seamlessly between reading and writing.

2. Get rid of multiple monitors

Clicking between several different displays can not only be time consuming, but can also take away precious desk space. A widescreen monitor is ideal for users who don’t have a massive workstation and need to consolidate their display panels.

Get rid of the gap between monitors, free up physical space for other office accessories, and save money on equipment you don’t actually need. Once you make the switch to a widescreen monitor, you’ll probably realize that you no longer need several displays competing for your attention.

3. Achieve maximum resolution

In most cases, the bigger the screen, the higher the resolution. This rule of thumb is important for anyone passionate about the image quality of their PC.

While it is possible for two screens at different sizes to boast the same resolution, modern, wider monitors usually have the capacity to display a higher number of pixels than their smaller counterparts.

More pixels mean images will be sharper and you’ll be able to see whatever you’re working on more clearly. Have you ever visited an optometrist and had various lenses placed in front of your eyes to see if they made your vision better or worse?

High-resolution monitors are similar in the sense that they offer enhanced clarity. The bigger the glasses (or wider the aspect ratio), the more pixels you’ll be able to see.

4. Immerse yourself in media

Maximum resolution is incredibly important for creatives who render 3D images with life-like precision and healthcare professionals who need to see an image in the finest detail, just to provide a couple examples.

The advantages provided by a widescreen monitor’s ability to improve workloads are obvious, but entertainment and relaxation also get a major boost when you invest in this type of display.

Enjoy films in the format they were meant to be viewed, scroll through social media and feel like you were actually there, or read books online with less strain on your eyes.

When media fills up the screen to deliver edge-to-edge display, you’ll enjoy a higher quality experience with all of the content you interact with.

5. Get ahead of the curve

Typically only available on ultrawide screen monitors, the most recent development in the design landscape comes in the shape of a curved monitor. Featuring a gentle slope inward on either side, curved widescreen monitors are becoming increasingly popular among casual and power PC users alike.

Why opt for a curved monitor? Distortion levels decrease, you can utilize a wider field of view, and your eyes exert less effort to absorb an image presented on a curved screen. Because the screen naturally wraps around into your peripheral vision, you don’t have to focus as intensely on taking in the entire display.

Not to mention, the larger viewing field will make everything feel larger than it actually is. You no longer experience the disruption of a flat screen (which simply drops off at the edge of the display), so your brain is tricked into thinking the on-screen images are bigger since they cover a wider field of view. For immersion addicts, this is the Holy Grail of PC displays.