The above chart may explain why your boss is taking longer to get back to you lately: She's got a lot more underlings to watch over.

Driving the news: People managers now oversee about twice as many workers as just five years ago, per a new analysis.

Why it matters: Middle managers — i.e. bosses who have bosses — were already quietly going extinct, and now AI may be hastening the process.

By the numbers: There are now nearly six individual contributors per manager at the 8,500 small businesses analyzed in a report by Gusto, which handles payroll for small and medium-sized employers. That's up from a little over three in 2019.

• "It's happening broadly across the economy," Nich Tremper, a senior economist at Gusto, told Axios.
• For small companies, a lot of this happened through attrition, he says. "Rather than replacing a manager, an existing one will just see an expanded scope." (Pity these folks during performance review season.)

The big picture: Big tech has been shedding middle managers for the past few years, a process that's been dubbed the Great Flattening.

• It's not totally clear that AI is replacing the work managers do. Instead, the headcount reduction seems to be a way to cut costs, particularly as companies spend huge sums on AI.

Zoom in: Reducing management layers is one of Microsoft's stated goals in laying off thousands of workers this year as it ramps up its AI strategy. Most recently the company announced it was shedding 9,000 employees — a mix of individual contributors and managers.

• Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced an effort to reduce managers in a memo last year.
• Google cut the number of vice president and manager roles by 10% last year, according to reporting from Business Insider.
• And Meta has been "flattening" since 2023's "year of efficiency."

State of play: Small businesses in the service sector — including restaurants and other hospitality businesses — were first to this trend, says Tremper.

• These companies needed to find a way to cut labor costs, as wages soared coming out of the pandemic and interest rates spiked, too.

Between the lines: AI may allow for more flattening to come.

• The use of the technology has freed up managers' time, as their direct reports turn to AI for help instead of their manager, per a recent study highlighted in this month's Harvard Business Review.
• Meanwhile, supervisors are also increasingly using AI to automate managing, as Axios' Megan Morrone reported earlier this month, though it's not exactly clear how.

What to watch: "Flattening" can backfire. Gusto found that industries with more managers had higher worker productivity.

• Junior employees especially need the training and mentorship that a close relationship with a manager offers, Tremper says.

The bottom line: "Middle manager is almost a cultural joke in a lot of ways," Tremper says.

• But getting rid of them all might not be so funny.

Whether you're upgrading your home office setup or building a new gaming rig, finding the best monitor for your needs can make a huge difference in both comfort and performance. Today’s computer monitors come in all shapes and sizes — from ultra-wide curved monitors designed for immersive gameplay to sleek, color-accurate panels perfect for creative work. And with more options than ever offering high refresh rates, vibrant OLED panels and features like G-Sync for smooth gameplay, there's truly something for everyone.

But with so many specs to consider — backlight type, resolution, ports and functionality — it can be tough to know where to start. That’s why we’ve put together this buying guide to help you cut through the noise. Whether you're looking for a sharp display for photo editing, a fast panel for competitive gaming or just a solid everyday screen, we’ve rounded up the best monitors you can buy right now.

Table of Contents

• Best monitors for 2025

• Factors to consider before buying a monitor

Best monitors for 2025

Factors to consider before buying a monitor

Panel type

The cheapest monitors are still TN (twisted nematic), which are strictly for gamers or office use. VA (vertical alignment) monitors are also relatively cheap, while offering good brightness and a high contrast ratio. However, content creators will find that LCD, IPS monitors (in-plane switching) deliver better color accuracy, pixel density, picture quality and viewing angles — making them a strong option for general computer monitor use.

If maximum brightness is important, a quantum dot LCD display is the way to go — those are typically found in larger displays. OLED panels are now available and offer the best blacks and color reproduction, but they lack the brightness of LED or quantum dot displays. Plus, they’re expensive. The latest type of OLED monitor, called QD-OLED from Samsung, is now common among gaming monitors. The most notable advantage is that it can get a lot brighter, with recent models hitting up to 1,000 nits+ of peak brightness.

MiniLEDs are now widely used in high-end displays. They’re similar to quantum dot tech, but as the name suggests, it uses smaller LED diodes that are just 0.2mm in diameter. As such, manufacturers can pack in up to three times more LEDs with more local dimming zones, delivering deeper blacks and better contrast. MiniLED displays also tend to offer excellent backlight control, making them a great choice for HDR content and creative work.

Screen size, resolution and display format

Where 24-inch displays used to be more or less standard (and can still be useful for basic computing), 27-, 32-, 34- and even 42-inch displays have become popular for entertainment, content creation and even gaming these days.

Nearly every monitor used to be 16:9, but it’s now possible to find 16:10 and other more exotic display shapes. On the gaming and entertainment side, we’re also seeing curved monitors and ultrawide monitors with aspect ratios like 21:9. If you do decide to buy an ultrawide display, however, keep in mind that a 30-inch 21:9 model is the same height as a 24-inch monitor, so you might end up with a smaller display than you expected.

A 4K monitor is nearly a must for content creators, and some folks are even going for 5K or all the way up to 8K. Keep in mind, though, that you’ll need a pretty powerful computer with a decent graphics card to drive all those sharp pixels. And 4K resolution should be paired with a screen size of 27 inches and up, or you won’t notice much difference between 1440p. At the same time, I wouldn’t get a model larger than 27 inches unless it’s 4K, as you’ll start to see pixelation if you’re working up close to the display.

One new category to consider is portable monitors designed to be carried and used with laptops. Those typically come in 1080p resolutions and sizes from 13-15 inches. They usually have a lightweight kickstand-type support that folds up to keep things compact and maximize portability and functionality.

HDR

HDR adds vibrancy to entertainment and gaming – but be careful before jumping in. Some monitors that claim HDR on their marketing materials don’t even conform to a base standard. To be sure that a display at least meets minimum HDR specs, you’ll want to choose one with a DisplayHDR rating with each tier representing maximum brightness in nits.

However, the lowest DisplayHDR 400 and 500 tiers may disappoint you with a lack of brightness, washed out blacks and mediocre color reproduction. If you can afford it, the best monitor to choose is a model with DisplayHDR 600, 1000 or True Black 400, True Black 500 and True Black 600.

Where televisions typically offer HDR10 and Dolby Vision or HDR10+, most PC monitors only support the HDR10 standard, other than a few (very expensive) models. That doesn’t matter much for content creation or gaming, but HDR streaming on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and other services won’t look quite as punchy. In addition, the best gaming monitors are usually the ones supporting HDR600 (and up), rather than content creation monitors – with a few exceptions.

Refresh rate

High refresh rate is a key feature, particularly on gaming monitors. A bare minimum nowadays is 60Hz, and 80Hz and higher refresh rates are much easier on the eyes. However, most 4K displays top out at 60Hz with some rare exceptions and the HDMI 2.0 spec only supports 4K at 60Hz, so you’d need at least DisplayPort 1.4 (4K at 120Hz) or HDMI 2.1. The latter is now available on a number of monitors, particularly gaming displays. However, it’s only supported by the latest NVIDIA RTX 3000- and 4000-series, AMD RX 6000-series GPUs. Support for G-Sync and AMD FreeSync is also something to look for if you want to eliminate screen tearing and stuttering during fast-paced gameplay — especially when paired with a high refresh rate.

Inputs

There are essentially three types of modern display inputs: Thunderbolt, DisplayPort and HDMI. Most monitors built for PCs come with the latter two, while a select few (typically built for Macs) will use Thunderbolt. To add to the confusion, USB-C ports may be Thunderbolt 3, and by extension, DisplayPort compatible, so you may need a USB-C to Thunderbolt or DisplayPort cable adapter depending on your display.

Color bit depth

Serious content creators should consider a more costly 10-bit monitor that can display billions of colors. If budget is an issue, you can go for an 8-bit panel that can fake billions of colors via dithering (often spec’d as “8-bit + FRC”). For entertainment or business purposes, a regular 8-bit monitor that can display millions of colors will be fine.

Color gamut

The other aspect of color is the gamut. That expresses the range of colors that can be reproduced and not just the number of colors. Most good monitors these days can cover the sRGB and Rec.709 gamuts (designed for photos and video respectively). For more demanding work, though, you’ll want one that can reproduce more demanding modern gamuts like AdobeRGB, DCI-P3 and Rec.2020 gamuts, which encompass a wider range of colors. The latter two are often used for film projection and HDR, respectively.

The latest Amazon Kindle Scribe ereader is on sale for just $260 as part of the Prime Day festivities. This is a record-low price and a discount of $140. The sale applies to the 16GB model, which is enough storage for thousands of books and notes.

The Kindle Scribe is Amazon's answer to devices like the reMarkable E ink tablet. It's both a standard ereader and a tablet for taking notes, as it ships with a pen for scribbling. This makes it handy for writing down thoughts or for mindlessly drawing pizza slices. Users can jot notes over books, but not every title supports this feature.

The Scribe made our list of the best E Ink tablets for a number of reasons. We appreciated the low latency when writing. In most cases, users won't notice any latency at all. The latest software update also brings in new brush types, which now include a fountain pen, a marker and a pencil. This device makes it easy to create multiple notebooks for different purposes. There are even some AI tools for summarization and the like.

Of course, it's also a standard ereader. I have a Scribe and, to be honest, I use it primarily for reading. The giant 10.2-inch screen is just so luxe and offers a superior reading experience to standard-sized Kindles. It's a bit heavier and cumbersome to hold for long periods, but that tradeoff is worth it to me.

The only major downside here is the price. It's tough to recommend a $400 ereader, even with all of the handwriting bells and whistles. However, this sale certainly takes the edge off a bit.

So you need a new laptop — you’ve waited for the right time. Amazon Prime Day 2025, as has been in years past, offers a ton of laptop deals to consider. All kinds of devices are on sale this year, from refreshed MacBooks to high-end gaming machines to already affordable notebooks. But sussing out a good deal from a just-ok deal (or even worse, a bad deal all together), can be a challenge. Laptop prices on Amazon are all over the place even when it’s not Prime Day depending on the configuration of the notebook, the brand, the seller and a bunch of other factors.

This is where Engadget can help. We’ve poured over the Prime Day laptop deals available this year to pick out the best ones you can get across all kinds of computers. As always, if you’re super particular about the display panel you want in your next laptop, or you know you want to get as much RAM as possible, we recommend going straight to manufacturers to customize your next PC. But if you’re willing to work with premade models, Prime Day deals could help you save some cash on your next laptop.

Prime Day laptop deals: MacBooks

Apple’s latest laptops are the MacBook Air M4 and the MacBook Pro M4, but the M3-powered machines are still available and great values when you can get them at steep discounts. But for the most future-proof options, we recommend going with the M4 MacBooks. Amazon actually has decent MacBook deals throughout the year, most of the time on the base configurations of any given model. In a welcomed update, Apple recently made all base models of the MacBook Air M4 have 16GB of RAM by default (which is the same as you’ll find on the base-level Pros).

• MacBook Air (15-inch, M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for $1,049 ($150 off)

• MacBook Air (15-inch, M3, 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for $1,249 (26 percent off)

• MacBook Pro (14-inch, M4, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for $1,429 (11 percent off)

Prime day laptop deals: Windows laptops

You’ve got a lot of variety to choose from when it comes to Windows laptops, and that can be a blessing or a curse. We recommend looking for a laptop from a reputable brand (i.e. Microsoft, Dell, Acer, Lenovo and others like them), and one that can handle daily work or play pressures. That means at least 8GB of RAM and 245GB of SSD storage, plus the latest Intel or AMD CPUs. If you’re looking for a new gaming laptop, you’ll need a bit more power and a dedicated graphics card to boot. Now is a good time to consider upgrading as well since Windows 10 will be sunset in October this year and Microsoft has recommended users upgrade to newer Windows 11 laptops.

• Samsung Galaxy Book5 360 (Windows 11, Copilot+, 15.6-inch, Intel Core Ultra 7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for $1,000 (26 percent off)

• Microsoft Surface laptop (Windows 11, Copilot+, 13.8-inch, Snapdragon X Plus) for $880 (27 percent off)

• Lenovo V15 G2 laptop (Windows 11 Pro, 15.6-inch, Intel Celeron N4500, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) for $429 (28 percent off)

• Microsoft Surface Pro 2-in-1 (Windows 11, Copilot+, 13-inch, Snapdragon X Plus, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for $850 (29 percent off)

Prime Day laptop deals: Chromebooks

Most Chromebooks start off pretty affordable, so that just means you can get them for even less during an event like Prime Day. If you’re a Chrome OS lover, it’s also a decent time to check out sales on premium Chromebooks, which can usually cost $500 or more. In general, we recommend looking for at least 4 to 8GB of RAM and at least 128GB of SDD storage in a Chromebook that you plan on using as your daily driver.

• Google Pixelbook Go (13-inch, Intel Core M3) for $319 (51 percent off)

• HP Chromebook Plus x360 (14-inch, Intel Core i3, 8GB RAM, 128GB UFS) for $329 (45 percent off)

• Acer Chromebook Plus 514 (14-inch, Intel Core i3, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) for $320 (20 percent off)

Amazon Prime Day 2025 is finally here, so now’s the time for members to stock up on discounted home essentials, clothing, shoes, and of course, tech. It’s safe to say that Amazon’s website will be overwhelming for the entirety of the event, so we wouldn’t blame you if you got distracted immediately upon opening it.

If you’ve got gadgets on your wishlist, Engadget has you covered. We’re surfacing the best Prime Day deals on gadgets and gear we can find for the whole of the shopping event. As in years past, Prime Day has brought solid discounts on some of our favorite tech including earbuds, tablets, robot vacuums and home devices. These are the best Prime Day deals you can get right now. We’ll be updating this post regularly throughout the duration of Prime Day, so check back to see the latest discounts.

Prime Day deals under $50

Amazon Echo Spot for $45 (44 percent off): Amazon revived the Spot smart alarm clock last year, which features a half-circle shaped display that shows the time, weather and other information like song titles when you're using the speaker to play music. It has a compact design that will make it easy to fit on a desk or a nightstand, and as with any Alexa smart speaker, you can use it to control IoT devices like smart lights, locks and more.

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max for $35 ($25 off): This stick handles Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, 4K video and HDR10+ and supports Wi-Fi 6E. It has the fastest processor of any Fire TV Stick and Engadget’s Jeff Dunn has gotten a lot of use from the stick as a retro gaming emulator. Of course, Amazon’s user interface is less elegant (and less democratic) than others. And it highly prioritizes Prime Video content.

Samsung SmartTag 2 for $18 (38 percent off): Samsung users looking to keep track of their stuff need look no further than the SmartTag 2. One of our top picks for the best Bluetooth trackers, this accessory easily attaches to keys, bags and other items and uses Samsung's large finding network to show you their last known location.

Jisulife Life7 handheld fan for $25 (15 percent off): Jisulife makes handheld fans we've recommended in past gift guides and this is one of its newer models. It can be held, folded so it sits flat on a table or worn around your neck for a cool breeze wherever you're going. It has an easy-to-read display in its center that will show you the fan speed level or current battery life, and its 5,000 mAh battery can last up to 19.5 hours on a single charge when you're running the fan on its lowest setting.

Leebein Electric Spin Scrubber for $40 (43 percent off): This was my favorite thing I bought last year because it makes the must-detested chore of cleaning my shower less of a pain. It's an electric spin scrubber that comes with multiple cleaning heads so you can use it on your countertops, sinks, tubs and showers and more. It also has an adjustable arm so you can reach tough spots in hard-to-reach places, and it convenient recharges via USB-C.

Blink Outdoor 4 (one camera system) for $45 (55 percent off): These security cameras are some of our favorites, and you can start building a system for your home with this pack that includes one Outdoor 4 camera and one Sync Module 2. These Blink cameras record 1080p video, support two-way talk and deliver speedy and accurate motion alerts to your phone. You don't need a subscription to save footage either; just use a thumb drive with the Sync Module 2 to save clips locally.

Audible Premium Plus (three months) for $3 ($42 off): New subscribers can get three months of Audible for only $3, which represents a $42 discount. The Premium Plus tier gives you one book credit per month to use on any audiobook the service has, and you can stream any of the included titles for free on top of that. Audible also has members-only sales and discounts that you'll be able to take advantage of, too. The deal runs through July 31.

Prime Day Apple deals

Apple AirPods Pro 2 for $160 (36 percent off): The AirPods Pro 2 remain Apple’s best set of wireless earbuds, as they offer the full set of Apple-focused features, strong ANC, onboard volume controls, a comfy in-ear design and a warm sound profile that most should find agreeable. They can even work as a hearing aid now.

AirPods Max (USB-C) for $450 ($100 off): If you’re looking for over-ear headphones with all of the conveniences of in-ear AirPods, the AirPods Max are one of your only options (with the others being Beats devices). The latest models have the same design as the originals, but now charge up via USB-C instead of Lightning.

Apple iPad (A16) for $299 ($50 off): The latest base model iPad comes with a faster A16 chip, 2GB more RAM and 128GB of storage as standard. It earned a score of 84 in our review — if you only need an iPad for roaming the internet, watching shows and doing some lighter productivity tasks, it's a good starter tablet.

Apple Watch Series 10 for $299 ($100 off): We consider Apple’s flagship wearable to be the best smartwatch you can buy, period. It's a mostly iterative update, with faster charging, a slightly slimmer design and a marginally larger display than the prior Series 9. That said, it's still a comprehensive fitness tracker, and no other smartwatch can integrate as neatly with iPhones and other Apple devices.

Apple MacBook Air (13-inch, M4) for $849 (15 percent off): Apple continues to iterate on its most affordable laptop, and the M4 is the best Air yet. We consider this to be the best laptop for most people, thanks to its excellent performance, thing-and-light design, comfortable keyboard and trackpad and excellent battery life.

Prime Day laptop deals

Microsoft Surface Laptop (13.8-inch, Snapdragon X Plus) for $880 (27 percent off): In addition to running on a Snapdragon X Plus processor, this 2024 Surface Laptop has 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. It's a Copilot+ PC that also has a 13.8-inch touchscreen, and it should last up to 20 hours on a single charge.

Google Pixelbook Go (13-inch, Intel Core M3) for $319 (51 percent off): The Pixelbook Go is a bit old at this point, but if you're a Chrome OS lover and want a Google-made laptop, this is a solid option. It includes an Intel Core M3 processor, 8GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and a 12-hour battery life.

Prime Day tech deals

Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones for $298 (25 percent off): While the XM6 headphones are the latest and greatest, they only make small changes to the already stellar XM5. These were our top pick for the best wireless headphones for a long time before the XM6 launched earlier this year, and we still like them for their excellent sound quality, strong ANC, multi-device connectivity and good battery life.

Instant Pot Duo Plus 9-in-1 multicooker for $70 (50 percent off): This six-quart pressure cooker and multicooker is a versatile kitchen tool for anyone who (somehow) didn't buy into the Instant Pot craze a few years back. It can do a lot with its nine cooking modes, including pressure cook, slow cook, steam, rice cook, saute and more, and the six-quart size is great for families and meal-preppers.

iRobot Roomba Vacuum and Mop Combo for $140 (49 percent off): A version of one of our top favorite robot vacuums, this budget-friendly machine comes with a water reservoir that allows it to mop hard floors. It connects via Wi-Fi to the iRobot app as well, which lets you set cleaning schedules and further control the machine.

Kindle Scribe for $260 ($140 off): The Scribe is one of the best E-Ink tablets you can buy at the moment, and certainly the top pick if you want a writable table that also excels as an ereader. It provides a great reading and writing experience, thanks in part to its ability to access the entire Kindle ebook library, and it has handy Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive and Dropbox integration.

Ninja Dual-Zone air fryer (10 quart) for $180 ($50 off): This model is one of our favorite air fryers thanks to its dual-zone cooking system, which allows you to prepare two separate foods at different temperatures and settings. There's even a Match Cook feature that ensures both foods will be done at the same time, regardless of their cooking settings.

Levoit Core 400S air purifier for $183 ($37 off): Our top pick for the best air purifier, Levoit's Core 400S reliably improved air quality in our testing, plus it has easy to use onboard controls and replaceable filters that are not too expensive. We also found it to not be offensively loud, even on its highest setting.

TP-Link Deco XE75 Wi-Fi 6E mesh system for $250 (29 percent off with code DECOXE75): Our top pick for the best mesh Wi-Fi system, this Deco XE75 three-pack is easy to set up and provides excellent performance with no-frills. The Deco mobile app lets you check speeds for each node, and you can see all of the devices on your network at any time.

Ring Doorbell Battery + Indoor Cam 2 for $70 (50 percent off): If you're looking to build out a security system in your home, this bundle is a good place to start, giving you a video doorbell and an indoor security camera. You'll be able to see both live feeds in the Ring app, and they can send you motion alerts and let you speak to people on the other end of the camera when you're not at home.

Amazon Fire TV Cube for $90 ($50 off): Amazon's most powerful streaming device, the Fire TV Cube can play 4K video with Dolby Vision and HDR10+, plus it supports Wi-Fi 6E and has a built-in Ethernet port for those who want a hardwired connection.

Amazon 55-inch Omni mini-LED Fire smart TV for $700 ($120 off): A top-of-the-line model in the Fire TV family, this set has a 4K QLED mini-LED display with 1,400 nits of peak brightness and "intelligence picture" technology that adapts the screen to your room's lighting conditions. It also has a 144Hz refresh rate and support for AMD FreeSync.

What is Prime Day?

Prime Day is Amazon's members-only shopping event, which means you’ll have to be a Prime subscriber on Prime Day to take advantage of most of the savings. Amazon still offers a 30-day free trial to new Prime subscribers, so you can start your free trial closer to July and participate in the event.

When is Prime Day 2025?

Amazon Prime Day 2025 will be back this year on July 8 through July 11.

How often is Prime Day?

Amazon Prime Day typically comes around annually in July. In the last few years, Amazon has also had its "Big Deal Days" in October, which is effectively a second Prime Day and the unofficial kickoff to the holiday shopping season.

How does Prime Day work?

Prime subscribers can go to Amazon's site on Prime Day to see all of the exclusive deals they have access to. Prime subscribers do not have to do anything additional to get Prime Day sales: the discounts you see on product pages will show up in your cart automatically. If you're not a Prime subscriber and you go to Amazon to shop on Prime Day, you'll likely see tons of items on sale but only "with Prime;" those discounts will not be available to those who are not active Prime subscribers.

Is Prime Day only for Prime members?

Technically yes, but even if you do not pay for a Prime membership, you should still check out Amazon on Prime Day. While most Prime Day deals will be exclusively available to subscribers, there are always a handful of sales available to all shoppers. Amazon distinguishes between them very clearly: you'll see "Prime exclusive" on product pages near the deal pricing on the discounts that are only available to paying members.

Separately, it’s very likely that other retailers like Walmart, Target and Best Buy will have their own competing Prime Day sales during that time frame, too. So if you're not keen on shopping at Amazon at all, it's worth checking out other retailers during the week of Prime Day to see if they are matching Prime Day deal prices.

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