Budget friendly 2k or 4k monitor for 16 inch MacBook pro M1 max

There are lots of 4K monitors out there. The image on a 27" 4K monitor isn't quite as crisp as on a 27" 5K iMac or a 27" 5K Apple Studio Display, but given the way that Apple chose to price the Studio Display ($1600+), a lot of people have chosen to go with 4K monitors instead. 4K is enough to let you use Retina scaling modes, and with modern versions of macOS, a 27" 4K monitor running in Retina "like 2560x1440" mode may have higher-quality text than 27" 2560x1440 monitor running at native resolution.

You can get a 27" 4K monitor with an IPS panel, near-100% coverage of sRGB, modern inputs (DisplayPort, HDMI), and a height-adjustable stand for as little as $300 – $350. Most monitors from vendors other than Apple use VESA mounts, which give you a standard way of using another stand, or putting the monitor on the end of an jointed arm, should you ever want to do so.

Spending more may get you features like

• A USB-C (DisplayPort) input that lets you hook up video, hook up hub ports on the monitor, and charge your MBP using a single cable – essentially turning the display into a mini-docking station.
• Near-100% coverage of wide gamuts (DCI-P3 and/or Adobe RGB)
• Advanced color accuracy features like the ability to store calibration profiles in hardware. (This would be mostly of interest to advanced amateur photographers and professional photographers.)

Some monitors may have the ability to swivel to portrait orientation (where the display is taller than it is wide).

Sush-TheBumbleBee wrote:

I shortlisted the BenQ PD2706U, a 27" 4k monitor. Although it is slightly on the higher side but so far the only one I could find that gets closest to that configuration. Are there any other monitors w/ similar configuration?

From the description of the monitor, I take it that color accuracy features are part of what appeals to you.

BenQ – PD2706U｜27" 4K BenQ Designer Monitor

A possible competitor: Asus – ProArt Display PA279CRV Professional Monitor

There are other monitors that have good coverage of wide gamuts (DCI-P3 and/or Adobe P3), but they might not be focused quite as much on designers as these two.

There is the high-end Eizo ColorEdge CG2700X, but that one is much more expensive. I found one reputable site selling it for nearly $3,400 USD – or about seven times the price of either of the other monitors. This is definitely not a budget monitor (or even a monitor for most people who have a large budget!).

At one point, NEC made high-end monitors that many photographers liked, and that were cheaper than Eizos, but if I remember correctly, they got out of the business.

You could have saved considerable conjecture here if you had defined the price range of your "budget-friendly" description. You are asking each responding person to offer advice on their interpretation of what "budget-friendly" means to them, and not necessarily what it means to you.

You also may want to consider a competent HDMI cable from Belkin such as the one that I use.

Note that some third-party monitors include a Webcam and speakers; others don't.