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Is 100% sRGB enough for a monitor?

By TechCompare · Updated · How we check

100% sRGB is enough for office work, the web and SDR games. It covers 73.7% of DCI-P3 and 74.1% of Adobe RGB in CIE 1931 xy. HDR video, phone photos and print work need a wide gamut screen to show all their colors.

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CIE 1931 xy chart with DCI-P3, Adobe RGB, Rec. 2020 and sRGBThe curved outline holds every color people can see, with wavelengths in nanometers along its edge. Each standard is a triangle of its red, green and blue primaries. A larger triangle holds more saturated colors.
  • sRGB, the solid line
  • DCI-P3 (Display P3): Wide color monitors, phones and HDR movies. Display P3 is the same triangle with a D65 white.
  • Adobe RGB: Photo editing and print. It reaches further into green and cyan than DCI-P3.
  • Rec. 2020 (BT.2020): The range HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision carry. Monitors today cover only part of it.
sRGB against each reference, in CIE 1931 xy
ReferenceCoverageArea
DCI-P373.7%73.7%
Adobe RGB74.1%74.1%
Rec. 202052.9%52.9%

Coverage is the part of the reference inside the triangle, so it stops at 100%. Area is the triangle's size next to the reference, and it can pass 100%. Spec sheets don't always say which one they print.

Open this chart in the Color Gamut Visualizer. Check any standard, enter a monitor's primaries or spec sheet numbers, and switch between CIE 1931 xy and u'v'.
Edit in the full tool

sRGB is the color range most of what you see on a computer is made in: web pages, office apps, SDR games and most photos online. A monitor that covers all of it shows that content the way its makers saw it. The chart fills sRGB and draws the wide ranges around it, and the table shows how much of each one sRGB reaches.

Topic
Is 100% sRGB enough?
Picking a monitor
On the chart
sRGB, DCI-P3, Adobe RGB, Rec. 2020
CIE 1931 xy

How this is calculated

The sRGB number on a spec sheet is usually coverage, the share of sRGB the screen can show. Coverage is only half the story, though. A screen that covers all of sRGB can still show it wrong, with colors pushed too far or a tint in white. Accuracy, often given as an average Delta E in reviews, says how close the colors land. Under 2 is hard to tell from perfect.

A wide gamut helps with content made for it. HDR movies and games are mastered for about DCI-P3. Photos from recent phones are in Display P3. Print work often runs in Adobe RGB. On an sRGB screen those colors get clipped to the nearest ones the screen has.

It can also hurt. A wide gamut monitor shows sRGB content stretched to its own range unless it has a good sRGB mode or the system manages color, so faces and grass look too strong.

Verdict

For office work, coding and SDR gaming, buy a screen that covers about 100% of sRGB with good accuracy. Step up to a wide gamut screen for HDR, phone photo editing or print. Then check it has a usable sRGB mode, since most of your day will still be sRGB content.

More Color Gamut Visualizer scenarios

sRGB vs DCI-P3
DCI-P3 holds all of sRGB and reaches further into red and green. Here's how big the gap is, and when it matters.
View details
DCI-P3 vs Adobe RGB
Two wide ranges of about the same size, pointed different ways. P3 reaches further into red, Adobe RGB into green and cyan.
View details
sRGB vs Adobe RGB
Adobe RGB keeps sRGB's red and blue and moves green far out. Here's what that adds for photos and print.
View details

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Frequently asked questions

Is 99% sRGB as good as 100%?
For nearly everyone, yes. The missing 1% is a thin sliver at the edge of the triangle, and you won't notice it in normal use. Accuracy inside the range counts for far more.
Do I need DCI-P3 for gaming?
For SDR games, no. They're made in sRGB. For HDR games, yes, since they're mastered for about DCI-P3 and a P3 screen shows their deeper reds and greens.
Is 100% sRGB good enough for photo editing?
For photos that end up online, yes, since the web is sRGB. For print or for phone photos shot in Display P3, a wide gamut screen lets you see the colors you're editing.

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