22 inch LCD monitors: the 3rd wave! (page 12: Conclusion)

Conclusion

TN 2 ms : Asus PG221 : not a winner

The PG221 started out so well but then…On paper everything looks great, a 22 inch with integrated base speaker, 2 ms panel and a webcam. In addition, to flatter gamers there is the choice of 16/10 and 4/3 modes.

This is all nice but in the end it’s a rather bulky screen not too adapted for LAN parties (too heavy). The integrated speakers quickly show their limits (either way, everyone uses headphones) and any external 2.1 kit does better. And especially there is the price. This monitor is as expensive as a good 24 inch. Needless to say, we weren’t too impressed.

TN 5 ms : Belinea 2230 S1W : not a winner

Here we have somewhat of a mystery product. For whom is this 2230 S1W intended?

It has a 5 ms panel, default colors are average, the design and ergonomics don’t stand out, and its price is similar to a good 2 ms.

Mystery...

TN 2 ms : Iiyama ProLite E2201W : recommended for games

First of all, our main reservation about this screen is its very narrow viewing angles. Sometimes when looking at the center of the monitor you may get the impression that the upper part of the screen is darker. This isn’t a problem with your vision and on the contrary you have a sharp eye.

On the lighter side, we really liked its reactivity for the moderate price as well as the assurance of having a Samsung panel. (No risk of having a poor overdrive contrary to the 226BW series). In addition, after manual adjustment color fidelity was rather good.

TN 2 ms : LG Flatron L226WTQ : not a winner

We were particularly interested in the L226WTQ because it has a TN 2 ms panel from LG-Philips which we’ve never tested. The verdict : it’s equivalent to the Samsung in reactivity, however, preset colors aren’t that great. And especially, we couldn’t adjust them manually, because the dominances weren’t homogenous. You will have to go find a colorimeter to have good color fidelity.

One last bothersome detail noted by readers in France and elsewhere: there seems to be a (familiar) game of musical chairs in the 226WTQ and some users have found CMO panels in their monitors.

TN 5 ms : Nec LCD225WXM : not a winner

In the beginning, we were also very excited about this product because we found a bezel similar to a 20 inch favorite of ours, the 20GX². However, while the latter was equipped with an extremely reactive IPS panel, the LCD225WXM is much more modest being a TN 5 ms. It performs strictly the same as the other products with this characteristic ; a little more afterglow than a 2 ms screen in movies and games and with satisfactory colors.

While they were at it, Nec also took away another detail we appreciated on its 20 inch ; the LCD225WXM doesn’t have a USB hub. In the end we have a rather classic 5 ms monitor, more expensive than average without any additional features.

TN 5 ms : Samsung SyncMaster 225UW : not a winner!

It has satisfactory webcam and only fluidity is a bit disappointing. This is often the case for this component integrated on screens. Sharpness, however, stands the comparison with good Logitech models, for example. But what Samsung really touts on its website and marketing brochure are the large viewing angles, rapid response time and good color fidelity. This is strange.

You may recall, this is a TN 5 ms... or in other words, a screen like the others in its category that darkens as soon as we look from below as well as quickly losing contrast from above. Also, in practice 5 ms monitors are currently the slowest on the market and the 225UW’s colors were shown to be particularly off. Yes, it is an attractive screen but if we compare it to other models with equivalent characteristics, the design and webcam tack on an additional 100 Euros. This is a little too much, in our opinion.

TN 2 ms : Samsung SyncMaster 2232BW : It has our recommendation.

There was a lot to say about this screen as it was necessary to clearly explain things. In the same way, we will clearly sum up the issues so that there is no mix up on this product. The 2232BW is a great screen that is quite reactive, very attractive and with rather rudimentary ergonomics because it isn’t vertically adjustable, there is no USB hub or HDMI. There is however one particularity which it could have done without: some versions have good colors by default while others will oblige you to go through the OSD to decrease a definite blue dominance. Should this totally disqualify this screen? No, not at all. We appreciate that Samsung took into account what happened with the 226BW and the afterglow on the 2232BW is no longer variable. There is no hidden defect other than disappointing colors in certain cases, which for the most part can be remedied manually.

TN 2 ms : Samsung SyncMaster 226CW : not a winner.

This should be another solid link in the chain of LCD evolution. It’s the first of a new generation with a wide gamut inheriting everything its predecessors did so well. So theoretically, it should be equipped with a Samsung 2 ms panel simply enhanced with new backlighting to assure richer and truer colors.

In the end, after two successive tests on different models, the 226CW is a screen with overly saturated colors, which can’t be manually corrected. Our colorimeter even fails at this. In addition, reactivity is similar to that of a 5 ms and it’s as if Samsung forgot to activate the overdrive. Moreover, playing with this parameter in the OSD doesn’t change anything.

TN 5 ms : ViewSonic VX2255wmb : recommended for all uses

Color fidelity is good, it’s mounted on a rotating base, and it can be vertically adjusted and pivoted. Also, there is a decent webcam. In short, this is our personal favorite but of course we would have ultimately preferred a 2 ms panel instead of the 5 ms. In addition, it doesn’t suffer from the defect found on the Iiyama (zones which darken for no apparent reason) and its viewing angles are normal for a TN.

In the end, we become accustomed to the minimal afterglow and we can fully enjoy this screen’s nice design and very practical ergonomics.