Samsung SyncMaster 2232bw review

The 2232bw is no stranger to PC Pro's awards, having sat proudly on the A List for several months now, and it performed as well as you might expect in its first full Labs workout.

The familiar TV-style Pebble design remains eye-catching, and more than a few visitors to the Labs grew wide-eyed as they passed it. You're limited to DVI or VGA inputs, and there are no speakers integrated, but elsewhere it's luxury all the way, with touch-sensitive control buttons, and a menu system that's as well-designed as it is easy to use.

Not that it needed much adjusting out of the box: the stunning backlight was crisp and even, and colours were neutral too. It even has some preset colour modes worth looking at, not the usual once-tried-forever-forgotten settings we see on most monitors.

Our technical tests backed up this impression of quality. The black level test showed minor bleeding at the foot of the screen, but this was tempered by the blinding white level. The 3,000:1 dynamic contrast produced excellent gradient ramps, and made for fantastic videos and games - our clip of Cars was by far the most vibrant of the group, and photos showed strong detail, even in shadowy areas.

The desktop is bright and clear, and avoids the ludicrously oversaturated look of other TFTs. The 1,680 x 1,050 resolution is plenty for two documents side by side. It's also a great showcase for how good Crysis can look, provided you have a graphics card to match.

So why did it miss out on the Labs Winner award this month? Two reasons: first, the odd stand-insertion design makes adjusting it a bit wobbly, and there's no scope to alter the height; second, the lack of USB ports and other touches stands out, making it less of an all-rounder than some. But, at just £190 for such a high quality panel, the Samsung SyncMaster 2232bw remains a great choice, and is the best 22in model this month.

Author: David Bayon