Viewsonic VP2250wb review

The Viewsonic may resemble the NEC in appearance, but it betters it in the most important area: image quality. With the neutral but slightly washed-out colours familiar from previous Viewsonic monitors, it offers a good compromise between work and entertainment.

It's a plain-looking monitor, but the flexible stand ensures it'll fit on any size or layout of desk: it lifts through 12cm, swivels 60 degrees either side and pivots to portrait mode for long documents. The bezel isn't too thick at 22mm, and the only design gripe we have is with the control buttons: the menu system is well laid out but the black buttons themselves have barely visible labels, making it a game of annoying guesswork to navigate.

We managed to find the 6,500K colour temperature eventually and were pleased with the bright, sharp picture. Our gradient ramps were free of banding - albeit a little orangey in the red areas - and the contrast tests were passed without notable problem. Crysis certainly lacked the oversaturated punch of the more consumer-end monitors here, but the VP2250wb's easy-on-the-eye desktop went some way to compensate. The 2ms response time also meant fast motion wasn't a problem.

Video inputs are limited to DVI and VGA while there are no integrated speakers, but it's not totally devoid of extras - there are four USB ports for peripherals - and this helps place the Viewsonic very slightly ahead of the similar NEC. But given their high prices, both should only really appeal to those in offices who need a flexible stand. Otherwise there are better deals in the group this month.

Author: David Bayon