ViewSonic VX2260wm review

ViewSonic's VX2260wm was the first 22in 1080p monitor we saw, way back in issue 172, and since then it's been joined by offerings from most of the major manufacturers, but it's still strong enough to compete. With an HDMI port and a set of 1.5W speakers, it's on the same features level as the Labs-winning BenQ, but it can't quite keep up in other areas.

The control buttons are on the underside and barely labelled, so making adjustments is a bit of a pain. We managed to lower the contrast and switch to 6,500K, which gave us a good neutral tone to the colours, although perhaps a tiny bit cooler than the BenQ. In fact, the panels of the two rivals are extremely similar in tone and colour.

We saw some minor backlight bleed at the bottom edge, but otherwise there was no banding in the gradient ramps, the lightest greys were visible on a white background, and the high resolution made for a very sharp and clear desktop. Fast motion was handled without any major issues, and games and movies looked good, if a little paler and less engrossing than the BenQ. Detail was good in dark areas, less so in lighter parts of the picture, and our photo tests showed the accuracy of the colours was high.

But with an extremely odd bulbous base and a stand that only tilts, not to mention the RTB warranty, it just lacks the overall appeal of the BenQ. Add the fact that it costs £20 more than the Labs Winner, and you have a good, solid 22in TFT that doesn't quite do enough to push its way to the front of the crowd.

Author: David Bayon