ViewSonic VX2250wm LED monitor

A 22in LED display that is claimed to "save on your energy bill," the ViewSonic VX2250 LCD monitor has a relatively low price tag. A Full HD resolution, its LED backlighting and decent image quality are impressive, but the lack of an HDMI input may be a deal breaker.

Like LED TVs, one of the major benefits of LED-backlit monitors is a thin design, and the ViewSonic VX2250wm is no exception. Although not as slim as the super-thin Samsung P2370HD, the ViewSonic VX2250wm is definitely a space saver.

Despite the ViewSonic VX2250wm's low price tag it has a reasonably attractive design with a sleek, glossy black bezel highlighted by an attractive, clear plastic edge that borders the bottom. A bright blue LED lights up when the monitor is on, switching to orange when the VX2250wm is in standby mode. The small, glossy black base matches VX2250wm's aesthetics. Like most budget monitors, the stand is limited — it tilts back and forward but isn't height adjustable and doesn't swivel or rotate.

The ViewSonic VX2250wm's screen has a matte finish, so reflections aren't an issue. Unfortunately, the glossy bezel can be distracting under fluorescent office lighting, and it also attracts plenty of fingerprints. This is most evident when using the on-screen display, activated via four touch-sensitive controls on the bottom right of the bezel. The controls are fairly responsive but sometimes require an extra tap to activate and the lack of any light means they can be problematic to adjust if you aren't in a bright room. On a positive note, adjusting key picture settings such as colour temperature, brightness and contrast is easy thanks to the menu's intuitive layout.

The ViewSonic VX2250wm has a 22in screen with a 1920x1080, Full HD resolution. Its 1000:1 static contrast ratio is on par with most other LED monitors on the market including the BenQ V2420H and the Samsung SyncMaster XL2370, as is the 5ms response time. The budget positioning of the ViewSonic VX2250wm LED monitor means HDMI connectivity is left out; DVI and VGA connectors handle regular PC input and an audio-in port allows use of the built-in speakers, which produce reasonable sound.

The overall performance of the ViewSonic VX2250wm LED monitor is impressive given its price. We were left particularly impressed with its black levels and surprisingly good viewing angles (especially horizontally). There was no evident backlight bleeding and text was crisp and clear. On the downside, most whites tended to look on the grey side, and the monitor has a particularly poor vertical viewing angle, especially when viewing from a slightly below the monitor.

The ViewSonic VX2250wm could be an ideal option for businesses looking to skimp on power bills. The VX2250WM used an average of 15 Watts of power during everyday productivity tasks, and 20W of power when playing a graphically intensive game during our testing.

ViewSonic states that its LED monitors "are totally clean and green as they should be". The monitors are mercury-free and "compliant with international standards like RoHS, TCO 5.0 and Energy Star 5.0".

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