Three-Way 22" LED LCD Roundup: Dell, LG, And Samsung
Table of contents
- 1. 22" LED LCD Roundup: Dell, LG, And Samsung
- 2. Dell ST2220L / SR2220L
- 3. LG E2241S / E2241T/ E2241V
- 4. Samsung SyncMaster S22A350H
- 5. Display Profile And Tilt
- 6. Our Benchmarking Approach
- 7. Out-Of-Box Performance: Brightness And Contrast Ratio
- 8. Out-Of-Box Performance: Colour Accuracy And Gamut
- 9. Out-Of-Box Performance: Maximum And Minimum Brightness
- 10. Calibrated Performance: Brightness And Contrast Ratio
- 11. Calibrated Performance: Color Accuracy And Gamut
- 12. Black And White Uniformity, Viewing Angles
- 13. Power Consumption
- 14. Response Time And Final Words
We're back with another monitor roundup. This time, we're focusing on the extreme end of the cheap gaming spectrum: sub-£150 LCD monitors. It might surprise you to learn that, at this price range, your options are extremely limited. You could buy two 20" monitors or a single 22" screen. If you prefer to game at higher resolutions, the choice is simple: buy the one 22" display.
Monitors smaller than 22" typically can't hit resolutions above 1366x768. If you're a gamer, that's to your disadvantage, because higher quality settings shine when you're gaming at higher resolutions. There are some decent deals on 23" LCDs that run under £150, but they are fewer in number. In practice, you're likely to spend at least £100 to get a solid display, and that's why many folks start off by shopping for 22" monitors.
If you want a cheap screen to complement your budget-oriented gaming rig, we're telling you right upfront that it'd probably be better to keep an eye out for affordable 23" TN-based LCDs. The results of this 22" three-model LCD roundup are a bit mixed, but it is quickly becoming apparent that there's a substantial difference when you move from 22" to 23."
| Brand | Dell | LG | Samsung |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model | ST2220L / SR2220L | E2241S / E2241T/ E2241V | S22A350H |
| Type | LED | LED | LED |
| Panel Type | TN | TN | TN |
| Screen Size | 21.5" | 21.5" | 21.5" |
| Max Resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 | 16:9 | 16:9 |
| Response Time | 5 ms | 5 ms | 2 ms |
| Brightness cd/m^2 | 250 | 250 | 250 |
| Contrast Ratio | 1000:1 | 1000:1 | 1000:1 |
| Picture in Picture | No | No | No |
| Antiglare Coating | Yes | No | No |
| Speakers | No | No | No |
| VGA | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| DVI-D | - | - | - |
| DVI-D with HDCP Input | 1 | 1 | - |
| HDMI | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Tilt | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Energy Star Qualified | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Refresh Rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Warranty | 1 year | 1 year | 1 year |
Latest Monitors News
Latest Monitors reviews
- 22/02 – Acer, Dell, LG, And Samsung: Four 23" LCD Monitors,...
- 04/11 – 24" LCD Round-Up: Acer S242HL, Dell U2412M, And Samsung...
- 29/09 – Nvidia 3D Vision Vs. AMD HD3D: 18 Games, Evaluated
- 30/08 – USB Monitors? DisplayLink's Technology, Examined
- 11/08 – Three 27" IPS LCDs: UltraSharp U2711, DS-277W, And...
Is it possible to add a simple "color banding" test to show how well the monitor can display all 256 colors in a gradient, i.e. with or without using some kind of dithering? Many TN monitors use bad (obvious) dithering techniques, while some other seem to have better solutions that produce a result similar to true 8-bit colors. For this test, looking at pure full-screen color gradients would be a good start. It is also important to look at the screen from different angles. When the monitor can not display all pure colors, you'll see some multi-pixel dither patterns or other artifacts. That would be interesting to have a test directly targeting this problem.