ViewSonic VP2250wb review

ViewSonic's 22in VP2250wb has a sensible, workmanlike design. Its dark-grey plastic won't win any awards, but it's packed with a wide range of useful features.

We were most impressed with the VP2250wb's large and stable stand. It's adjustable from 57mm to 175mm above desk height. Having your monitor at eye level brings huge benefits in terms of posture, helping you work more effectively. A pivot system lets you turn the monitor on its side, which can be useful for editing long text documents. On the underside is a four-port USB hub, plus the usual VGA and DVI inputs. There are no speakers, though.

The monitor controls are on the front, rather than tucked away out of sight. This makes them easier to use. However, with only four buttons, navigating the menu is still a pain. Fortunately, our test monitor came with excellent default settings, and we only had to reduce the brightness slightly to make it optimal. Backlighting is even across the whole display.

We suspect this monitor uses an identical 1,680x1,050- resolution panel to Samsung's T220, above. Greyscale and colour tests looked identical after our setting adjustments. The VP2250wb shares the T220's impressive colour accuracy, too, but subtle transitions were troublesome for it. However, its dynamic contrast control is better implemented, with subtler, more refined results.

If you're looking for a monitor with plenty of useful features, then this is a good choice and well worth the money. However, don't be deceived into thinking that its business-like appearance means you are getting a professional-quality display.

Author: Seth Barton