Acer AL2216w 22" widescreen

Conclusions:

The problem with the AL2216w is that it's not really great at anything at particular. It's adequate for general office work and web browsing, but you don't buy a 22" widescreen monitor for office work and web browsing. As soon as you start to venture into those other activities such as playing video or games its deficiencies start to become apparent.

The lack of inputs may be a cause of concern for those looking for something a little future proof. There's no HDCP, which means no digital next-gen content, and nothing for your PS3 or Wii (Xbox 360 can happily be plugged into the VGA port). However, even if that's not something that concerns you, there are better alternatives on the market.

Both the Viewsonic and Iiyama 22" widescreen monitors are arguably the closest competitors that we've looked at and they're £60 and £40 more expensive, respectively. Although that's just short of 20 percent more, the difference in quality is substantial enough to warrant the price premium.

Another one to consider in this kind of viewing range is the Samsung 215TW. At 21", it's slightly smaller, but the colour performance is in a different league. You can pick it up for less than £250 now. Although that's a good price, it means that it's over £100 more expensive than the Acer, putting it in a completely different price bracket. It does, however, come with Component, Composite, S-video, VGA connections and an HDCP compatible DVI port too. That's in addition to adjustable height, tilt, swivel and pivot functionality too - you could say, you get what you pay for.

Final Thoughts...

The concern with the AL2216W is that the design and picture quality clearly hint at a product being designed to hit a price point. The design is uninspiring, connectivity is poor (no HDCP) and picture quality is average. This monitor truly shows that colour vibrancy and contrast ratio are a lot more important for enjoying images than just a low response time.

If you’re in the market for a 22" screen I could only recommend looking at spending more on the Iiyama or Viewsonic. Of course, if you truly value quality and connectivity over size you’ll look at something like the Samsung 215TW, assuming you've got the budget.