BenQ X2200W 22" widescreen LCD monitor

Objective Image Quality

Although the X2200W's image "enhancing" extras are less than stellar, the monitor's performance does betray its underlying panel technology, it's also a cut above the average.

Particularly praiseworthy is the manner in which it hangs together in the triple whammy of white, black and colours scales. Good detail is maintained at the extremities of all three, which bodes well for a detailed, punchy video playback experience. Excess compression is not an issue, in other words.

The merits of PerfectMotion are also apparent, but as we've covered before, you're better off leaving it disabled—especially if you're sensitive to flickering. But, with that said, when PerfectMotion is enabled, the flicker that indicates slow response in the pixel response test image is significantly reduced.

Viewing angles are another strong point, for a TN monitor at least. Most hues suffer from very little colour distortion when viewed at oblique angles. There's also relatively little evidence of the sort of black tone inversion that can be so distracting when watching movies. Elsewhere there are few if any real horrors to be found, although a spot of backlight bleed along the top and bottom of the panel lets the side down a bit.

Conclusions

If ever a monitor was a tale of two halves, the BenQ X2200W is it. The bad half of the equation is that the image enhancement measures area a major flop. In truth, we didn't expect a great deal. Traditionally, these sorts of techniques tend to promise a whole lot more than they deliver. In this case, they merely serve as a reminder that there's no substitute for premium panel technology.

However, consider the X2200W as a more conventional 22-inch TN+Film model and it makes a much better case for itself. It's a competitive panel with a good range of input options. What it isn't however, is terribly well priced. The essentially pointless enhancement technology comes at a cost that pushes this panel into a price range that sees it competing with the more affordable 24-inch TN alternatives, complete with much higher 1,920 x 1,200 resolutions.

With a quality PVA or IPS panel that might just be winnable fight. But as it is, the X2200W is simply too expensive.

• Features
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• 7/10

• Image Quality
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• 8/10

• Value
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• 5/10

• Overall
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• 7/10

What do these scores mean?