Dell makes appealing screens. Its admirers appreciate the design, aggressive price and good sales practices. We’ve heard several times of nice gestures by this manufacturer in terms of dead pixels and the E228WFP doesn’t stray from this policy. Finishing touches are finer than with other competing 22 inch monitors for less than 400 Euros (the price of the E228WFP varies between 364 and 455 Euros, depending on sales – something common for Dell).

However, for this price don’t expect a miracle this time as Dell like all of its rivals has relied on a TN type panel with a response time of 5 ms. In seven months of tests of this type of panel, we’ve come across three different manufacturers. 22 inch screens can either be based on an AU-Optronics, CMO or Samsung panel. Only one test distinguishes them as are all equivalent in reactivity, movies and viewing angles.

You can play games with the E228WFP if you aren’t too demanding. This screen is the most affected by afterglow all types of technology included (equal to other TN 5 ms screens). However, this is no longer the era of very noticeable white streaking behind objects in movement. Here, this more a loss of sharpness with brisk character movements in games, tracking in films, or movie titles that aren’t too readable. By the way, for movies there is a DVI HDCP compatible input, and so you can read HD (Blu-Ray, HD-DVD) numerically.

For viewing angles, the E228WFP’s are very wide laterally, a two screen configuration is possible without any loss of contrast.  On the other hand, vertical angles are weak mainly from below and it quickly darkens, as is the case with all TN screens. 

True colors, factory pre-calibrated

Finally, we come to THE test that sets panel manufacturers apart ; our color probe allows us to see what standard colors are like. We hook up the screen, let it « heat up » for several hours so that colors stabilize, and then we take measurements of 18 standard basic colors. Overall, in 14 tests of 22 inch screens, the E228WFP is one of the three best factory pre-calibrated with the Acer AL2216W (first version) and Samsung SyncMaster 226BW. This is a good point for the E228WFP. However, we can’t fully recommend it unless you are buying a Dell computer at the same time, or your company has a special contract with this manufacturer. It is a good screen, but the Samsung 226BW surpasses it with finishing touches that are slightly better and much better reactivity.  And on this last point, we go from one extreme to another with this comparison.   There is no panel slower than the Dell E228WFP, and nothing is faster than the Samsung 226BW. There is one advantage for Dell in that it is less expensive.
 

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