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Monitor Reviews: 20'' and 21'' LCD Displays

You might prefer a 20'' or 21'' LCD monitor for your PC if you haven't got much space or are on a tight budget. Although smaller than some other screens, the monitors we review here offer the same reactivity and display performance as larger 22'' monitors.

Vincent Alzieu
Updated: August 25, 2008

The tests

Design, ergonomics, color rendering measured with a colorimeter, reaction time in games and movies - there are many criteria.

Of course, ideally the product excels in all domains. This is rarely the case, and the buyer will have to make a compromise based on their needs; prioritize colors if we want to edit images or first and foremost reactivity if we are into gaming.

So why opt for a 20 inch rather than a 22 inch model? The first answer and main reason is the price! Logically, this means eliminating any model that costs more than a good 22 inch (use our search filter for this) in order to focus in on a 20 inch for less than 300 Euros. And below this price, they can be very tempting when they are truly inexpensive. One of the most interesting of these appears to be the Iiyama E2003WS whose diagonal size/quality/price ratio is amongst the best.

In addition, there are other advantages of the 20'' when compared to the 22'':

- less bulk: it may seem insignificant but a 20 inch takes up less space while seldom decreasing in resolution,
- the format: all 22 inch screens are in cinema format. There are 20"s in 4/3 which are better adapted for word processing, the Internet, etc.
- viewing angles: all 22"s are equipped with TN technology panels that we can immediately recognize by their lower viewing angle which quickly darkens. The 20" offers more diversity as there are of course TNs but also IPS, MVA and PVA versions. These last technologies do not have a ''dead'' angle,
- rendering in movies: here again this involves a panel's technology. All TN, PVA and IPS type screens are subject to rather marked shimmering in movies. Step back 2 meters or so and luckily this will no longer be a factor. MVA panels, available on some 20 inch models (the Belinea 10 20 35W and 2080 S2, for example) are noticeably less affected by this phenomenon.

After that, the more we are demanding in terms of a monitor's quality, the higher the price - and the more the 20 inch loses its interest to the benefit of good 22"s. This brings us back to the first reason to look towards this category. Do you really need the most reactive screen on the market with accurate colors or can you accept gaming with a screen that is "just fast enough" and on which you can manually adjust colors at your convenience? If you are ready to makes these "sacrifices", you can save a few dollars and even opt for the large resolution of 1680 x 1050 if you choose a wide model, 1600 x 1200 for a classic 4/3 or 1400 x 1050 if you purchase the IISonic IIM20NB.

See Also

> Product Survey: 19'' LCD Monitors

> Product Survey: 22'' LCD Monitors

> Product Survey: 23'' to 28'' LCD Monitors

> Product Survey: 30" LCD Monitors