News
Buyer's Guide: The Best Monitors 
Monitors
Vincent Alzieu
Updated: November 12, 2009
Updated: November 12, 2009
Product Surveys, Tests and Guides
If you can't find the right monitor for you here, go ahead and check our full range of tests, which are divided up into different sizes: 20" and 21" monitors, 22'' monitors and 23'' to 28'' monitors..
2009 has seen some big changes in computer monitors. A lot of technical developments, like LED backlighting, HD tuners and 3D have finally arrived. There are now three broad price points. For around £100, there are 18'' to 22'' screens, mostly using analogue inputs, which are perfectly reasonable for office use. At around £200, the monitors are larger, reaching 23'' to 25'', suited to a wider range of uses and with a more impressive series of video inputs. You can now attach your ADSL router to watch IP TV or a games console, say. And beyond £200, there are expert-level screens, where you can expect very accurate colours, more flexible hardware and even a built-in HD TV Tuner.
And the HD TV tuner is one of the biggest new features of 2009. Products like this are cropping up everywhere, and with a remote control, the ability to receive Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixel TV signals, they're just like small TVs. They're great as a second TV, especially when space is limited, but they're often missing an important feature. With no image correction chip, they struggle to correctly display DVDs on a Full HD screen. There is one exception, though: Samsung's combined TV-monitors are a step ahead of the rest.
While we're on the topic of Full HD, it's important to mention that it's now standard across monitors of all sizes. Whether you're paying £100 or £1000, from 21'' right up to 28'', you'll get a screen that's 1920 pixels wide. If your eyesight is poor and you want larger text or bigger icons, then you'll need to configure that using your operating system. At the same time, the universality of HDMI cables has sped up their adoption: you can use them to connect anything from a games console to a camcorder to your monitor.
Technical Advances
Overall, contrast on computer monitors has improved. You don't need to be an expert--you can tell just by looking. When we measure contrast in the lab, we've found averages of 800:1, rising to over 1000:1. In practice, this means deeper blacks, which are especially desirable when watching a film.
We've seen a more diverse selection of display technology. Last year, only TN type screens, which have very poor vertical viewing angles, were available. Now though, there are alternatives. Affordable PVA and IPS screens have arrived. The have much wider viewing angles and display colours more evenly. Rather than costing two or three times more than TN-based monitors of the same size, the difference is now not more than around 30%. The true cost of the alternative technology is also hidden because manufacturers systematically add more expensive features, like height-adjustable stands and extra video inputs to PVA and IPS monitors.
Just like TVs, monitors are progressively moving a system of LED backlighting, with the key benefit being thinner screens that use around 30% less electricity.
Finally, the first 3D/120 Hz monitors were also unveiled this year. There are currently two, one from Samsung, and another from ViewSonic. They're mostly aimed at the most demanding of gamers--either those who are keen to play in 3D, where the results are similar to what you'd find at the cinema--or those who want the fastest possible screen for online gaming.
What will happen in 2010? We're looking forward to touchscreen monitors that will make the most of the new features in Windows 7. The models we've seen so far are a lot more expensive than comparable models without touchscreen technology, so we're hoping that they'll get cheaper next year.
| Our Icons |  |
Best value |  |
We love it |  |
Green |  |
Best of the best |
Our Favourite
Very good overall, with no viewing angle problems and a height-adjustable stand
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Samsung F2380M
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This really is the monitor we'd like somebody to buy us for Christmas. It sits on a height-adjustable stand, can spin round into portrait mode, has very wide viewing angles and a lot of inputs and outputs. It offers record-breaing contrast, and it's responsive enough for the majority of tasks, without quite beating the best 2 ms TN monitor. It's affordable, and a great all-rounder that represents a great choice for the home or office.
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| At a great price, this Asus monitor is still a Full HD screen with HDMI, DVI and VGA inputs. It's perfectly good enough for office use. |
HannsG has produced a 25'' screen, which is fast, top quality and with two HDMI inputs. There's nothing better for under £200! |
Combined monitor/TVs are in fashion at the moment, but only Samsung's have HD TV tuners and image correction circuitry that can compete with 'real' TVs. |
| Gamers: ViewSonic VX2268wm |
A pro monitor at any price: LaCie 324 |
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| Backlit with LEDs, this monitor only consumes 22 W while working--that's 30% to 50% less than its rivals. Even better, it's fast with good contrast and colours. |
So what's 3D like on this monitor, when you use it with Nvidia glasses? Incredible! And 120 Hz? Much more fluid! |
This is quite simply the best monitor overall, with energy consumption its only weakness. Films look great, and it has wide viewing angles, great colours and an excellent response time. It's absolutely faultless. |
Monitors at a glance:
| Hardware | Gaming | Films | Photos | Enerrgy Use |
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| Asus VH222H |  |
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| HannsG HH251HP |  |
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| Samsung SyncMaster F2380M |  |
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| Samsung P2370HD | |
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| Samsung XL2370 | |
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| ViewSonic VX2268wm | |
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| LaCie 324 | |
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| Our Icons | |
Best value | |
We love it | |
Green | |
Best of the best |  |
Watch out |
