BenQ G2222HDL

BenQ's G2222HDL is a cut down version of its own E2220HD. While the E2220HD delivered a 1920x1080 resolution, DVI and VGA ports, two HDMI ports, four USB ports, two headphones jacks and a line-in jack, this 21.5-inch monitor gives us the resolution, the DVI and VGA ports — and that's it.

This straightforward functionality translates into the design as well; it may not be the sexiest monitor we've laid our eyes on, but we'd consider a flirt or two with this one thanks to its pretty eyes ... er, good quality screen.

It even comes with a sticker assuring us that it's compatible with Windows 7. Well, yes, we'd hope so. We're not sure what the criteria is exactly, especially since the six-year-old CRT in our labs also works fine with the operating system. But we can report it worked perfectly with Redmond's latest ... just like every other monitor.

Specs at a glance

Size	21.5 inches
Resolution	1920x1080
Aspect ratio	16:9
Pixel pitch	0.248
Panel technology	TN
Viewing angles (10:1 contrast)	H: 170° V: 160°
Response time	5ms
Max vertical refresh	76Hz
Connections	DVI, VGA
Accessories	DVI, VGA and power cables

Stand and ergonomics

The G2222HDL has an ovoid stand, and, just like the E2220HD, it only offers tilt for your ergonomic comfort. Also like the E2220HD the base simply isn't heavy enough, causing the whole monitor to lift off the desk when you attempt to tilt it backwards. Cable management is handled through a liftable loop on the back of the neck, which can be removed in order to thread cables through.

Connections

Buttons and on-screen display (OSD)

BenQ's designers clearly have an aversion to front-mounted buttons, eschewing usefulness for a clean look. While there are labels, they're very hard to see in the dark and the button assignments feel unintuitive, resulting in many mistaken button presses and slow configuration.

The OSD is a variant on the one found in the E2220HD, offering what we've come to expect of a monitor of this price and nothing more. Scaling abilities are limited to Full and Aspect, with no 1:1 option.

BenQ has also embraced the way of the preset, bundling Standard, Eco, sRGB, Photo, Game and Movie profiles. As usual we suggest going with the standard/custom profile and calibrating yourself, as these built-in presets are sub-standard as nearly always seems to be the case.

While Dynamic Contrast Ratio is thankfully turned off by default, BenQ has also thrown in something called Senseye, which dynamically adjusts contrast and sharpness. Despite the gushing PR, we'd suggest you leave it at its default state: off, where it can't mess with your images.

Performance

Lagom.nl LCD tests
After calibrating to a target brightness of 140cd/m² with an X-Rite i1Display 2, Eye-One Match 3 and tweaking with HCFR, the G2222HDL was run through the Lagom.nl LCD tests.

Image tests
Contrast	Sharpness	Gamma	Black level	White saturation	Gradient
Pass	Always appeared too sharp	Pass	Pass	Pass	Banding towards dark end of the scale, purple/green discolouration
Inversion pixel walk tests
Test 1	Test 2a	Test 2b	Test 3	Test 4a	Test 4b	Test 5	Test 6a	Test 6b	Test 7a	Test 7b
Pass	Flicker	Pass	Rolling downward motion	Flicker	Rolling upward motion	Rolling downward motion	Pass	Pass	Pass	Flicker

The G2222HDL failed a few more tests than usual; no setting could resolve its sharpness issues, its gradients discoloured down the low end, and it failed six-pixel inversion tests, two higher than the usual.

Input lag
Measured against a Samsung SyncMaster 975p CRT, and using a Canon 40D set to a shutter speed of 1/320, an average of over 60 photographs were taken using Virtual Stopwatch Pro. The average result over DVI came in as 0ms over several shots, meaning no input lag was recorded at all. Bizarrely, a great number of frames came in with the BenQ faster than the Samsung, something that shouldn't be possible. Usually this is an artefact of two numbers merging together to appear like a larger number, but there were many clear shots where the BenQ was around 10-20ms faster. We're unsure what causes this, but one thing is certain — the G2222HDL is fast.

Colour accuracy
ΔE is the measurement of how far a measured colour deviates from its expected value, allowing us to determine the colour accuracy of a monitor. While a ΔE value of 1 is considered perceivable, as long as it's less than 3, the shift shouldn't be too obvious. HCFR was used to determine ΔE for the monitor, and dynamic contrast ratio was turned off.

Measured levels
Contrast ratio	836:1
Black level (cd/m²)	0.30
White level (cd/m²)	250.81
Gamma	2.15

Greyscale ΔE
0%	10%	20%	30%	40%	50%	60%	70%	80%	90%	100%
56.7	13.5	23.7	20.4	19.6	18.6	18.0	16.8	16.5	16.3	15.7

Colour ΔE
Red	Green	Blue	Yellow	Cyan	Magenta
17.3	21.8	7.6	14.4	18.0	11.3

Yep, that's about as awful as a lime-drenched, salted stake through the heart. Let's see if Eye-One Match 3 and HCFR can help the colour accuracy situation.

Measured levels
Contrast ratio	598:1
Black level (cd/m²)	0.23
White level (cd/m², target 140cd/m²)	137.61
Gamma (target 2.2)	2.19

Greyscale ΔE
0%	10%	20%	30%	40%	50%	60%	70%	80%	90%	100%
52.6	12.4	2.6	1.8	1.8	0.3	1.7	0.8	0.6	0.8	0.7

Colour ΔE
Red	Green	Blue	Yellow	Cyan	Magenta
23.4	18.5	3.7	11.2	11.3	18.6

Much better for the greys. Sadly, the colours are still way out of whack, but for a monitor of this price range we're not going to be able to correct that. For most users this won't bother them at all, but pro-colour users will want to stay away.

Viewing angles
Viewing angles were taken with a Canon 40D in spot metering mode, with only shutter time adjusted to obtain a good exposure.

Backlight uniformity
Backlight uniformity was measured by placing HCFR into free measure mode, displaying a completely white image and recording the brightness along a 5x3 grid on the screen. This should be considered a guide only, as backlight uniformity is likely to change from unit to unit.

Light bleed
The G2222HDL exhibited minimal light bleed from the top of the screen, excellent for a monitor of this price.

It's important to note that the effects of light bleed will likely change from monitor to monitor, regardless of make.

Power consumption
We measured power consumption using a Jaycar mains digital power meter. It's important to note here that due to limitations of the meter, measurements are limited to values of 1W and greater, and are reported in 1W increments.

All measurements, screen brightness and contrast were set to 100 per cent, and a test image displayed.

Juice box
Maximum power draw	19W
Power-saving mode	<1W
Off	<1W

Those are some nice numbers — the G2222HDL will suit those who aim to be frugal with their power usage.

Warranty

BenQ supports the G2222HDL with a three-year, on-site pick-up warranty. BenQ's pixel policy covers a 14-day DOA period where the monitor can be returned if any bright or dark subpixels are noticed. After this, the monitor must accrue either three bright subpixels, five dark subpixels or any combination of five dysfunctional subpixels.

Conclusion

BenQ's G2222HDL is an entry-level monitor that "does the job", but has sharpness issues and stumbles in some of our image quality tests. While some will be happy with it, we'd suggest that if you can afford another AU$40 to go for its bigger brother, the E2220HD.