View from the Labs
Much as I love testing screens, sometimes it’s hard to say goodbye
I’m in a privileged position. For some reason tucked deep into my psyche, I love testing new monitors. In this Labs, I’ve tested 15 very different blighters, and apart from unpacking and packing them (let’s not talk about my back), it’s been a pleasure. That’s partly because they’re all so good. I don’t think you would be disappointed if you plucked one at random. Sure, some have better image quality than others, but use them in isolation and they all look great. The downside of this, from a manufacturer’s point of view, is they have fewer weapons to make their screens stand out. I used to see differentiation via the ports. Primarily through USB-C: cheaper monitors never used to include this handy connector, but now it’s almost ubiquitous. Almost, but not quite, with three holdouts here. And that makes sense, because not everyone will actually use USB-C, so why pay extra for it? I can only assume that RJ45 ports, and the associated electronics, have massively reduced in cost. Over half the tested monitors include one this month, and that’s a huge change. Three of the monitors include a webcam, too, but I suggest you don’t get too excited. A standalone £50 webcam will do a far better job. The same is true of the bundled speakers, too, I’m sorry to say. I’ve also noticed another rule-ofthumb disappear. I used to be able to tell whether a panel used VA or IPS tech with a single and dare I say skilful glance – the whites were a particular giveaway. But, just as contrast ratio used to be a great proxy for image quality, you can no longer make quality judgements through such basic measures. In fact, there’s only one rule of thumb that still holds. The more you pay, the better the monitor you buy. Nowhere is this more true than the pair of Eizo screens I tested this month, which blew my little socks off for very different reasons (as discussed in their reviews). That’s bad news for me. I only had the FlexScan EV3240X for three weeks of testing, and may have shed a tear as it was driven away. Maybe I’m not in such a privileged position after all.