Lenovo L220X 22″ Widescreen LCD Monitor

With all things considered, I’m at odds with the design. I think most home users would find it rather boring (heck, it’s no Dell Crystal). To put it simply, it’s no where near the high point of the monitor. It is relatively thick, and at the monitor’s widest point, it can be considered double the thickness of other displays.

The buttons are represented in a wave pattern, marked with a diagram of their function. From left to right, there is the input switcher, left and right navigation buttons, an enter button to save changes made in the on screen display menu, and the power button. The monitor has a USB hub with two ports on the left-hand side, as well as two more on the bottom. The ports on the left are recessed further back than I would like, so as a result the ports are harder to reach than they should be.

However, Lenovo wasn’t so gracious with the inputs on the display. There is only the substandard affair of one DVI and VGA port. In an industry with changing trends that continue to hold as much weight as they do, I’m sad to see a monitor this ahead of the times being slowed down by not including at least a component, HDMI or DisplayPort input. Not that it will matter to most users, but I have a feeling a bit of future-proofing for a few more dollars would have been appreciated.

Given the L220X’s price point, some may favor a more traditional 24" panel as the better alternative. Looking at its specifications, there are obviously other products that will offer more in terms of features, which is a large con within it self. Therefore, the monitor’s strength will have to be its image quality.

Specifications

There are a few points of interest that the monitor exhibits. Because the monitor is not using a TN panel, the numbers for the contrast ratio are not exaggerated. Consequently, since it’s using such a high resolution in a smaller space, the pixel pitch is much lower than normal (compared to our last 22" review, the VW222 which has a pitch of 0.282mm). Finally, the monitor seems to be slightly brighter than similar 22" displays, which may be a small benefit to some users.

The menu is simple to navigate and understand. The monitor has (from left to right) an exit / input switch button, left / auto adjust button, right / brightness button, an enter button, and a power button. At first glance, I assumed the high / low position of the "wave" had a different effect on the menu, but the actual contacts for the buttons are located in the middle.

In the next section, we’ll be taking a look at how well the display functioned during everyday usage, including gaming and viewing cinematic content.