Lenovo L220X 22″ Widescreen LCD Monitor

[PAGETITLE=Introduction] It’s no exaggeration to say monitors have been in a rut with the most recent releases. For most high end consumer monitors, high expectations, lackluster performance and quality control issues have plagued them to the point that some enthusiasts are returning them in droves. Go to any tech message board on the web with a monitor forum, and you’ll inevitably find tons of complaints. There are options out there, but there’s a good chance that you will have to compromise somewhere. If you look at any 24” available today, you’ll find they all have at least one thing in common, the resolution. They all display at a resolution of 1920x1200. However, if you look at just about every 22” monitor, you’ll only find a resolution of 1680x1050. A two inch difference results in a loss of 540,000 pixels. The fact that these panels are almost always TN panels, you’ve got a whole category of monitors that, in a few ways, are heading backwards. That’s not to say they’re going against the tide. Lenovo’s L220X takes these precedents and disposes of them completely. It is the first 22” monitor that has a resolution, using a S-PVA panel. So what’s the benefit of having a smaller monitor at a higher resolution? For a start, the size can make a huge difference where you can put it. I personally have a desk that prevents me from using 24” screens, but any 22” display will fit without a problem. The increased pixel pitch and smaller size allow you to sit closer while gaming and the image will look better as a result. It is silly that no one besides Lenovo has the sense to release a product to cater to the people who demand a product like this. If laptops are being sold with 17” screens that have comparable resolutions, why can’t 22” desktop monitors be more plentiful? Companies like Dell, NEC or ViewSonic, who all have further recognition in the consumer space, should do the same. Even though the resolution makes the monitor intriguing, there are other factors that make or break a display. We’ll put it through our testing procedures to see if the monitor fails to disappoint or not. Will the new panel be a positive sign of things to come, or will Lenovo’s effort fall flat as another disappointment? [PAGEBREAK] [PAGETITLE=Closer Look, Specs, OSD] 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. Model Lenovo L220x Maximum/Native Resolution 1920x1200 Contrast Ratio 1200:1 Pixel Pitch 0.247mm Viewing Angle 178°/178° Response Time 6ms Luminance 325cd/m² Connector Analog, DVI-D Other Connectors USB Hub Horizontal Size Vertical Size 20.1" 14.9 Weight 16.9 lbs 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. [PAGEBREAK] [PAGETITLE=Usage Report] First off, I'll say that the DPI is probably the biggest concern for most people contemplating the monitor for purchase, but I'll denounce the concern right now. I sit roughly two feet away from this display at my desk, and wear glasses because I'm nearsighted. I had absolutely no problem using the monitor for simple tasks such as web browsing and emailing. Obviously things were smaller (especially text), but it posed no issue for me, and I never thought about the issue at all. I am clearly only a small slice of the population, but I have little doubt that others will have measurable success as well. If anything, I have had trouble going back to a regular display after using the L220X for an extended period of time. Computer Use. Using the monitor is nothing but a joy if you're looking for usability while saving desk space. Being able to transition windows side-by-side or have four or five open in the background without getting confused or out of track is a multitasker's dream. I had no problems organizing my windows and navigating using Explorer's shell, and I actually used Expose on OS X as a tool to find what I was looking for for, rather than as a way to uncover previously hidden windows on smaller screens like I was accustomed to. The monitor demonstrated to be very legible, even with smaller text. Similarly, web pages were crisp and easy to read, without the trouble of hunting for links that blended in with regular text on certain sites or dithering issues that appear when scrolling on some poorer displays (the background may flash). You could say the monitor demonstrates the strengths of a CRT, without its weaknesses. It's clarity and color representation is unlike any LCD I've seen, making it idea for photo manipulation or production work, and it doesn't take up a fraction of the space a huge cathode-ray-tube monitor would. Cinematic Use. To test out the the L220X's image quality with movies, I watched the widescreen DVD release of Saving Private Ryan, 720p TV show content, as well as the 1080p trailers of Speed Racer and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Though it was somewhat expected, Saving Private Ryan did not manage to fare well. Unfortunately, scaling up the DVD resolution to the monitor's native resolution will simply not look good without some amount of post processing involved. The screen's size makes matters worse, since it's smaller presentation encourages viewers to sit up closer to the display. So unless you plan on keeping the movie windowed or sitting far away from your desk, I cannot recommend the monitor for DVD playback. The high definition material did much better in every regard. Even though I did notice small imperfections, my complaints are still limited to the source material alone and not the monitor in any way. In this case, artifacts in the H.264-encoded 1080p trailers were obviously apparent, but the content looked amazing nonetheless. I'm sure the monitor would be able to shine with Blu-Ray content, which makes the absence of extra HDMI and component ports even more of a crime. Gaming Use. Team Fortress 2, Track Mania United Forever, and Company of Heroes: United Offensive were used to test the monitor's gaming capabilities. All of the games were tested with an 8800 GT and v-sync enabled. Gaming in general was an absolute joy. Team Fortress was smooth and detailed down to the smallest features, and no ghosting was visible whatsoever. Track Mania was vivid, and the monitor managed to keep up with the chaos happening on screen during every moment. Company of Heroes, despite being relatively tame with visuals on that would push the monitor to its limits, was gorgeous, and had no problems. Since games scale so well (as long as you have the horsepower, of course), they can be viewed comfortably up close while retaining readability. The end result is most likely the most detailed and rich gaming experience I've ever held on a PC. Some gamers would rather play on a smaller or larger display, which they cannot be fairly compared, but it's a safe bet to say the image quality you'll find here is worlds better than any other 22" display on the market. With everything considered, I think the display offered a nice compromise between an awesome gaming experience and size. The amount of detail is on a much larger scale than a comparable 20" or 22" display, and it's more compact and affordable than any 30" you could possibly buy. Serious PC gamers would have a blast with it, but console gamers looking to take advantage of its higher resolution will have to jump through hoops with only two connections available. [PAGEBREAK] [PAGETITLE=Benchmarks] We've chosen DisplayMate for Windows, well known for its industry-standard testing capabilities and...

Lenovo L220X 22″ Widescreen LCD Monitor

Page 172 –