So far it’s been almost impossible for photography and design hobbyists on a tight budget, but with a need for high color accuracy, to find a cheap monitor with a professional-grade IPS panel. The good news is that LG recently introduced the W2220P, a 22-inch model equipped with a quality panel. Compared to some of the competition, the W2220 is of course quite small and has rather low resolution – 1680×1050 – but it is nevertheless a great monitor.
Design and Features
The LG W2220P has a simple design, but still stylish. Fancy and colorful design is not really a good alternative anyway for those working with colors. It can easily be adjusted vertically as well as tilted back and forward to find the proper working angle.
Speaking of working angles – this is not much of an issue thanks to the LG IPS panel. There are no distorted colors when viewing the screen from the sides. As mentioned previously, the resolution is 1680×1050, which was the standard resolution a few years ago. Nowadays most new monitors come with 1920×1080 screens, but some compromises apparently had to be made to reach this price level. Otherwise the monitor follows the normal standards with a brightness that reaches 300 candelas/m2, a 6ms response time that is more than acceptable for an IPS panel and a 1000:1 genuine contrast ratio.
The colors output from the W2220P is neutral and the panel is very good at separating even the smallest nuances in both dark and very bright parts of the image. The reds are perhaps slightly warmer than average, whereas green shades are exceptionally well separated. On the downside, some image characteristics are displayed somewhat unevenly across the surface.
LG W2220P Specifications
- Size: 22 inches
- Resolution: 1680 x 1050 pixels
- Brightness: 300 candela/m2
- Contrast: 1000:1
- Viewing Angles (H / V): 178/178 degrees
- Response time: 6 milliseconds
- Connectors: Analog D-sub (VGA), DVI-D, HDMI, audio
