Viewsonic VX2235wm 22-inch Widescreen LCD Monitor Review

LCD computer monitors have been dropping sharply in price and the ViewSonic VX2235wm is a shining example. I bought the VX2235wm at Costco, and it was $300 after a $50 coupon.

Bottom line: The ViewSonic VX2235wm is definitely worth the money.

What It Is

The ViewSonic VX2235wm is a widescreen computer LCD monitor with a 22-inch diagonal screen. The screen assembly is a svelte 2.25 inches deep. On its stand, the VX2235wm measures 19 inches tall.  The unit, with the mount, weighs bit more than 13 pounds.

Directly underneath the screen are two small built-in speakers. In the center under the screen are five buttons to control the display. The five buttons are annoyingly hard to press and I have to carefully aim at them with a well-placed fingernail to successfully use them. ViewSonic needs to re-think this awkward control button arrangement.

The connectors on the back panel are very simple: one VGA port, one DVI port, a mini stereo audio connector and a standard three-pin power connector. You can switch between the VGA and DVI connectors from the front panel, and the monitor will automatically determine which connector is active and display the correct signal accordingly. The native resolution of the VX2235wm is 1650 x 1050 pixels.

Finally, the mount reflects the overall simplicity of the monitor. It does not permit the monitor to move up, down or rotate. It only allows a modest amount of tilting up and down, and not much at that.

Using It

I fired up the monitor, got it working with a VGA signal, set my computer to 1680 x 1050 resolution and the screen size was perfect. I did not need to adjust the image to fill the screen. The image is bright enough to use by a big window without any strain, although it would be washed out in direct sunlight. With a VGA input, sharpness was good but not excellent. Color saturation looked perfect and the monitor looked pleasing from the sweet spot dead in front of it. However, the color rendition was a little off -- the image looked slightly green to me.

The ViewSonic VX2235wm has a full set of adjustments that can be performed using an on-screen display. This includes color temperature, sizing, brightness and contrast, sharpness and even individual adjustments for red, green and blue. However, I have a color calibration system from Pantone that I use to setup my monitors. After following the automatic calibration sequence and using the system's screen sensor, the slight greenish cast is gone.

I mentioned that the sharpness with a VGA signal was good but not fabulous. The DVI input is another story -- its image quality is gorgeous. Using the DVI input, images are tack-sharp and they practically leap from the screen.

The VX2235wm has a fairly well-defined sweet spot in the middle of the screen. It falls off slowly at first as I move from side to side, then falls off sharply at about 45 degrees from the centerline. ViewSonic rates it out to 160 degrees and it's true that you can see an image there but I consider it unwatchable. Vertically, the story is even less satisfying. The VX2235wm is very sensitive to where your eyes are vertically with respect to the screen. As you move your eyes up, the screen washes out with brightness. As you move your eyes down, the screen gets darker. 

As for the audio from the VX2235wm, it works but it's tinny. Controlling the audio volume takes several keypresses with the monitor's hard-to-access buttons, so it is not at all convenient.

Summary

For $300, the ViewSonic VX2235wm makes very good pictures. I have seen better from an LCD monitor but not for anything near this price. I recommend the ViewSonic VX2235wm but not without some reservations. I wish that the off-axis viewing was better. And I wish that it did not have the slight greenish cast when first turned on. And I wish the mount was a little better about tilting. However, it's a nice buy for $300 and I would definitely buy it again.