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Iiyama ProLite E2208HDS review

David Bayon Read more October 7, 2009

£150

Price when reviewed

Iiyama’s E2208HDS is the cheapest of this month’s 1080p monitors at just £130, so as you’d expect it has none of the gloss of the same manufacturer’s larger 24in model. But that’s not to say it totally lacks features.

A choice of DVI and D-SUB is the minimum requirement for an entertainment monitor, and the Iiyama adds a reasonable set of 1W speakers; they lack bass, but the volume isn’t at all bad for a cheap integrated set. Plus, the three-year on-site warranty should give you confidence if you take the plunge.

But at this price the PLE2208HDS is more about the picture than the bells and whistles, and it does a pretty good job in this respect. Using the sensibly positioned buttons and simple OSD we chose User colour, tweaked it a little and lowered the contrast to reduce the washed-out nature of the image. The colour tone was good, perhaps a bit yellow, but that puts it among the warmer TFTs of the group such as the excellent BenQ.

A thin line of backlight bleed could be seen at the bottom edge, while gradient ramps had too little black, suggesting a dynamic range on the high side. But motion posed no problems, the desktop was sharp and clear, and colours were generally accurate.

Whether a 1080p monitor appeals to you will depend on its primary use – if you don’t plan to watch movies the aspect ratio may put you off – but the Iiyama’s biggest problem is the BenQ. That costs £7 less yet offers superior picture quality, better looks and an HDMI connector to make it a true entertainment companion.