Samsung SyncMaster T220 review

This 22in Samsung is the third dearest monitor here, but one look at those glorious curves is enough to put that to the back of your mind. It bears the same rose-red infusion as Samsung’s latest laptops, giving the T220 a level of desirability more on a par with high-end TVs than dull black computer displays.

The usual choice of side control buttons makes for awkward adjustments, but we barely had to use them while setting up. Out of the box, we tweaked the colours slightly to reduce the warmth – saturation is the order of the day.

Our technical tests told the story: superb contrast and strong brightness, along with perfect gradients, an evenly distributed backlight and beautifully reproduced colours. The only minor blip was a small framing of backlight bleed at the edges, but lowering the brightness a little can lessen this considerably.

The real-world tests highlighted the Samsung’s main draw – its warmth of colour that brings bright films and games alive in a way the more clinical LG couldn’t manage. Sharpness was as good as you’d expect, and the 5ms response time handled motion with ease.

Admittedly, you could argue that style-over-substance is the order of the day: the T220 lacks extras such as HDMI, speakers and flexible stands; omissions that we’ve criticised other monitors for here. But that styling is so superior that it goes some way to compensate, and the addition of a three-year on-site warranty, paired with Samsung’s win in our 2008 Reliability & Service Awards, makes that price just about palatable.

It won’t be for everyone – it is, after all, more than £45 dearer than the Labs-winning BenQ – but if you have £200 to spend and want the most gorgeous monitor in terms of both image quality and design, the T220 is as strong a purchase as you’ll find.