The sealed, brushed aluminium housing of Apple’s 20in Cinema Display exudes the expensive quality of designer goods.

It has an elegant minimalism, which is evident from the box to the near-invisible touch-sensitive control buttons, of which there are just two, plus the power switch.

In operation you can’t fault the on-screen menu – because there isn’t one. You have control over brightness, and that’s it. As a digital-only (DVI) panel, it has no need for fiddly adjustments and won’t trouble you with choices over colour temperature, image sharpness or menu language.

The image you’re presented with is a fait accompli: you can’t try to match another monitor or choose a specific mode. It sets itself as the standard and this, if you can let yourself relinquish control, is actually quite cathartic.

This monitor is being used by imaging professionals the world over, albeit on Macs, which know exactly how to drive the monitor to its best advantage. The more exacting PC user could still use third-party calibration tools to adjust the image from the computer end of the connection.

By using an S-IPS panel ( see box ), the Apple Cinema Display ensures the best colour reproduction and is suited to colour-critical applications such as photo and video editing.

Our tests showed good results all round, especially in the smoothness of gentle gradations. Viewing angles are wide and, although S-IPS colour shift is present in the darkest greys, it’s far from pronounced.

Overall, it’s joint first for image quality with HP’s very different f2105.

The external power supply connects DVI, USB and Firewire ports to the monitor by a single cable, keeping your desk as tidy as the monitor itself.

It’s a little pricey, but if you value design and image quality more than features it’s the ideal choice.

This is part of a group test looking at widescreen TFTs. For other products in the test, see:
Apple 20in Cinema Display 
Belinea 10 20 35W

Dell Ultrasharp 2005FPW 
HP f2105

LG M203WX 
Philips Brilliance 200W6
TFT Technology
Should you go widescreen?