The low price of the V7 L22WD may lead you to suspect that several corners have been cut.

However while this is certainly an entry-level monitor, it’s been designed rather skilfully to look more expensive than it really is.

At first glance its modern, tidy looks are impressive. It’s only when you examine it more closely that that brushed aluminium stand becomes more obviously the metal-style piece of plastic you knew it had to be all along.

The silver finish continues all around a pleasingly thin bezel, which sits atop a black grille, housing a pair of stereo speakers. The back of the display is also very smart, using a cover to conceal the DVI-D and VGA connections.

Six silver control buttons at the front provide the usual brightness, contrast and menu controls along with the amusingly named Turbo function, which actually provides quick access to preset viewing modes optimised for text, pictures or economy.

Provided in the box is a manual, CD, power and VGA cables. Disappointingly, no DVI cable is included.

In our tests, the L22WD performed reasonably well. Colours weren’t spot on, but were considerably better than many other budget monitors in its class.

We needed to reduce the contrast a little to get the best picture, but the contrast performance of the L22WD was excellent, equalling that of far more expensive monitors.

If you want to pay as little as possible for your monitor, then the L22WD will let you do just that, and give you a healthy helping of style and performance into the bargain.

However, this end of the market is highly competitive and there’s some stiff competition from rivals such as HannsG and Mirai, so shop around for the best deal you can get.

See also:
Packard Bell Maestro 220wdv
LG Fantasy Series
Hanns.G HX191DP