Until now, those looking for high-resolution desktop LCDs have faced rigid restrictions. A 1680 x 1050 resolution required a 20 or 22in monitor, with any size below giving you 1440 x 900 at best. Given that laptops have long offered 1680 x 1050 in panels as small as 15.4in, we’ve always suspected that desktop monitors would catch up once large-format monitors had become popular enough for manufacturers to risk undermining them.

So here we have the first of what is sure to be many 19in monitors with 1680 x 1050 panels – the ViewSonic VX1940w. As the website is eager to point out, this means 36% more desktop real estate than a regular 19in widescreen LCD, and it’s immediately noticeable. You’ll fit more of your documents and web pages onscreen thanks to those extra pixels, and the whole desktop looks much sharper in comparison.

We hooked it up via the HDCP-compliant DVI port (a VGA port is the only other feature you’ll find on the sparse rear) and we’re pleased to say it required practically no setup to get a good picture. The OSD is clear and full of options, but the default brightness and contrast gave us excellent results in our DisplayMate (www.displaymate.com) tests. Subtle tones of white were clearly distinguishable, and blacks – while not the best we’ve seen – were deep enough for us to have few complaints.

At 6500K we noticed a very slight reddish glint to the greyscale tests, which we couldn’t get rid of, but other than that, the VX1940w performed flawlessly – gradient ramps showed no banding and the 300cd/m2 brightness means pure white screens are dazzling and even. Our sample had a small amount of light bleeding through at the bottom edge, but it was only noticeable in extremely dark scenes. The 2ms response time made short work of our test videos, too, so fast motion needn’t be a concern.

There are no speakers or extras of any kind but, at $278 the ViewSonic VX1940w is cheaper than almost every other 19in LCD – even standard 1440 x 900 19in models. The extra resolution certainly makes it tempting, but as with all new monitor trends you may want to wait until a few more hit the market before investing.