We’ve seen plenty of 20- and 21-inch LCDs pass through the doors at PC Authority, but only one 22inch model: little-known Chimei’s 221D. This appeared at a bargain price of just $600 (which quickly fell to $565) and offered reasonable performance. But the casing looked ugly and cheap. Now it’s the big boys’ turn.

Viewsonic’s VX2235 matches, what has become, the 20-to-22-inch form-factor’s standard resolution of 1680 x 1050 but it comes with a great deal more polish: a two-tone black and silver base and a glossy, curving black bezel. Beneath the screen sits a pair of integrated 2.5W speakers, and they’re loud and rich enough for games and movies in a small room, even if they do distort slightly at full volume.

The VX2235wm is a similar price to the 221D and less expensive than a lot of higher-end 20in models. The screen itself is vibrant and colour tonality is generally very good. We tried several colour temperatures before settling with the default 6500K, and the brightness and contrast needed little tweaking to pass our technical tests. Greys were spot on, and at the top end of our colour chart the minute differences were clearly visible.

The brightness is quoted as 280cd/m2, and seems right when compared to slightly higher-rated LCDs in our Labs. However, the VX2235wm falls down slightly when it comes to contrast because of its 700:1 rating: the bottom end was never going to be very strong. We saw few details in shadowy scenes, and they had a tendency to merge together in the darkness.

We also found the general black level to be a little uneven, with black screens displaying a small amount of backlight bleed near the bottom. And while the options in the OSD are numerous enough to get it to an acceptable level, the buttons are set slightly at an angle in a lip on the front bezel, which makes them difficult to press easily.

In terms of design, this is the class act of the two 22-inch LCDs though the stand still only tilts like the Chimei. Both monitors offer similar, average performance and, at a slightly lower price, the Viewsonic is our pick of the two.