Samsung SyncMaster T220 review

Samsung SyncMaster T220 Review

Reviewed by: Matthew Elliott

Reviewed on: 12 June 2008

Is it possible to base a monitor purchase strictly on the display's bezel? If so, Samsung has an LCD to sell you. For around £330, the Samsung SyncMaster T220 features the company's new 'rose black' bezel, which presents a most attractive visage.

Design
The black frame features slightly curved edges along the top and bottom, and a pleasing translucent strip of deep red runs along the bottom edge. The bezel is covered with a smooth, clear plastic coating, which extends past the display's black frame to create a narrow border around all four sides. Its design looks like that of an HDTV destined for the living room than a computer display, which makes it even more surprising to find only the most basic features onboard.

The new rose black bezel adds a clear plastic coating over the black bezel and subtle red highlights, which is most visible along the bottom edge and under the power button, in particular. The result is a striking look and one we prefer to the silver bezel of the Dell SP2208WFP.

Unfortunately, the T220 uses an oval base, which is prone to wobble and even more so in this case since the T220 sits up high. If you bump your desk, the screen is sure to shake. The only physical adjustment the T220 affords is about 30 degrees of backward tilt.

The rose black bezel shows off its touch of colour most noticeably along the bottom edge

Samsung hides all of the menu buttons along the right edge of the display; the only control on the front panel is a touch-sensitive power button (really, it's just an icon). The onscreen display is straightforward and easy to navigate. You can also adjust the brightness, switch between analogue and digital inputs, and select among seven image presets -- Custom, Text, Internet, Game, Sport, Movie and Dynamic Contrast -- without entering the OSD.

Features
Underneath its shiny exterior, the Samsung T220 has a sparse feature set. You get the basic pair of VGA and DVI ports; no HDMI here. Also missing are USB ports and a webcam. If those features are important to you, we'd direct you to the Dell SP2208WFP.

The Samsung SyncMaster T220 presents a look of luxury, but its oval base means it's wobbly

The T220 does include HDCP support for displaying high-definition copyright-protected content. As with any 22-inch display, the native resolution of 1,680x1,050 pixels means you won't be able to display 1080p video without scaling.