ViewSonic VX2776-SMHD skinny 27-inch monitor review
ViewSonic VX2776-SMHD monitor
£199Pros
- Looks much more expensive than it is
- Frameless bezel
- Super skinny
- Many OSD options
- Great price point
Cons
- No Vesa mount
- Not height adjustable
I have been living with the new 27-inch monitor from ViewSonic that has just been released today – the VX2776-SMHD. This monitor is so skinny I just had to take a sneaky video to share when I got it home.
The ViewSonic VX2776-SMHD is certainly a looker. It’s also surprisingly affordable.
Having a 27-inch monitor makes things such as editing and even browsing your socials even more enjoyable.
ViewSonic is an extremely well known monitor maker, so this IPS Paneled, 1920×1080 resolution screen should be pretty good. But is it?
VX2776-SMHD monitor design
I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, this monitor gorgeous looking.
The most striking thing is that this monitor has an extremely slim profile. In fact, it is only 6.6mm thin. At its widest point, not including stand, it is still only around 3.5cms.
This, matched with its equally skinny bezels, makes the VX2776 not only wonderful eye candy but also ideal for using in a multi monitor setup.
That said, this monitor lacks VESA mounts which might be a stumbling block for some. But, as its stand is quite compact, I can’t see any reason why you couldn’t still use it in a dual or triple monitor setup.
About that stand. ViewSonic has chosen a triangular stand for the VX2776 and it looks good from every angle in my opinion.
The business end of the monitor is a Full HD Super IPS panel – a class of IPS panel that’s fairly new to the market. They offer great colour quality and viewing angles as well as a good price point.
Around the back you’ll find a selection of ports: DisplayPort, HDMI and VGA. There’s also a pair of 3.5mm jacks, so you can connect speakers or plug in headphones.. Not an amazing variety but enough for most users I should imagine.
On its stand the VX2276-SMHD measures 621 x 462.6 x 209mm (WxHxD). That’s 24.5 x 18.2 x 8.2-inches. The whole thing tips the scales at 3.71Kg.
VX2776-SMHD monitor performance
Specifications and comfort
The new ViewSonic monitor has Full HD resolution with a 4ms GtG average refresh rate. Perhaps not speedy enough for competitive gamers but, saying that, Project Cars is still very playable and first person shooters (Black Ops, Counter Strike, Left 4 Dead, etc) seem fine to me.
Although, when tweaking the settings to get a faster response time, I just succeeded in increasing the ghosting on the panel I have.
On the subject of comfort, the stand is not height adjustable, and nor will it pivot. What you do get is a fair degree of tilt (5 degrees forwards and 17 degrees backwards) so, at least you can get a decent viewing position.
Viewing angles on the VX2776-SMHD are pretty great though with a claimed 178 degrees. This monitor has features such as Flicker-Free and blue light reduction technology that help put less stress on your eyes – although it is always advised to take regular breaks. I know that’s easier said then done, especially when gaming 😉
This monitor also comes with dual integrated stereo speakers. The 2 x 3watts noise slingers aren’t going to impress gamers or audiophiles. Let’s face it though, few integral speakers will.
They are fine for notification pings or to use when nothing else is available though.
On-Screen display
The On-Screen-Display (OSD) buttons live in the bottom right-hand side of the monitor. The buttons themselves are a bit fiddly to find and need a firm press. They aren’t really labelled so you’ll need to click on one of the buttons in order to reveal the quick access menu display.
Once you’ve got the hang of it, the OSD is quite extensive. By pressing on any of the OSD buttons, you’ll be presented with a quick access to the view modes: contrast/brightness, input selection and to enter the monitor’s menu.
Within the OSD, you can change the input, adjust or mute the audio (this includes changing the audio input), changing the view mode, adjusting the colour, contrast, brightness among other display settings. Through the ‘setup menu’ tab, you can customise various settings such as disabling the power indicator.
Through the ‘ViewMode’ tab, you can enable Low Input Lag mode, which helps bring down input lag. There are also options to customise its ‘Black Stabilization’ (used for customising the black levels), ‘Advanced DCR’ for more dynamic colours, ‘Blue Light Filter’ used to reduce eye strain, ‘Response Time’ which helps reduce the monitor’s response time.
These presets enhance gamma curve, colour temperature, contrast, and brightness to deliver an optimised viewing experience for different screen applications.
Colour accuracy
Colour accuracy is very impressive. I found the colours pretty spot on although slightly under-saturated for my tastes. Again, thanks to the OSD, I could poke around and fine-tune the colour temperature and image quality so that the colours ‘popped; a bit more.
The only common drawback with IPS monitors tends to be the ‘IPS glow’ which can hamper the contrast ratio. The VX2776 is not immune to this and the glow around the edges can be spotted during darker scenes. Saying this though, the same can be said for monitors three times more expensive than this from ViewSonic.
Overall though, a very decent showing.
VX2776-SMHD review conclusion
The ViewSonic VX2776-SMHD looks great and has decent colour accuracy. It is also quite well priced for such a stylish 27-inch monitor. There are cheaper alternatives if you’re happy to put up with more pedestrian-styled screens though.
Brightness, contrast and response time could be better but these can be tweaked a little through the OSD.
The ViewSonic VX2776-SMHD shows that you can still get all the high-end things such as great design, good colour accuracy and fair response times for low-midrange money.
If you are looking for a great workhorse to fit in your contemporary office, you really need to check out the ViewSonic VX2776-SMHD.
ViewSonic VX2776-SMHD price and availability
The ViewSonic VX2776-SMHD is available from today for £199. There is also a quad HD version, the VX2778-SMHD QHD for £350.
Check out the ViewSonic website for more details.
