LCD NEC
EX201W
Price: £180 including VAT
System Requirements:
20-inch monitor; 16:9, 1600x900; TN
panel technology; tilt/height/swivel adjustment; 250cd/m2
brightness; contrast: 1000:1; 176/170-degree viewing angle; 5ms response time;
16.7 million colours; DisplayPort; DVI-I; Vesa mount; external power supply;
USB 2.0; 475x381-491/215mm; 3.5kg (with stand); 2.2kg (without stand).
Design: 4/5
Features: 4/5
Performance: 3/5
Value: 4/5
Total: 4/5
NEC’s super slim, compact and very
small EX201W has a fully adjustable ergonomic stand and incredibly low power
consumption. EX201W can be adjusted up to 110mm vertically, while a portrait
pivot mode joins, NEC’s tilt and swivel options.
This lightweight screen is also portable.
A quick release allows you to remove the display from its stand, pack up
external power adaptor and bring the panel with you. A 20-inch monitor creates
a good agreement between size and convenience. A mobile stand and carrying case
is optional. Given its smaller screen, NEC only has a 1600x900-pixel resolution
and a 16:9 aspect ratio. Note that it does not include HDMI or VGA inputs, so
you will need an adaptor to use its DVI or Display Port connections. A
top-mounted USB slot is well-installed for webcam.
The monitor is very easy to set up via
touch-sensitive controls at the right corner of its bezel. Each button press
displays a close-by onscreen menu. Where values can be adjusted up or down, you
only need to slide your finger along the touch-sensitive scroll area. NEC
boosts the budget twisted-nematic (TN) panel technology of EX201W with
XtraView, which enables wider-than-usual viewing angles. It lists 176 degrees
horizontally and 170 degrees vertically. NEC’s viewing angles are great for a
TN panel, according to our recent subjective tests. We still saw some changes
in brightness, although fewer than usual. In portrait mode, they became more
appeal.
EX201Q consumes a surprisingly small
amount of power, and boasts many power-saving facilities to reduce electricity
further. It consumes just 10W at 120cd/m2 and 14W at the display’s
maximum 306cd/m2 .An ambient light sensor adjusts the background
light in response to how much light is available, saving power and reducing
eyestrain. When you step away from your desk, the moving sensor will dim the
screen and put it to saving mode. If you appreciate the environment, you can
check the onscreen menu to estimate your carbon emissions saving.
Our tests review better performance
than most TN panels. NEC’s colours are vivid and bright, but not completely
exact. This screen can recreate 96% of the RGBs gamut. The measured black level
is less impressive – a black screen showed a visibly grey colour, with some
blacklight leak visible from the right edge. This leads to less-than-brilliant
contrast performance and a minor lack of consistency across the screen. NEC’s
contrast ratio was at 650:1.
Verdict
The £180 NEC EX201W is a 20-inch TN
panel that is safely designed, economic, portable, flexible and massively
energy saving. Its image quality is more suitable for office tasks, although
not for graphics professionals.
