The upshot of our tests in this second of two articles on wide-format LCDs is that two monitors stand out from the rest in sizes other than 20"es, and both of them are 23" models.

Keep in mind that the loss of resolution when you step down from 20 to 19"es is significant, but that 21"es isn't really much of an improvement over 20"es. Indeed, 19" LCDs 'only' offer 1280x1024 compared to the 1680x1050 of a 20" LCD panel. On the other hand, 21" LCDs do not really offer a larger viewable area and their resolution is tied to 1680x1050. Consequently, there is little point in buying a 21" monitor unless it has a better technology to offer or a lower price, which is not the case yet. On the other hand, the 1920 x 1200 resolution of 23" models is worth considering. Even if the price of the Sony SDM-P234 is still prohibitive, it's still the best 23" monitor we've seen to date. For pros only, the 23" Philips 230WP7NS offers a superior design, build and image quality.

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