Calibrated Performance: Brightness And Contrast Ratio
Think of calibrating and then comparing monitors like benchmarking processors using consistent settings. It isn't particularly meaningful to compare the performance of one monitor right out of the box to others. If you want to know how a display truly sizes up, you have to normalize variables as methodically as you would for any other component.
Once calibrated, Dell's S2330MX continues to maintain excellent performance, while the other three monitors in our round-up fall short. LG’s IPS236V still has a problem with deep blacks, meaning it can't achieve anything more than a 202:1 contrast ratio. Samsung’s S23A550H and Acer’s S231HL Bid both suffer the same problem, just to a lesser degree.
Interestingly, we have to settle for a 166.8 cd/m2 calibration on the S231HL Bid because we're unable to achieve 200 cd/m2 without sacrificing deep black production. As a result, Acer’s poor contrast ratio is exacerbated by the slightly lower white luminance.