Brightness and Contrast
To read about our monitor tests in-depth, check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test Monitors and TVs. We cover Brightness and Contrast testing on page two.
Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level
VA panels are our technology of choice for the best gaming monitors, thanks to their excellent contrast. To see how the Monoprice 33822 compares with other monitors on the market, we’re bringing in three VA displays: the AOC AG322QCX, Asus ROG Strix XG32V and MSI Optix MPG27CQ. The group is rounded out by the Dell S2719DGF with a TN panel and Acer RG270, which has an IPS panel.
The Monoprice claims a max 200 nits brightness, but our measurement at maximum brightness (before calibration) settings came in slightly under that. This is enough output for the average office, for example, but you’d want to avoid sunny windows. Reflections don’t harm contrast much, thanks to the effective anti-glare layer.
Black levels with the monitor set to maximum brightness are among the best VA has to offer, and thanks to the dimmer-than-average backlight, the Monoprice wins our contest here. Resulting contrast at maximum brightness is 2,327.7:1, which is more than double that of a typical IPS or TN panel but a little behind the other VA screens here.
After Calibration to 200 nits
For calibration, we recommend User color temp, which boosted brightness by approximately 10 percent, along with the RGB settings shown on the previous page. With this calibration, black levels were about the same as before calibrating, but contrast increased slightly to 2,419:1.
Our review monitor was one of the few monitors we’ve seen to post an ANSI contrast number higher than its static one. Monoprice is not cutting corners on quality here; 2,601.7:1 is among the best we’ve recorded from any monitor. Since that represents intra-image contrast, it’s more relatable to real-world content. Image depth from this panel is excellent.
MORE: Best Gaming Monitors
MORE: How We Test Monitors
MORE: All Monitor Content
