Samsung SyncMaster S22A350H
Samsung’s S22A350H is the most expensive 22” in our roundup at $199. Physically, this monitor is somewhat similar to the previously-reviewed PX2370. However, instead of an opaque black piano finish, the S22A350H has a translucent red-black frame.
This is the only screen in our roundup that doesn't include a DVI port. Instead, Samsung employs HDMI and legacy VGA (an analog connection we'd rather see disappear entirely). If you own a computer without HDMI and you don't want to use VGA, you'll need a DVI-to-HDMI adapter for access to the digital output.
While the S22A350H is the thinnest display of this roundup, the comparison isn't quite fair. Samsung moved its power circuitry into an external brick to create the thinner display. But of course then you have an AC to DC adapter sitting on the floor. We've noticed this trend on a number of particularly thin screens. When it comes to cable management, you're either going to love it or hate it.
Samsung uses different names for some of the simple functions found in its OSD menu.
- MagicBright offers brightness and contrast presets for text, gaming, and movies.
- MagicAngle is much more useful. If you were to bring up a solid square patch of color on your display (say, from a mostly-white Web page), you'd see it darken viewed from different angles. Samsung tries to compensate for this problem by using a form of dynamic contrast that depends on where you are (settings include leanback 1, leanback 2, standing, and side). In practice, the results are significantly better than other TN-based displays, but this is a small monitor. Even with good viewing angles, you're going to be limited by the size of the screen if you want to work three feet away and still see everything clearly.
