BenQ GW2265 Review
It’s so important to have a good monitor these days. We, as a society, no longer spend hours in front of a computer screen – it’s days now. Headaches are all too common from long exposure to those glowing screens, so finding one that suits your setup and makes those long hours better is a must. Thankfully, the BenQ GW2265 did that for me.
Form factor is important, and the BenQ is fairly workmanlike and functional to look at, but the slimline features mean that it takes up little space, despite the decent 22″ screen. It’s not hugely adjustable, either, but that is a minor complaint in the grand scheme of things. In basic terms: it tilts up a bit, and down a bit – so you won’t be turning it on its side for shmups.
That said, it feels very well built. It’s black plastic, so will attract smudges and fingerprints, and the base bezel will end up a dusty mess if you don’t keep a clean office, but it’s a sturdy monitor and doesn’t feel like it’s going to break any time soon. Easily assembled out of the box, it’s a case of the base clicking into the adjustable tilt unit, then into the monitor. Three clicks and you’re up and running.
Three visual inputs are on offer (HDMI, VGA, and DVI), with audio in and out also present, and the power cable is not attached to the device. If there’s a complaint to be made aesthetically, it’s that the buttons are a little hidden away. While I personally prefer buttons you can press over touch-based ones, here they are all the same size and if you have limited space, this means you might find it awkward to get to them in certain setups. A niche problem, for sure, but one that the likes of LG get around by having buttons on the actual side of the monitor.
Image wise, the BenQ is sublime. A stunning native 1080p image presented my desktop to me in such a glorious fashion that it felt like I’d just upgraded my entire PC. Though I run my PC connected via HDMI, VGA was tested too, and that looks great as well. There are plenty of preset custom colour settings that allow you to change how visuals are handled, and if you’re running a game through it, you can switch to “game” setting. I rarely bother with this kind of thing, but options are nice to have.
As you’d expect, the speakers are satisfactory, but not exceptional. If you’re serious about gaming on a PC, you’ve probably got a decent headset or speaker setup, but if caught short, the BenQ will do at a push, mostly because even at high volumes it just doesn’t seem very loud.
VERDICT: I must have been desperately in need of a new monitor, because the BenQ blew me away with how gorgeous it makes everything look. From simple text-based tasks like writing this very review, to playing games on my struggling PC, everything just looks better. Despite a few tiny exterior cosmetic design choices, this is just a brilliant purchase, especially for under £100.
Technical specifications can be found here.
Review sample provided by BenQ.
