This was definitely a big consideration on my list having previously owned a Syncmaster that I loved. Went and had a look, and like all samsung electronics these days, its gorgeous. Was fortunate enough to be allowed to browse the internet and a few menial activities on it in store, and text is crisp. There was a slight bit of difference in colour consistency moving across the screen which is a concern but for this price range its to be expected. This might be fixable with a bit of fiddling, but i am not to sure. I turn mount my screen on desktop rotatable mounts so its out of box stand isn’t a consideration. However, it was rather limited in terms of positioning and only really felt secure and sturdy with a very slight tilt.

I have never really been a big Iiyama fan. Not too sure why; however this monitor is worth consideration – you get a lot of monitor for a comparatively very reasonable price. Design iwse the monitor is very bland to look at but that might be a good thing in some ways?… To be honest, this is here as its a 26″ Monitor from a once high-end brand that sits under or around £300.00 GBP – which is great value. They were playing Quantum of Solace in Blu-Ray on it in the shop and it looked, well.. incredible – so maybe it might suit video editing professionals? The buttons on the thing, feel a bit loose and fiddly – once clicked they do bring up a surprisingly fairly extensive panel of controls – which leads me to think with a bit of googling / tweaking this monitor will probably prove a very accurate color display.

The HP, which was for me the winner. Very reasonably priced for what you get. It has an included webcam, speakers and an integrated USB hub – which is brilliant for quick viewing photos from DSLR in a SD reader. The panel is glossy which will concern some but I looks great and after calibration – photos print from Aperture so close to what I was doing on screen – I am seriously considering just investing in a high spec printer and never paying to print my photography and digital art things again. Videos as with the Iiyama, do look amazing aswell. Slightly biased in my review but for the price and the extra features – I really think you will be more than happy with the performance.

For professionals, they will know what to expect with a high-end NEC monitor. Click of a button – brings up one of the most extensive monitor/colour control options panels that I have personally witnessed. According to what I have seen – it comes with an EyeOne calibration kit in the box which is a huge bonus. along with the SpectraView technology that NEC pushes so vehemently. I highly adoubt the store assistants had calibrated the monitor, however it still stood out next to its peers. Although the HP looks more appealing due to the glossy finish – however, the NEC’s picture is vibrant and still very real to life. To say its sharp would be an understatement, and red on one side is red on the other. The stand allows for a lot of tilt and also height adjustment as a plus.