Expert's Rating
Pros
- Can automatically adjust brightness based on room lighting
- Made using recycled materials
- Nice color
- Cables are PVC free
- Several energy modes
- Easy-to-read text
Cons
- Some dull images
- No pivot adjustment
Our Verdict
Dell has tapped into the current focus on the economy and the environment by producing the G2210, a 22-inch backlit LED display designed for both the wallet- and green-conscious. Dell claims the display is manufactured using recycled materials, and that its cabling is free of PVC and other harmful chemicals.
But the G2210 doesn’t stop there when it comes to green features: It offers several energy modes, accessed through the display’s on-screen controls. You get three choices (standard, energy smart, and energy smart plus) from which to select the level of brightness and energy consumption you want. When switched on, a built-in ambient light sensor detects the level of brightness in the room and adjusts the screen accordingly. After dimming the lights in the room, we noticed that the sensor did adjust the screen accordingly. When we turned the lights back on, the screen scaled back its brightness.
Jury tests
| Text | Very Good |
|---|---|
| Color Fidelity | Good |
| Uniformity | Very Good |
| Motion | Very Good |
Scale = Superior, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor
How we tested: We connected the display to a 2GHz Mac mini with 1GB of RAM running Mac OS X 10.5.6 to make sure that it properly recognized by the Mac OS and then used a series of screens to look for light leakage as well as dead and stuck pixels. We then connect the display to an WindowsXP PC with an EVGA 7950GX2 1GB PCIX Quad SLI graphics adapter. We note the performance of the display with its default, out-of-the-box settings and then calibrated it to 6,500 Kelvin with a gamma of 2.2, using a Gretag Macbeth Eye-One Display 2 colorimeter. A group of jurors rated each display as Superior, Very Good, Good, Fair, or Poor while evaluating a number of on-screen images for color, text, motion and screen uniformity compared with a sampling of similar displays.—Testing by Jeff Kuta, Kalpana Ettenson, and James Galbraith.
In our image quality tests, which were conducted at the standard energy setting, the G2210 showed easy-to-read text and nice color, though on some screens we saw some dullness in photos. The display adjusts vertically, but it does not pivot. The G2210 includes VGA and DVI connectors, but omits HDMI and DisplayPort. The screen has anti-reflective coating, so it is easy to view with ambient light sources and does not produce a glare.
Specifications
| Size | 22-inch |
|---|---|
| Native Resolution | 1680 x 1050 |
| Connections | VGA, DVI |
| Viewing Angle | 170 |
| Brightness | 250 cd/m2 |
| Response Time | 5ms (typical) |
| Contrast Ratio | 1000:1 |
| Dimensions (height x depth x width in inches) | 16 x 6.2 x 20.2 |
| Special Features | 3 energy modes; auto brightness adjust |
| Warranty | 3 year |
Macworld’s buying advice
Given its appealing price and its low energy consumption settings, the G2210 just might be the ideal choice for users seeking a solid display that can help curb overall costs.
[Kalpana Ettenson is a senior editor for PC World.]