Iiyama ProLite E1908WSV review

Iiyama’s E1908WSV is the only monitor here with a silver bezel, but apart from the unique colour the monitor has a rather plain design.

The E1908WSV doesn’t have a DVI port, although the automatic settings are so good you don’t lose any image quality by using the analogue input. What makes this monitor stand out is its high resolution of 1,680×1,050, which is the same as most of the 22in monitors reviewed here.

A set of buttons along the bottom edge of the screen controls Iiyama’s menu system. There are four pages of settings, which are logically laid out, so it’s always easy to find any settings you want to tweak. There’s also a quick menu option, which is accessed by pressing the plus or minus keys. This is ideal for everyday use and lets you choose the preset picture modes.

It’s good that Iiyama gives you a choice of options, because you’ll need to tweak the picture to get the best out of the E1908WSV. In our side-by-side comparison it fared badly with the other 19in monitors, although not by a large margin. We found images looked washed out, and colours were the least natural of the three 19in models here. Changing the Gamma setting to Mode 2 brought out more colour, but at the expense of contrast.

In our gaming test, the E1908WSV looked flat and lifeless in Game mode, but had more contrast and depth in Standard mode.

Windows text and graphics were also washed out and dull. Choosing the Office preset mode simply darkens the screen, and we’d recommend leaving the monitor on Standard mode for most office tasks and changing the colour warmth preset instead.

Apart from the lack of a DVI port, the E1908WSV is a decent monitor with average picture quality. If you want a higher resolution, BenQ’s 22in E2200HD has a resolution of 1,920×1,080. If image quality on a tight budget is more important, Hanton’s H-341WDB is better value.