Viewsonic VX2770sml-LED review

The Viewsonic VX2770sml-LED is a super slim 27in IPS monitor with a Full HD display. Its minimalist design and frameless bezel certainly catch the eye. Sadly, the VX2770sml-LED is not height-adjustable, but you can tilt it backwards and forwards by a decent amount. The VX2770sml-LED’s viewing angles are superb, so you can see the screen from almost any angle without any deterioration in image quality.

One of the VX2770sml’s main features is its MHL support. This lets you connect an MHL-compatible phone or tablet to the monitor via the first of its two HDMI inputs so you can view your mobile device’s content on a big screen.

We tested the VX2770sml-LED’s MHL performance with an HTC One X+ smartphone. Initially, we were a little concerned about the orientation of the mobile content, as the it defaulted to portrait orientation. This isn’t ideal, but the orientation changed to landscape when opened and used apps such as YouTube and our phone’s photo gallery, which made viewing videos and photos more comfortable and natural.

We’d recommend leaving the bundled MHL cable plugged in if you’re going to use it, as all the ports are located underneath a plastic lip on the rear of the stand, making them fiddly to reach. You’ll also find a VGA input in addition to the VX2770sml-LED’s two HDMI inputs. There are also headphone and microphone jacks.

The VX2770sml-LED’s overall image quality was disappointing. Colour accuracy is generally one of the main strengths of an IPS panel, but at the VX2770sml-LED’s default settings our colour calibrator showed it was displaying just 87.6 per cent of the sRGB colour gamut. This is very poor for an IPS panel, as we normally expect to see a score of around 96 per cent. The monitor’s weakest areas were its red, magenta and blue coverage, which gave the screen a slightly green tinge.

Fortunately, the coverage increased to a much more respectable 94.9 per cent after calibration. This is still slightly average for an IPS screen, but colours looked far more natural and every area of weakness was improved to produce a much more balanced gamut overall.

It made a big difference to our subjective image tests, and reds, greens and blues all looked much more vibrant after calibration. Whites were a fraction grey, but for the most part all our colours looked just as rich as our reference monitor. Black levels were average at 0.28cd/m², but our solid blacks revealed a worrying amount of backlight bleeding in the top right hand corner of our review sample. You wouldn’t notice it unless you were looking at dark photos or watching a film, but it’s disappointing to see nonetheless.

The monitor’s contrast levels were more promising. We measured a contrast ratio of 977:1, all of our high contrast test photos showed high levels of detail in both the light and dark areas of each image, and the monitor’s matt finish also helped keep reflections at bay when we viewed dark photos.

If you want to change the picture yourself, your options are limited. Aside from basic brightness and contrast controls, the only other options you get are changing picture modes, which include sRGB, Bluish, Cool, Native and Warm on top of its customisable User mode, and dynamic contrast and overscan options. The menu is fiddly to navigate, too, due to the out-of-sight buttons on the monitor’s stand.

The Viewsonic VX2770sml-LED is a decent monitor after calibration, but there are better monitors with the same features that are available for less. If you’re desperate for a 27in monitor with MHL compatibility, the similarly priced and superior BenQ EW2740L is a much better buy.