AOC V22 Verfino review: AOC V22 Verfino

Editors' note: The original rating for this review was changed thanks to a previous mistake with our pricing system. The error has now been fixed and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

7.0

AOC V22 Verfino

The Good

The AOC V22 offers very good performance in games and is one of the thinnest designs we've tested of any size. Also, it has a built-in Webcam and microphone.

The Bad

The AOC V22 lacks a DVI connection and ergonomic features.

The Bottom Line

The AOC V22 is an LED-based monitor whose low price allows it to compete with the best of the bunch.

The AOC V22 can be found online for $231. That's about $60 less than the price of the Samsung XL2370, the best LED-based monitor we've reviewed. The AOC offers a built-in Webcam and microphone, but its advantages over the 's="" not="" as="" good="" xl2370.="" if="" price="" a="" concern,="" makes="" great,="" low-price="" alternative="" better="" led="" offerings="" like="" <="" p="">

Design and features
The 22-inch AOC V22 is nearly as thin as the 23-inch Samsung SyncMaster XL2370, measuring 0.75 inch in depth, compared with the Samsung's just more than 0.5 inch. The bezel measures 1.1 inches on the sides--identical to the XL2370's bezel width. The full width of the V22 is 20.7 inches, shorter than the XL2370's 22.5. The V22's screen has an extremely glossy and reflective finish, and the piano-black panel is just as reflective. On the edge of the bezel is a plastic transparent overlay, and in the top center of the bezel is an integrated 1.3-megapixel Webcam and microphone.

The V22 uses an oval-shaped base that measures a relatively large 9.75 inches wide and 7.5 inches deep, yet doesn't do much to minimize wobbling. Surprisingly, the V22's light 8 pounds of weight (less than a pound heavier than the XL2370) worked as an effective anchor to prevent it from toppling.

The neck of the display measures a short 1.1 inches. The bottom of the bezel sits about 1.6 inches from the desktop, but unfortunately, the screen height isn't adjustable, and there isn't a screen rotation or pivot option for portrait mode. The capability to tilt the screen back 15 degrees is the only included ergonomic feature.

The V22's connection options include one HDMI port and a VGA port. Unfortunately, there's no DVI port and no HDMI to DVI cable. The only cable AOC includes is VGA. There's a USB upstream port, but no downstream ports. All of the ports sit on the back in the lower right section of the panel and face backward, instead of down, like most monitors do. Thankfully, the connections aren't recessed into the panel, making them easy to access.

In the lower right-hand corners sits the power button, which doubles as the OSD array. The button is surrounded by a silver ring, used for navigation. Hold the button in and the monitor powers down. Tap the power button, and the OSD menu pops up and includes an icon-based interface. The Menu includes controls for brightness, contrast, and color temperature, including sRGB, which you use to adjust the custom color by changing the red, green, and blue values individually.

The OSD includes five presets: Movie, Sports Text, Internet, Game, and Standard. In addition, included are several subpresets that boost the amount of color. A useful feature if the image on screen looks dull.

The AOC V22's 16:10 aspect ratio has a 1,680x1,050-pixel native resolution. The 16:9 monitor trend currently sweeping the market has given many smaller monitors higher resolutions than they were capable of at 16:10. A 22-incher (or 21.5), with a 16:9 aspect ratio, now has a potential high-def, native resolution of 1,920x1,080 pixels as opposed to 1,680x1,050. It's disappointing that AOC did not include 16:9 here because high-definition content--in particular 1080p movies--can fit onto a 1,920x1,080-pixel screen without distorting the image.

Performance
We tested the AOC V22 with its DVI connection. The display posted a composite score of 92 on CNET Labs' DisplayMate-based performance tests, matching the LG Flatron W2386L's 92, but came in under the Dell G2410's 97 and the SyncMaster XL2370's 96. While the V22 didn't do particularly badly in any one test, its performance in color won't set the world afire. In our Dark Screen test, clouding or backlight bleedthrough was noticeable on the top, bottom, and sides of the screen. We were pleased that the display didn't crush dark grays and confuse them with black.

The V22 achieved a brightness score of 256 candelas per square meter (cd/M2)--much lower than the XL2370's 344 cd/M2, but higher than the LG Flatron W2386L's 226 cd/m2. When we set the brightness of the V22 and XL2370 to 100 and 75 respectively, we found the XL's whites were noticeably brighter without compromising the dark detail and deep blacks of the image. We used the V22's Movie preset to check out "Kill Bill Vol. 1" on DVD and a number of 1080p movie files from Microsoft's WMV HD Showcase. Due to the Flatron's relatively low brightness, colors in scenes just didn't pop the way they did on the XL2370, and images looked rather dull in comparison.

We looked at World of Warcraft and Unreal Tournament 3 and noticed no signs of input lag or any streaking or ghosting during fast movement. Games looked vibrant and colorful without being too saturated in most of the presets.

Unlike the cold-cathode, fluorescent-lamp-based backlights used on most backlit monitors, the AOC V22 relies on individual LEDs all over the back of the screen that turn off or on independently, giving the display more precise control over the amount of light that comes through. The purported advantages of an LED backlight are better energy efficiency, more accurate color reproduction, a conceivably thinner panel design, and a higher potential brightness level. While AOC succeeds with its thin panel and energy efficiency, its low brightness is disappointing.

The optimal viewing angle for a monitor is usually directly in front, about a quarter of the screen's distance down from the top. At this angle, you're viewing the colors and gamma correction as they were intended. Most monitors are not made to be viewed at any other angle. Depending on its panel type, picture quality at non-optimal angles varies. Most monitors use TN panels, which get overly bright or overly dark in parts of the screen when viewed from non-optimal angles. The AOC V22 uses a TN panel, and when it is viewed from the sides or bottom, we perceived the screen to darken about 6 inches off from center. Of course, when viewed from the optimal angle, we had no problems.

In our power consumption tests, the AOC V22 had a fairly high On/Default power draw of 27.31 watts. This is due to AOC setting the monitor's default brightness to 90 percent. Its standby power is a fairly low 0.89 watts. With a calibrated brightness of 200 cd/m2, the AOC draws about 22.22 watts, compared to 21 watts and 22.42 watts at the same brightness respectively for the XL2370 and LG Flatron W2386L. Based on our formula, the V22 would cost $8.77 per year to run, compared with the XL2370's $9.96 per year and the W2386L's $8.34.

Find out more about how we test LCD monitors

Service and support
AOC backs the V22 with a three-year parts-and-labor warranty that covers the backlight for only one year. That's a bit less than other vendors, such as Dell, that usually offer backlight coverage for three years. E-mail and toll-free tech support are also offered.