I was pretty impressed with the price point for Lenovo’s latest flat panel widescreen monitor — at €209 (RRP) it will certainly not break the bank and at 19-inches diagonal it gave me enough workspace to comfortably open desktop applications side by side.
Swapping my older HP L1906 LCD monitor for the Lenovo ThinkVision gave me a few obvious comparisons and similarities to work with straight away.
First off all, I did wish that both of them had glossy finishes on the monitor because they are both matte – something that renders video not quite as vibrant as I would have liked, but which makes for easier reading and working with text and documents.
Obviously, this Lenovo screen is marketed at the business professional. While it displays video just fine, it is more at home with text. You see the default setting is not very bright, which makes for less eye strain when peering at documents all day.
Another element that shouts business is the overall design. To be perfectly honest, I was not enamoured with the chunky black plastic finish, but it does look quite ‘businessy’ and fits in with Lenovo’s suite of ThinkPad and ThinkCentre products.
You may think that a monitor is a monitor, but some are best used for working with video, others are more suited to gaming while there are those such as the ThinkVision whose price and performance makes them ideal as a good upgrade for the office professional.
It also comes with an EPEAT Gold rating, which means that it gets top marks as far as environmentally friendly energy consumption goes, another plus when watching those office utility bills. It actually offers third power consumption savings when compared with its predecessor, the L194 widescreen.
Key features: widescreen
User Experience: Straight forward menu for adjusting contrast etc
Set-up: Just plug in and you’re ready to go
Design: A bit clunky and unattractive
Pricing: Good value for money
Pros: Great price
Cons: Dated design
Price: €209 (RRP)
Marie Boran
