Review on ASUS VP229HE: The Ultimate 21.5" HD Monitor with Adaptive Sync, Frameless Design, and Blue Light Filter by Travis Mullins

This monitor has many advantages for the price. I bought it to replace a 21.5" 1600 x 1200 pixel monitor. The aspect ratio is obviously different, but what I lose in vertical height I gain in horizontal width. The packaging was very good and the monitor came in perfect condition. , bad and ugly in this monitor. GOOD - Bright picture with vivid colors and excellent contrast with very little edge-to-edge variation - Anti-glare screen eliminates most reflections - Wide viewing angle but colors change See DANGEROUS next below. - No dead or bright pixels VGA and DVI cables included. But no HDMI - Assembly was easy, no tools were required to assemble the base - VESA mounting holes on the back are covered with removable rubber plugs - Attractive design - Works with Macbook and Mac Mini - 3 year warranty coverage includes shipping both ways Hard to beat the price in. BAD I can't get good settings that produce crisp text even when using the native resolution. The monitor can auto-adjust and has focus and sharpness controls, but this only seems to affect parts of the screen. After trying different settings for twenty minutes it got better, but still not nearly as sharp and clear as on my old monitor. That alone made me deduct a star from the rating. The anti-glare coating has the ability to soften the image on the screen. By adjusting the sharpness, you can make the text blocky and pixelated. The connections on the back do not point downwards, but towards the back and outwards. That means you can't place it against a wall or other object as the cables are sticking straight out. The stand has no height adjustment, no swivel, and limited tilt adjustment. It wobbles a bit too, but seems more than enough to keep it from tipping over. - No instructions on how to completely remove the stand when VESA installation is required. HORRIBLE - Out of the box the monitor was initially set too bright and had to be recalibrated for the correct gamma. Not a big deal, but something you might want to know about. The menu interface was sometimes inconsistent. Sometimes you had to press the back button to exit the setup, sometimes not - Colors shift towards yellow when viewing the screen at an angle of more than 30 degrees horizontally from the center - The screen edges are glossy black curved plastic and, unlike the screen, tends to reflect light sources from almost all directions. The presets for the Splendid video didn't really feel like anything special. Most of these presets were too contrasty and too bright. - The dead or bright pixel guarantee only applies if you have more than 3 bright or 5 dead pixels. - No clips on the back or base to facilitate cable management. - No speakers. , but there is a headphone jack for audio output via HDMI