BenQ EX2510

This 24.5-inch gaming monitor combines affordability with some tidy extras.

$399

Iwww.benq.com

n terms of top-line specs, the EX2510 is a 24.5-inch, Full HD, IPS, 144Hz gaming monitor with ‘HDR’ technology. The Mobiuz is also much smarterlooking than most budget monitors, thanks to a solid, classy stand, sharp lines, a colorful design flourish and a very thin bezel. The stand itself can be manipulated to generous degrees, offering -5°/+20° tilt, 20°/20° swivel and a height adjustment of 130mm. However, it rotates only to only a negligible degree – one that helps slightly with cable insertion but little else.

Those connections consist of two DisplayPort 1.2 sockets, an HDMI 2.0 port and a 3.5mm audio jack. They’re hidden behind a removable panel at the back and cables can be tidily channeled through a gap in the stand. Unsurprisingly for a monitor with this price tag, there are no RGB lights adorning it.

It houses two 2.5-watt speakers, which get surprisingly loud. They offer well-rounded audio too, which is great for casual YouTube videos and casual gaming. BenQ goes into some detail on how everything has been tailored for audiophiles by utilising its in-house treVolo technology. However, playing music at any serious volume exposes their near-total lack of bass. Changing the equaliser from Pop/Live mode to Cinema mode merely muddies the lower frequencies, while Game mode removes them altogether – highlighting top-end, scratchy sounds of frequencies favored by approaching footsteps and gun-cocking sounds, helping battlefield awareness. Still, they’re significantly superior to most other built-in monitor speakers that we’ve ever used.

In theory, a headline feature that elevates the Mobiuz above many similarly-priced rivals is the incorporation of HDR. Not surprisingly, it can’t match the stunning imagery of more expensive and premium 1,000-nit rivals, but BenQ’s emulated ‘HDRi’ system offers a little more than the usual, low-end, ‘highcontrast’ excuse for HDR that’s occasionally seen around this level of the market. In practice, a small button in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen cycles between HDR, Game, Cinema and Off modes. They all make the screen noticeably brighter and improve color vibrancy – just with slight variances in color temperature.

When gaming, the HDRi technology can combine with the IPS panel’s 1,000:1 contrast ratio and impressive 400-nit brightness to produce a pleasing picture. However, while we liked seeing sneaky blighters hiding in dark areas, it was rather easy for detail to get lost in bright skies and such like. It was still possible to produce impressive, near-black dark areas in cinematic situations, but IPS panels only get so dark and, consequently, true-black performance is off the table. NICK ROSS

There’s much to like about the BenQ Mobiuz EX2510. All the main gaming features you’d want are present, like 144Hz, emulated HDR and a matte screen. It looks good and interacting with it is simple too.

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