ViewSonic VP2785-2K
It has its niggles, but this is a superb choice for creative pros on a tight budget
At first sight this 1440p 27in monitor appears to be overpriced: after all, you can buy the 4K Dell UltraSharp U2720Q for almost £60 less. However, unlike the Dell, this ViewSonic isn’t designed for life in any old office. Instead, it’s aimed at creative professionals who will be jumping from video to print, and with the knowledge that they can trust the colours this panel shows. Naturally, it supports hardware calibration, and you can set a regular reminder in the OSD that it’s time for recalibration.
What’s most impressive for a monitor this affordable is that it comes with the promise of 100% coverage of the Adobe RGB gamut and 96% of DCI-P3. Switching between these presets is easy through the OSD and you can even use the dual colour engine to have two computers’ inputs side by side.
While our testing didn’t match ViewSonic’s figures, we aren’t going to argue with 97% coverage of the Adobe RGB gamut, nor 91% of DCI-P3; factor in average Delta E figures of 0.53 and 0.4 respectively and you can be confident of colour accuracy too. We suggest you steer clear of its sRGB mode, however. Here, its measured contrast ratio dropped to 418:1 – everything looks drab as a result.
One area we absolutely can’t criticise is the uniformity of its brightness across the screen. We show this through the 5x3 grid on the screens below the reviews, and you can see that the ViewSonic’s figures are a match for the high-end models that cost over £1,000.
Where it can’t match its top-end rivals is styling, with its plain black plastic finish and dull stand unlikely to stir much ardour in the eyes of its target audience. All the features are here, though, whether that’s pivoting, 130mm of height adjustment or the inclusion of a three-port USB-A hub. These are all hidden away at the back, which is awkward when you want to quickly add a thumb drive, and note there are no speakers (a 3.5mm jack is again inconveniently at the rear).
Do any of these criticisms diminish its impact? We think not. If you’re a creative professional on a budget, and especially if you work in both print and video, this is a steal.