A monitor made for designers, with some tantalising extras
The BenQ BL business range of monitors has so far proved to be quite impressive. We’ve already had the BL2420Z and BL2711U through our doors, and each has shown great quality and design.
Now we have the BL2420U to look at, a CAD/designer monitor that ups the business series ante with higher-end performance and even more features.
The BL2420U is a 23.6" IPS LED backlit screen that manages to dish out some stunning looking visuals at a maximum resolution of 3840 x 2160 at 60Hz. It has a native contrast ratio of 1000:1 and a dynamic contrast ratio of 20,000,000:1, with the usual excellent 178º viewing angles that IPS monitors offer.
Connectivity is excellent, with both HDMI 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 ports available, as well as DVI and DisplayPort 1.2a. It also has a two port USB 3.0 hub located along the output/input strip at the back of the screen, together with a headphone jack and line-in.
With this being a BenQ product, the company has naturally ensured that the BL2420U has inherited the low blue light levels and other special screen modes available, alongside an anti-glare screen coating and flicker-free technology. There are specialist CAD/CAM modes to help bring out the definition in wireframe images, animation modes to enhance details in dark shadows, and a ten-level brightness function to help improve the clarity of the screen.
Of course, the 4K UHD resolution makes a big difference too. For media duties, which it was designed for, it excels and produces a remarkably crisp and superbly clear image. For gaming, it looks equally fantastic, although it did seem to struggle with faster-paced titles.
All in all, the screen quality is quite wonderful. The colours are as accurate as we can determine, as well as being bright and rich without looking washed out, as many high-level brightness monitors can make them seem.
Ergonomically, the BL2420U takes a leaf from its businessbred brethren. You can pivot, tilt and adjust the height to 140mm if needed, and it also has an auto-orientation feature to rotate the screen as you move it from landscape to portrait modes.
The BenQ BL2420U costs in the region of £355, a price which we think is very reasonable what you get.
It has plenty of connectivity, it’s ergonomically sound, and the added bonus of 4K brings the BL2420U to the top of the ‘must have’ pile. In short, it's an excellent monitor for both business users, designers and casual users who want great screen technology. David Hayward
A superb 4K monitor, with plenty of extras.