A monitor with unusual dimensions
When it comes to monitor size, your choices are limited. Oh, sure, displays come in all dimensions. There’s a screen at the Odeon bigger than your house, and there might be screen on your watch. But you’re not going to plug either of them into the back of your PC. There are monitors that say “Replace toner” or “Your bank will not charge you for this transaction”, but they’re no good for Microsoft Word.
Proper PC monitors are basically 24 inches or 27. You could still find a 19in, but why cramp yourself? You could pay extra for a 32, but who has the space? No, the dull fact is that in PC screens, two sizes fit all.
But wait! Here’s not a 24in, not a 27in, but a 25in monitor. It’s not unique: Dell’s UltraSharp 25, for example, offers a very similar specification at a similar price. Beyond that, though, comparable rivals are few and far between. There’s LG’s 2Sin Ultra Wide, but while it may have the same diagonal measurement, it’s a completely different shape. Well, not completely - it’s still a rectangle. But a mathematically dissimilar rectangle.
The Q2577PWQ packs as many pixels into its 266 square inches as a typical high-quality 27in screen spreads over 311, so it looks sharper. However, until you fiddle with Windows’ scaling options most of the text you see will be slightly too small. Still, if you often need to use three apps at the same time and have the eyesight of a fighter pilot, it’s ideal.
Colour reproduction is either excellent or mediocre, depending on exactly what you want to use it for. The Q2577PWQ does a lovely job of rendering the bog-standard sRGB colour space in which most content operates. The full Adobe RGB space preferred by creative professionals, however, is not so well served, but then you have to expect that for under £300. A weak pair of speakers is the only extra feature (there’s no USB hub, for example). The plastic bits are sturdy, slim and stylish, though, and there’s plenty of adjustment thrown in, including portrait rotation.
Perhaps it’s appropriate that a display notable for its intermediate format turns out to be exceptionally average. But that’s a bit unfair on the Q2577PWQ, which is a neat and practical screen that dares to be different, in its own small... well, medium-sized way.
VERDICT
It’s unusual on paper, but this decent monitor would suit almost anyone.
SPECIFICATIONS
25in IPS LCD • 2560x1440-pixel resolution • 1x HDMI 1.4 port • 1x DVI port • 1x DisplayPort • 1x VGA port • 1x 3W stereo speakers • 465x570x200mm (HxWxD) • Three-year warranty