Boundless views from a virtually frameless monitor
One of the main problems we have with the various monitors that we review is the use of a thick bezel around the screen. Too often, manufacturers take great panel technology and then ruin the appeal by using an extraordinarily thick lump of plastic around the edges of the screen. That’s not the case here, though.
The main draw of the BenQ EW2750ZL is its near bezel-free sides and top. Not only does it look remarkably stunning, but it fools you into thinking the screen size is bigger than it actually is. Not that there’s any small about the 27" IPS VA LED to begin with, and the full HD screen with a dynamic contrast ratio of 20,000,000:1 produces an absolutely brilliant image.
Being IPS, you get a good viewing angle, and because this is a BenQ model monitor, there comes with it the extra viewing technology of a flicker-free backlight, low blue light modes and better control over the screen, thanks to the BenQ Eye Care features.
Connectivity is good too, with a pair of HDMI ports (one of which is MHL enabled), VGA, line in and a headphone port. There’s no DisplayPort or DVI, though, so you’ll need some kind of conversion along the way if your setup can’t directly cope with the lack of these ports.
Returning to the style and aesthetics of the monitor, the bezel (what little there is of it) around the sides and top of the screen measures just 2mm, with the bottom portion measuring 20mm and displaying the BenQ name and model of the monitor. It’s easily one of the thinnest frames we’ve ever come across, and if you place two of these together in a dual desktop setup, the nearly seamless effect is simply wonderful.
The rear of the EW2750ZL caught is off-guard somewhat, as it’s entirely a glossy finish plastic. Naturally, this means it’s an instant dust and fingerprint magnet, and we’re personally glad that BenQ decided to leave the glossy effect at the rear of the monitor, because shiny black plastic usually doesn’t look as good at the front.
The quality of the image displayed is as good as you would expect from an excellent IPS monitor and from a company that excels in producing top-of-the-range screens. It’s clear, sharp and immaculate in its display. There’s an equally good production of very bright and very dark areas, with the high gamma helping to separate the two to an astonishingly good degree. As we said earlier, the thin surround makes the monitor ‘feel’ surprisingly bigger than it actually is. An optical illusion it may be, but it’s a good one.
Games, films, photo viewing, editing and video editing duties were all excellent, especially the brighter elements, where there’s often some graininess from other VA panels, but thankfully not in this case.
The BenQ EW2750ZL is one of the better quality monitors we’ve tested in recent months. The screen is excellent, and the thin bezel makes for a far more stylish monitor than we’re generally used to using. It’s also not too badly priced either, at around £180. The only downside is the lack of DisplayPort and DVI. From our point of view though, we’re seriously considering not giving this one back to BenQ. David Hayward
A great monitor with a superb screen and ultrathin bezel.