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  • Design & Usability

  • Software & Accessories

  • Quality & Functionality

  • End Credits

  • Behind the Screens

  • Color Accuracy

  • Gamma

  • Grayscale Error

  • RGB Balance

  • Design & Usability
  • Software & Accessories
  • Quality & Functionality
  • End Credits
  • Behind the Screens
  • Color Accuracy
  • Gamma
  • Grayscale Error
  • RGB Balance

As a single-purpose display, the XL2420TE is a great success. From the smart matte finish and unique "S. Switch" accessory to the flawless handling of games big or small, this BenQ is poised more perfectly to a single task than almost any other monitor I've ever reviewed. It's definitely a niche product, but those who live within that niche would be wise to consider how much their current display might be holding them back by comparison.

Design & Usability

Subtly poised for a single purpose

There are many telling signs that this monitor is meant for gaming—I mean, it says it right on the box, for starters. However, close inspection reveals that as much care went into this product's outer design as into its inner workings.

The XL2420TE is as geared toward gaming on the outside as it is on the inside.

The first physical characteristic we noticed was that the monitor's bezels extend about a centimeter forward from the plane of the screen. In other words, the screen is a bit depressed within its frame. This alteration of the traditional build focuses more of the screen's light forward, rather than out to the sides, while also serving to block small amounts of lateral ambient light.

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Another unusual trait (within the grand scope of monitors) is the XL2420TE's headphone hook, a red plastic hanger where your headphones can rest. I suppose you could hang anything you wanted on it, but providing convenient storage for your favorite cans is the intended purpose. While this BenQ display lacks speakers, it does offer a readily accessible headphone jack on its left side, alongside two USB inputs.

By far, though, my favorite feature is one that's easy to overlook, but seems infinitely. The XL2420TE uses a touch interface to bring up its on-screen menu; the power button and four contextual controls line the right side of the screen. What's really cool is that BenQ planted a sensor in the right bezel that activates when your hand is near, automatically illuminating the otherwise invisible touch controls.

This is especially useful for anyone playing games in dim lighting or darkness... and let's be honest, that's pretty common. Just hover your hand to the right of the controls, or touch the bezel itself, and they light right up. This makes informed operation via thumb as easy as pie. Glow-in-the-dark pie, that is.

In addition to its unique build traits, the BenQ XL2420TE offers a decidedly handsome design scheme. Comprised of mostly matte-black plastic with red highlights, its angular stand and flexible panel make for a unique, striking look.

The screen raises and lowers by about five inches, swivels easily, and even rotates to portrait orientation. This vertically-inclined position gives the user easier access to the ports, which include mini USB, DisplayPort, D-Sub (VGA), DVI-D, two HDMI, and a USB B.

In the box, you'll find the panel, stand, base, protective cover, driver disc, S. Switch controller, power cord, D-Sub cable, DVI-D cable, and USB A-B cable.

Software & Accessories

Game-ucopia

The XL2420TE's menu interface is simple, visually appealing, and very customizable—especially if you're prone to game competitively. Pressing any of the touch-control buttons brings up a contextual menu. While it looks almost impoverished at first glance, there's more to the interface than meets the eye, especially once you get the hang of the S. Switch controller.

That's the third time I've mentioned that thing, so I should probably explain what it is. The S. Switch (i.e. Swift Switch) is an accessory that accompanies BenQ's XL-series gaming monitors. A mouse-like contraption, the S. Switch's main goal is to enable quick, almost instant access to different display profiles for optimizing the appearance and functionality of different scenarios—in this case, video games.

Plugging in via mini USB, the accessory fits snugly into either side of the base and allows users to map settings to one of its three function buttons. The S. Switch also houses a red scroll wheel that automatically launches and scrolls through the menu—it's much quicker than using the buttons on the bezel.

The S. Switch's numbered keys correspond to pre-loaded profiles. "Gamer1", "Gamer2", and "Gamer3" can each hold a saved display profile to be accessed on the fly. Through a process that BenQ calls "Gaming Refresh rate Optimization Management" (GROM), the XL2420TE senses multiple ideal aspect ratios and variable refresh rates to sync up with whatever game is being played.

The XL2420TE tends to favor first-person shooter games.

The S. Switch's 1, 2, and 3 function keys can also be mapped to adjust brightness, contrast, smart scaling, or aspect ratio on the fly. How necessary this is seems almost impossible to objectively pinpoint, but it's certainly not detracting from the software's value in any way.

Some games will take full advantage of the monitor's native 144 Hz, whereas some will scale to 120 Hz or 100 Hz. In a similar manner, older games may not comfortably fill the 1920 x 1080 native resolution—the monitor automatically scales them to pre-set sizes: 17-inch 4:3, 19-inch 4:3, 19-inch wide 16:10, or 21.5-inch 16:9 are some of the options.

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If you dig deep enough, you'll also find a number of more niche-worthy display modes—yes, it gets more geeky from here, so double-knot them readin' shoes. The XL2420TE is undoubtedly a gaming monitor, but it tends to favor first-person shooters (FPS) above other categories, especially Counter-Strike. The embedded FPS1 and FPS2 modes were allegedly co-developed with top-tier Counter-Strike players to give them a visual and kinetic advantage within that game specifically. There's also an RTS (real-time strategy) mode.

All in all, there's so much to learn, map, and customize here that taking total advantage of the XL2420TE's full range of functions is almost a game within itself—needless to say, this is not a plug-and-play situation, especially if you want to get your money's worth. However, with patience and persistence, the complex fruit of this BenQ is rewardingly sweet.

Quality & Functionality

Only as good as the source

Strange as it may sound, the XL2420TE's primary function is seemingly to remove itself entirely—during most games, you should forget it's even there. Yes, it has software and picture modes meant to give advantages within certain game types, like FPS and RTS titles, but for the most part the XL2420TE is really only as good as the game you're playing.

This is something of a double-edged sword. Many monitors fill a niche role: High-end graphics displays provide the kind of super-accurate colors needed by designers, for example. General, low-end monitors are often "all purpose," excelling at nothing, but there are limitations here as well. At about $400, the XL2420TE is not cheap, but most of its value comes in the form of customization options and a high refresh rate.

Perfect pixel mapping and automatic refreshing mean you won't notice hiccups, tearing, or blurring.

So, if you're playing a newer title like Bioshock Infinite, it's not going to make the game brighter, more colorful, or graphically more appealing—all of that is the job of your laptop or tower. I ran the aforementioned on an Alienware M17 R4 with DirectX11, and it looked terrific—because the game already looks terrific on a mobile desktop, and this BenQ leaves the source alone entirely.

I didn't notice the monitor much at all, which is the point. Perfect pixel mapping and automatically synced refresh rates mean you won't notice hiccups, tearing, motion lag, blurring, banding, or frame rate shifting—all game-changers during competitive shooters or real-time strategy. The game's impressive water physics were still awe-inducing. We also tested the monitor against Skyrim (with mods) and Starcraft II (in RTS mode) and noticed optimal performance and rendering of both. Everything ran smoothly and I was able to match the monitor's customization options to the game at hand—by far the XL2420TE's biggest draw.

Its core performance doesn't qualify as powerhouse in any way.

From a color and contrast perspective, however, the XL2420TE only looks a little above average. Older games are not going to look any more saturated or detailed, and a low-tech PC is not going to suddenly run games like a rig equipped with liquid cooling. I feel it's important to make this distinction: This BenQ is meant to serve as an unbiased window to your content, not as a buffer or consolidator.

For that reason, the XL2420TE did not score nearly as well as some of our graphics-oriented displays. Its core performance simply doesn't qualify as "powerhouse" in any way, but neither is that its purpose. If the game you're playing looks beautiful, it will look beautiful on the XL2420TE. If it's an old game with a pixelated poise, this BenQ won't improve it. It never hinders a game in any way, but neither does it improve upon it, graphically.

End Credits

If you need this, you know it already.

The XL2420TE ($397) is perhaps one of the most unique monitors on the market, if only because it's so clearly pigeonholed for a single use. It's truly been designed by people who are passionate about competitive and cooperative gaming—every inch and function is poised to add to the experience.

So, who is this for? The mouse, keyboard, and gamepad crowd. Too expensive for general use, and not nearly powerful enough for graphics functionality, the XL2420TE is a gamer's gaming monitor. It's fitted with a massive slew of useful, or at least interesting features, and handles incoming sources with the slick subtlety of a cat burglar. Potential buyers, you know who you are.

Behind the Screens

The BenQ XL2420TE ($397) has proven itself an extremely valuable companion to the serious gamer, yet from a traditional standpoint it doesn't produce the most high-quality image out of the box. Really, it must be tweaked and matched to the source content—not every time, but at first—before its true usefulness begins to shine through.

Color Accuracy

To be taken with grain of salt

From a color production standpoint, the BenQ XL2420TE is not the most accurate of displays. We tested its color gamut in the sRGB picture mode against the international standard color requirements for monitors, which (coincidentally) goes by the same four-letter name. The results were... dodgy. The display's primary colors (red, green, and blue) are produced with less-than-stellar accuracy, which results in imbalanced secondary colors (cyan, magenta, and yellow).

Gamma

A little high

Standard monitor gamma describes a correction sum of 2.2. This refers to the shape of the slope as the display increases in luminance from black to white. We tested a gamma of 2.1, which is close to the ideal, but means the XL2420TE transitions out of black to middle-gray faster than it should. This may be done purposefully, however, in order to make above-black elements easier to see—a potential advantage in competitive shooters.

Grayscale Error

An imperfect showing

The grayscale refers to the spectrum of luminance between black (or 0 IRE) and white (or 100 IRE). Displays create shades of gray and white by combining the luminance of red, green, and blue sub-pixels. When this luminance is combined with the proper ratio, the grayscale maintains an even balance, described in correlated color temperature to the standard white point, called D65. Imbalances in the sub-pixels create differing shades of white across the grayscale, which results in a collective error called DeltaE.

This BenQ tested with a DeltaE of 9.92, which much higher than the acceptable error threshold of 3.

RGB Balance

Tangled up in blue

The grayscale error described above can be traced to notable imbalances within the XL2420TE's sub-pixel balance. Rather than utilizing its sub-pixels in an even fashion, this BenQ tends to favor blue as the carrier of luminance, which results in an underemphasis in red and green within the sub-pixel balance.

Meet the tester

Lee Neikirk

Lee Neikirk

Former Editor, Home Theater

@Koanshark

Lee was Reviewed's point person for most television and home theater products from 2012 until early 2022. Lee received Level II certification in TV calibration from the Imaging Science Foundation in 2013. As Editor of the Home Theater vertical, Lee oversaw reviews of TVs, monitors, soundbars, and Bluetooth speakers. He also reviewed headphones, and has a background in music performance.

See all of Lee Neikirk's reviews

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