Samsung SyncMaster 2033SW LCD monitor

The Samsung SyncMaster 2033SW is a 20in LCD monitor with a 1600x900 resolution that's useful if you want to use your PC to watch videos shot in wide-screen without unsightly black bars intruding. It has a 16:9 aspect ratio, so unlike LCD monitors with a 16:10 ratio a movie will fill the entire screen. However, users looking to pair it with an Xbox 360 or other HDMI-enabled device will be disappointed.

The SyncMaster 2033SW has a similar design to other Samsung monitors such as the Samsung SyncMaster 2333SW, with a glossy piano black bezel and a transparent lower lip. This style certainly makes the Samsung monitors stand out from the crowd, but we can’t help but feel that the bezel on the SyncMaster 2033SW is somewhat larger and bulkier than necessary. The stand of the monitor is also slightly flimsy, which means it doesn't take much to make the monitor shake; this may prove annoying if you’re a particularly energetic typist or mouse-clicker.

The monitor has DVI and D-Sub VGA ports, but audio and HDMI inputs are noticeably lacking.

The Samsung SyncMaster 2033W has a 5ms refresh rate, which means it can display games without ghosting and is a good choice for watching fast-motion videos. Contrast and colour reproduction are also good. The LCD panel has a 15,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio thanks to the WCG-CCFL backlight, though static contrast is a more down-to-earth 1000:1.

Black levels are good, with plenty of detail visible in darker areas of the screen during games and high-definition video playback. Our DisplayMate tests revealed no significant flaws in the image quality of the Samsung SyncMaster 2033SW; notably, sharpness was spot-on. We did notice that the monitor was quick to lose colour and contrast when vertical viewing angles were altered. Thankfully, horizontal viewing angles are far more forgiving, with no significant colour shift until we reached an unreasonable angle.

We were disappointed by the lack of HDMI input and in-built speakers, but if you’re using the Samsung SyncMaster 2033SW to play high-definition content then you will not be disappointed by its image quality.

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