BenQ BL2420Z Review

The BenQ BL2420Z is an 8-bit, 24 inch full-HD monitor supporting resolutions up to 1920x1080 with a contrast ratio of 3000:1 and a response time of 7ms. But how does this translate to everyday usage for work and gaming?

In the box, you have the monitor, a beefy stand (more on that in a minute) and the cables needed to hook it up to your PC. It’s no more difficult than any other monitor to get connected, only with the addition of a USB cable that allows the monitor to converse with the BenQ software, which is supplied on the included CD-ROM, however, you’re likely better off getting a newer version from the BenQ website.

With it all connected, I started with some standard tasks like file organisation and some word processing which didn’t really task this monitor all too much. Being the “BL” series of monitors, this is part of BenQ’s “Business Line”, so tasks like these are par for the course. However, it wasn’t till I started viewing some photographs that I noticed visible banding in darker areas. This was due to the monitor being in its “CAD/CAM” mode, which brightens things up, but wasn’t much cop for usual desktop viewing. A quick change to “Standard” mode and things are much more as to be expected.

What is apparent though is the depth of this monitor. Having used quite thin monitors for some time now, the depth that this monitor takes up is a good 3/4 cm (just the panel, not including the stand) which makes it feel, overall, a bit chunky. Not something you’d likely notice in your office, but on your desk at home, it might be a bit too imposing. The stand, however, is one of the best stands that I’ve had adorn my desk. It’s both solidly built and weighty, so you don’t get that ‘wobble’ that affects the smaller flimsy stands that you get with many other monitors. Not only that, but it allows the monitor to be placed exactly where you want it - in terms of height and angle. You can even rotate the monitor on its stand into a portrait view, which is excellent for reading long documents or web pages, or viewing and editing source code.

So, the monitor works great for office tasks, but what about gaming? Well, the BL2420Z isn’t particularly a slouch in this department, working more than adequately enough for a few rounds of Rocket League and some CS: GO, but there was some ghosting that was more apparent in dark to light sections, though never enough that it would have affected gameplay in any serious way.

A nice touch is the addition of a “Low Blue-light” mode, which reduces the amount of blue light that the monitor produces. If you use your computer in low-light or late in the day often, then a feature like this will be a godsend for your eyes - as well as your sleep pattern.