The Philips 220WS8 is a 22in widescreen LCD monitor with a native resolution of 1680x1050. With a somewhat understated design and a tendency for dull colours, we consider it a mid-range unit as its performance is outmatched by other 22in models.

We ran gaming tests on the 220WS8 using World of Warcraft and Doom 3. The environments in both games were rendered well, but the colours seem dull compared to how these games look on other monitors. We attempted to calibrate the unit to fix this problem, but no matter how the unit is set, the colours still appear too dull. We were able to brighten the image considerably and bring the colours to acceptable levels but this made whites look overblown and yellows far too garish. Black levels were excellent though, and image clarity and detail was superb. There are also no noise or contrast issues.

Our motion tests showed very little blur and no ghosting at all. The quoted speed of this unit is 5ms and from our visual appraisals, this appears to be an accurate figure. We were a little disappointed with the 160 degree horizontal viewing angle though, as we experienced colours shift at only 40-50 degrees off centre.

In DisplayMate Video Edition we found no problems but again noted the same colour issue. It should be noted though that this isn't a horrid monitor by any means. In fact, it was rather good but when compared to other 22in models, it didn't perform as well as its competitors. That being said, it is also cheaper so if you are on a reduced budget, the 220WS8 is definitely a unit that will satisfy your needs.

The 220WS8 accepts both DVI and VGA signals and can switch between inputs with the touch of a button. However, it doesn't have USB ports and does not come with speakers. The design isn't particularly eye-catching and instead appears to be utilitarian. As such, it may not appeal to gamers but would be more suited to business users.

For the most part the 220WS8 monitor is quite good but when you attempt to stack it up against others on the market it simply isn't in the same league.