Meet Maggie, PCMag'sThe BenQ GW2486TC ($199.99) is an ideal home-office monitor for budget shoppers. True, it has a small screen and low resolution for a desktop display, but it packs in a feature set we would expect to find in a monitor selling for considerably more. From ergonomics to port selection to built-in speakers and a 100Hz refresh rate, it brings more to the table than other low-priced monitors we have reviewed. It surpasses the HP 24mh in several categories to become our latest Editors' Choice pick for a general-purpose budget monitor.
The white-framed GW2486TC has a 23.8-inch (measured diagonally) screen with an FHD (full HD, aka 1080p) 1,920-by-1,080-pixel resolution at a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. This is a typical setup for a low-priced display. A monitor with this size screen and resolution has a pixel density of 92 ppi (pixels per inch), which is fine for general use but a bit low for pixel-precise photo editing.
The GW2486TC has an in-plane switching (IPS) panel with a 1,300:1 rated contrast ratio. (Most lower-priced IPS screens have contrast ratios that max out at 1,000:1.) Its color coverage is rated at 99% of the sRGB space. Its rated viewing angles are up to 178 degrees in both vertical and horizontal directions. IPS panels have a reputation for having very wide viewing angles, meaning that you can look at the screen nearly from the side without notable posterization, color degradation, or color shift.
Although it lacks adaptive sync technology, the GW2486TC has a 100Hz refresh rate, which can help create a smoother experience when viewing video. Most low-priced panels stick to 60Hz.
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BenQ classifies the GW2486TC as an Eye-Care monitor, touting its low blue light protection, flicker-free operation, and other technologies that promote long-duration viewing comfort. It received TÜV Rheinland's Eyesafe 2.0 certification.
Many budget monitors have basic stands that, at best, allow you to tilt the top of the screen away from or toward you. The GW2486TC isn't so limited; along with such tilt control (up to 20 degrees away from or 5 degrees toward the user), it supports up to 5.1 inches of height adjustment, 45 degrees of swivel to either side, and the ability to pivot the screen from landscape to portrait mode and back. It also has a square array of holes spaced 100mm apart to fit a VESA bracket (not included) for wall or arm mounting.
The HP 24mh has good ergonomics in its own right, supporting height, tilt, and pivot (but not swivel) control, and has the array of holes to accept VESA mounting hardware.
The GW2486TC is surprisingly well-endowed with ports for a monitor of its price. Inputs include one DisplayPort 1.2 connector, one HDMI 1.4 port, and a USB-C port that supports DisplayPort over USB Alternate Mode and provides up to 65 watts of power delivery that can power or charge a laptop that's connected to it. When I connected my personal laptop to the GW2486TC for photo testing over a USB-C connection, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my computer was charging, rather than losing power as is usually the case when I connect it to a monitor via USB-C.
The BenQ also has a DisplayPort-out connector, which permits the daisy-chaining of multiple monitors to the setup via Multi-Stream Transport (MST). There are also two downstream USB-A ports, which can provide up to 4.5W for charging small devices.
The GW2486TC has a pair of built-in 2W speakers, which in my testing produced fairly soft audio of decent quality. There is an audio-out jack if you prefer listening with headphones or powered external speakers.
The HP 24mh also has a pair of 2W speakers, and has one DisplayPort and one HDMI connector in addition to a VGA port. But it lacks DisplayPort-out and the ability to daisy-chain additional monitors. Nor does it have a USB-C port with power delivery and DisplayPort over USB support, or a hub of USB-A downstream ports.
On the bottom of the GW2486TC near the right-hand edge are six buttons for use in navigating the monitor's on-screen display (OSD). Although I prefer the mini-joystick style controller that has become commonplace on midrange displays and is even found on some budget models—including the Samsung 24-Inch CF396 Curved LED Monitor—the buttons worked well enough, helped by icons that appear on the screen above each button, denoting their function.
I tested the GW2486TC's brightness, contrast ratio, and color coverage using our standard test gear: a Klein K-10A colorimeter, a Murideo 8K SixG signal generator, and Portrait Displays' Calman Ultimate for Business calibration software.
BenQ rates the GW2486TC's luminance at 250 nits (candelas per meter squared), and in our testing it just cleared that, testing at 254 nits. It turned in a very respectable 1,260:1 contrast ratio. It effectively covers the whole sRGB color space, testing at 99.4% coverage (see the chromaticity chart below).
In the ad-hoc, experiential part of our testing, I viewed selected video clips as well as our photo suite on the GW2486TC. Images seemed reasonably bright, with realistic-looking colors and good retention of detail in bright and dark areas.
Final Thoughts
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
BenQ GW2486TC
- 5.0 - Exemplary: Near perfection, ground-breaking
- 4.5 - Outstanding: Best in class, acts as a benchmark for measuring competitors
- 4.0 - Excellent: A performance, feature, or value leader in its class, with few shortfalls
- 3.5 - Good: Does what the product should do, and does so better than many competitors
- 3.0 - Average: Does what the product should do, and sits in the middle of the pack
- 2.5 - Fair: We have some reservations, buy with caution
- 2.0 - Subpar: We do not recommend, buy with extreme caution
- 1.5 - Poor: Do not buy this product
- 1.0 - Dismal: Don't even think about buying this product
Read Our Editorial Mission Statement and Testing Methodologies.
The BenQ GW2486TC provides an excellent feature set for a display of its price. While it has a small (24-inch) screen and a modest 1080p resolution, it makes up for it with a generous selection of ports including DisplayPort, HDMI, and USB-C (which can run DisplayPort over USB-C and provide 65W of power delivery) inputs plus a DisplayPort-out that supports the daisy-chaining of multiple monitors, as well as two USB-A downstream ports. Its stand has all the ergonomic features we expect of monitors priced considerably higher, including height, tilt, swivel, and pivot adjustment.
The screen has a 100Hz refresh rate, and provides full sRGB color coverage and an above-par contrast ratio for a standard IPS panel.
The BenQ GW2486TC costs a bit more than the HP 24mh, but its ergonomics, refresh rate, and contrast ratio provide more than that previous top pick, and it has a considerably better selection of ports. So it's our latest Editors' Choice pick as a general-purpose budget monitor.
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About Our Expert
Since 2004, I have worked on PCMag’s hardware team, covering at various times printers, scanners, projectors, storage, and monitors. I currently focus my efforts on 3D printers, pro and productivity displays, and drives and SSDs of all sorts.
Over the years, I have reviewed smart telescopes, iPad and iPhone science apps, plus the occasional camera, laptop, keyboard, and mouse. I've also written a host of articles about astronomy, space science, travel photography, and astrophotography for PCMag and its past and present sibling publications (among them, Mashable and ExtremeTech), as well as for the former PCMag Digital Edition.
