Sony SDM-X52

This 15in TFT display from Sony looks absolutely gorgeous. The SDM-X52 is incredibly stylish and very well laid out. The rear cover pulls off easily to reveal the input connectors, and there's plenty of room to attach the cables. Connecting the cables on some displays can feel like keyhole surgery, but not here.

There is DVI-D, VGA, audio input and a mains power connector. No external power supply is offered, with the power cord plugging straight into the body of the display. Sony supplies DVI-D, VGA and audio cables. Once the rear cover is replaced, the appearance is very tidy.

On paper the display looks fairly average. It has a diagonal measurement of 15in and a native resolution of 1,024 x 768 with a pixel size of 0.297mm.

There is a pair of integrated 1w speakers that are a little quiet but sound good, so the bezel is inevitably quite large.

But the styling manages to conceal this, and the onscreen display buttons sit conveniently on the right. There is a highly visible On button, and a less obvious rocker switch on the rear of the unit, as well as a discreet headphone jack on the left.

You have to manually select either the DVI or VGA input using the onscreen display, so the SDM-X52 could be used on two PCs simultaneously if required.

We like the design of this Sony flat panel a great deal. The stand is compact and combines two pivoting joints to allow 50mm of vertical adjustment and 80 degrees of tilt.

In use the display is excellent. It's very bright, and has good colour control. Resolution of the darkest and palest shades of grey is marginal, however, but black text on a white background looks superb. On the downside, just under £400 ex VAT is a lot to pay.

Price: £469 (£399 ex VAT)

Specifications:
15in diagonal
1,024 x 768 native resolution
DVI-D and VGA inputs
1w speakers

Contact: Sony 08705 111 999
www.sony-cp.com

See also:

NEC-Mitsubishi LCD1920NX

A decent quality, well priced 19in LCD monitor with dual inputs.  05 Dec 2002

Samsung SM151P

Samsung and Porsche produce a stylish 15 inch LCD.  29 Aug 2002

NEC LCD1550VM

A 15in flat-panel screen with no pretensions.  17 Jul 2002

Sony SDM-S51

A bright, simple to use monitor.  08 Jul 2002

NEC MultiSync LCD1880SX

High image quality and a good set of features fully justify this LCD monitor's high price.  29 May 2002

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