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NEC’s EA261WM is the only professional-quality monitor here, which is reflected in its high price and low power consumption. The screen and stand are remarkably plain and made of cheap-looking black plastic. Like Samsung’s classy 2693HM, the EA261WM offers a range of screen positions, including portrait mode and 11cm of vertical movement, and a small degree of forward tilt is available. The menu buttons are on the bottom right of the screen. Instead of two separate directional buttons for navigating options, NEC has opted for a tiny joystick, which provides more directional options. However, this was broken on our first review sample, so you’ll need to be gentle when using the joystick. The menu system is clear, and as well as the standard picture controls, there are also presets for activities such as reading text, playing games and watching films. These can be accessed via a hotkey, so you don’t have to delve into the menu to make quick changes. The EA261WM impressed us with its vibrant colours and high contrast. The backlight is very bright, but there was some bleed along the top and bottom edges. Our only concern was that the colours in our test photos were overblown at most settings. The 9300K colour setting helped to tone down the colours in some preset modes, but in other modes, such as Movies, the colour setting was overridden. This is fine for games and some movies, but for serious graphics work you’ll need to tweak the settings carefully.
The EA261WM is the best monitor here in terms of picture quality. However, it’s only marginally better than Samsung’s 2693HM, and it costs £145 more. The 2693HM offers the same flexibility as the EA261WM and also looks much better, and lacks only a USB hub. Overall, it’s a much better buy.
