Acer HA220Q Review - Quick Verdict
The Acer HA220Q is a 21.5″ full HD display that comes with a very affordable price tag. It is targeted at people who require a simple display that can handle 1080p content for them. Fortunately, this display is more than that as it comes with a stunning design, and also can be a gaming display as well. There are a few cons, but the pros eat them up. Overall, a fantastic budget 1080p monitor that gives you more than you bargained for.
- Excellent budget monitor for the price
- Super slim profile. Only 6.6mm when looked from the side
- AMD FreeSync support is available
- Lack of height adjust and swivel feature
- No DVI port
Author's Rating
Over the past few years, monitors are getting better and better by the hour. You now have 8K monitors that cram in so many pixels and offer only the best experience to the viewers. But not everyone on the market is looking for the most expensive display. Some are on a budget. And for those, the Acer HA220Q aims to be the monitor of choice.
The Acer HA220Q is a simple 21.5″ 1080p monitor that comes with a price tag under $100. You can find other monitors in this price range, but you won’t get the guarantee of a brand like Acer. Price isn’t everything. How well does this super-budget monitor perform? Let’s find that out in the full review below.
Design
The Acer HA220Q budget monitor has the most vanilla design possible. It comes in matte black color and has a nice premium finish all over. The first impression is pretty good and can make yourself doubt if this is indeed a sub $100 display.
One of the notable things about the design is the size of the bezels. We have tiny bezels surrounding the screen on three sides. The bottom bezel is slightly bigger and comes with the branding. You will also find the buttons for the on-screen display below the bottom bezel which explains the thickness.
From the sides, the thinnest part of the display is only 6.6mm thick. To be honest, you don’t expect a display this thin on the sides in this price range, and that’s a lot of value in our eyes.
One of the significant elements when talking about a monitor’s design is the stand. The stand here is made of aluminum. The monitor has a glossy finish and looks premium. It is sturdy and holds the monitor without any wobbling. But there are a few drawbacks here.
You can’t adjust the position of the screen to suit your needs. You can’t swivel the monitor which is restrictive in usage. But you can tilt the monitor front and back to match your viewing angle. There is also no height adjustment which is a shame.
Another shortcoming in the design department is the lack of VESA compatibility. Sure, this is a budget monitor, and not all are looking to mount their displays on the wall, but having VESA compatibility is a bonus in many cases.
With dimensions of 20 x 7 x 15 inches, the monitor weighs in at 5.5 pounds. Surprisingly, it is a lot lighter than other monitors you’ll find in this category. Being a budget monitor, you’ll have to take this as a win. The Acer HA220Q needs minimal space on your computer table and can fit in any room, thanks to the black color scheme.
Acer HA220Q Specs and Features
The Acer HA220Q is a 21.5″ LED-backlit display that comes with a 1080p resolution. In this modern age of 4K monitors, this display does lack a bit of resolution. But we have to acknowledge that in this price range, a full HD resolution is a pretty good deal.
The monitor comes with a native aspect ratio of 16:9. Even though this is a budget display, Acer has gone with an IPS panel as opposed to a TN or a VA panel. As a result, we get excellent viewing angles which is something you can’t expect in a monitor this cheap. The viewing angle is about 178 degree which is pretty impressive for the price.
How Well Does the Acer HA220Q Perform?
This Acer monitor comes with support for 16.7 million colors. This doesn’t really give a good picture of how well the monitor performs. There is support for 72% of the NTSC color gamut. This is not a lot, and you’re going to lose shades of colors which makes this monitor not an excellent choice for photo and video editing.
For media consumption, you won’t notice a big difference. The Acer HA220Q comes with a native contrast ratio of 1000:1 and a dynamic contrast ratio of 1000000:1. We’ve seen displays with a contrast ratio of 3000:1 usually performing better when it comes to blacks and whites. Unfortunately, that is the case here as well.
There is a good range where you can appreciate the deep blacks and the bright whites, but the monitor is not as good as the ones with a better contrast ratio. You can also note the difference in different shades of grays which is nice.
The maximum brightness of the display is 250 nits. This is neither very bright nor that dim. Even when you’re in a well-lit environment, the monitor does well when the brightness is cranked all the way up. The display does not come with any kind of anti-reflective coating so that you will see some reflections on the screen.
How Good is the Acer HA220Q for Gaming?
The display comes with a refresh rate of 75Hz which is a shy higher than the prefered 60Hz. Most gamers would actually prefer a screen with a refresh rate fo 144Hz, but that’s not possible because of the price constraint.
The response time here is 4ms. Considering the price, this response time is pretty good. We have seen expensive monitors with a response time of 8ms. Having a low response time like this can help in making the visuals a lot smoother.
If you’re a fan of shooting games and racing games where there is a lot of fast action, a response time like this can help reduce ghosting and motion blur.
Another useful feature that is geared towards gamers is the support for AMD FreeSync technology. This is a great feature that can help in preventing tearing. The FreeSync tech syncs the refresh rate of the display with that of the graphics card. This can help in reducing tearing, ghosting, and also motion blurs which are a problem in fast-paced games.
Acer HA220Q Connectivity
There are not a lot of option when it comes to connectivity. You get a VGA port and an HDMI port. While these two ports adequate for hooking up with computers, the lack of a DVI port can be a dealbreaker for some especially if their graphics cards support only a DVI port.
When it comes to setting up the monitor, it is a straightforward process that doesn’t involve a lot of steps. All you have to do is to connect your computer to the monitor through the VGA or the HDMI port, and you’re good to go.
There are no inbuilt speakers in this model. Usually, inbuilt speakers are not that great and will give out feeble audio when compared to a set of good speakers. So you’re not missing out of much in this case.
Bottomline
The Acer HA220Q is a budget, 1080p monitor. Even then, it comes with a stunning, super thin design that is sure to catch the attention of people. It comes with an IPS display that offers excellent viewing angles. The image quality is excellent, and we can call this a gaming monitor if you’re planning to game on a budget. With a few minor drawbacks, this Acer HA220Q is budget champion and gets our recommendation.