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The Sceptre E205W-16003R is an affordable 20-inch midrange monitor that use a 5ms response rate to delivers good color accuracy and solid-gray performance without drawing lots of power. It is equipped with three video inputs and basic ergonomic adjustments, and it won’t give you the same level of detail that you get from its high-resolution (1,920 x 1,080) peer and current Editors’ Choice for budget monitors, the Acer SB220Q bi
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Design
The 16003R is a budget monitor for basic day-to-day productivity. Therefore, you should be comfortable with the 20-inch monitor’s 1600 x 900 resolution, 5ms response rate, a 75Hz refresh rate and 250 cd/m2 peak brightness. Monitors in this price point tend to prioritize savings and reliability over design and aesthetics, which is rather a shame, considering a monitor’s job is to be looked at. Thankfully, Sceptre did no such thing with the 16003R.
The E205W-16003R gets better aesthetics, especially when compared to most budget monitors in its class. With thin bezels, a solid stand, and a metallic black finish, the monitor’s design puts its nearest price competitors to shame. It even eclipses more expensive monitors like the more expensive LG 24M47VQ, a 24-inch monitor with a pedestrian design. Looking at closer competitors, the E205W has slimmer bezels than the Acer G226HQL, but not as visually interesting as the Acer SB220Q bi, a affordable 21-inch monitor that provides 20 degrees of tilt adjustability
Ports
On the back, there are five small function buttons. Including the power switch which look like small white dots, located near the right bezel when looked at from the front side. Connectivity comes via a VGA port, two HDMI ports, a headphone jack and an AC power jack. The monitor has VESA support in case you need to hook it to a stand or wall. Also, the stand doesn’t allow for height, pivot or swivel adjustments.
The On-screen menu offers a nice selection of picture settings, although it doesn’t give you advanced six color adjustments that you get in more expensive gaming monitors like the Asus ROG Swift PG258Q. For the adjustments, the Standard setting gives the best overall picture, since the rest of the options are either too dark or overly bright.
Performance
Until recently, 60Hz was the gold standard for fresh rates – meaning a monitor could refresh 60 times per second, keeping pace with most games running at 60FPS. Now, however, 75Hz monitors are becoming more and more common, especially in the budget category, and the Sceptre E205W-16003R is one such monitor. With a 1080p resolution and 75Hz refresh rate, the E205W is built to keep up with most modern games played at high frame rates and still provide fairly smooth gameplay. Naturally, games like Overwatch and GTA V require Nvidia’s G-Sync, so you may just need to deal with some tearing.
For office users, gray-scale performance is fine, although it doesn’t deliver the same detail, you’d get with high-end IPS panels, such as the BenQ EW3270U. Viewing angles are good, not the best, though, but for a 20-inch monitor, it does a good job. The panel’s 12.8-millisecond input lag (time taken for the monitor to react to a controller command) is fairly short, though it doesn’t beat the 10.6-millisecond standard for most budget monitors. The fastest we’ve had so far is 9.5 milliseconds from the BenQ SW2700PT.
The monitor consumes about 37 watts of power while set to Text mode and 33 watts while set to Movie mode and a paltry 32.7 watts in Power Save mode.
Bottom Line
The Sceptre E205W-16003R is a nice-looking monitor with a stylish design and a reasonable price for day-to-day productivity. Again, its small form factor make for a display that’s silky, crystal clear, tack-sharp and lots of other superlatives. But without getting into gamma and contrast settings, the monitor just looks great and works as it should.
Is there a better alternative?
There are other monitors out there which look better and are less finicky, but very few are this affordable, or available in this smaller size. Remember, 20-inch monitors with 1080p resolution are lately rare, so the 21-inch Acer SB220Q bi makes for a better alternative, offering a full HD (1,920 x 1,080) resolution display without crossing the $100 price tag.
However, there’s always a better alternative if you’re willing to spend a little more and settle for a bigger screen. The 27-inch AOC 27B1H, for instance, is about $60 more. For that extra bit of cash, you end up getting a better contrast ratio, a widescreen display, and a 3-sided frameless design. It’s safe to say the E205W will last a long time, but you may need a higher resolution to match the signal pushed by modern desktop PCs.
Should you buy it?
No. While the Sceptre E205W-16003R offers everything you need in a budget monitor – stylish design, nice price, VESA support and decent connectivity, its low resolution (1600 x 900) holds it back from being the best around. For that, the Acer SB220Q bi offers more value with a Full HD (1080p) resolution, a more premium design and better image and color quality.
Overall, the 21-inch Acer SB220Q bi is one of the most affordable options to enjoy gaming and productivity in 1080p resolutions. It uses an In-Plane Switching (IPS) to deliver decent color accuracy and good gray-scale performance without pilling on your power bills. It remains our Editors’ choice for budget monitors.
Sceptre E205W-16003R 20" 75Hz Ultra Thin Frameless LED Monitor 2x HDMI VGA Build-in Speakers, Metallic Black 2018
US 1+
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Solid display quality
- Attractive design
Cons
- Lower than 1080p resolution
- Average brightness
The Review
Sceptre E205W-16003R
The Sceptre E205W-16003R is a nice-looking monitor with a stylish design and a reasonable price for day-to-day productivity. Again, its small form factor make for a display that’s silky, crystal clear, tack-sharp and lots of other superlatives. But without getting into gamma and contrast settings, the monitor just looks great and works as it should.
Editors' Recommendations
Sceptre E205W-16003R 20" 75Hz Ultra Thin Frameless LED Monitor 2x HDMI VGA Build-in Speakers, Metallic Black 2018
$69.84 in stock
13 used from $75.75
PROS
- Inexpensive
- Solid display quality
- Attractive design
CONS
- Lower than 1080p resolution
Review Breakdown
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EDITORS RATING
