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Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level
Out of the box, the 221V8LN doesn’t quite hit its 250-nit spec, but at just over 235, it’s close. For any indoor space, this is plenty of light. The magic happens when checking out its very low black levels. They are twice as dark as the next screen, Dell’s S2422HG. That results in a superb contrast ratio of 4277:1, higher than almost every non-OLED panel I’ve tested. This is achieved with no clipping of highlight or shadow detail. Every brightness step is discernable from bottom to top, which is superlative performance.
After Calibration to 200 nits
The 221V8LN’s contrast increased a bit with calibration. Visually, the difference is tiny, but any gain is worth the effort. Black levels are super low, which makes highlights pop and color look more saturated. Regarding LCD native contrast, it truly doesn’t get much better than this.
The 221V8LN maintains its high contrast in the ANSI test. It’s closer to its static number than almost every monitor I’ve ever tested of any type. This is simply astounding in a $70 monitor.
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