TechRadar Verdict
A 24-inch panel would normally be a hard sell for content creation.
For a monitor aimed at photographers?
Oh dear, this is going to be a blocky, low-res 1080p affair, right?
(Image credit: BenQ)
The BenQ SW242Q is actually a 1600p panel.
With a 16:10 aspect ratio, that makes for 2,560 by 1,600 pixels.
Many creative pros and photo editors might prefer a 4K panel, for sure.
But a 4K monitor with the kind of feature set offered here costs serious money.
What kind of feature set, you ask?
Overall, it’s a strong package in the field ofbest monitors for photo editing.
(Image credit: BenQ)
But it’s very nicely built and feels like a quality item throughout.
You also get full adjustability, including height, tilt, swivel and rotate into portrait mode.
Connectivity is another strong point.
(Image credit: BenQ)
The usual HDMI and Displayport interfaces obviously feature.
The BenQ SW242Q also has a two-port USB-A hub and an SD Card slot.
It’s usefully smaller than the 27-inch and 32-inch panels that are more common in the creator monitor market.
(Image credit: BenQ)
BenQ SW242Q: Performance
An immediate concern with any 24-inch monitor is pixel density.
That’s because 1080p is very much the norm when it comes to native resolution with 24 inchers.
That give you a little more vertical space than usual.
(Image credit: BenQ)
It’s admittedly lower density than both 27-inch and 32-inch 4K monitors.
But it still allows for nice, crisp fonts and plenty of image detail.
Notably, this monitor looks great with MacOS and Apple MacBooks, which really benefit from decent pixel density.
(Image credit: BenQ)
Resolution aside, the main highlight is the quality of the IPS panel.
So, it’s right up there with thebest monitors for video editingtoo.
You also get a year’s free subscription to the Pantone Connect Premium smartphone app.
(Image credit: BenQ)
And the pixel response is nothing special.
But these are givens with an IPS panel with no local dimming.
BenQ SW242Q: Final verdict
A 24-inch monitor for content creators would normally be a hard sell.
(Image credit: BenQ)
But the BenQ SW242Q is a surprisingly appealing package.
Partly that’s down to the strong feature set.
It’s a very strong package at an appealing price.
For more content creation displays, we tested thebest monitors for graphic design.
