For $550, Samsung's 2263DX delivers two monitors in one: a 22-inch LCD and a secondary 7-inch display that's handy for expanding your screen real estate. Unfortunately, this added convenience commands a price premium, and the 2263DX is nearly double the cost of an average 22-inch monitor.
The main 22-inch display looks sleek, with a thin, glossy black bezel on the top, left, and right sides, plus a thin, translucent plastic casing on the bottom. It has a native resolution of 1680 by 1050, a contrast ratio of 1000:1, and inputs for DVI, HDMI, and VGA. It achieved high marks in the PC World Test Center's performance tests, taking sixth place in overall performance and earning a score of Very Good. Overall, the 2263DX came in second on our chart of 20- and 22-inch LCDs, thanks to its performance, its wealth of features, and its high design-quality scores.
Before attaching the secondary LCD, you connect it via USB to the main 22-inch one. Then you must link the 22-incher to the PC, through USB in addition to DVI, HDMI, or VGA. The small LCD can sit on the top or along either side of the main monitor's casing, and it can double as a portable secondary display for your laptop. I found it useful for housing Photoshop tools, my music player, a video conferencing window, or instant messaging windows--and I even used it as a digital photo frame (not all at the same time, of course). We did not test the secondary LCD's image quality, but in our informal tests the 800-by-480-resolution screen produced pleasing images--similar in quality to those shown on the main 22-inch display--when displaying YouTube videos and photos.
No matter where I positioned the secondary display, however, my PC always seemed to think it was on the right side, making navigation frustrating if I chose to locate the display anywhere else. Though going into Windows' Display Settings menu to update the location fixes the problem, doing so is a hassle. Furthermore, the secondary unit has its own built-in processor, but because it's connected via USB, it still has latency issues, meaning the 7-inch monitor freezes for brief moments and then corrects itself. My PC sometimes forgot that the smaller screen existed, too. For example, I opened some photos on the 7-inch display, but clicking the full-screen button automatically moved them to the main 22-inch display.
Samsung's 2263DX is best suited for consumers who need to declutter their desks, or for graphic designers who could use the added screen space for their software tools. Most people would be better off buying two of Samsung's own 20-inch 205BW monitors for the cost of one 22-inch 2263DX--and they'd still have some money left over.
--Greg Adler