WHAT'S HOT: This professional model from NEC-Mitsubishi looks great on a desk, and it offers enough ergonomic adjustments to make any viewer comfortable: The panel tilts, swivels, and pivots from landscape to portrait orientation; the base's neck lets you adjust the height. Its bezel is only three-quarters of an inch wide, so you can easily place two monitors side-by-side for tiling your desktop to view large spreadsheets or to see many windows at once. NEC-Mitsubishi provides LiquidView software with its LCD monitors, an application that lets you easily scale up the size of icons and type (which can look small at the unit's native resolution of 1280 by 1024 pixels). The LCD1850X posted solid scores on our graphics tests, displaying vivid colors and clear detail on photos. Icons and type on the Windows desktop also looked sharp.

WHAT'S NOT: At $1799, the LCD1850X is the second most expensive monitor in our March 2002 roundup. Judges noted pronounced banding when the unit displayed a plain white screen.

WHAT ELSE: The MultiSync LCD1850X does not have a USB hub, but you can add a MultiSync sound bar with speakers and a headphone jack for about $90. The sound bar can be attached to either the long edge or the short edge of the monitor, depending on whether you want to use the screen in portrait or landscape orientation. NEC-Mitsubishi includes a 21-page printed user guide, a CD-ROM with drivers, and a thorough, 33-page manual. The monitor uses in-plane switching to increase the angle of view, which NEC-Mitsubishi rates at 170 degrees both horizontally and vertically.

UPSHOT: Loaded with high-end features and providing fine overall image quality, this is a monitor for the power user who puts features and performance well before price.

SUMMARY

NEC-Mitsubishi MultiSync LCD1850X 18.1-inch screen, 1280 by 1024 native resolution, 15.7 by 8.6 by 17.5 inches, 18.7 pounds, active-matrix TFT panel, digital and analog inputs, TCO'99 compliant. Three-year warranty (including backlight); 24-hour daily toll-free support. $1799 800/632-6487 www.necmitsubishi.com