If a monitor just for working at spreadsheets and word documents is what you want, then the 27-inch BenQ GW2785TC won't disappoint. Sporting a noise-cancelling microphone, built-in speakers, and BenQ's EyeCare tech, the GW2785TC is great for office work. That is, if you can put up with slightly less-sharp visuals due to its full-HD display.

Unlike the more gaming centric BenQ Mobiuz EX2710S, the GW2785TC sports a 75Hz refresh rate. This isn't the best for gaming, but it's still above 60Hz. I don't see it being very useful for productivity too, but it's above average. I also like that the screen is bright, and the colours vibrant. Though, as I pointed out earlier, the full-HD resolution isn't as sharp on a 27-inch display. The audio from the 2W speakers on the monitor are tiny, and not worth your time. The noise-canceling mics, however, do work great. They do cancel out background fan noise, but expect some clipping in the audio as it tries to work its magic.

The monitor has a quite a few productivity tools to make life better. There's a mode called Brightness Intelligence that automatically adjusts the brightness based on ambient light. It works, but there's an annoying logo that pops up at the bottom right corner every time it adjusts — the logo can be turned off. You can also choose the other modes, such as Low Blue Light Plus that filters out blue light while still maintaining bright colours. Or select Coding Mode which makes colours pop when you're in a coding text editor. A Reading Mode tints the screen to look like e-paper. The Colour Weakness mode is supposed to help colour-blind folks, but as a red-green colour-blind person, I couldn't really see if it was working

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All these are accessed through the on-screen menu, but navigating can be a bit cumbersome with the four buttons located at the bottom right corner of the display. The monitor comes with a stand that offers a wide range of motion including height, tilt and pivot. Ports-wise, it comes with HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort 1.2, and USB-C which can be used to both charge your laptop (60W) and work as DisplayPort Alt mode. You can also daisy chain monitors if your operating system supports it.

The BenQ GW2785TC 27-inch FHD Monitor retails for S$419. You can also consider a smaller 24-inch version if desk space is a premium. Overall, it's a decent monitor for work if you can live with the full-HD resolution on a 27-inch display. Get it from Shopee or Lazada. A slightly different and cheaper model (with an inferior stand), is available on Amazon SG, too.

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Note: Review unit provided by BenQ.