I'm looking for a flat 24–25 inch 1080p monitor under €200. I usually run my display at only 20–30% brightness and don't use HDR. I'm not particularly impressed by Fast IPS monitors because I find their blacks too gray, although I also want to avoid a display that causes eye strain or headaches during long sessions. The TCL 25G64 caught my attention at around €180, but I've read that it may be uncomfortable below 75% brightness. Since Mini-LED's main benefit seems to be local dimming and improved contrast, would it still make sense for my usage with HDR disabled and brightness set low? Or would a VA monitor under €200 be a better choice?
3 Answers
Mini-LED isn’t a panel type by itself—it’s a backlight system used with an underlying IPS or VA panel. The TCL still uses an IPS panel, and its local dimming is mainly useful for HDR. If you plan to leave HDR disabled, you probably won’t get much value from paying extra for Mini-LED. IPS colors aren’t inherently washed out either; poor calibration or a low-quality panel can be responsible, though IPS blacks will generally look gray compared with VA.
VA is probably the better match if deeper blacks are your priority and you don’t care about HDR. VA panels usually offer noticeably better contrast than IPS, but they can have black smearing or slower dark-scene response. If you aren’t particularly sensitive to that, a decent VA monitor may look better for your use than an IPS-based Mini-LED display.
There isn’t a perfect display technology at this price. IPS tends to have better motion handling and viewing angles, while VA gives you stronger contrast but may introduce smearing. Since you use low brightness and HDR is not important to you, I’d focus on finding a well-reviewed VA model rather than choosing Mini-LED solely for the name.
That’s why I was specifically considering Mini-LED: the local dimming could potentially improve IPS contrast. I’m not treating it as a completely separate panel technology.