We admire the Eazeye for taking on the two biggest problems with the screens we stare at all day – power consumption and eye strain – in such a creative way, but its lack of brightness and colour accuracy means it’s hard to recommend. This innovative solution isn’t going to replace the best LED-backlit or OLED monitors any time soon.Before we start this Eazeye review, a little glimpse behind the curtain.
Where most monitors use a backlight, either an array of LEDs or a folded tube that sits behind the LCD matrix, the Eazeye taps into the ambient light of the room it's in, with a white reflective panel that hinges from the back of the screen to collect light and thus provide illumination - though there is an LED light bar too, for when it gets too dark.
It’s worth noting that we’re writing this before the Indiegogo campaign has even started, so it’s very much an early model. Ours came with a two-pronged type-A power adapter, though a British three-pin adapter was thoughtfully popped in the packaging, and an HDMI cable. The Eazeye’s biggest problem is that it’s just so dim. With the backlight switched on, we measured only 12 nits of brightness and 83% of the SRGB colour gamut. For comparison, the five-year-old ASUS monitor next to it on the desk managed 183 on the brightness chart, and 93% of SRGB.