Upon opening the box, I was introduced to one of the best looking upscale monitors I have ever seen. The 181T has a very small border with the control buttons designed tightly and neatly on the bottom of the screen; the goal had been minimal footprint and it is certainly achieved here. The construction of the monitor is sturdy and has a high quality feel to it. The image quality is simply one of the best in its class. The other main LCD manufactures in the market such as NEC, Viewsonic, and Sony also have similar models in the same price range, but Samsung has managed to pull away and offer something better than all others here as you will see in the comparison that follows.