1680 × 1050

1680x1050, known by the less-than-memorable acronym WSXGA+ (Wide Super Extended Graphics Array Plus), was the definitive resolution for 22-inch widescreen monitors during the golden age of LCD adoption in the mid to late 2000s. This 16:10 aspect ratio resolution represented the high end of mainstream desktop displays before 1920x1080 and 1920x1200 panels became widely affordable, and it served millions of users in both professional and consumer settings throughout its decade-long reign. The resolution emerged as LCD manufacturers transitioned from 4:3 to widescreen panels in the 2003-2006 timeframe. The 22-inch form factor at 1680x1050 offered a compelling upgrade from the 17 and 19-inch monitors that had dominated desktops, providing 35% more pixels than the 1440x900 panels found in 19-inch displays. For office workers, this additional space was transformative, enabling comfortable side-by-side document viewing for the first time on a mainstream desktop monitor. In the gaming world of the late 2000s, 1680x1050 was considered a sweet spot resolution. GPUs of the era — the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT, ATI Radeon HD 4870, and their contemporaries — could drive this resolution at playable frame rates with high graphical settings in the most demanding titles of the time, including Crysis, World of Warcraft, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. The resolution was demanding enough to benefit from quality GPU hardware while remaining achievable without the absolute top-tier (and most expensive) graphics cards. 1680x1050 also found a home in Apple's 20-inch Cinema Display and the iMac 20-inch model, reinforcing the Mac ecosystem's commitment to 16:10 panels. These Apple displays were renowned for their color accuracy and build quality, making 1680x1050 a familiar resolution for creative professionals working in graphic design, photography, and desktop publishing throughout the late 2000s. The decline of 1680x1050 mirrors the broader decline of the 16:10 aspect ratio. As television-driven 16:9 manufacturing became the industry norm around 2010-2012, the 22-inch monitor segment shifted to 1920x1080 panels that offered more horizontal pixels at the expense of 30 vertical pixels. While purists mourned the loss of vertical space, the economic reality of unified panel production made 16:9 the inevitable winner. The 22-inch monitor category itself has also contracted, squeezed between more popular 24-inch and 27-inch options. Despite its declining availability in new hardware, 1680x1050 continues to appear in the installed base of many corporate and educational environments. Large organizations often operate display hardware on five-to-ten-year refresh cycles, meaning millions of 22-inch monitors at this resolution remain in active daily use. IT administrators and web developers serving these environments must continue to account for 1680x1050 viewports in their testing and design processes. For those nostalgic for the 16:10 era, 1680x1050 represents a resolution that prioritized productivity over media consumption. Its extra vertical space compared to 16:9 equivalents made it a favorite among professionals who valued document height, toolbar space, and timeline visibility in creative applications. While the market has moved on, the principles that made 1680x1050 popular — balancing pixel density, workspace, and performance — continue to guide display design today.