Yes, it has the newfangled LED backlights at this low price! Lower than some other non LED monitors of the same screen size. Why is it a big deal? Because most flat screen monitors use florescent bulbs which burn out after a few years of almost constant use. Once they begin to age, florescent bulbs start to flicker too, just like the ones in the ceiling of so many buildings. This flicker will really get to you if you spend a lot of time in front of a monitor. Besides, some studies show that florescent light is not good for our eyes and can contribute to increased irritability. Then, there's the eco factor. LEDs use a lot less electricity to be just as bright or brighter than florescent bulbs. They are also made with less toxic and lower toxicity materials. Florescent bulbs even contain gasses that are harmful if the bulb is broken.I'd give this full stars if the stand was the same height as my other Acer monitor. I bought this one thinking I'd use it for a second monitor on my desktop PC setup. It is close to the same model, but not exactly the same as my other one. It has the same screen dimensions, but for some reason, the good folks at Acer decided to make the pedestal for the base two inches taller. The base itself is round rather than oval and is an inch narrower in diameter too. This may make it use a little less desk space, but it also makes it slightly more wobbly on my computer cart's monitor shelf. Both monitors fit side by side on the shelf nicely though the 'two eyes' appearance of having dual monitors is slightly cockeyed due to the difference in height. Update: I thought I could get used to it, but I must have just a little case of OCD, because it was distracting the heck out of me in a few hours. I put a inch and a half thick book under the old monitor so that the screens are now the same height.My old one doesn't tilt at all, but I don't mind because straight up and down is how I need it for where it is sitting at almost eye level. The new one tilts a little bit, but the tilting is quite stiff. Trying to adjust it makes you feel that you may break something before you see how far it tilts. I'm keeping it at straight up and down.I've noticed that the new one has a different design to it too. It's not glaringly different, but enough that it's noticeable when you look at them side by side. The corners of the new monitor are more squared, the frame around the screen is a little thinner, the base is round and has ridges on the front half rather than being smooth, the back has more vents (a great thing actually!) and is more squared, and the ports are on the bottom of the housing instead of on the back. This last one would probably be a big deal if I was thinking of hanging it on a wall. Not sure I could even hang the old one on a wall without messing up the cables since the ports stick straight out the back.Since the new one is taller, I'll have a little more room under the new screen for the inevitable collection of knickknacks that find their way onto a computer desk over time. :) With the old Acer monitor, I'm more limited in how tall these knickknacks can be.The brightness, color settings, etc are almost identical to the other model. If I put them on the same settings, they are virtually indistinguishable when showing the same wallpaper. But, the settings buttons are in a new more obvious place. On the old model, they were on the bottom of the screen frame and almost invisible unless you tilt your head to see under the monitor a bit. On the new one, they are on the front of the screen frame where they can be seen in the right light. They may as well be on the bottom however, since they aren't labeled. You still have to tap buttons and try to line them up with the graphics that appear on the screen above them to figure out what they do. I find on both that the best bet is to put them on 'movie' mode for my usually semi-dark office. Funny to see them on the front in this day and age of designers trying to make everything look sleek.It has a DVI input like my old one does (a main reason why I bought it, that and the LED backlight replacing the fluorescent lights that all LED flat screen monitors used to have.), though it didn't come with a DVI cable. They aren't hard to get though, so I'll go get another one. The difference between VGA (the usually blue plug that comes with every monitor) and DVI isn't too noticeable in text websites and 'productivity' software, but I'll be quite apparent when I try playing 3D rendered video games on this new monitor with a VGA cable if I don't get a new cable. Monitors that come with a DVI cable often cost a lot more than what it'll cost me to go and get a DVI cable myself, so its okay.It's a good quality monitor that does all it should for its price point. It's not a cutting edge thin frame monitor that costs more than my computer did to build a few years ago, but it will get the job done for me. Just getting LED backlight at this price is a 'wow' factor for me.