My ol' CRT monitor blew up some time ago (like a month already?) prompting me to to get a replacement. Well, it's kinda sad since I loved that monitor despite being huge, have a standard aspect ratio (4:3), and needs some kind of workaround every time I shut it down. On the bright side, color reproduction is excellent, doesn't struggle in bright light, minimal reflections, no dead pixels, no ghosting, looks great even on low resolutions, and a far better viewing angle. But all of that would be useless if you can't really turn it on anymore.
So after a week or so of surveying, I put my prime target on
Samsung SyncMaster EX2220X LED Monitor. However, as I arrived at Plaza Low Yat, I can't find it anymore (except for one last shop). Taking a look at the current pricelists, I found a model with almost similar yet better specifications, but pricier: the
Samsung SyncMaster BX2231 LED Monitor.
I've set a few criteria for the new monitor:
- It must have good color reproduction (since I do graphics and photo editing)
- Should be at least as high as my old 17" monitor
- Have a resolution of at least 1920 x 1080 (higher than 1024 pixels high)
- Have DVI or HDMI inputs (D-Sub is muddy for LCDs)
- No speakers (that would add up costs and I already have a good pair)
- A response time of at least 5ms (to prevent ghosting)
- LED display (so that the contrast would be higher)
Having said that, the BX2231 meets and even exceeds these criteria. It's a 21.5" LED monitor, have a resolution of 1920 x 1080, have two HDMI inputs, no speakers, and a response time of 2ms. I've seen the demo model in the store and color reproduction seems good, just like most Samsung monitors I found.
Now the unboxing.
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| The box |
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| Contents inside the box. You can see cables and the monitor itself in their wrappings. |
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| D-Sub cable |
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| DVI to HDMI cable |
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| Manual, warranty, microfiber cloth, driver CD, power cable |
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| DC adapter |
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| The monitor outside the white wrappings |
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| Monitor inputs. Note the two HDMI slots and an audio out jack. |
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| Monitor stand |
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| Monitor base with installation manual |
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| Monitor base with stand |
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| The assembled monitor |
Uh, something missing? Yep, a HDMI cable. If you're planning on using that, ask your dealer whether it includes it or not before you go home. The manual indicates the optional parts are: a HDMI cable, a DVI cable, a HDMI to DVI cable, and a microfiber cleaning cloth.
So how does it work? Colors seem well done, contrast was superb, viewing angles are good enough and there is no ghosting whatsoever. The monitor can also adjust the aspect ratio automatically, so you won't get stretched displays.
But I do have some gripes about it. The stand is not adjustable. But even worse is the touch sensitive panels. I'm not a fan of it for being too sensitive or not sensitive enough, and this monitor is no exception. Even the power button is touch sensitive. It doesn't work well enough for me, even though the menu is easy to use. Thankfully the bundled software allows you to adjust the monitor settings from within Windows, using your mouse and keyboard. Dynamic Contrast is pretty good, but you'll notice that whenever the monitor displays a lot of blacks, the brightness will go down automatically. I just use custom settings instead.
Overall, its a good monitor (until I find any more issues about it) and I'd be happy to recommend it. Just watch out for that touch sensitive panels.
