{"id":814,"date":"2022-09-29T00:20:05","date_gmt":"2022-09-29T00:20:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/engadget.vip\/?p=814"},"modified":"2022-09-29T00:20:05","modified_gmt":"2022-09-29T00:20:05","slug":"viewsonic-vx2336s-led-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/?p=814","title":{"rendered":"ViewSonic VX2336s-LED Review"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class='booster-block booster-read-block'><\/div><\/p>\n<h2>Pros<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Stupendous value for money<\/li>\n<li>Superb image quality<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Cons<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Unattractive chassis<\/li>\n<li>Basic connectivity<\/li>\n<li>Limited adjustability<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"review-key-specifications\">Key Specifications<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Review Price: \u00a3111.00<\/li>\n<li>23in Full HD (1920 x 1080) matt IPS panel<\/li>\n<li>Matt\/glossy black chassis<\/li>\n<li>Tilt<\/li>\n<li>DVI, VGA<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When buying an LCD monitor, panel type is one of the prime considerations. TN, found in the vast majority of affordable displays, is the least desirable panel tech due to poor viewing angles which mange colours and contrast &#8211; despite its faster response time still making it the default choice for FPS fanatics. The best balance between speed and quality is found with IPS and Samsung\u2019s PLS equivalent &#8211; and from once being priced in the hundreds of pounds, we\u2019re now seeing a whole range of 23in IPS monitors for under \u00a3180.<\/p>\n<p>First we had the \u00a3145 AOC i2353Fh, then we looked at the \u00a3170 Philips Blade 2, and we\u2019ll soon be putting the \u00a3175 Dell UltraSharp U2312HM on our test bench. However, today we\u2019re looking at a rather special entrant: the \u00a3111 ViewSonic VX2336s, or VX2336s-LED to give it its full title.<br \/><\/img><br \/>No that price is not a typo, you\u2019re really paying a mere \u00a3111 for a Full HD, IPS-panel, 23in monitor \u2013 making it not only the cheapest of its kind but the cheapest IPS monitor ever. That\u2019s seriously impressive on paper, yet leaves us wondering if ViewSonic managed to maintain adequate quality.<\/p>\n<p>The VX2336s-LED is neatly packaged and includes VGA and DVI cables. The display itself comes in two parts, but assembly is as easy as clicking the base and monitor leg together. <br \/><\/img><br \/>So far so good, but from a design perspective this ViewSonic is the least attractive monitor we have seen in a very long time. It mixes glossy and matt plastics in an attempt at visual appeal that falls rather flat; its chassis is as bulky as we remember from CCFL-backlit displays; its stand is plain without any cable tidying; and the VX2336s-LED\u2019s controls are horribly prominent in the bezel at the front. <br \/><\/img><br \/>One immediate advantage to the monitor\u2019s bulk is that it doesn\u2019t require an external power brick as most of the slimmer models on the market do. Build quality is also a lot better than this ViewSonic\u2019s looks would suggest. Sure there\u2019s the occasional creak, but generally the plastics used are solid and the predominant matt finish feels good to the fingers. Adjustability is as basic as we would expect at this price, with tilt being the only option.<br \/><\/img><br \/>Connectivity likewise comprises the bare minimum, with VGA for analogue and DVI taking care of digital. The lack of HDMI is certainly no problem when it comes to video signal, as HDMI-DVI adapters are very cheap and easy to get, but it does mean you\u2019ll need to get your audio directly from the source. Connecting multiple digital sources can also be achieved by buying an HDMI adapter and splitter, though you may be better off spending the extra on a display that offers multiple digital inputs to begin with.<\/p>\n<p>As mentioned, the controls on the VX2336s-LED\u2019s front bezel are a bit of an eyesore, but they are particularly easy to find and use, especially since they consist of four well-spaced, protruding buttons in groups of two to either side of the blue-LED-backlit power button. They might not feel like quality but offer a crisp click and, unlike some, they\u2019re usable even in the dark. From a practical standpoint, ViewSonic has done a great job, though shortcuts could have been better.<br \/><\/img><br \/>The OSD is basic and plain. Though we don\u2019t mind its lack of visual appeal, it also lacks advanced options like overdrive calibration, though automatic aspect ratio adjustment and dynamic contrast controls are present. Another niggle is that colour temperatures are listed as \u201cBluish, Cool, Native and Warm\u201d rather than in degrees Kelvin, which might be perceived as being friendly for novice users but is actually not particularly helpful. <\/p>\n<p>So far the VX2336s-LED is not exactly good-looking, its adjustability and connectivity are as basic as it gets, and its OSD is unimpressive at best. But really, a monitor should be primarily about image quality, and ViewSonic\u2019s choice of a Full HD 23in IPS panel practically guarantees a better experience than most similarly-priced TN-based rivals. Furthermore, we discovered to our pleasant surprise that the VX2336s is not just better than TN rivals, it\u2019s one of the best 23in IPS screens we\u2019ve seen \u2013 despite also being the most affordable. <br \/><\/img><br \/>First off, ViewSonic has done a superb job on out of the box settings. As usual brightness is set way too high for comfort at 100 percent, but in every other regard we would be more than happy using the VX2336s as it arrived. Viewing angles are simply superb, with no sign of the contrast or colour shift that\u2019s minimally present on even some pretty pricey IPS monitors. <\/p>\n<p>Contrast is also excellent, with every little dark detail clearly distinguishable without sacrificing differentiation or purity in whites. Despite the VX2336s-LED\u2019s matt finish, colours are plenty vivid and blacks remain relatively deep. Backlighting is also superbly even, perhaps thanks to the roomy chassis dispensing with the bleed from bezel pressure many thinner displays suffer from. <br \/><\/img><br \/>Superb sharpness and no sign of artefacts like banding complete a very rosy picture indeed. For gamers, meanwhile, only the most fanatical FPS players will find much to complain about, despite a quoted 14ms response time (which is probably a lot more honest than those of most manufacturers). In fact, our only and rather minor image quality issue with this stunning ViewSonic monitor is the purple tinge most IPS screens have to some degree, and it\u2019s not nearly as noticeable here as it was on the Philips Blade 2.<\/p>\n<p>This really is a superb performance for any display, and especially one that will only set you back \u00a3111. And the VX2336s will continue going easy on your wallet even after you\u2019ve purchased it, with a standby power rating of 0.5W and getting as low as 21W during use. <br \/><\/img><br \/>Its closest IPS price rival, the AOC i2353Fh, is \u00a3145. Of course, if you can afford the extra \u00a334, the AOC offers better connectivity and design that\u2019s in a whole different league. However, this ViewSonic gives you slightly better image quality and, at this level, \u00a334 can mean quite a lot.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Verdict<\/strong><br \/>The cheapest 23in Full HD IPS monitor we\u2019ve ever reviewed is also one of the best. Sure, the ViewSonic VX2336s-LED\u2019s design is utilitarian while its connectivity and menus are basic, but it offers image quality so far above what you would expect for the price that these drawbacks are easy to forgive. After all, when you get right down to it a display should primarily be about its screen, and here the VX2336s truly excels.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"review-trusted-score\">Trusted Score<\/h2>\n<h3>Score in detail<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Quality 10<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\tDesign 5<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\tValue 10<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\tFeatures 6<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pros Stupendous value for money Superb image quality Cons Unattractive chassis Basic connectivity Limited adjustability Key Specifications Review Price: \u00a3111.00 23in Full HD (1920 x 1080) matt IPS panel Matt\/glossy black chassis Tilt DVI, VGA When buying an LCD monitor, panel type is one of the prime considerations. TN, found in the vast majority of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":815,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[13,14,15,16,12,25],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/814"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=814"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/814\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engadget.vip\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}