ASUS VG236H 23-inch 3D Display Review: 120Hz is the Future

Impressions and Subjective Analysis

Packaging for the VG246H is definitely a step above the drab cardboard boxes all my other monitors have come in, but honestly it’s probably not going to be something you keep around. Still nicely done though.

Inside is lots of styrofoam - the 3D Vision Kit comes cleverly nested in a small recessed area off to the right and gets protected the same way as the display. Carefully placed inside is the display itself, the monitor base, a few accessories bags for cables, a manual and getting started guide, and the warranty.

Assembling the display is easy, but not quite as polished of an undertaking as the other stands I’ve used. You lay the display flat on a desk or table (which is a bit scary, since you could scuff or scratch the important bits you're going to be staring at), and then screw the base into the display arm using a supplied nut which folds down, letting the assembly rotate.

The part that’s scary is releasing the height adjustment lock, which is literally a pin jammed in the mechanism, preventing the spring loaded height-adjustment arm from extending. There’s an awesome diagram in the manual which pretty much says it all.

There’s also a yellow warning sticker right above where the pin is too. Thank goodness. Seriously, pull that pin out carefully, and only when you’re ready, or the monitor base will literally smash into your chest, or... other sensitive bits like that diagram above. Not fun.

Other display arms also usually have a height lock with a button of some kind, locking the display in its lowest height position. That makes it easy to transport the whole display assembly without having the base extended all the way and hitting your knees the whole time. Unfortunately, the VG236H lacks one of those - pick the display up, and the base will be sticking all the way out in its maximum extended position. Honestly, this is is the only truly major oversight on the entire display that I have some issue with.

The nice part about the display base however is that it swivels 150 degrees in each direction, which is awesome. The stand also tilts, and you get about 4 inches of height travel.

Tilt: -5 degrees to15 degrees

To be honest, the display arm feels a bit flimsy, but gets the job done just fine. The assembly is nicely balanced as well, not requiring much force to rotate, tilt, or adjust height. There’s no locking mechanisms for any of those three axes of adjustment, however. 

Height Travel

Again, most of the monitor’s plastic bits that face you are glossy plastic, and do show fingerprints. Curiously enough, the back of the display is standard textured matte plastic. I’m left wondering why the whole thing couldn’t be this way. The base of the display is also glossy, as is a bit of the height adjustment arm.

There’s a cable guide on the back, if you use those.

Additionally, the display is VESA mount compatible (the arm it ships with is screwed in there), so you can roll your own stand if you choose like I usually do.