AOC i2353Ph - IPS for a nice, low price
by Chris Heinonen on January 30, 2012 12:40 AM ESTeIPS: A Viable Budget Alternative to TN
I was quite pleased to see that IPS monitors are coming way down in price to where I can recommend them even to friends that are very budget conscious on their displays. I’ve been using a Dell FPW2005 IPS display for years now (and no longer want to recall how much I paid for it when it came out), but it has been a pleasure to work on since I got it. That you can now buy a display with higher resolution, lower lag, and more power efficient backlighting for less than half the price is a very good direction for displays.
In terms of performance, the AOC comes down right in the middle of the road. The lag is a little bit too high for hard core gamers, though I found it to be acceptable for casual gaming myself. The color gamut is also probably too limited for people that need it for editing photos professionally, as it can’t quite encompass the full sRGB colorspace, though the average and median Delta E values were more than acceptable. However, as a general purpose monitor for doing work I found the AOC to do a very good job of that. The matte screen means you won’t be dealing with reflections in a lit room, but you will be limited on adjustments due to the design of the stand.
For the price (currently $190 shipped online as I write this), the AOC is a good deal in my book. Users with specialized needs will want to look elsewhere, but those who are just after an affordable, well performing, general use monitor (or a secondary display) should go ahead and give it a look. It won't rival the color quality of the high-end displays, but it's definitely a step up from many inexpensive TN-based LCDs. If you've been looking for a good alternative to TN that won't break the bank, eIPS is the current best option.
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sviola - Wednesday, February 1, 2012 - link
Ok. Thanks for the info. So I'll still keep my Dell WFP2007.I really want someone to release a 120Hz IPS with 1920x1200 resolution.
JFish222 - Tuesday, January 31, 2012 - link
When I read these monitor reviews I often see a great deal of info on color calibration, contrast etc. but would it be possible to add a new metric to the reviews?I am specifically interested in text clarity and eye strain.
How would a given monitor compare for reading/heavy text usage?
As a developer I spend an incredible amount of time in front of the screen. I'm not sure what metrics correlate to a "good" viewing experience but a test around such criteria would be fantastic for the office workers and monitor jockies among us.
I have 7+ diff. monitor models at my office. And have found that some monitors are much easier on the eyes than others. We have a particular 22inch Dell IPS (about 5 years old now) that I would rate the best, but can't tell you what qualities provide such a comfortable viewing experience. There are other IPS monitors that do not match it, its pixel density is avg among our models, etc.
Would something like this be possible?
Thanks for another great review,
- J
mr2kat - Monday, February 6, 2012 - link
I have two of these monitors which I use for C# and asp.net development along with web design. My gold standard are my Dell PVA 24 inch monitors (I now have six 2408 monitors in total) and I also have 2 Dell IPS monitors (U2410's). I reject TN monitors as unusable for every day programming and design work.I was concerned that text would appear fuzzy because these are e-IPS monitors, but in daily use I see no significant difference between this monitor and my U2410's.
The LED back-light does provide higher contrast but after calibration I still prefer my U2410's. For programming I like to rotate my monitor display by 90 degrees, and I usually have 3 of these lined up side-by-side or two in the vertical and one in the horizontal attitude. Unfortunately the AOC monitor cannot be rotated and does not have height adjustment. However the monitors run incredibly cool and I am using them for web development.
My criteria (for work usage) is:
Viewing angle
Banding and color accuracy
Ergonomics (adjustment potential)
Eye strain and headache issues from long term use (>18 hours per day)
Relative to my Dell monitors, the AOC scores 9, 8, 3, 10 respectively. Against this, the best 120Hz TN monitor scores 2, 7, 9, 2. So I would say they are worth the price bump over TN for office and extended work usage.
I really wish they came as 24 inch monitors but on the odd occasion I watch media content the AOC is close to ideal. I have no ghosting on my displays (I use only the 2 hdmi connectors of course).
I still prefer my 2408's for day-to-day use, and until the AOC's arrived I considered the U2410 / Z24 to be the ideal compromise monitors. Despite ergonomic limitations the AOC is an excellent display and I will be buying more of them (I have 3 separate work stations in daily use). They set the minimum for acceptable workstation display IMUO.
slypher1024 - Saturday, February 4, 2012 - link
Any plans on reviewing the LG IPS236V or HP ZR2440w?svojoe - Saturday, March 3, 2012 - link
As per this article, I decided to buy this monitor.But I've had some problems, I have my second one now and I cannot get any display to show up on HDMI, I have tried 2 different cables and 3 different computers (two intel HD3000 and one ATOM/ION netbook) and I get nothing. I get output on VGA but not HDMI. AOC engineer told me I had a dud to RMA it. I did and my replacement is here doing the exact same thing. I need this monitor for a time sensitive deadline project and not having the extra screen space is hurting me.
No a single word on the net about problems with this monitor. But something us up for me to get two ;(
svojoe - Saturday, March 3, 2012 - link
After a day of tinkering I was able to figure it out. Its a windows 7/Intel HD driver issue. Default settings on Win7 Display modes would not allow it to be detected until i deleted all drivers for display and really messed around with the 'projector/external display settings'. Now it shows up.and it LOOKS AMAZING!
Welliam - Saturday, March 24, 2012 - link
Hi,I want to buy this monitor but some say it has blur in FPS which I play all the time. but I really like this monitor is it possible to adjust the vertical and horizontal refresh lines to prevent blur ?
please advise from people have this monitor I dont have another IPS choice near my place.
Pratyatosa - Tuesday, September 25, 2012 - link
1. When plugged into a switched outlet, can it be made to power up without having to press a power-on button?2. Can the speakers be made to work with the digital audio from the HDMI cable?
chamilafernando - Saturday, October 20, 2012 - link
Can someone confirm me this actually have an audio output please ?Tx
taeyeonwong - Sunday, January 20, 2013 - link
Hi! I've been looking for an external monitor for my MacBook Pro 13-inch Early 2011. Would this be a good monitor for my computer? I'm looking for a monitor that will display extremely crisp text, display accurate colours (vibrant colours) and doesn't lag when watching videos. I don't want ghosting or any bleeding either. Would this be a good monitor?