Monoprice Zero-G Slim 27" IPS Monitor Review
by Chris Heinonen on August 26, 2013 12:00 AM ESTThe Monoprice Zero-G seems to be clearly aimed at those after a cheap 27” 2560x1440 monitor who don’t care about extras or frills. This market was opened up by Korean imports like the Catleap and now has a number of companies trying to compete with those eBay sellers. Monoprice is entering the fray with the Zero-G, currently available for $391. That's a good price, but what does it get you?
The Zero-G is a bit curious in its results. The out-of-box numbers are really quite bad, and the Brightness control does not function correctly. Outside of a narrow range it simply doesn’t do what it's supposed to do, and adjusting it too much causes a huge loss of contrast ratio as well as even worse gamma. The color accuracy also is very poor out of the box.
Once you calibrate it, the Monoprice puts out a fantastic image. The contrast ratio suffers due to the brightness limitation, but color and grayscale accuracy, as well as gamma, are spot-on. This behavior put the Zero-G into an area that makes it harder to recommend as a good solution for users.
If you need accuracy, you can spend $150-200 more and grab the Dell U2713HM, which is frequently on sale for around $600. You also gain an adjustable stand and multiple inputs instead of just DVI. You could spend the money on calibration gear, but by the time you have an accurate setup (which means software and a spectrometer, not just a colorimeter) you’re well past the price difference between the Monoprice and the Dell.
If you want to go cheap, for almost the same price you can find the Nixeus VUE 27 display for $485. It also has a stand and OSD that are entry-level like the Monoprice, but it has more inputs and better uncalibrated results. If you have a laptop or desktop without DVI output, you’re better off with the Nixeus as the DispayPort input alone will save you from buying a DVI-DL adapter that the Monoprice requires. I’ve seen the Nixeus selling for as little as $400 recently, and at that point the price different is negligible.
If the Monoprice had better out-of-the-box numbers I can see it being a good choice for some people. With its numbers and its lack of non-DVI inputs, that pool of users grows smaller. Factor in the strange rear-mounted controls and the competition it has, and it gets smaller still. Perhaps Monoprice can improve their firmware and get better results but right now the hardware itself doesn’t function as expected. With all the other choices available on the market, it’s hard to recommend the Monoprice Zero-G over another display that can be had for the same price and offers better performance and features.
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blackoctagon - Tuesday, August 27, 2013 - link
Minor pedantic correction: lack of OSD and a scaler (plus the fact that there is only DVI as the sole supported input) keeps input lag and overall latency low, but the pixel response time of the S-IPS panel remains the same as before, i.e., "approximately 6ms or less (GTG)"Koblek - Tuesday, August 27, 2013 - link
Thanks for the correction blackoctagon:)blackoctagon - Tuesday, August 27, 2013 - link
In a recent BenQ review Chris claimed that he would review these if he could get his hands on a sample. At the time he seemed unaware of Overlord - he claimed that the only overclockable IPS screens were imports - so I hope he will eventually review these delightful monitors.That said, no I'm not aware of any 'official'/pro reviews, just lots of glowing user reports
Subyman - Monday, August 26, 2013 - link
I have a korean 27" and it is a solid monitor. I also have a Viewsonic VP2770LED and it blows the korean monitor away in terms of quality and image. The step up from a typical TN to the korean is enormous, but so is the jump from the Korean to a fully featured high end monitor. Something that is very important for some people is the PWM dimming. I had major issues with head aches using the Korean monitor daily, while the Viewsonic has been pain free.atx9307 - Monday, August 26, 2013 - link
If anyone is looking to make a purchase at Monoprice now through 9/15, use code EMP1166 to get the lowest pricing listed on the site :)borderdeal - Monday, August 26, 2013 - link
I bought a X-Star monitor from ebay. I also got a Eye-one Display 2 calibrator for $35 shipped from ebay. I upgraded from a 27" 1920*1200 TN monitor. The X-star is way way better in color and viewing angels as expected. But calibrating the monitors made a big difference in both monitors. Even in the TN panel that I was amazed and regret not buying the Eye-one Display 2 before.cheinonen - Tuesday, August 27, 2013 - link
FYI (and for everyone else), the i1Display2 hasn't been made for a few years now. It has a non-sealed optics design that is especially prone to drift. I compared mine (kept in a sealed bag with silica) to a NIST-certified i1Pro the other year and the i1Display2 had an average dE2000 error of close to 10.0. They can measure light output fine, but getting color accuracy from them after more than a year or two just doesn't happen due to the design.Impulses - Tuesday, August 27, 2013 - link
Any recommendations for a decent calibrator on a budget?borderdeal - Tuesday, August 27, 2013 - link
I think he is talking about this one but it is not cheap:http://www.amazon.com/X-Rite-EODIS3-i1Display-Pro/...
blackoctagon - Tuesday, August 27, 2013 - link
Spyder4Express?