Monoprice IPS-Glass Panel Pro 27" LCD Monitor
by Chris Heinonen on October 22, 2013 2:40 AM ESTComing off the cheaper Monoprice display I have to admit I wasn’t looking forward to the IPS-Glass Pro Panel version that much. With the issues that I found before I expected to find a low price that had a pair of serious flaws I would not be able to get past. So when I actually used the Monoprice for a while and ran the numbers on it, I came away very surprised.
Out of the box it really is nothing special. The pre-calibration data is okay but not excellent, and the on-screen display is the same one I used with Nixeus and never really loved. The stand is limited in adjustments as well, and the glossy plastic bezels are a design choice I wish companies would move away from.
Calibrate the Monoprice IPS-Glass Panel Pro and it turns into something else entirely. The panel and electronics have enough quality to provide for an excellent image after calibration. You can even call it almost reference quality if you stick just to the center portions of the screen. Only a few colors that produce dE2000 levels above 2.0 keep it from being a true reference even if the overall average dE2000 is very low. The last thing to cause concern is the bright corners which will distract more if you play a lot of darker games or watch movies on it.
When the price of $475 is taken into account, the Monoprice becomes something of a steal. Yes, you can still get a Korean import model for less but it won’t have the HDMI or DisplayPort inputs, and it will lack the warranty that Monoprice offers. The overall performance comes in ahead of the Nixeus VUE 27 that I’ve usually recommended for a value 27” display as well. The main competition is the Dell U2713HM that offers two main benefits: a more adjustable, ergonomic stand and better pre-calibration results.
The Dell can now be found for around $540 so you’ll have to decide if those features are worth the extra $75 to you. The Monoprice does go on sale for $400 sometimes, but the Dell can be found refurbished for the same $400 making it a wash to me. I’m glad that Monoprice is able to offer a good performing, 27” display for a bargain price. If you’re after a 27” display and want good performance as well as a selection of inputs, the Monoprice IPS-Glass Panel Pro is definitely worth checking out.
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Infy102 - Tuesday, October 22, 2013 - link
Would it not be neat if monitors had ambient light sensors that would automatically adjust the brightness? My Sony TV from 2006 already has such a feature!cjb110 - Tuesday, October 22, 2013 - link
phones have this, yet there are tons of problems with the various implementations, how fast, how much, user limits etc So I can't see this coming to displays like this, esp as the environmental conditions are more static (and/or controllable) than TV/Phone usage.purerice - Wednesday, October 23, 2013 - link
The fact that conditions are more static may make for a feature less-commonly used, but would also reduce inaccuracies due to constantly changing light conditions that you have when using a cell phone. Over the course of the average day the light in the room where I work gradually shifts from dark to bright and back to dark before the high-powered lights go on. If a screen like this would adjust with the slowly changing ambient light without me having to adjust any settings on my keyboard I would be thrilled.CaedenV - Thursday, October 24, 2013 - link
sure, if it is like a phone screen or TV then there could be issues, but if it was software controlled with preset user settings (like a good fan controller) then it would not be an issue.LordOfTheBoired - Tuesday, October 22, 2013 - link
2006? That's nothing. We had two TVs with this feature when I was growing up in the dark ages of the 1980s. I used to play with them by putting my hand over the photosensor and watching the display go dim and bright again. :)It's somewhat absurd that three decades later, the feature is less common than ever. Especially with all the intelligence you could design it with using modern electronics. Put a few photosensors in at different locations to avoid a transient shadow, and let the microprocessor figure out WTF is going on when a shadow passes across the screen.
foxalopex - Tuesday, October 22, 2013 - link
I have to agree it's kind of silly. My Sony VPC-Z11 series laptop from 2010 had autodimming and it worked pretty much perfectly. Fast forward to 2013 and my Asus Tablet sort of has this feature. It will brighten in response to too much light but it won't dimm without power it on and off. I setup an Asus Laptop and autodimming didn't work. My NEC PA242W has this feature as well (and it works) but it is turned off by default because it would likely mess with the calibration on a monitor this precise. So it seems oddly it's not an easily implementable feature.DanNeely - Tuesday, October 22, 2013 - link
My 2008 NEC 3090 has an auto-dimming feature; but I was never happy with it. Part was that with light coming from 3-5 directions beside/behind me my shadows was complex enough that adjusting my position a few inches generally changed the number hitting it's sensor triggering an adjustment. The bigger problem was that it was one of 3 monitors on my desk; and even if all 3 had the option, unless they had a way to communicate with each other, there's zero chance of them all getting the same amount of light falling on them.Moricon - Tuesday, October 22, 2013 - link
I have a xrite Colormunki attached to my PC which automatically adjusts my 3 x Dell U2412m. most of the time when i a, working its late at night with minimal lighting so the xrite automatically backs off the brightness for me whilst still keeping it calibrated. Its an eye saver for sure.BrightCandle - Tuesday, October 22, 2013 - link
Its a problem with a lot of monitors, the minimum brightness is still too high for realistic usage. Once you get to having to turn down the contrast to reduce the brightness somewhat you are already in trouble and the quality of the image really suffers for it.Death666Angel - Tuesday, October 22, 2013 - link
My Samsung has an ambient light sensor. But I don't use it, on most phones it has been pretty annoying. On my Nexus 7 2013 it does not bother me. But environment light changes a lot more when I use my Nexus than in my room where the PC display is. Also, it doesn't save me any battery on my PC display. :P