AOC I2781FH

SCORE £150 (£180 inc VAT) from currys.co.uk

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he AOC I2781FH is a stylish, slimline giant. The slender body is mounted on top of a nifty-looking one-piece stand, and the narrow bezels surrounding the LCD panel mean that the 27in I2781FH doesn’t take up dramatically more room than many 24in monitors.

However, the pared-down design leaves the I2781FH with an external laptop-style power supply, and while the stand looks great, it provides only a small amount of front-to-back tilt. It’s a little too wobbly for our liking, as well.

Some will scoff at the I2781FH’s resolution: with a Full HD, 1,920 x 1,080 panel stretched across a 27in diagonal, the AOC looks fuzzy if you move in close. Thankfully, image quality is decent, with a high contrast ratio of 1,142:1 and a maximum brightness of 242cd/m2 dredging up detail from the darkest shadows.

Colour accuracy can’t match rivals such as Eizo, but it’s good enough for everyday use. Backlighting is even across the panel, and apart from a reddish tinge to whites and a similarly ruddy tint to skintones, there’s little to complain about.

If you prize looks over an adjustable stand, you won’t be disappointed by the AOC I2781FH – but the Iiyama XUB2790HS is the more practical choice.

KEY SPECS 27in IPS monitor Matte anti-glare finish 1,920 x 1,080 resolution HDMI (MHL), VGA 623 x 148 x 453mm (WDH) 4.3kg

The Asus VC239H is a shining example of a budget monitor that can go shoulder to shoulder with the big boys.

It’s true that there’s little in the way of fancy features. However, the curvy, black plastic body and narrow “infinity-edge” bezels look great, and the basic stand tilts back and forth by a few degrees. The one design compromise is the external power supply.

Hook up a cable to the DVI, VGA or HDMI ports at the rear, and you’re likely to be pleasantly surprised. The Asus’ matte 23.6in panel uses IPS technology and plays its role with aplomb. Photos and movies look bright and natural right out of the box, and while the myriad picture modes often do more harm than good, the Standard and sRGB modes hit the spot.

With sRGB mode active, the 681:1 contrast ratio is lower than pricier models here, but an average Delta E of 1.78 is superb for the money – colour accuracy is excellent. Switch to Standard mode and contrast leaps to 1,115:1 for a slight trade-off in overall accuracy.

It isn’t fancy, but if it’s a good-quality budget monitor you’re after then the Asus VC239H is a great buy.

KEY SPECS 23.6in IPS monitor 1,920 x 1,080 resolution Matte anti-glare finish 2 x 1.5W speakers HDMI, DVI, VGA 533 x 200 x 383mm (WDH) 3.4kg

It’s difficult to imbue a black plastic rectangle with character, but Eizo has succeeded with the stark, modern-looking FlexScan EV2450.

Despite dainty dimensions, Eizo has packed in everything you could ask for. The unconventional stand makes tilting a little stiffer than it should be, but that’s our only gripe: there’s 140mm of height adjustment, and the monitor moves freely around into portrait mode.

Around the rear, you get DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI and VGA ports, an internal power supply, and a pair of USB 3 ports on the side. There’s even a pair of 1W speakers.

Flick the power switch, and brightness and presence sensors automatically adjust brightness or put the screen to sleep, and the on-screen display and backlit touchsensitive buttons make it easy to delve through and tweak the Eizo’s menus.

Image quality is superb. High-quality backlighting and a great IPS panel put it in a different class to most monitors at this price. Brightness is a modest 228cd/m2 , but the 1,128:1 contrast ratio and average Delta E of 1.87 allow the Eizo to exhibit refined, colour-accurate images.

With Eizo’s usual five-year warranty to round off the package, the FlexScan EV2450 is a formidable choice. At this price, it’s an absolute steal.

“With Eizo’s usual fiveyear warranty to round off the package, the FlexScan EV2450 is a formidable choice”

KEY SPECS 23.8in IPS monitor 1,920 x 1,080 resolution Matte anti-glare finish DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI, VGA 2 x USB 3 538 x 233 x 368mm (WDH) 3.8kg