Medion Akoya E54009 review

If we've learned one thing from the multitouch monitors we've reviewed, it's that to succeed they need to do things a little differently. Medion's Akoya E54009 follows that rule: instead of the usual upright neck stand, it has a hinged arm that slides all the way back to a 45-degree angle to allow you to use the screen while standing up.

It's a subtle touch, but one that makes for a much more comfortable experience, and typing on Windows 7's onscreen keyboard feels more intuitive from above than when facing a vertical screen. The thoughtful design also extends to the Perspex base of the monitor doubling up as a handy pen tray, and there's a stylus as an option. The optical multitouch screen proved responsive and accurate enough that we found no need to use it. Our only design criticism is the lack of a DVI connector to go with the basic D-SUB input.

Image quality is hit and miss. Colours were accurate and gradients smooth in our technical tests, and the black level was nice and deep. But even with the brightness raised from default, dark greys tended to disappear into that black, erasing much of the detail from shadowy scenes. Highlights are better, with even the lightest greys visible on a white background, and although the E54009 isn't intended as an entertainment screen it coasted through our motion tests with no blurring.

The constant prodding means, as with most touchscreen TFTs, the Medion necessarily has a hard finish that's reflective, which can be an issue when you're angling the screen upwards into the lights. It's also tricky to find a viewing level at which the brightness is even from top to bottom, and it has poor vertical viewing angles, so if you're moving about a lot the colour accuracy will vary.

So the Medion has its flaws, most of which centre around image quality, and for £238 that's disappointing. When you consider Iiyama's DVI-equipped ProLite T2250MTS is now down to around £205 exc VAT, the Medion looks even less appealing. Despite all this, there are circumstances in which the Medion makes sense. The design makes it the most practical touchscreen TFT we've seen, and that may be enough to blot out the negatives.

Author: David Bayon