AOC i2352Vh review

By the i2352Vh’s unassuming figure it looks to be just another budget monitor, but appearances can be deceptive. AOC has skimped on the looks to squeeze a high quality IPS panel into the slimmest of budgets.

First impressions are excellent. The slender plastic chassis definitely won’t win any style awards, but AOC has found room for an internal power supply, along with DVI, HDMI and D-SUB inputs, and a headphone socket for listening to audio sent through the HDMI connection.

Set the AOC up on a desk and the modest budget soon becomes apparent. The monitor tilts a little back and forth but that’s your lot – you’ll need to look to the pricier Viewsonic VP2365-LED if a height-adjustable stand is a necessity. And then there’s the AOC’s onscreen display: combined with the fiddly buttons, the sluggish menu makes adjusting basic settings a bit of a faff.

Luckily, though, this is one monitor that needs barely any adjustment. The moment the i2352Vh’s LED backlight beams into action, the images onscreen are bold and crisp and colours are neutral. Viewing angles are far wider than the TN panels normally found on monitors at this price, with colours remaining true even way off-axis.

In our technical tests, the AOC put in an assured performance. Brightness hit a maximum of 293cd/m2 (well above AOC’s claimed 250cd/m2) and contrast reached an impressive 926:1. And the colours that look so good to the naked eye are backed up by the figures – an average Delta E of 3.3 compares very favourably to pricier rivals. A measured colour temperature of 6,357k is close to the ideal of 6500k, and only the gamma of 1.96 disappoints, leaving images looking a touch washed out in the brighter shades. Still, delve into the OSD and select Gamma Mode 3 to up that reading to a much better 2.1, just a whisker from the ideal of 2.2.

In fact, there are only a couple of minor weaknesses. The AOC’s panel offers rich, vibrant colours, but response time is slow, with the edges of fast-moving objects dogged by a subtle but noticeable blur. And with no overdrive settings in the OSD, there’s no way to get those pixels shifting more quickly. Serious gamers take note.

Then there’s the LED backlight itself. While quite bright enough for any purposes, viewing the AOC in a darkened room reveals brighter patches leaking in from the top-left and bottom-right corners.

At this price, however, we certainly don’t expect perfection, and AOC’s i2352Vh puts in a performance which belies its budget heritage. With very good image quality at the forefront of its talents, not to mention the reassuring presence of a three-year repair or replace warranty, AOC’s i2352Vh deservedly marches straight onto the A-List.

Author: Sasha Muller