HP 2311xi IPS Monitor
by Chris Heinonen on August 13, 2012 12:15 AM ESTHP 2311xi - Design, OSD, and Viewing Angles
HP managed to make the right choices with their 27” ZR2740w monitor, hitting a reasonable price point without sacrificing quality. Now HP has introduced their 2311xi monitor, a 23” IPS display with LED backlighting that is designed with value in mind. Even with their value target, they haven't cut back on features, with multiple inputs and a good amount of adjustments available inside of the display.
With a street price of $200, HP is aiming directly at value priced TN displays that have ruled the low-end of the LCD market for years. We finally might be starting to move to better panels, as the price of IPS continues to come down. Has HP managed to get enough quality into a $200 display that it can convince people to move from TN panels when looking for a value display, or have there been too many sacrifices made in order to hit this aggressive price point?
The HP 2311xi is a very simple monitor on the outside. The only inputs offered are DVI, HDMI, and DSub, with no DisplayPort input. The lower right corner of the screen houses the buttons for controlling the OSD and otherwise the screen is free of any other inputs or outputs. One other item that is missing from the screen are VESA mounting holes for those that wish to use their own stand or other mounting device. The included stand offers tilt adjustment and some swivel, but offers no height or pivot adjustments so there is no way to use the 2311xi in portrait mode.
The OSD system is okay but not great, as you use two buttons for both left/right and up/down control, which continues to be a pet peeve of mine. However it does have a full array of options, including three default color temperatures and a user adjustable one, overdrive, sharpness, dynamic contrast, and more. It also has a DDC mode that works quite well I found, so if your calibration solution supports DDC you can have it configured automatically for you.
As you would expect from an IPS panel, the viewing angles are quite good and far beyond what TN can give you. Moving far off-axis we don’t see any color shift but do start to see a shift in the contrast at the very extreme angles. With a 23” display you aren’t going to run into any issues with viewing angles on the 2311xi no matter how you have it configured on your desk, or likely even if you are watching a movie on it from a few feet away.
| HP 2311xi | |
| Video Inputs | DVI-D, Dsub, HDMI |
| Panel Type | e-IPS |
| Pixel Pitch | 0.265 mm |
| Colors | 16.7 Million, 72% Color Gamut |
| Brightness | 250 nits maximum |
| Contrast Ratio | 1000:1 |
| Response Time | 7ms GTG |
| Viewable Size | 23" |
| Resolution | 1920x1080 |
| Viewing Angle | 178 Horizontal and Vertical |
| Backlight | LED |
| Power Consumption (operation) | 29 Watts |
| Power Consumption (standby) | < 0.6 Watts |
| Screen Treatment | Anti-Glare Coating |
| Height-Adjustable | No |
| Tilt | Yes, 0 to 25 Degrees |
| Pivot | No |
| Swivel | Yes |
| VESA Wall Mounting | No |
| Dimensions w/ Base (WxHxD) | 16.4 x 24.49 x 6.26 in |
| Weight | 9.25 lbs. |
| Additional Features | |
| Limited Warranty | 1 Year Parts and Labor |
| Accessories | DVI Cable, VGA Cable |
| Price | $200 Online (7/15/2012) |
Now that we’ve had a full overview of the HP 2311xi it is time to put it through our test bench and see how it performs. Calibration and dE measurements were done using ColorEyes Pro and an i1Pro spectrometer, and black and white level measurements were done using an i1DisplayPro and test patterns from CalPC.
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XonicEQ - Monday, August 13, 2012 - link
Cheapest I can find is on amazon for $234. Where do I find it for $200?cheinonen - Monday, August 13, 2012 - link
Direct from HP.com was the price I used, and the date of that price should be mentioned in the specs. It might have changed by then, but it was from HP on the date I listed.EddieBoy - Monday, August 13, 2012 - link
As stated above, Best Buy currently has this monitor for sale for $169.99. Plus free shipping.Leyawiin - Monday, August 13, 2012 - link
HP's switch to crappy stands that don't adjust and lack of VESA holes on their lower end monitors is pretty disappointing. My last monitor was an HP w2207h - glossy screen, height adjustable, sturdy. Went shopping this summer for a new monitor and discovered how cheaply they're been making them now.micksh - Monday, August 13, 2012 - link
I don't see it mentioned in the article. It it's 6 bit it isn't good for photo work.mikato - Thursday, August 16, 2012 - link
It says panel type e-IPS so yes. It probably should have been mentioned in the article text though also. How good for photo work is subjective.OBLAMA2009 - Tuesday, August 14, 2012 - link
25" is big enough if its only 1900x 1080. they should have released this at a higher resolution, no one needs thisAdamK47 - Tuesday, August 14, 2012 - link
Chris, did you make sure you were testing with correct backlight brightness this time? ;)MobiusStrip - Tuesday, August 14, 2012 - link
Try making it look tackier next time, HP.Glossy plastic schlock. Embarrassing.
Sub Zero - Wednesday, August 15, 2012 - link
In the old days you had CRT that were 21" (20" viewable) at 2048x1536. To get anything close to that on the PC side for the longest time, I had to go 30" at 2560x1600, which I run at 2048x1536 most of the time.Why can't we have 2560x1600 on a 27" or 24" LCD? 2560x1440 isn't as productive. a 4:3 at 2048x1536 would be nice at 24" even.
But one thing that does concern me as much is the lack of detailed OSD functionality. I would like to be able to set resolution scaling and aspect ratio IN the monitor hardware. I have a 30" LCD and when I try to set it to 1280x720 to create a YouTube training video, for example, it stretches all the way out, regardless of the Nvidia or ATI control panel settings. It does not do that for 1920x1080, but it does for most of the lower resolutions.
Yes, I could get a Dell that has that built in, but I don't like Dell LCD's. I've tried one 30" and 24" of theirs, and both were returned. Both tinted to the blue side, both generated a LOT of heat and they didn't look as good - even after calibration - as a Samsung or Viewsonic in terms of color, contrast, accuracy and vibrancy.
If I could just force a 1:1 aspect ratio and DO NOT SCALE in the hardware, regardless of what LCD I purchase, it would give me a lot more flexibility.
I like that they include DVI connectors in most monitors - I would not want it to be dropped in favor or Display Port. Why not have DVI, HDMI and Display Port? Does it really cost that much more?