AOC's i2367fh: Thin, "Virtually Borderless", and IPS
by Jarred Walton on November 20, 2012 11:05 AM ESTWe've been waiting for affordable LCDs to start showing some clear improvements in performance, quality, features, and design for a while. AOC has potentially done exactly that with their new i2367fh monitor, delivering an IPS-based panel with virtually no left/right or top borders. The bezel measures 2mm thick, making it a potentially great option for multi-monitor users. It's currently available online starting at $189 (though it's also currently backordered).
Besides the thin bezel, the 23-inch i2367fh has WLED backlighting for the IPS panel, built-in speakers, VGA and two HDMI inputs to drive the 1080p display, and audio in/out ports. The stand doesn't appear to support any adjustments other than tilt, and there's no VESA mount, so this is definitely a niche product. However, it's a niche product that looks quite nice and should at least match what we've seen from TN panels for years at only a slight premium.
The display is so new AOC doesn't even list the i2367fh on their US/English sites yet, so the best information we can provide is via this ~7MB PDF, or if you prefer here's their Taiwan page. All we need now is for B&H to get more in stock (and for other resellers to show up). I don't know how others feel, but I'd love to see more displays ditch the 1" bezels—including on the bottom, please. There's nothing a thick bezel adds other than size, though obviously making a thin bezel does cost more.
Update: Some are questioning whether the content of the display goes to the edge (or 2mm from the edge), or if AOC is simply using glass over the main LCD to give a borderless appearance. I asked AOC for an answer, but all I had to go on initially is the press release stating it has a 2mm bezel. To me, the bezel means the area between the edge and the display content, so 2mm would be great. Unfortunately, this unboxing page indicates that AOC is mincing words and using the term bezel to mean the distance between the edge and the glass cover. I apologize for the confusion, though an 8-bit IPS panel for under $200 is still a nice change of pace.
Source: AOC PR
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cimerrone - Tuesday, October 29, 2013 - link
Hi, at least from the user manual (whose link) is provided in the above article says DVI is supported.p05esto - Tuesday, November 20, 2012 - link
I really like the look of that. I hope more monitors get this slim and sleek (and IPS and 27" please).creed3020 - Tuesday, November 20, 2012 - link
As a dual monitor at work and home I can certainly appreciate this. The setup at work has 4:3 monitors and the bezel is 1cm for a combination of 2cm inbetween the two 19.2" units. I'd love to move to widescreen and these would work but I need DVI!At home I have two 20" widescreen, one being in portrait position so this new guy doesn't work out as a replacement for that unit but sure would be a nice drop-in replacement for my landscape oriented Acer that is the main stage.
Time to see if others follows suite, hopefully this is a the beginning of a new trend in 2013.
JNo - Tuesday, November 20, 2012 - link
The Gallery doesn't seem to be working for me (thumbnails but no pics)Given that this seems good for multi monitor it's bizarre that there are no VESA mounts as they'd look super good on custom multi monitor stands...
JarredWalton - Tuesday, November 20, 2012 - link
Fixed gallery -- I'll have to email our IT guy about this; it seems like any spaces in the image names caused issues.JuneBugKiller - Tuesday, November 20, 2012 - link
The gallery didn't work for me in Opera but worked in Internet Explorer 9.JonnyDough - Tuesday, November 20, 2012 - link
I would buy one right now if they had a higher refresh rate and lower response time.A5 - Tuesday, November 20, 2012 - link
Uh, not happening on a IPS monitor for $190. Maybe $490...UpSpin - Tuesday, November 20, 2012 - link
I doubt that the panel is edge to edge with the frame. I doubt that the marketing images are real ones.They're probably misleading, just as the pictures of early 'borderless' monitors.
If you take a look at the specifications, and let Google translate it for you, you'll find:
Dimensions (monitor) 531.4 × 394 × 120.6
Viewing area 509.2 (H) x 286.4 (V) mm
So the panel has a width of 509mm, the monitor a width of 531mm, this gives us a boder of 1cm on each side.
The term boderless only means: The front glass is till the edge. (The same other 'borderless' monitors use the term borderless)
The annoying part: the display renders make the customer believe that the panel is till the border, which is wrong!
A borderless panel is not easy to build, and probably wouldn't cost as little as $189.
nathanddrews - Tuesday, November 20, 2012 - link
Yeah, it's getting annoying. The worst part is when reputable tech sites headline it with the marketing title instead of dispelling the myth up front. The title could have easily read "AOC's i2367fh: Thin, Near Borderless, and IPS"To me, the best news here is a very thin IPS 1080p monitor that looks fantastic. However, I'm still in love with my FW900, so it's going to take one hell of an LCD to make me switch as my primary.
Wake me up when we have native 120Hz 4K, please. ;-)