ASUS ML248H: Thin for the Win?

by Chris Heinonen on 10/27/2011 12:00 AM EST
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  • ssssss - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    Great article, have not read it. Wahoo.
  • B3an - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    Shut up.

    And @ anyone at AT, can you introduce rules where you only review GOOD monitors. As in, nothing that has TN a panel. I know that will cut out a lot of stuff (AKA shit!) but theres still some good monitors out there that are actually worth reviewing.
  • Sabresiberian - Friday, October 28, 2011 - link

    I disagree, I want to see companies get blasted in public for producing junk by reputable review sites like Anandtech and Tomshardware.

    I also want to know myself how these monitors perform.

    As far as me actually buying another TN panel - well, there's the 120Hz panels, and if they get 2560x1440 0r 2560x1600 120Hz TN panels that are top notch for TN I might just bite, but otherwise they are off my list.

    ;)
  • ckryan - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    I really dislike TN panels. Hate it. But TN has always been awful, and now that it's better in 2011 than it was in 2003, it's still awful. e-IPS is the new TN -- able to slot into lower price points but with competitive (if not mindblowing) performance. In the laptop market you have to grin and bear it, but on your destop and in your pocket you don't have to. You can always choose a phone with an IPS screen, and now there are many more lower cost options for your desk. e-IPS and a few analogous VA paneled screens have at least decent viewing angles, color reproduction, and response times. e-IPS in particular is available in some dirt-cheap configurations with few options/no height or tilt/etc. and pricier products with more ergonomic functions and mo' betterness included. TN for desktop displays is really limited to 3D and 120HZ at the moment (I know some really like their TN panel displays, but there are cheap e-IPS options that are certainly worth a look). The U2311H and now the U23/2412 are midrange eIPS options, while NEC makes some much more expensive models. Asus and LG have some really decent eIPS models, and so I hope that prospective monitor buyers at least take a look at something other than a TN panel before making a buying decision. I hope that the explosion of mobile devices with great displays will leave people wondering why they put up with sub-par units in laptops and monitors.

    Asus makes this same chassis into displays with MVA and eIPS, in addition to the TN here. This monitor, in addition to it's two other-paneled siblings would make a nice article -- hint, hint _-.
  • MrSpadge - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    Agreed! A TN with an unergonomic stand so that you can not even try to work around its weak points. It doesnt even have a DVI output. So unintersting! Sadly someone will buy it..
  • spellingmisteaks - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    I'm so over TN panels. With IPS panels dropping close to 200 bucks, there's no reason to waste money on a TN panel.
  • iSmug - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    Totally agree.

    The 24" A-MVA version is the same price. ML249H
    The 23" e-IPS version is $10 cheaper. ML239H

    I don't understand why anyone would want the TN version..

    I own the ML239H. It was by far the cheapest option for the monitors with the same LG panel.
  • dingetje - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    TN + 16:9 panel = waste of reviewspace
  • Daduck - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    ..and included with an ugly design. Agree completely.
  • slick121 - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    Agreed. I don't know who they are targeting but I wouldn't want that on my desk.
  • Zolcos - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    I would agree except for the fact that if they stopped reviewing any 16:9 or TN, they'd have practically nothing left to talk about in today's LCD market.
    That horrendous bezel can be a DQ imo though
  • DarkUltra - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    If it had been 120hz, i'd be interested. The best 120hz monitor on the market is gone, and I'm looking for a replacement (didn't get to buy it while it was available in my country). The LG w2363d had everything, excellent calibration results, zero input lag, OK black levels so you see whats in the shadows and no sharpening problems.
  • radium69 - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    That "thing" aint got nothing on my laptop screen.
    ignore!
  • 63jax - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    why should anybody buy a TN shit when IPS is cheap and eons away from TN, don't be fooled by LED, high dynamic contrast ratios and shit like that, just go for an IPS panel, with CCFL if possible.
  • piroroadkill - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    It's OK, I have a Dell U2410.
  • Exodite - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    Because some of us don't care in the slightest about accurate color reproduction?

    I want a cheap, energy-efficient display with a minimal profile that can handle text work, gaming and video.

    TN is still the best bet.
  • Exodite - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    Edit: I'd get the Samsung S22A300B over this any day in the week though.
  • bobsmith1492 - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    Same here. I'm colorblind anyway and am physically incapable of noticing the difference. TNs are faster too. I can definitely see ghosting. My eyes are fast but not very color sensitive so TNs are perfect. They're cheaper too.
  • arthur449 - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    Colorblind is not contrast-blind. I'm quite colorblind, but my HP ZR24w (e-IPS) looks worlds better than my old TN panel.
  • crimson117 - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    Pay so much for a decent video card and games, then accept hideous washed out TN colors to save $50.
  • Exodite - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    Gladly.

    Point being that not everyone appreciates, or even sees, the same thing.

    Displays are entering an era of holier-than-thou douchebaggery (I just made up a word!) that has long been reserved for audiophiles.

    The analogy is apt, I've yet to come across a modern computer where I've considered it worth the money to upgrade from integrated audio solutions.

    Same holds for TN vs. IPS, PVA/MVA etc.
  • Broheim - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    lol@"TN is still the best", IPS is superior in every way except for response time, not just color reproduction... and e-IPS is damned cheap.
  • Xajel - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    for that price, I think it's okay, but there's better solutions...

    the most con. - for me - about this other than the quality of TN display is lack of VESA mount, but it's TN quality alone is a good reason to stop me from taking it !!
  • ProDigit - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    I'd be glad if I won it, eventhough it's far from a winner monitor!

    Right now, I'm more looking into supersized monitors, that are like 38-42in in size for my PC!
  • rsgeiger - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    I logged in just to say that this monitor has the ugliest bezel I have seen in my entire life! It doesn't help if it is thin if the front facing side has no redeemable qualities.

    I know this didn't offer much to the conversation, and I apologize for that. But i could not in good conscience let this go unchallenged.
  • mcturkey - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    I have to agree with you. I don't understand the fascination with making LCDs any thinner than they already are unless you're also going to reduce the size of the bezel. Show me the 25-30" screens with 1-2MM bezels!
  • cheinonen - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    My issue with making these displays so thin is that it necessitates an external power brick for them, which just makes my workspace more of a cluttered mess. With TVs I understand the fascination, since they are far more likely to be wall mounted and you want them to be as unobtrusive as possible, but LED LCD TVs still have room for a regular power supply and IEC power cord instead of an external power brick. I'd rather have a larger display with no external power brick, but perhaps I am in the minority now.
  • ProDigit - Friday, October 28, 2011 - link

    I always put my bricks and cabling behind my desk. No worries, no clutter (just between the desk and the wall, where no one sees them).
  • Exodite - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    Word.
  • JarredWalton - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    The article title is a question, you'll notice, as in, "Does making this a thin monitor actually make it better?" The answer, as you can read in our conclusion, is that there's nothing particularly compelling about this particular monitor. But hey, if someone has a better article title (that isn't outright insulting to ASUS -- no reason to be rude), let's hear it.
  • Exodite - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    I believe you may have misinterpreted my one-word reply.

    I don't particularly see the need for a new article title, I'm merely confirming my agreement with rsgeiger regarding the horrendous bezel on the display in question.

    There's no saving grace for that IMO, my apologies to ASUS.
  • JarredWalton - Friday, October 28, 2011 - link

    It was a response to this thread in particular, not you Exodite. :-)
  • ProDigit - Friday, October 28, 2011 - link

    then you should have posted a thread, instead of posted a reply.
    It seems people on anand are eager to reply on the first comment, so their reply will stay on the first page.. I've noticed so far...
  • rsgeiger - Monday, October 31, 2011 - link

    Point taken Jarred. I guess my interpretation of the title, even with with the question mark, just triggered a reaction in me about the market and where it is headed. I have no issues in general with your writing or choice of title (most times :-)

    On another note, I didn't expect to get so many responses. I'm glad my taste is shared by others.
  • Zap - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    I also agree. Ugly bezel. The bezel is what you see when you are actually using the monitor, so it should be unobtrusive. Don't make the bezel "fancy" and don't use it for advertising space. If you want to go fancy with "thin," then make a thin bezel. Want to see something impressive? Samsung has big screen HDTVs with ultra thin bezels. I think they are marketing it as less than a quarter inch. On a huge 46-65" screen (the size range they make) how big will that bezel look from your couch? Now THAT is what I call impressive!

    http://www.samsung.com/us/topic/ultra-slim-bezel-t...
  • NCM - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    And while we're on the subject of aesthetics, I take issue with the article's claim that the rear appearance doesn't matter. In our office the rear of virtually every display is visible, and other than the Apple displays they all look like butt—appropriately, you might say. (Of course this Asus monitor pretty much looks like butt from any angle.)

    Is a little attention to wire management and a clean appearance on the back really so much to ask?
  • ProDigit - Friday, October 28, 2011 - link

    Strange butt you have, besides, I don't care about the back of a monitor. I'm not the one looking at it. If you don't like it, then throw a towel over it.
  • Valitri - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    Everyone is so negative about TN panels. How many of you actually use IPS screens? Do you use these for gaming, how is it?

    I currently use, admittidely only a mediocre, Samsung P2770 27" TN monitor with a 1080p resolution. My next monitor I am considering 120hz to reduce tearing in gaming. I don't believe you can get that in an IPS screen right now. My only experience with an IPS screen is my iPhone 4, which I absolutely love. I am definately more concerned with tearing and input lag (mouse lag) then I am accurate color reproduction and would like to get some face time with an IPS to see how it really compared.
  • know of fence - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    Vsync is the procedure/setting that removes horizontal screen tearing. It has been explained here on Anandtech many a time.

    http://www.anandtech.com/show/2794/2

    My guess is that 120Hz screens exist mainly for (shutter glasses) 3d support, because at 60 Hz it causes headaches.
  • JarredWalton - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    That's true, but running at 120Hz does tend to reduce the perception of image tearing because the display is refreshing so quickly.
  • ProDigit - Friday, October 28, 2011 - link

    Then you just have to adjust the adapter to display at 60Hz!
    It'll save on the LCD crystals too, operating at half the speed!
  • james.jwb - Monday, October 31, 2011 - link

    I have used IPS for years now. My first foray towards quality was actually an S-PVA, not IPS. Input lag was pretty bad on this, it was the 2407, meant to be usable (then Dell made them even worse after this) but for me it was terrible for gaming. IPS is far, far superior to those older models, when input lag was still a relatively new term doing the rounds on forums, etc.

    So as long as you go for a low input lag model, it will be excellent for gaming. I have a 27-inch Hazro IPS and it's super-fast, no issues at all, so look for IPS screens with 10ms or less input lag and it will be perfecto. For the record, I'm very sensitive to input lag.

    As for the rest, those who say they can live with TN Film have not used good IPS screens long-term or have incredibly lazy/casual PC standards. Viewing angles under any scenario is a pain in the ass (too much shifting) and colours are not just inaccurate, they have a metallic quality to them, they shine if you even move your head 1 cm. It's mainly when in the desktop these issues stand out. I honestly couldn't browse the net comfortably on the TN film.

    One issue i have with a few of these IPS displays, like those from Dell, is the coating they use that causes a slight crystallized impression to the screen when you move your head, which is why I chose the Hazro, just a nice sheet of clear glass on the front, like the Apple displays.
  • fynamo - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    Why are you guys reviewing such horrid displays? What a waste of time.
  • IGemini - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    The spec list says there is a 100x100mm VESA mount when there are ABSOLUTELY NO VESA HOLES on the back of that monitor.
  • randinspace - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    I'm more than a little surprised that this monitor is selling for $200 right now when ASUS's own, more recent (by about 5 months, but still), e-IPS (ML239H) and MVA (ML249H) alternatives in the same form factor are selling for less and around the same price respectively. To be fair the ML239h is 23" but at those dimensions I'd certainly trade an inch to have e-IPS. Of course the retail price for those models is comparatively higher, but that only makes it all the more baffling to me that they're selling for cheaper right now.
  • DarkUltra - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    How about comparing the input lag on this monitor to one of those 120hz "3d ready" monitors with zero input lag, and mention how nice the desktop experience become with 120hz? That is the target LCD manufacturers should aim for. I see camera reviews does this all the time. A camera can have a 3.1 lens and 720p video recording, but the reviewer say he hopes they would improve that in the next model since other competing cameras have those specs.

    Heres some impressed testers if you doubt me:

    The ASUS VG236H was my first exposure to 120Hz refresh displays that aren’t CRTs, and the difference is about as subtle as a dump truck driving through your living room. I spent the first half hour seriously just dragging windows back and forth across the desktop - from a 120Hz display to a 60Hz, stunned at how smooth and different 120Hz was. Yeah, it’s that different.
    http://www.anandtech.com/show/3842/asus-vg236h-rev...

    120hz lcd Smoother motion and the lack of RTC artifacts leave a highly positive impression, making you unwilling to return to 60Hz.
    http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/monitors/display/...

    Put two computers side by side, one with a 60Hz display and the other with a 120Hz display. Go to the Windows desktop and drag a window around the screen on each. Wonder in amazement as the 120Hz display produces an easily observable higher fluidity in the animation.
    http://techreport.com/articles.x/21516
  • cheinonen - Thursday, October 27, 2011 - link

    A 120Hz LCD review is coming soon, don't worry. It's unfortunate that there's no way to display the difference easily, since most people will be reading on a display that couldn't show a 120 Hz recording, even if I had a camera capable of that.
  • Sabresiberian - Friday, October 28, 2011 - link

    That right there put it in the "no can do" category for me. Add that it's a 16:9 instead of 16:10, and a TN panel on top of that, it's not of much interest to me except to find out what Asus is up to.

    Up to producing something I really don't expect from Asus. This is a piece of junk. Okay for gaming? Response time alone doesn't make a good gaming monitor, it's a cheap monitor that actually isn't as cheap as it should be. Strike that, it's a cheap monitor that should have been scrapped before it was manufactured.

    Shame on you Asus.
  • 7Enigma - Friday, October 28, 2011 - link

    I have no clue why you guys keep reporting min/max brightness as your power consumption numbers. Unlike a CPU/GPU you rarely are going to run a monitor at min/max brightness. You do calibration testing at 100 or 200nits right? Why are you not using those points for your power consumption values? As it stands (and as you pointed out) the numbers are useless because crap screens such as this one in review appear to be the "best" in the power consumption. What we really need to see is a ranking of power consumption in the USABLE RANGE that will be experienced when any normal person sits down to their computer.

    Please change this in the future.
  • 7Enigma - Friday, October 28, 2011 - link

    To add to this you should either remove from the chart anything not in the same size (so only 24" screens), or at least highlight or better yet create a separate chart including all of the monitors. It's really pointless to compare a 22" to a 30" monster. Rarely are people going to be interested in one or the other (price range and space/size are so different that the target markets are not even close).
  • Arbie - Friday, October 28, 2011 - link


    How can a major company produce any monitor today without a height adjustment? And especially an ultra-thin product, where the mechanical parts required to do so would be minimal. This immediately rules it out of the workplace (where there are legal ergonomic concerns), and off most other people's desktops. Get a clue, Asus. Garden-variety Samsungs have lift, tilt, and even rotation.
  • JonnyDough - Friday, October 28, 2011 - link

    I won't buy anything under 120Hz these days. I do however like the 2ms response time. That meets my standard. Anything over 5ms is a no go for sure. I aim for 2 usually.
  • marraco - Saturday, October 29, 2011 - link

    The first and most important aspect I look for on any monitor review is blurring of moving images.

    This article is completely worthless to me.
  • shashank7040 - Tuesday, November 1, 2011 - link

    Asus Eee Pad with slide out QWERTY.........http://goo.gl/B4rJU
  • m0nsier - Saturday, November 5, 2011 - link

    I bought the 21.5in version of this monitor (ML228H) for a mere $133 AR. It is surprisingly light and thin. I use it as a portable display for my PS3 (HDMI) which is where the headphone jack comes in handy. It also works well as a second monitor for my laptop, which also uses HDMI. A beautiful display for my gaming/office/web browsing needs, and much better quality than another brand 22" I purchased 2yrs ago. Note: I am not a graphic artist so i cannot compare my experience to an IPS.

    As for the omission of DVI, my ASUS monitor came with a DVI to HDMI cable for connecting to DVI out, as well as a VGA cable. Both cables approximately 6ft in length. Perhaps the AT reviewer also lost this cable when he lost his screw. Even so you can buy DVI to HDMI adaptors for pocket change.
  • mbryans - Tuesday, November 22, 2011 - link

    Bisakah Anandtech making review about Samsung SyncMaster S23A750D? This monitor seems to be reincarnation of the SyncMaster PX2370.

    TN Panel (probably hybrid), LED backlit, 23-inch, 1920 x 1080, 2 ms, 120 Hz (3D only for AMD 3D HD), 100% sRGB, and DisplayPort 1.2 (probably first DP 1.2 monitor).

    I am interested in the color accuracy of this monitor will be displayed at 120 Hz.
  • mbryans - Tuesday, November 22, 2011 - link

    I mean: Can Anandtech review about Samsung SyncMaster making S23A750D? This monitor seems a to be Reincarnation of the SyncMaster PX2370.

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