Monoprice IPS-Glass Panel Pro 27" LCD Monitor
by Chris Heinonen on October 22, 2013 2:40 AM ESTUnlike the cheaper Monoprice display, the brightness control for the IPS-Glass Panel Pro actually controls the backlight correctly. Set to the maximum level it produces 348 cd/m^2 of brightness. Monoprice rates it for 440 cd/m^2 but hitting that level requires maxing out the contrast setting which introduces color shifts and white clipping.
Unfortunately the minimum setting for the brightness control does not take the Monoprice as low as we would like to see it. The minimum white level is only 163 cd/m^2, well over the 80 cd/m^2 we will try to calibrate to later. This might be by design as a really low light level would cause the glare of glossy screen to be much worse. If you work in a dark or dim environment you might find this light level to be too high for your regular use. I found myself using the display with the backlight at minimum the whole time as I prefer a level closer to 140-150 cd/m^2 in my moderately lit room.
The black levels on the Monoprice are much better than I expected them to be. IPS is typically not as highly regarded for deep blacks but the Monoprice does a great job. At the maximum setting the black level is 0.3524 cd/m^2 and at the minimum it falls to 0.1647 cd/m^2. For an IPS display these are both quite good numbers.
For the first time I had a display produce the exact same contrast level at maximum and minimum backlight settings. That is more of a fluke than anything, but the actual number is the impressive part. The Monoprice comes very close to the 1000:1 that I look for with a 989:1 ratio. This is effectively the same, and means the Monoprice works very well for dynamic content like games and movies. This might change if you calibrate, but it is capable of really good results.
The one thing I would like to have seen from the Monoprice here is a lower minimum backlight setting. Perhaps they have adjusted the backlight to provide better contrast ratios at the expense of minimum light levels, in which case most people would find this acceptable. Overall these numbers are very good and I’m happy to see them.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
41 Comments
View All Comments
shaolin95 - Tuesday, October 22, 2013 - link
Why even get that?QNIX is much cheaper and looks awesome. Anandtech come on now...tons of cheaper Korean monitors out there...whats going on...?
DanNeely - Tuesday, October 22, 2013 - link
In general, if a company isn't willing to provide a review sample their products don't get reviewed.Byte - Wednesday, October 23, 2013 - link
My fairly ancient Soyo 24" MVA is finally dying so i need to get something soon. What the consensus on Samsung PVA vs LG IPS (crossover/catleap/shimain vs qnix/x-star). Googling doesn't help much. I want a glossy panel.kedesh83 - Tuesday, October 22, 2013 - link
I just purchased the catleap crossover with the included P-blade stand. For $399 I can't complain, even with the lack of an OSD. The professional stand is enough IMO to choose the catleap.joelypolly - Wednesday, October 23, 2013 - link
I wonder how much variation there are in panel uniformity between sampleswffurr - Wednesday, October 23, 2013 - link
Chris, does this monitor have audio passthrough? A headphone jack would be acceptable.I'd prefer to use a decent 2.1 setup instead of the built-in speakers for audio over displayport or HDMI. I have an Auria EQ276W, and it lacks this feature, which is pretty annoying, especially with a device like a Chromecast that doesn't have a separate audio out.
The 3.5mm jack on the Auria only works as an audio *input* alongside the DVI or VGA video inputs, and won't reverse into an output when using Displayport or HDMI.
twinclouds - Wednesday, October 23, 2013 - link
I got this one at a little over $300 from Rakuten so it was a great deal. Before buying it, I checked with Monoprice and they told me it should have zero dead pixels and when I got it the second day, there was indeed no dead pixels. I like this monitor. However, there are two "major" problems for me. First one is the stand as everybody have noticed. I have to use one of my good old Asus monitor stand and it is much more sturdy. The second issue was not too bad but very annoying. Once my computer turned monitor off and I made it back by using mouse or keyboard, the monitor light sometimes turned on but there's no display. The only ways to make it on is to turn the monitor off and on or let the kvm switch go through a full cycle. I contact their customer service but he cannot really fix the problem. He gave me some useless suggestions which just wasted a bunch of my time. BTW, I tested on two computers and both had the same problem. Both uses Intel graphics so I don't know if it is graphic board specific.Wall Street - Wednesday, October 23, 2013 - link
Chris, I know that IPS displays are all the rage. However, any chance that you can test the 144 Hz displays from ASUS and BenQ? Specifically, the input lag & pixel response at both 60 Hz and 144 Hz compared to 60 Hz TN displays and IPS displays would make for a really good read IMHO.k9cj5 - Friday, October 25, 2013 - link
I think it funny when people talk about paying a lot for a monitor when they will spend 400 bucks on a video card, and 350 bucks for a processor but when it comes to the monitor they'll buy the 100 dollar special on newegg. The monitor and sound is what makes your games pop, and allows you to enjoy the content. When you get a good one you will notice a difference. I bought the ZR24w about 2 years ago and at first I didn't notice much of a difference, but when I go over to my friends house or use the computer at work its night and day.fathomit - Tuesday, October 29, 2013 - link
If I connected the Dual-Link DVI cable directly to a mini-display port on a laptop and the USB part of the cable directly to a USB hub that's connected to the laptop...would it work?