Monoprice IPS-Glass Panel Pro 27" LCD Monitor
by Chris Heinonen on October 22, 2013 2:40 AM EST
The first Monoprice display I looked at didn’t fare well. While very affordable, it only offered a DVI input and very little in the way of controls. The worst sin was that the brightness control on the display just didn’t work correctly. A step up from that model is their IPS-Glass. With HDMI, DSub, and DisplayPort inputs to go with a dual-link DVI input, it is far more flexible than the cheaper model. It also returns the display controls to the front of the monitor instead of the rear. As important as these changes are, it won’t really matter if the issues found in the cheaper model exist here.
The Monoprice IPS-Glass Pro Panel is a 27”, 2560x1440 display using an IPS panel. It has a standard white LED backlight and uses the standard sRGB color gamut. To utilize the full resolution you’ll need to use the DVI or DisplayPort inputs as the HDMI port is 1.4a but not capable of the full 2560x1440 resolution. The included stand offers a bit of tilt but no other adjustments are available, though the 100mm VESA mounting holes make it easy to replace that with a better model if you desire. The features of the Monoprice are rounded out by a pair of speakers on the rear of the display.
The menu system inside of the Monoprice is exactly like that of the Nixeus displays. With a lot of these cheaper displays the panels and electronics are all being sourced from the same suppliers. There is still a lot that a company can do to improve upon the default performance, but the guts are the same. Unlike the cheaper Monoprice display we're glad to report that the Brightness control here works properly. Beyond the Brightness and Contrast controls you have a few preset modes that are best avoided, and a single point white balance control. There is a dynamic contrast mode but it blows the gamma curve way out of proportion, crushing shadows and highlights in the process. Overall the controls are bare-bones, but they do operate correctly.
The Monoprice IPS-Glass panel has a substantial feeling to it. There are vents at the top and the bottom and the display stays cool during use. Using an external power brick helps with this but also means another item on/near your desk. The bezel is a thick piece of glossy plastic that really picks up fingerprints, so try to avoid touching it if you can. It helps to slightly enhance the apparent contrast to your eye though I still prefer a matte finish that doesn’t show smudges as easily. The screen surface is very glossy as well. If you are in a room with bright, direct lighting the glare is probably going to be an issue.
The speakers provide adequate sound but are nothing to write home about. If you have no other speakers handy they can suffice, but that's about all I'd say of them. Since they’re rear-mounted they may also get muffled if you wall-mount the display, though wall mounting is usually only something we see with HDTVs so it's probably not a major concern. Overall the Monoprice design shows its value roots but it does not feel cheap. The HDMI resolution limitation would be a bigger deal without DisplayPort but most people should be fine with that.
| Monoprice IPS-Glass Panel Pro | |
| Video Inputs | DVI-DL, DisplayPort, HDMI, Dsub |
| Panel Type | IPS |
| Pixel Pitch | 0.2331mm |
| Colors | 1.07 Billion (A-FRC) |
| Brightness | 440 cd/m^2 |
| Contrast Ratio | 80,000:1 |
| Response Time | 6ms GtG |
| Viewable Size | 27" |
| Resolution | 2560x1440 |
| Viewing Angle (H/V) | 178/178 |
| Backlight | White LED |
| Power Consumption (operation) | < 90W |
| Power Consumption (standby) | < 1 W |
| Screen Treatment | Glossy |
| Height-Adjustable | No |
| Tilt | Yes |
| Pivot | No |
| Swivel | No |
| VESA Wall Mounting | Yes, 100mm x 100mm |
| Dimensions w/ Base (WxHxD) | 25.9" x 19" x 8.5" |
| Weight | 18.3 lbs. |
| Additional Features | 2W Stereo Speakers |
| Limited Warranty | 1 Year |
| Accessories | Power Cord, Power Brick, 3.5mm Audio Cable, DL-DVI Cable |
| Price | $474 |
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Infy102 - Tuesday, October 22, 2013 - link
Would it not be neat if monitors had ambient light sensors that would automatically adjust the brightness? My Sony TV from 2006 already has such a feature!cjb110 - Tuesday, October 22, 2013 - link
phones have this, yet there are tons of problems with the various implementations, how fast, how much, user limits etc So I can't see this coming to displays like this, esp as the environmental conditions are more static (and/or controllable) than TV/Phone usage.purerice - Wednesday, October 23, 2013 - link
The fact that conditions are more static may make for a feature less-commonly used, but would also reduce inaccuracies due to constantly changing light conditions that you have when using a cell phone. Over the course of the average day the light in the room where I work gradually shifts from dark to bright and back to dark before the high-powered lights go on. If a screen like this would adjust with the slowly changing ambient light without me having to adjust any settings on my keyboard I would be thrilled.CaedenV - Thursday, October 24, 2013 - link
sure, if it is like a phone screen or TV then there could be issues, but if it was software controlled with preset user settings (like a good fan controller) then it would not be an issue.LordOfTheBoired - Tuesday, October 22, 2013 - link
2006? That's nothing. We had two TVs with this feature when I was growing up in the dark ages of the 1980s. I used to play with them by putting my hand over the photosensor and watching the display go dim and bright again. :)It's somewhat absurd that three decades later, the feature is less common than ever. Especially with all the intelligence you could design it with using modern electronics. Put a few photosensors in at different locations to avoid a transient shadow, and let the microprocessor figure out WTF is going on when a shadow passes across the screen.
foxalopex - Tuesday, October 22, 2013 - link
I have to agree it's kind of silly. My Sony VPC-Z11 series laptop from 2010 had autodimming and it worked pretty much perfectly. Fast forward to 2013 and my Asus Tablet sort of has this feature. It will brighten in response to too much light but it won't dimm without power it on and off. I setup an Asus Laptop and autodimming didn't work. My NEC PA242W has this feature as well (and it works) but it is turned off by default because it would likely mess with the calibration on a monitor this precise. So it seems oddly it's not an easily implementable feature.DanNeely - Tuesday, October 22, 2013 - link
My 2008 NEC 3090 has an auto-dimming feature; but I was never happy with it. Part was that with light coming from 3-5 directions beside/behind me my shadows was complex enough that adjusting my position a few inches generally changed the number hitting it's sensor triggering an adjustment. The bigger problem was that it was one of 3 monitors on my desk; and even if all 3 had the option, unless they had a way to communicate with each other, there's zero chance of them all getting the same amount of light falling on them.Moricon - Tuesday, October 22, 2013 - link
I have a xrite Colormunki attached to my PC which automatically adjusts my 3 x Dell U2412m. most of the time when i a, working its late at night with minimal lighting so the xrite automatically backs off the brightness for me whilst still keeping it calibrated. Its an eye saver for sure.BrightCandle - Tuesday, October 22, 2013 - link
Its a problem with a lot of monitors, the minimum brightness is still too high for realistic usage. Once you get to having to turn down the contrast to reduce the brightness somewhat you are already in trouble and the quality of the image really suffers for it.Death666Angel - Tuesday, October 22, 2013 - link
My Samsung has an ambient light sensor. But I don't use it, on most phones it has been pretty annoying. On my Nexus 7 2013 it does not bother me. But environment light changes a lot more when I use my Nexus than in my room where the PC display is. Also, it doesn't save me any battery on my PC display. :P