24-Inch FHD LED TN 144Hz FreeSync OEM Monitor Review

End User Testing

1080P Video

Watching any high-definition footage on a TN panel isn’t going to create a wow factor especially if you’re accustomed to 8-bit or 10-bit IPS displays. Saying that, the viewing experience was surprisingly good and featured a decent colour range whilst observing a wildlife video. On another note, the 144Hz refresh rate helps to create a smoother transition with reduced input lag when viewing 60 frames-per-second content on YouTube. Of course, the monitor’s panel is lacking in vibrancy and has a distinct colour shift when viewing from extreme angles. Saying that, I was impressed by the picture quality and it’s a significant improvement on earlier forms of TN technology.

Uncalibrated

The monitor’s default setup is capable of 99% sRGB and 75% AdobeRGB coverage which is pretty impressive given the panel type. In terms of colour accuracy, there wasn’t a huge discrepancy compared to the Patch Lab which showcases the monitor’s excellent stock performance. On a similar note, the panel’s colour uniformity remained consistent throughout the testing procedure. Furthermore, the display also had a strong showing when it comes to contrast levels across various brightness settings. Unfortunately, the monitor’s white point has some room for improvement and ranged between 7200-7000. Perhaps the largest flaw of this panel is the luminance uniformity which consists of a huge range between 103.8 cd/m2 to 138.1 cd/m2 whilst using 100% brightness.

Calibrated

Once calibrated, the display manages to achieve 100% sRGB coverage while maintaining the original 75% AdobeRGB figure. Additionally, the colour accuracy improves from an average lab result of 2.49 to 1.66. The panel’s colour uniformity benefits from calibration in the majority of quadrants and the contrast ratio at 50% brightness went from 370:1 to 470:1. Rather surprisingly, the calibration actually resulted in a worse white point which fell from 7000 at 100% brightness to 6900. The situation is even more dramatic at lower brightness settings. Once again, the panel’s brightness uniformity was poor and ranged between 0%-37% at 100% brightness. As you can see, calibrating the monitor has some major drawbacks and impacts on the white light uniformity.

Sound

Monitor speakers tend to be fairly low quality in comparison to an affordable pair of headphones or speaker setup. As a result, it’s always recommended to make room for dedicated audio hardware because it’s frightfully difficult to embed speakers with a good tonal range in a slim monitor. While the dual 2-watt speakers sounded flat with an overreliance reliance on the treble, they are much better than I expected. Honestly, I could probably listen to the odd musical piece or play some frantic multiplayer games with the monitor’s integrated speakers. Not only that, the volume can reach relatively loud levels without distorting.

Game Testing

To test the visual quality and response time in games, I decided to try Ashes of the Singularity on the maximum preset. The 144Hz refresh rate provides an absolutely stellar gaming experience and feels so much smoother than the traditional 60 frames-per-second target. On another note, the responsive panel didn’t suffer from any input lag especially when selecting the overdriven setting. The inclusion of FreeSync also helps to create a less jarring experience when a game suddenly has major frame drops from 120 to 35 in intense sections. Of course, TN panels will also prioritise responsiveness over image quality and this is reflected in the monitor’s ability to display vibrant colours in games like BioShock Infinite. Nevertheless, it’s still enjoyable and a trade-off you have to expect when opting for a TN panel.