Samsung has always done a good job with designing aesthetically pleasing products, largely using a glossy piano black finish as their signature. The company’s range of portable electronics, like cell phones and digital cameras, typically take on a slim profile as well. It seems that Samsung has decided to combine these two approaches with the Samsung SyncMaster P2370 LCD Monitor. It’s glossy, it’s slim, and it’s mighty fine-looking.
Both form and function are important in today’s technology world, so how does the 23-inch SyncMaster P2370 LCD stack up against the competition? Why would you choose this particular monitor model over another? Let’s crack open that box and have a look.
Features and Specifications
Since so many of us use our LCD monitors not only for computing purposes, but also for multimedia enjoyment, there is a push in the market toward 16:9 wide aspect LCD panels. Like the Asus VH242H LCD, the Samsung SyncMaster P2370 also takes on a 16:9 aspect ratio, making it a great option for full-screen HDTV movie watching.
Looking down the rest of the provided specifications, you’ll find the following:
- Screen size: 23-inch wide-aspect
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
- Brightness: 250 cd/m2
- Contrast ratio: DC 50,000:1 (1000:1 typ)
- Response time: 2ms (GTG)
- Viewing angle: 170 degrees horizontal, 160 degrees vertical
- Video signal input: analog RGB / DVI
- Connector: DVI-I
- Power consumption: 30W typ, 0.5W standby typ
- Multimedia speakers: No
- Special features: MagicBright, off timer, MagicWizard, MagicTune, safe mode
- Product weight: 9 lbs.
- Shipment weight: 13 lbs.
- Ultra-slim design: 30mm profile
Whereas most conventional LCD monitors of this size measure between 50mm and 60mm in thickness, the Samsung SyncMaster P2370 is just 30mm thick. You can tell that Samsung had style in mind. This monitor also has the company’s “Touch of Color” (ToC) design cue with the clear frame wrapping around the main black bezel. This is very similar to the first “ToC” design monitor we reviewed, the Samsung SyncMaster T220.
What’s in the Box?
If you’ve purchased a Samsung LCD monitor in the recent past, you probably know what to expect when you open up the box of the SyncMaster P2370. You get the same brown cardboard box with splashes of black and red outlining some of the features and highlights. Opening up the box, you’ll find everything neatly packaged between two Styrofoam inserts.
The LCD monitor comes on its own, carefully protected in a sleeve and some plastic wrap. The glossy black base is separate from the clear “stem” for the monitor stand, but the three pieces fit together quite easily. You also get the supporting documentation, DVI cable, VGA-to-DVI cable, power brick, power cable, and a cleaning cloth.
From what I can fathom, not all retail SKUs will include the VGA-to-DVI cable, but they should all include the standard DVI cable.
No Internal Power Supply
In order to achieve that 30mm profile, certain sacrifices had to be made on the Samsung SyncMaster P2370. It’s still perfectly functional as an LCD monitor, but some changes had to be made to the conventional design to make this unit so much slimmer. For starters, there is no internal power supply.
While nearly all other LCD monitors only require a power to be plugged into the back, the P2370 comes with a power brick, not unlike the one that accompanies the Xbox 360 or your laptop computer. This power block is then connected to the power cable that plugs into the wall. This isn’t a huge deal, I suppose, but it does mean that you’ll have an extra block to deal with.
Only DVI Connections Need Apply
Continuing with the sacrifices, you’ll find that the back of the P2370 is surprisingly minimalist. There are no multimedia speakers here, for example, nor is there an integrated webcam or USB hub. It’s a monitor and a monitor only. Further still, you’ll find that it gives you just a single input option. It’ll accept a standard DVI-I connection only.
This likely won’t be too much of an issue for most desktop users, but the vast majority of mainstream notebooks only offer VGA output. Looking to something like the Samsung SyncMaster T220, you can choose between VGA and DVI. Some monitors will also give you an HDMI option. The P2370 does not.
Naturally, you can invest in an adapter to use your VGA cable (some retail SKUs of this monitor may include a VGA-to-DVI cable), but this represents an extra hassle that is largely unnecessary.
Starlight Touch and Menu Interface
As a stylish piece of technology that’s meant to fit in the ultra-chic homes and offices of the contemporary world, the SyncMaster P2370 comes with what Samsung calls Starlight Touch controls. Rather than having physical buttons mar the sleek appearance of this monitor, you get touch-sensitive controls that light up along the lower-right corner of the bezel. These “disappear” behind the piano black finish when the LCD is turned off. This design cue looks great and it adds greatly to the minimalist approach of the Samsung P2370.
Navigating through the on-screen menu using these touch-sensitive controls is relatively easy and familiar. You can adjust the LED backlighting, contrast, saturation, and other standard settings. You also gain access to the MagicBright, MagicWizard, and MagicTune features for some automatic adjustment. There are pre-set configurations for text, gaming, Internet, and so on.
Viewing Angles and Usability
So, how is the Samsung P2370 in terms of performance? In general, I wouldn’t put it at the bottom of the heap nor would I place it at the top of the mountain. The brightness is quite impressive, so if you’re working somewhere with a lot of ambient light, this monitor could be very suitable. Colors are also quite vibrant and the horizontal viewing angles are quite good.
The vertical viewing angle, which claimed to be at 160-degrees, wasn’t quite so good. Looking up from the bottom wasn’t too much of an issue, but looking down from above made for a less than desirable result. Text became impossible to read when I hit about 50-degrees above the horizon. I didn’t get the same discoloration as the debranded HP monitor I reviewed a while ago. Instead, everything got washed out in white.
Benchmarks
To get a better sense of performance, I ran a series of benchmark tests and screens from DisplayMate for Windows Multimedia Edition Version 2.12. You can see more of the test screens in the gallery on the last page of this review.
One area that caught my attention was the pure black test. Even though the SyncMaster P2370 has a dynamic contrast ratio of 50,000:1, it only has a true contrast ratio of 1000:1. The pure black was not pure black. The lighting was very evident along the top and bottom edges of the screen. This result appears to be in line with the “washed out” vertical viewing angle mentioned earlier.
The contrast ratio issue was also evident in some of the test screens meant to differentiate between subtly different levels of grey. I used the automatic settings, so these issues may perhaps be rectified with some proper manual calibration.
Final Thoughts and Conclusion
If you’re in the market for something that will absolutely blow your mind (or your eyeballs as the case may be), you need to look somewhere else. If you’re in the market for a monitor that comes with several multimedia extras, you need to consider something else. The Samsung SyncMaster P2370 is neither of these. It doesn’t come with built-in speakers, a USB hub, webcam, crazy (true) contrast ratio, or anything like that.
However, that’s not to say that you should ignore this monitor altogether. The remarkably slim profile and stellar looks make it a great option for fashion-conscious computer users. The Starlight Touch controls look great and you may appreciate the totally minimalist approach of the overall aesthetic.
This is far from being any kind of powerhouse, but it was never meant to be one. The transparent plastic bezel looks great and you’ll really be impressed by the brightness. The 16:9 aspect ratio and 1080p resolution make this a good option for movie buffs too. Oh, and it’s eco-friendly too.
Pros
- Touch of Color design with clear plastic trim
- Remarkably thin 30mm profile
- Very bright and vibrant
- Good overall performance
Cons
- Vertical viewing angle less than impressive
- Only DVI as a connection option
- No additional features like webcam, mic, or speakers
- Uneven lighting and contrast concerns
Overall Rating: 7.5 / 10.0
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