Whether you’re just a casual web surfer with an interest in Facebook and Twitter or you’re a hardcore gamer who enjoys World of Warcraft and Team Fortress equally, there’s a good chance that you want to have a quality monitor in front of your face. You can save some money with a debranded HP LCD monitor or you can splurge on something newer and fancier. For folks who value aesthetic appeal as well as usable performance, the Samsung SyncMaster XL2370 appears to be a seriously solid option.
According to some of the marketing materials circulating about this particular LCD monitor, Samsung is saying that the XL2370 offers the “highest performance” in quite possibly one of the slimmest packages. Right on the box, Samsung gives the somewhat ambiguous exclamation that this LED-backlit monitor is “finger slim.” So, what’s the skinny on this screen? Does the diminished profile result in diminished performance? Let’s find out!
Features and Specifications
Earlier this year, I took a look at the Samsung SyncMaster P2370 23-inch LCD. This seems to have a nearly identical model number as the XL2370, but it should be noted that despite some of their similarities, these are two distinctly different models.
For starters, the P2370 doesn’t get any LED backlighting and the XL2370 does. Among some of the other highlights on this LCD monitor include the following.
- Size and Resolution: 23-inch @ 1920 x 1080 pixels (1080p full HD)
- Brightness: 250 cd/m2 (+ LED backlight)
- Response Time: 2ms (G2G)
- Contrast Ratio: Mega DCR (5M:1)
- Viewing Angle: 170-degree (H), 160-degree (V)
- Power Consumption: 28W typical, <1.3W standby
- Special Features: MagicBright3, MagicWizard, MagicTune, SafeMode, ToC Stand
- Cabinet Color: Charcoal gray
- Mac Compatibility: Yes
- Weight: 3.6kg (product), 5.5kg (shipment)
- Stand: Simple tilt
Aside from the contrast ratio that seems to be grounded in marketing hyperbole rather than actual improved performance, the specs look pretty standard for a monitor of this type.
What’s in the Box?
When you purchase some LCD monitors from other companies, they oftentimes leave you without the required video cables to get the whole thing connected. The idea is that you are probably replacing another monitor and you already have the cables. That may be the case, but it’s nice to have a spare set in the box even if you don’t need it. Samsung seems to take on this latter philosophy.
Bundled alongside the LCD panel itself are the two pieces for the base, an external power brick with cable, DVI cable, VGA-to-DVI cable, installation CD, and supporting documentation. This doesn’t cover every port in the back, but it’s more than enough to get you started.
Swinging to the Back for Connections
Since Samsung seems to love the idea of keeping things as slim and simple as possible, it’s not at all surprising that this philosophy has been extended to the SyncMaster XL2370 as well. It’s not quite as barebones as the LapFit LD190, however, and that’s a very good thing.
Some people prefer the downward facing ports recessed into the body of the monitor, but I prefer the traditional backward-facing ports for ease of access. They’re not quite as streamlined and pretty, but they are a heck of a lot more functional and usable.
Along with the usual ports for power and DVI, you’ll also notice that the SyncMaster XL2370 accepts HDMI input. This means that it’s really easy to pair this monitor with a satellite receiver or Xbox 360, as well as with a regular computer. Since HDMI does video and audio, I like how there are two audio out options here too: 3.5mm stereo and optical (digital). There are no integrated speakers in this LCD, so the audio output is greatly appreciated.
How Slim is Finger Slim?
Pretty darn slim, I’d say.
Samsung Electronics developed a fetish for skinny electronics several years ago, launching a number of slim cell phones, MP3 players, and LCD monitors, among countless other things. I don’t know for sure if this is Samsung’s skinniest (commercially available) LCD panel, but the XL2370 is really slim.
It’s thinnest at the top, measuring about 19mm or so, but it feels even thinner because of its tapered design. The profile bows outs slightly near the bottom to accommodate the ports and connections, but it curves back in toward the sides. Yes, it’s skinny.
Gaming Performance with HDMI
Since I don’t have much in terms of PC games, I thought one of the best ways to test the gaming performance of the Samsung XL2370 was to hook it up to my Xbox 360 through the available HDMI connection.
To put it through its paces, I tried playing a variety of games. These include Shadow Complex, Street Fighter IV, Guitar Hero 5, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, NHL 10, among others. These games offer different color palettes, contrast levels, and speed of movement.
I was very impressed by the level of color saturation for some of the more brightly colored games and the contrast ratio was great for grittier, more moody kinds of games. The response rate was also admirable, keeping up with the fast moving action without giving too much in terms of ghosting and motion blur.
Of course, the camera can still pick up on some blur in between frames, but this wasn’t really all that visible to the naked eye.
The LED backlighting certainly helped to make the colors jump off the screen as well, making everything quite bright and vibrant. For darker games, it would probably be a good idea to dial down the brightness so that you can achieve darker blacks.
Surfing the Web with VGA to DVI
After playing around with the HDMI connection for movies and games, I wanted to see how that DVI connection would hold up for more of a computer-oriented experience. To try this out, I connected the Samsung XL2370 to an Asus G51Vx notebook using the VGA-to-DVI cable, using the VGA output on the laptop.
With 23-inches of widescreen HD real estate and plenty of LED backlighting, the XL2370 is a great option for web surfing and online video watching. Text was crisp, pictures really popped, and everything was very bright. I have no complaints here, though you may want to dial down that brightness for extended use.
Vertical and Horizontal Viewing Angles
The ideal situation would have you staring directly at the screen and this is how most panels are designed to work. That makes sense, because you’re likely to move the monitor to a place where it is most comfortable for you. However, the vertical and horizontal viewing angles are also very important, especially if you are going to be sharing something with the people around you.
For the vertical viewing angle from above, it seems that while you can still see most of the content on the screen, it can get washed out too. I suspect part of this has to do with the LED backlighting. The washing out only became obvious at more extreme angles, so even if you’re 30 degrees above the horizon, you should be fine.
Since you’re not looking directly down into the backlighting, the washing out issue is not at all present when viewing the screen from a wider horizontal angle. I wouldn’t recommend playing NHL 10 from way off on the side, but the image remained clear and crisp even from way off on an extreme horizontal angle.
Final Thoughts
The Samsung SyncMaster XL2370 is easily one of the better LCD monitors that I have used in recent memory. The remarkably slim profile is attractive if not particularly valuable to most people. The “Touch of Color” design for the frame is aesthetically pleasing as always, as are the MagicTouch “hidden” touch-sensitive controls.
I really appreciated not only the inclusion of an HDMI input, but also the availability of 3.5mm stereo and digital (optical) audio output. This is almost better than having a pair of cheap internal speakers, though I wouldn’t have minded some additional functionality in the form of a webcam or USB hub. But that’s just me.
In the end, the XL2370 did everything that I wanted it to do. The LED backlighting makes for a very bright screen and the improved contrast ratio makes for a very crisp display. If you’re in the market for something skinny and beautiful, this could be it.
Pros
- Very bright LED backlighting
- Great contrast and color saturation
- Optical audio out jack is a big plus
- One good-looking monitor
Cons
- LED backlighting seems to wash out extreme viewing angles
- No built-in extras (USB hub, speakers, webcam, etc.)
- Minimal tilt adjustment
Overall Rating: 8.5 / 10.0
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Samsung SyncMaster XL2370 LED LCD Monitor – Photo Gallery
