When thin also equals cheap, it’s hard to resist.
The Razor is actually a bit of a surprise in the value for money category as it could just as easily feature as cutting-edge (no pun intended) future tech. While it doesn’t do anything too crazy specs wise, it does measure in at a very thin 12.9mm. This might not seem like much of a party trick but until you get such a thin monitor on your desk it’s hard to truly appreciate the form factor. You can even use the base to wall mount it if you want to free up more space.
The Razor has been on the market for a few months now - an ideal situation for getting maximum bang for your buck. What’s more incredible is that if you compare prices online you can find the 23in model for under $200 - in some cases cheaper than the 22in version!
The 23in Razor runs at 1,920 x 1,080 with a 60Hz refresh rate. It has a crazy high 50 million to 1 dynamic contrast ratio, which in real world use translates to very deep blacks. It’s a standard TN panel so colour reproduction and viewing angles aren’t outstanding, but are excellent considering the price. It has a 5ms response time and while we have used faster, no ghosting shows up even with fast FPS gaming. The Razor comes equipped with a DVI and VGA port, though annoyingly no DVI cable is included in the box. Thanks to the LED backlight and aggressive power saving modes, the e2343F uses under 17W.
While it’s not LED backlit, it’s also worth noting the AOC 2436Vw. This older but still well equipped 23.6in monitor can often be spotted for less than $180 online. It even has an HDMI port, letting it run double duty with a console or DVD player.
Available from AOC, retailing for $249.
APC rating: 7/10