AOC has clearly understood that a good way of making a product stand out from the competition is to add an unusual function or feature. So the e2343Fi is a 23" monitor with a 2 ms Full HD screen and—wait for it—a built-in iPhone/iPod dock.
Design and Build
The stand is also home to the iPhone/iPod dock—more about that in the sidebar (see right)—as well as an HDMI input, a VGA entry, and an audio input linked to the monitor's 2 x 5 watt speakers (this is particularly handy when using the VGA port, as unlike HDMI, this connection doesn't input both video and audio signals).
The screen can be tilted a little but otherwise the stand is firmly fixed in place. That doesn't do anything to help the AOC e2343Fi score points in this part of the review!
Responsiveness
Our responsiveness tests showed up some slight reverse ghosting effects, with ghost images in opposite colours trailing after moving objects. On the image below it may not look significant, but in practice, reverse ghosting is much more visible than standard ghosting effects (where the ghost images are the same colour as the original objects).
To get rid of this, you need to go into the monitor's onscreen menu (navigation is pretty easy once you get used to what the different buttons do) and switch the "Overdrive" setting from "Medium" to "Low".
Once you've done that, there's no sign of reverse ghosting. We measured the average ghosting time at 11 ms. That doesn't make this 23" monitor the fastest display out there, but it'll still be responsive enough for gamers.
Plus, seeing as the input lag is too low to have any real impact, the e2343Fi won't hold you back with online or LAN gaming.
Colours and Contrast
Colour fidelity, however, is a different story entirely. We measured the average Delta E at 5.5 (the difference between perfect colours and those displayed onscreen—the lower, the better) when it should really be three or less for colours to be considered accurate. The gamma could be more even too (distribution of brightness levels) and a slightly high colour temperature makes for a faint blue overtone.
AOC e2343Fi average Delta E
We tried adjusting all kinds of settings in the e2343Fi, but we couldn't find any way of correcting these slight defects. So, as it stands, the e2343Fi won't be suitable for users who need colour fidelity to be spot on, like graphic designers and photo editors. But note too that accurate colours are also pretty handy if you order a lot of things online (clothes, shoes, etc.), otherwise you may end up with some nasty surprises when you unwrap your purchases—believe us, we've been there. To get accurate colours with the AOC e2343Fi, you'll need to download and install a colour calibration profile.
The contrast ratio of 810:1 is slightly below average compared with other monitors we've tested (850:1).
Design and Build
This AOC monitor has a glossy black casing and a slimline design that's just 13 mm thick. To keep its monitor this trim, AOC has moved all the connections down onto back of the monitor's rather bulky stand.
The stand is also home to the iPhone/iPod dock—more about that in the sidebar (see right)—as well as an HDMI input, a VGA entry, and an audio input linked to the monitor's 2 x 5 watt speakers (this is particularly handy when using the VGA port, as unlike HDMI, this connection doesn't input both video and audio signals).
The screen can be tilted a little but otherwise the stand is firmly fixed in place. That doesn't do anything to help the AOC e2343Fi score points in this part of the review!
Responsiveness
Our responsiveness tests showed up some slight reverse ghosting effects, with ghost images in opposite colours trailing after moving objects. On the image below it may not look significant, but in practice, reverse ghosting is much more visible than standard ghosting effects (where the ghost images are the same colour as the original objects).
To get rid of this, you need to go into the monitor's onscreen menu (navigation is pretty easy once you get used to what the different buttons do) and switch the "Overdrive" setting from "Medium" to "Low".
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Average |
This graph shows the monitor's ghosting time (in ms) with the AMA function on. Ghosting time measures the time it takes for the screen to totally remove an image. The faster the ghosting time, the smoother moving objects will look onscreen.
Once you've done that, there's no sign of reverse ghosting. We measured the average ghosting time at 11 ms. That doesn't make this 23" monitor the fastest display out there, but it'll still be responsive enough for gamers.
Plus, seeing as the input lag is too low to have any real impact, the e2343Fi won't hold you back with online or LAN gaming.
Colours and Contrast
Colour fidelity, however, is a different story entirely. We measured the average Delta E at 5.5 (the difference between perfect colours and those displayed onscreen—the lower, the better) when it should really be three or less for colours to be considered accurate. The gamma could be more even too (distribution of brightness levels) and a slightly high colour temperature makes for a faint blue overtone.
AOC e2343Fi average Delta E
We tried adjusting all kinds of settings in the e2343Fi, but we couldn't find any way of correcting these slight defects. So, as it stands, the e2343Fi won't be suitable for users who need colour fidelity to be spot on, like graphic designers and photo editors. But note too that accurate colours are also pretty handy if you order a lot of things online (clothes, shoes, etc.), otherwise you may end up with some nasty surprises when you unwrap your purchases—believe us, we've been there. To get accurate colours with the AOC e2343Fi, you'll need to download and install a colour calibration profile.
The contrast ratio of 810:1 is slightly below average compared with other monitors we've tested (850:1).
Pros
- Built-in iPhone/iPod dock
- Ghosting time (11 ms on average)
- Slimline 13 mm casing
Cons
- Colour fidelity (Delta E = 5.5)
- Contrast slightly below average compared with other monitors (810:1)
- Audio quality (output lacks bass and power)
- TN screen (looks dark when viewed from below)
Conclusion
The built-in iPod/iPhone dock and good screen responsiveness could make the AOC e2343Fi an attractive choice for gamers and Apple device owners. But, unfortunately, colour fidelity isn't spot on and contrast is slightly below average, which could prove a turn-off for others.
OUR SCORE
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