In 2011, LG's focus seems to be on alternative monitor technologies to TN panels, and we can already hear some of you getting excited about the prospects of ditching TN technology. We've already looked at the LG Flatron IPS226V, but today we're testing the LG Flatron IPS231P. It's a 23'' Full HD monitor backlit using LEDs that has an IPS panel, which usually guarantees nice even colour reproduction and wide viewing angles.
The new IPS231P might not be as sleek as the IPS226V, but is much more usable. There are VGA and DVI video inputs, while a headphone jack and a pair of 2 x 1 W speakers handle audio. The stand is height-adjustable, rotates and allows you to turn the monitor round to portrait mode.
Despite not having a HDMI input-which is a real problem if you want to hook up a games console-the IPS231P comes away from this section with three stars, mostly thanks to how flexible its stand is.
We can only conclude that the IPS231P offers nothing short of accurate colour reproduction. Our test results are clear: the deltaE score, which represents the average discrepancy between the colours that should be shown and those actually visible, is just 2.8. As you can see from the chart below, some colours are reproduced more accurately than others, but with the average figure below 3.0, the remaining discrepancies are invisible to the naked eye.
The only adjustment we made was to turn the brightness down from 100 to 55 so the overall light levels produced by the screen were as close to 200 cd/m² as possible. That's the brightness level that we'd usually recommend for a well-lit room. More demanding users can always try a calibration profile.
The contrast ratio is around 950:1, higher than the average value for monitors, which we've found to be around 850:1. We suspect that the IPS231P uses the same panel as the Dell U2311H because of this high contrast ratio and the relatively low energy consumption.
This is where LG's latest effort does less well. With a ghosting time of 25 ms, it's totally unsuitable for gaming. It's more comfortable with office work and any other tasks that don't include fast-moving objects.
The input lag is not quite zero but is low enough to be invisible to the naked eye and therefore of no consequence.
Hardware: stands up for itself
The new IPS231P might not be as sleek as the IPS226V, but is much more usable. There are VGA and DVI video inputs, while a headphone jack and a pair of 2 x 1 W speakers handle audio. The stand is height-adjustable, rotates and allows you to turn the monitor round to portrait mode.Despite not having a HDMI input-which is a real problem if you want to hook up a games console-the IPS231P comes away from this section with three stars, mostly thanks to how flexible its stand is.
Colours: accurate straight out of the box
We can only conclude that the IPS231P offers nothing short of accurate colour reproduction. Our test results are clear: the deltaE score, which represents the average discrepancy between the colours that should be shown and those actually visible, is just 2.8. As you can see from the chart below, some colours are reproduced more accurately than others, but with the average figure below 3.0, the remaining discrepancies are invisible to the naked eye.The only adjustment we made was to turn the brightness down from 100 to 55 so the overall light levels produced by the screen were as close to 200 cd/m² as possible. That's the brightness level that we'd usually recommend for a well-lit room. More demanding users can always try a calibration profile.
The contrast ratio is around 950:1, higher than the average value for monitors, which we've found to be around 850:1. We suspect that the IPS231P uses the same panel as the Dell U2311H because of this high contrast ratio and the relatively low energy consumption.
Responsiveness: avoid games
This is where LG's latest effort does less well. With a ghosting time of 25 ms, it's totally unsuitable for gaming. It's more comfortable with office work and any other tasks that don't include fast-moving objects.| Responsiveness | ||
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Dark Background |
Average |
This graph shows the monitor's ghosting time.
The shorter the time, the more fluid moving images will appear
The shorter the time, the more fluid moving images will appear
The input lag is not quite zero but is low enough to be invisible to the naked eye and therefore of no consequence.
Pros
- Usability: height-adjustable rotating stand with portrait mode
- Above average contrast
- Accurate colours by defult
- Wide viewing angles
- Low energy consmption for an IPS monitor
Cons
- Ghosting time too long for gaming
- Other IPS displays have wider viewing angles
- No HDMI port
Conclusion
The great colour reproduction offered by the LG Flatron IPS231P makes it a great choice for design work, and the fact you can rotate to portrait mode makes it useful for anybody working with two displays at once. To gain that extra fifth star, it would need to be more responsive, have an HDMI input and have some handy extras like a USB hub or memory card reader.
OUR SCORE
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