Design & Features

While this section will focus heavily on its simplistic yet modern design, it will also be written with an unusually strong emphasis on consumer reviews.  Why?  Well, not only are some of the consumer reviews completely wrong in terms of its design features, but also make a big deal of what really isn't.  My goal here is not get anyone angry, but rather to get the facts straight and ensure that no potential buyer is deterred by some of these amateur and somewhat pathetic reviews I have read online prior to obtaining this beauty.  Got my attention?  Good...that's my goal here and the main purpose of writing this particular article.

I would like to start off with installation...

Let's appropriately start with the stand.  Ahh, the stand, one of the main complaints from consumers.  First off, most of them make negative comments regarding its quality.  Seriously...what do they expect?  A stand made of Titanium?  Come on now, I found absolutely no issues with the quality of the stand and actually, find it to be just that...your typical LCD stand.  Most of the other negative comments were in relation to the difficulty of installation.  Folks, this stand couldn't be any easier to mount and lock into place...seriously.  The base itself does not take that much desk space and again, unlike many consumer reviews, is well-designed and easy to put together.  It is also designed to allow for effortless movement, something many also incorrectly state is not possible. 

While Samsung did quite a nice job at maintaining that small footprint, this is a massive 23" widescreen and you'll want to make sure you have the room for it on your particular desk.  For example, this display was the absolute perfect size for the screen area, as it took all of it without interfering with other desk features.  For those concerned about its overall size, its physical dimensions are 21.4" x 16.1" x 9".  Also worth mentioning is the overall weight of this display.  I was actually shocked by just how light it really is.  The 2343BWX weighs in at only 11.9lbs.  However, it will definitely feel lighter than that. 

I love displays with really thin bezels and this is just one of many from Samsung.  It also sports a quality high-gloss finish.  Moving towards the back, its design is as simple as can be and unlike the front and base, has a matte black finish.  As far as the connections go, you can tell from the picture there are two.  One DVI and one VGA input.  Unlike most displays currently on the market looking to compete, this one does not feature an HDMI port.  I personally don't care for HDMI on a PC monitor so this is really not an issue for me. 

**click to enlarge**

I'm personally a huge fan of touch controls and the Samsung 2343BWX does happen to sport them, adding that finishing touch to its ultra-modern design.  Now, like all I have mentioned above, you should take most consumer reviews with a grain of salt.  Many complain the touch controls are hard to use or simply do not work well.  I will honestly say this is completely false.  Perhaps most aren't as used to them as I am, but I find all of them highly responsive and not an issue at all.  However, I will agree with most by saying that the labels themselves are extremely difficult to read, even in a fairly decent lit room.  There is one power LED that is blue and while most are annoyed by it, I find it has a very subtle glow to it when compared to other displays.  Not an issue at all for me but note that it will blink when you power down your system and keep the display on.

Don't get me wrong, despite all the attacks made regarding the negative comments from consumers, in the end, there's a reason this display has extremely high marks from practically all who own it.  The reason is very simple actually.  Samsung does make some of the very best displays on the market and are nothing short of breathtaking.  This one, although very reasonably priced, sports some features that lead up to this. 

The first important one is its Dynamic Contrast Ratio of 20000:1.  For those shopping for an LCD monitor, this is one area you'll want to research a little before deciding on one.  LCD displays have dramatically improved in such a short period of time and this happens to be just one area.  Without getting too technical, displays now-a-days will likely be marketed by their dynamic contrast ratio.  However, in addition, there's what you would call a "static" ratio that applies to all as well.  Look at both before shelling out that hard-earned money.  The higher the contrast ratio the better and the Samsung 2343BWX does not disappoint, offering a very high dynamic ratio of 20000:1.  Most may not be able to tell the difference but if you're coming from an older display, you will definitely notice just how crisp the image is and just how deeper the blacks are.  Coming from another older Samsung 20" LCD display with a significantly lower contrast ratio, I immediately appreciated the higher contrast upon first use.

Another area that has changed significantly over a short period is a display's response time.  What has plagued LCD's for years is their high response times that leads to blurry images when playing high frame videos.  The 2343BWX sports a super low response time of only 5ms, virtually eliminating all motion blur.  While there are some displays out there with 2ms response, this will certainly suffice.

Next: Performance