Monitor Review: Samsung SyncMaster BX2350

When putting together a system, it can be easy to get so caught up in processor speeds, RAM amounts, and drive sizes that the monitor gets little more attention than a quick decision regarding its size. But if you think about it, what monitor you select is as important as any other choice you make in building a system. Choose one that isn't comfortable to sit in front of, that doesn't show images and text clearly, or that doesn't display colors faithfully, and you'll quickly learn just how important it is to pick a monitor that not only gets the job done, but gets it done well.

The folks at Samsung have worked for years to demonstrate that they get this and that they produce a range of display offerings that meet the needs of a variety of users, from casual web surfers to gamers to business professionals. One of those offerings is the recently released SyncMaster BX2350.

With a suggested price of $329, this 23-inch LED-backlit monitor boasts superior viewing angles, faithful color reproduction, good energy efficiency, and not one but two HDMI inputs to go with its 1,920 by 1,080 full HD widescreen resolution. Today, we'll be seeing whether the BX2350 can walk the walk as well as Samsung talks the talk.

How Do Its Features Stack Up?

For starters, the BX2350 is a twisted nematic (TN) display that offers a 16:9 aspect ratio, a 2-millisecond response time, and a 1,000:1 static contrast ratio. But while TN displays, as a rule, can't offer the same viewing angles or color accuracy that in-plane switching (IPS) screens can, Samsung claims that its MagicAngle technology will allow you to adjust the BX2350 to let it look good from more viewing angles.

Does it seem to help? Sure. Does the BX2350 look good in general? Absolutely -- text and images alike look crisp and clear, and the settings can quickly be adjusted to personal tastes. But does this technology allow the BX2350 to truly match the performance of an IPS monitor? Sadly, no.

One thing that's particularly striking about the BX2350 is how slim and sleek it is, with its thin profile (just 0.75 inch thick at top) and a similarly thin bezel that makes it ideally suited for multiple-monitor setups. And the same LED backlighting that makes it possible to produce such a slim monitor also helps make it more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, with none of the mercury, halogen, or arsenic found in CCFL-backlit displays.

The BX2350's power consumption is in line with what we've seen from other LED-backlit monitors. At full brightness and with no use of Samsung's MagicEco energy-saving features, a Kill-a-Watt meter showed the monitor drawing just 29 watts of electricity. Letting the MagicEco feature drop the brightness down to a still comfortable 75 percent dropped the electricity usage down to just 21 watts. And if you really want to go green and don't mind a slightly dimmer display, you can select the 50-percent brightness option and draw just 14 watts.

The MagicEco options, like the MagicAngle options discussed earlier, are found through the on-screen display (OSD) menu that can be accessed via non-protruding touch "buttons" on the bottom right corner of the BX2350's bezel. Faintly labeled and a little tricky to get used to, this interface worked well enough most of the time.

But it was an occasional source of frustration, as even the slightest touch in the area of the buttons would inadvertently open or close OSD menus, while my apparently bad aim would prevent the desired menus from opening in others. Additional utilities that come on the included CD and can be installed include MagicTune, which helps you calibrate the monitor, and MagicReturn, which makes it easier to manage a dual-monitor setup.

Missing Links?

In continuing to look at the BX2350's features vis-a-vis the competition's, consumers might be as surprised by what the monitor doesn't offer as by what it does. While it does what it does well enough, Samsung appears to have taken a no-frills approach to the BX2350's features. There's no integrated USB hub, for example; no speakers; no built-in webcam. And that's fine -- not all monitors have to be all things to all people. But some omissions do seem more glaring than others.

Take, for example, the two HDMI ports mentioned above and positioned between the VGA port and the audio output port at the rear of the monitor. With a nice crisp display that offers full HD resolution, what more can you ask for than multiple HDMI inputs, right? Well, for starters, how about any other options for digital input?

While the DVI-to-HDMI cable that came in the BX2350's box will surely prove helpful, and while similar cables and adapters are readily available for those with graphics cards that have DVI or DisplayPort as their only digital video outputs, offering at least one of these other input types might have made sense for a model that is listed as a business monitor on Samsung's website.

Also a bit odd is the inclusion and location of an audio-out port. The BX2350 doesn't have any audio inputs beyond its combined video/audio HDMI ports, doesn't have any internal speakers, as previously mentioned, and doesn't appear to have any sort of speaker bar or soundbar accessories available. And since external speakers could at least as easily be connected to the PC, that seems to leave connecting headphones as the most likely use for the audio-out port. But its location, almost right in the middle of the monitor's rear, makes it somewhat awkwardly placed for that use.

Perhaps one of the BX2350's biggest weaknesses is its stand. It's a handsome piece, with shiny chromium plating. But while the stands that come with many other business-class monitors let you tilt, swivel, pivot, and adjust the monitors' height, the BX2350's stand only lets you tilt it slightly backwards. If you want to swivel the monitor, you'll have to swivel the entire stand. And if you want to pivot it or adjust its height ... well, you're out of luck. With many other monitors, this obstacle could be overcome by ditching the included stands and using wall or desk mounts. Unfortunately, though, the BX2350 doesn't come equipped with VESA mounting holes; and so you're pretty much stuck with the attractive, but not very flexible, included stand.

While the last few paragraphs of this review have been critical of some of the SyncMaster BX2350's features, there is still a lot to like about it. It looks great, first and foremost, with text, images, and video all displaying as well as can reasonably be expected from a TN monitor. And it's about as energy-efficient as any 23-inch LCD you're likely to come across.

But it just seems to come down to missed opportunities. Samsung engineers have produced some great monitors in their time, and we have no doubt that they'll continue to do so in future. But while the BX2350 is a perfectly fine monitor, it strikes us as a near miss.