Dell S2409W review

Dell’s incredibly cheap S2409W 24in 1,920×1,080 monitor has a feature we’ve never seen before: LCD conditioning.

This is designed to fix any problems where an image gets stuck on screen (called image retention). It sounds like a great idea, but we’ve never encountered this problem and the free JScreenFix (www.jscreenfix.com) utility does the same job.

Fortunately, Dell hasn’t charged any extra for this feature; in fact, the S2409W is one of the cheapest 24in monitors we’ve ever seen. Inexpensive it may be, but it certainly doesn’t look or feel cheap.

The sturdy stand has a hole cut in it for cable management and supports the attractive-looking display, which is refreshingly uncluttered by buttons.

The onscreen menu is fantastic and incredibly easy to use. Every option is clearly labelled and described, so you’re never in doubt as to what an option does. There are plenty of options for altering picture settings, and lots of presets image modes for different types of content, including Game, Sports, Movie and Custom. As usual, we found that we obtained the best results by selecting the Custom mode and tweaking the settings manually.

Picture quality was mostly good. Images erred on the side of realistic rather than punchy, but flesh tones looked reasonable. Contrast, rated at 1,000:1 produced subtle detail in dark images, and whites stood out.

On very bright screens, we noticed two slightly darker patches in the middle of the display, but you’re unlikely to notice them in general use and they don’t ruin the monitor.

As well as DVI and VGA inputs for a PC, there’s an HDMI input, so you can connect a Blu-ray player or games console. There are no speakers, so you’ll either have to buy external speakers or the optional AX510 Soundbar (£23 including VAT from www.dell.co.uk), which connects to the bottom of the display.

The S2409W’s image quality won’t blow you away, but it’s only £184. If you want a large, decent screen on a budget, it’s a good choice, but Philips’ 23in 230C1 is even better.