Iiyama ProLite XB2472HD review

Like IPS panels, VA (Vertical Alignment) panels are meant to provide better viewing angles, colour reproduction and contrast than the cheaper and more common TN LCD panels. The new Iiyama ProLite XB2472HD has a 24in VA panel with a Full HD (1,920×1,080) resolution, a choice of VGA, DVI and two HDMI inputs and a fully adjustable stand (height adjustment and a portrait mode), giving it a great deal of versatility.

Our first impressions of image quality weren’t good. In our tests, the XB2472HD’s picture looked far too pale when viewed from an angle and, compared to displays with IPS panels, viewing angles aren’t nearly as good. Although the XB2472HD kept light and dark areas accurate relative to each other, it lost colour accuracy.

Viewing angles are only important if you want to share what’s on your screen, however, and most people sit directly in front of their monitor. Here, the picture changes: contrast is superb with dark blacks and bright whites, and colour accuracy is great, although not quite as good as with an IPS panel. We noticed a slight yellow cast which added warmth and made greens seem brighter, but it’s not serious enough to ruin accuracy.

Apart from the fiddly, touch-sensitive controls, the menu system is clear and logical. Options are minimal, with only brightness, contrast and colour temperature controls, and the latter are limited to 9300K, 7500K, 6500K and User – we kept all settings at default. A dynamic contrast option is hidden under the Miscellaneous section, and while it’s not awful, we were still distracted by its attempts at correcting the screen’s brightness on the fly.

You can press the Exit button on its own to cycle through image quality presets – Standard, Game, Cinema, Scenery and Text – which are fairly subtle and worth playing with. Although this display has a slower response time than displays with a TN panel, we didn’t notice any ghosting in our games test.

The XB2472HD’s main problem is the fierce competition. If you’re looking to save money, the LG IPS235V costs £27 less, but its IPS panel actually provides superior image quality.