Hannspree HF257H review

While many manufacturers are touting new LED-backlit models, the Full HD, 24.5in Hannspree HF257HP uses the older CCFL backlight technology. The HF257H is a chunky monitor, with a thick bezel and a sturdy stand, and while it may not be able to compete with the flashy new LED models, it’s competitively priced, to say the least.

In our white screen test, the HF257H’s CCFL backlight wasn’t entirely even, and not as bright as some of its LED rivals. By default, it’s set to the Nature colour temperature preset which we found a bit cold, but switching to the User setting and turning down the Blue component to 80 produced a warmer image with a slight yellow cast.

While its backlight may not fare well in side-by-side comparisons, in our image tests we found we liked the HF257H. While we still had to compensate for the blue cast, we found shadows to be darker and more convincing than on other monitors, and reds weren’t as overblown.

Hannspree ‘s menu system is clear and easy to use, with four chunky buttons on the right side of the screen that provide Menu, Select and navigation functions. There are only basic image controls: brightness, contrast and colour temperature, and the latter has only four options: Cool, Nature, Warm and User.

Although this may seem limited, it’s worth noting that we found the controls were subtle and allowed fine control, compared with some monitors we’ve tested whose controls were far too sensitive. With a decent calibration tool, we’re confident you could feasibly produce accurate results on the HF257H.

With two HDMI ports, you can attach multiple devices at the same time, and there’s even a headphone output, so you can watch late-night movies without keeping other people awake. The internal speakers aren’t suitable for much, being too quiet and tinny, so you’re better off routing your audio to an external set of speakers or an AV amplifier.

With the HF257H, Hannspree has proved that there’s still life in CCFL backlights, and although it’s not up to the standards of the most expensive of new monitors, the image quality is fine for everyday use. A sensible set of inputs and a simple menu system add to the package, and at it’s incredibly good value. It wins our Best Buy award.