Iiyama ProLite E2473HDS review

Thanks to the increasing number of budget monitors with fancy IPS panels, such as the award-winning AOC i2352Vh, you may wonder if there’s any point in buying a screen with the older TN panel technology. This is especially the case when the screen in question, the 24in Iiyama E2473HDS, is around £10 more expensive than the IPS-equipped i2352Vh.

However, you shouldn’t judge a monitor by its panel technology alone, and the E2473HDS shows itself to be a capable screen. Our initial calibration tests with the open-source dispcalGUI application and Spyder4Express colorimeter showed the screen to be pretty much bang-on out of the box, with red, green, blue and brightness levels all very close to the software’s recommended starting points. Pre-calibration tests also showed the screen’s colour gamut to come within 97% of the sRGB standard – similar to the IPS-equipped AOC i2352Vh’s 96.9%.

After calibration the image was very slightly colder, and the gamut had risen to within 97.6% of sRGB – as good or better than any monitor we’ve seen for less than around £800, and again almost identical to the AOC screen’s 97.4% sRGB gamut.

During our subjective tests, things were again very close. When using solid colours the Iiyama screen showed punchy colours and deep blacks; the screen’s matt finish means colours aren’t quite as vibrant as on monitors with gloss screens, but there’s very little reflection from overhead light sources. We at first thought the monitor was lacking in contrast, leading to blacks looking slightly grey and reds having a slight orange tinge. However, tweaking the brightness and contrast settings improved matters, and meant there was very little to choose between the Iiyama screen and AOC’s rival. The Iiyama monitor showed a very slight yellow tinge to whites, but we only noticed this when comparing it side-by-side with the AOC i2352Vh’s pure whites.