iiyama B2403WS

24-inch monitors have never been this cheap. What’s the catch?

A24-inch monitor costing as little as £299 ex-VAT would once have been unimaginable. But the iiyama B2403WS is just that. Those who are lucky enough to benefit from a 24-inch screen will already know the reason. With a 1920x1200 native resolution, the screen is also capable of displaying full 1,080p HD video.

Colour reproduction isn’t as good as a monitor aimed solely at the creative professional market, but that’s not to say the B2403WS is bad. A 2000:1 contrast ratio is better than pricier monitors, with text sharp enough for general use. Likewise, horizontal viewing angles of 170 degrees are not exactly high end, but don’t cause a problem.

In terms of inputs you get an HDMI port and an analogue VGA port and that’s it. DVI is notably missing, but you can use the bundled cable to convert DVI outputs to HDMI, without picture degradation.

Additional features are sparse compared with other 24-inch screens. There’s no picture-in-picture functionality to enable you to view two connected machines at once. Component and composite inputs are also missing. iiyama has included a pivot function in the B2403WS, enabling you to rotate the screen 90 degrees and view vertically.

All in all the price tag and huge display make the B2403WS worth investing in.