Philips E-line 237E4QHAD review

Philips' new 23in E-line 237E4QHAD might look like any other monitor, but it has several notable features. First, it costs just £160. You can buy similar-sized monitors for less, but the 237E4QHAD's second boon is that it uses IPS screen technology. This enables it to show more vivid, accurate colours at a broader range of viewing angles. It's one of the cheapest IPS monitors we've seen.

Given the low price, we weren't surprised by the lack of height adjustment or USB ports. Like the AOC Myplay i2757Fm, the E-line 237E4QHAD sits low on your desk. It's slightly higher than the i2757Fm, but you may still need to use a monitor stand or an old book to raise it so your eyes are level with the centre of the screen.

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Speakers are built in, although these are nearly as dire as those on the i2757Fm. There's no discernible bass so music and films sounding terrible as a result. There are two HDMI ports, both of which can display video played from your smartphone and charge it at the same time if it supports the Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) standard.

In terms of image quality the E-line 237E4QHAD proved to be one of the best displays costing less than £200 that we've seen. Out of the box, whites were clear, other colours were very punchy and text on web pages looked sharp.

Movies and games looked superb and were much sharper than on the AOC Myplay i2757Fm since the E-line237E4QHAD has the same 1,920x1,080 pixel resolution but in a smaller space. Dark scenes showed no smudging, which is usually the case with cheaper monitors and photos looked great too. The only downside is the reflective bezel than can be distracting if you have light sources behind you.

Other, larger 1080p monitors such as the AOC i2757Fm may be physically bigger but they suffer from a relative lack of sharpness as a result while the E-line 237E4QHAD was pin-sharp. It might lack certain creature comforts like height adjustment and USB ports, but it's otherwise a good value monitor.