Samsung 193P

The Samsung 193P is one of the most stylish 19in monitors we have seen. It does several things to differentiate itself from the abundance of flat-panel screens currently available, but its most unusual feature is the lack of any control buttons.

It has a touch-sensitive power switch, but the normal assortment of menu buttons are absent. Instead, Samsung has given the 193P control over its own settings via an automatic adjustment feature. Manual adjustment is possible, but only with the accompanying software. The result is a very sleek overall design, but this approach may frustrate those who prefer the immediacy of a traditional on-screen display.

The monitor is very flexible in its positioning. It has a versatile stand that is height adjustable, and the screen can be tilted to a variety of angles. Our only real criticism was that the weight of the monitor moved the position of the stand over time.

This wasn't a major issue and, thankfully, amends are made in other areas. The 193P can be used in both landscape and portrait orientations, which could come in handy if your work involves a lot of vertical scrolling.

Image quality is excellent; the picture is bright and the monitor delivered strong contrast. Images remained sharp even when viewed from acute angles and it has a good response time, which makes it ideal for watching DVD movies or playing games.

As with all other 19in TFTs, this one has a resolution of 1,280 x 1,024. For those who want to upgrade to a larger screen with a higher resolution we'd suggest looking at 20in models. For others who don't mind the lower resolution the 193P is reasonably priced and very attractive.

Contact: Samsung
www.samsungelectronics.co.uk

Specifications:

• 19in
• 0.294mm dot pitch
• 1,280 x 1,024 native resolution
• 24bit (16.7 million colours) colour depth
• D-Sub and DVI-D inputs
• 424 x 236 x 411mm (w x d x h)
• 7kg