INTRODUCTION

   Most of the times when we talk about LCD screens for our systems we're talking about large gaming ones that come with "special" features such as incredibly high resolutions with HDR (even 8k models are in the works currently), very low grey to grey response times (ms), many available video inputs (DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort) and of course the latest in terms of refresh rates either from NVIDIA (GSync up to 240Hz) or AMD (FreeSync/2 up to 144Hz). Still after reading several of your emails it seems that not everyone out there is looking for a large gaming monitor and so we decided to do our best and also start testing affordable entry level models aimed towards casual consumers and even professionals that don't have the bar set nearly as high as gamers. The first such monitor which we've been using for the past month is one of the latest 24 inch models released by LG the 24MP48HQ-P.

   LG Electronics, Inc. (KSE: 066570.KS) is a global leader and technology innovator in consumer electronics, mobile communications and home appliances, employing 75,000 people working in 118 locations around the world. With 2016 global sales of USD 47.9 billion (KRW 55.4 trillion), LG comprises four business units ― Home Appliance & Air Solutions, Mobile Communications, Home Entertainment and Vehicle Components ― and is one of the world’s leading producers of TVs, mobile devices, air conditioners, washing machines and refrigerators. LG Electronics is a 2016 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year.

   The LG 24MP48HQ-P may be an affordable 16:9 LCD monitor but it still sports an 75Hz LED backlit IPS (in-plane switching) panel that features a maximum resolution of 1920x1080p (Full HD) with 5ms GTG response time, 250 cd/m² brightness, 1000:1 contrast ratio and 178/178 degrees viewing angles. The monitor itself comes with quite a few interesting features (considering it's a value model) including an anti-glare 3H scratch resistant screen, picture in picture (PIP), picture by picture (PBP), 4 Screen Split (screen split 2.0), adjustable automatic standby, reader mode (for optimal reading) and a smart energy saving mode. In terms of available video inputs the 24MP48HQ-P offers just a single HDMI v1.4 port (some sites report it's v2.0) and a D-Sub port so if rich connectivity is something you're looking for in a monitor then this is obviously not for you. Specifications and features aside let's see just how well the 24MP48HQ-P does.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The company logo and the main features of the screen are printed on both the top and bottom of the box.

Every piece of the bundle is placed in the top Styrofoam piece while the screen itself is placed underneath it and above a second Styrofoam piece.

Along with the main screen piece you'll also get its two-piece base, power adapter, D-SUB VGA cable, software CD, warranty paper, quick start guide and a product information paper.

THE 24MP48HQ-P

 With a diagonal length of 60cm the 24MP48HQ-P is precisely a 23.8 inch monitor.

The base consists of two pieces and as you can all see they are both glossy/polished.

The rather small bezel is also glossy/polished so it's also a dust and fingerprint magnet (in terms of size the 24MP48HQ-P measures 550mm in length, 409mm in height and 187mm in depth).

LG has placed its logo at the center of the bottom bezel.

The menu/OSD buttons are placed on the lower right end of the screen right next to the power button.

These are regular and not touch buttons like we've seen with other screens.

Moving at the rear of the screen we find the power, HDMI v1.4 and D-SUB connectors. A small Kensington lock is also present along with a sticker with the factory rollout date and the electrical requirements of the unit.

There's no height or side adjustment with the stock base but you can still move the screen forward and backwards as seen above.

SCREEN MENUS

You can access the screen menus from the buttons at the base of the monitor and from the first screen you can adjust the brightness and contrast levels, set the response time, choose a form factor (wide and original when applicable) and reset the screen to its factory settings.

The second menu allows you to adjust the sharpness and black levels and enable/disable the overscan function (useful only when VGA/D-SUB is used).

Via the next screen you can adjust the gamma (blacked out for HDMI) and the color temperatures.

From the final menu (there's one more menu when connected via VGA/D-SUB) you can choose the menu display language (this model supports 17 different languages), enable/disable the power on indicator, adjust the automatic standby function and choose the preferred resolution (again blacked out for HDMI).

VIEWING ANGLES AND PICTURE QUALITY

IPS panels have always been the best when it comes to viewing angles (not to mention color reproduction) and as you can see from the above pictures the 24MP48HQ-P behaves exactly like that (there is some backlight bleeding when watching from an angle but nothing we haven’t seen in the past from similar models).

Much like most affordable models in the market the 24MP48HQ-P is not a gaming monitor (color reproduction is not that great) but still we didn't have nearly as much lag issues as we had expected while playing several fast-paced titles like Project Cars 2, Killer Instinct and Titanfall 2.

TEST RESULTS

DATACOLOR SPYDER5 ELITE+ MEASUREMENTS

By using the Spyder5 Elite+ Colorimeter by Datacolor we can measure both the color gamut (SRGB and Adobe) and the brightness levels of the monitor at hand.

POWER CONSUMPTION

Power consumption may not be what we look for when out to get a brand new monitor but at the end of the day it's an important factor so we hope this is interesting to some of you.

CONCLUSION

   We all know that LG is among the top three leading LCD panel manufacturers in the world and that has allowed them to release some pretty impressive gaming monitors (and LCD screens in general) but their entry level models haven’t received nearly the same amount of publicity so it was nice to see that they are also doing very well in that area. Of course due to the somewhat easy to spot lag (especially on racing games) and less than impressive color reproduction the 24MP48HQ-P model may not be really suitable for gaming use but thanks to its 24 inches, Full HD resolution and IPS LED panel it does represent a very good value for money. Unfortunately it comes without a pair of built-in speakers and that may discourage potential buyers but for office use we don’t think they are that important while for home use chances are people will have a better sound system in place.

   Speaking about value for money the 24MP48HQ-P IPS LED Monitor by LG currently retails for just USD137 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 139.99Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de). This of course is great news since there aren’t that many 24 inch screens in the market currently that feature an IPS panel for the same amount of money and although we can’t recommend it to gamers (we should have something by LG for you really soon) it should feel right at home with people who are looking for an affordable yet balanced model.

PROS

- 75Hz IPS LED Backlit Panel
- 5ms GTG Response Time
- Good Image Quality
- Power Consumption
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Color Gamut (72% Adobe / 88% sRGB)
- Not Ideal For Serious Gaming
- No Height/Pivot/Swivel Adjustment