Just about everything in the world of technology is trying to be as slim and as light as possible. We’re seeing this with digital cameras, just as much as we are seeing it with smartphones. Not surprisingly, computer monitors are not at all immune to this trend either and we’re all the happier for it. AOC has embraced this trend with their new series of thin monitors.
Boasting an ultra-thin design is the AOC E2243Fwk LED backlit LCD display. AOC might not be as big a name in this arena as some of the other name brands, but does that mean that it should be ignored? Not at all! Let’s see what this slim beauty brings to the table (or home office desk, as the case may be).
Features and Specifications
Naturally, the first thing that strikes you about the AOC e2243Fwk (as well as other monitors in this series) is its remarkably slim profile. AOC is saying that this monitor offers “minimum thickness” while still being able to provide “maximum colors.”
I wouldn’t say that it necessarily competes against the enterprise-geared NEC MultiSync EX231W, but they’re both really thin and rock the latest LED technology. Doing a quick run through on the spec sheet reveals a 21.5-inch 16:9 display, 50 million to 1 contrast ratio, WLED backlighting, low power consumption, 250 cd/m2 brightness, and 5ms response time.
Getting beyond the 1.29cm super slim profile, you find just two input options: DVI-D (with HDCP) or VGA. This should be sufficient for most applications, though I would have liked to see either DisplayPort or HDMI input (or both) on here as well.
Joining its brethren in AOC’s “Aire Black” LED monitor series, the monitor comes in a 20-inch (e2043Fk, $129), 22-inch (e2243Fwk, $149 – TESTED) and 23-inch (e2343Fk, $179) screen size. The series is available at Best Buy, Radio Shack, Office Max, Fry’s, TigerDirect/CompUSA and PC Richards so it shouldn’t be difficult to find.
What’s In the Box?
Just like other slim LCD monitors, this monitor doesn’t have an internal power supply. That means that you’ll have to deal with having a power brick, as well as the usual power cable that comes attached to said brick. That’s not a huge deal, but it is something you’ll want to keep in mind.
Beyond the display itself, the power brick, and the power cable, AOC is also including a basic VGA cable, installation CD, and some basic documentation. That’s pretty much all you need to get started, but I’d really recommend using the DVI-D connection rather than the VGA one if you want to get the best possible image quality.
No Assembly Required
When you buy just about every other LCD monitor on the market, you’ll find that the panel and the base come as two separate parts. Some of them are easier to put together than others, but it is a necessary step if you plan on putting the LCD on a desk.
Such is not the case with the AOC e2243Fwk. The base and monitor come pre-connected right out of the box. You just have to tilt up the arm so that the screen is perpendicular to the base. There is a switch in the back for locking and unlocking the arm mechanism. That’s handy and simple.
It also presents a double-edged sword. Because of this locking mechanism, you’ll experience much less vertical adjustment on this screen as compared to some of its competitors. Most LCDs allow for a reasonable amount of tilt and that’s not present in this model.
Color and Contrast
So, how does this WLED backlighting perform? By and large, I was quite pleased with this monitor. Even without doing any real calibration, the colors were bright and vibrant. As is the norm these days, the AOC e2243Fwk comes with a series of different modes, automatically adjusting the settings to suit Internet browsing, movie watching, and so forth. There was little to no backlight bleeding on our sample.
Even though the specs say that it has a 50 million to 1 contrast ratio, you know that numbers that big have to be a little inflated. Most real numbers are in the four digit range. While it’s true that the whites were very bright, I found that the blacks could have been darker.
Of course, you don’t get that silky smooth black unless you get a plasma or AMOLED (neither of which really work for a conventional computer monitor). You could dial down the brightness to get darker blacks, but then you lose out on some of the brightest whistes.
Horizontal and Vertical Viewing Angles
The viewing angles on the AOC e2243Fwk are within the acceptable range, but you do notice some issues as you get into the more extreme angles. This is to be expected from LED backlit LCD monitors as the backlighting can come into play.
You start to experience a loss of detail at more extreme horizontal angles, as the image starts to get washed out at the far end. This is even more pronounced with the vertical viewing angles, as just about everything starts getting blanketed in white. It’s unlikely you’ll ever use it at this angle, but it is definitely noticeable.
Video and Gaming Performance
Let’s start with just video. I tried watching a series of YouTube videos at 720p from a range of different sources, as well as some local video files at the same 720p resolution. As before, the colors were quite vibrant and I didn’t notice much in terms of motion blur. Of course, if you plan to do video editing or photo editing, it’s always a good idea to calibrate the display. Still, out of the box, it looked pretty good.
Similarly, in going though some test gaming sessions (mostly Team Fortress 2), the screen was able to keep up with the action without too many concerns about motion blur or ghosting. This has largely become a non-issue for most modern LCDs and this offering from AOC is no exception. The smaller size of the monitor and relative thinness also makes it ideal to take along to LAN parties as your primary display.
Closing Thoughts
There is a lot to like about the AOC E2243 Fwk LED LCD monitor. You really have to see this super thin profile to believe just how thin it is. It has the same kind of thickness as a pencil, which is pretty incredible. The bezel is equally skinny.
The LED backlighting makes for a very nice panel, especially when it comes to the vibrant colors, but you will notice some washing out at more extreme horizontal and vertical viewing angles. This is a non issue for when you’re close up working or gaming in front of the monitor of course. While the glossy black plastic is visually appealing, it is also very quick to attract dust.
You may not be immediately familiar with the AOC name, but based on a screen like this, it certainly shouldn’t be ignored. In fact, many of your favourite LCD monitors may actually contain a panel built by AOC. That said, with an average street price of $149 or less, this monitor will have a hard time competing against more aggressively priced LCDs from Asus, Samsung, and other better known brands. Not to mention, most people may shy away from a monitor that does not have a brand they recognize.
Overall though, if the pricing were a few dollars less than your next name brand at retail, there truly isn’t anything not to enjoy about this very thin monitor. Not to mention the desk space you’ll save.
Pros
- Incredibly slim profile
- Very thin bezel too
- No need to assemble panel and base
- Bright and vibrant colors
Cons
- No DisplayPort or HDMI input ports
- Very limited vertical adjustment
- Glossy plastic is a dust magnet
Overall Rating: 8.0/10.0
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AOC e2243 Fwk Razor LED LCD Monitor Image Gallery
