On this review, we are taking a good look at the AOC I2381FH. It is an IPS panel based monitor with a frameless or borderless design. This has been around for quite some time now with a current market price of around 7000 Pesos – or about $150 dollars. This is a direct competitor to the ASUS VZ239H that we tested back in 2018.
The AOC I2381FH features a 60Hz refresh rate with a screen size of 23″ and a resolution of 1080P. It’s not a monster display specification wise but we shall see what it could offer on the full review.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
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Display |
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| LCD Size (inch) | 23 |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080 |
| Refresh Rate | 60Hz |
| Display Area(mm) | 509.184 x 286.416 |
| Pixel Pitch (mm) | 0.265 |
| Brightness (cd/㎡) | 250 |
| Contrast | 1000:1 |
| DCR | 50000:1 |
| Panel Type | IPS |
| Response Time | 5ms |
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Connectivity |
|
| Input/Output Connector | HDMI, VGA |
| USB/Audio | NA |
| Ergonomics | |
| VESA Wall Mount | NA |
| Pivot | NA |
| Swivel (left/right) | NA |
| Tilt (°) | -5°/+25° |
| Hight Adjustment (mm) | NA |
DESIGN, LAYOUT AND CONNECTIVITY:
The AOC I2381FH is a slim and stylish 23″ monitor. It is technically frameless, with the exception of the panel’s actual border and the lower area of course.
Screen coating used is a blend between gloss and a matte finish – though it’s more leaning towards the matte side of things. Nothing to complain here, since this is not a gaming display in the first place. That said, we’ll not treat it as a gaming monitor throughout the review.
Ergonomics wise, we only get a tilt motion from -5.5° to +25°. That’s pretty bland for such a display, considering we don’t even have a VESA mount in the first place. 100mm VESA mount wouldn’t hurt the look.
As for display options, AOC went with a single HDMI and a VGA. Other models such as the one seen below should have more display options.
Power is understandably external, yet we don’t even have a stereo speaker on our unit.
ON-SCREEN DISPLAY MENU:
The AOC I2381FH features yet again, a familiar looking OSD. You’d get 7 main menus here with the Luminance, Color Setup and Picture Boost being the most important ones out of the bunch.
OSD is rather simple, though navigation is a chore. AOC, please update this for the year 2019.
TEST SETUP AND METHODOLOGY:
Our test setup relies on the Blur Busters TestUFO Motion Tests and the Data Color Spyder5ELITE Display Calibration System. The cameras used throughout the review for the motion artifact and high speed assessments are the Fujifilm XE-1 and the Nikon 1 J1.
| TEST SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS | |
| PROCESSOR | Intel Core i5 6600K |
| MOTHERBOARD | ASUS Z170-A |
| COOLER | Cryorig C1 Top Flow |
| MEMORY | Crucial Ballistix Tactical DDR4 @ 2666MHz 2x4GB |
| GRAPHICS | ASUS ROG STRIX GTX 1060 OC 6GB |
| STORAGE | Crucial BX200 480GB |
| POWER | Corsair RM850X 850W |
| DISPLAY | ASUS MG278Q |
| OS | Microsoft Windows 10 Pro |
Target for calibration is a 2.2 Gamma value, with a White Point at 6500K and a Brightness value set at 120 cd/㎡. Calibrated values are then analyzed with the Spyder5ELITE Display Analysis tool. Do note that Dynamic Contrast Ratio and other extra features built within the OSD are disabled during the tests. The following OSD values are selected for the display calibration.
| OSD Settings | |
| Brightness | 65 |
| Contrast | 50 |
| Saturation | NA |
| Temperature | Warm |
| Gamma | Gamma 3 (2.2) |
| Preset | Standard |
If you wish to use the calibrated ICC profile taken from our Spyder5ELITE result, just send us a message. You may also read our guide on how to use ICC profiles.
GAMUT:
The Gamut test evaluates the color spaces the display exactly covers. That includes industry standard spaces such as sRGB and AdobeRGB. Higher percentage values are better.
Color space coverage is good. We got a 97% sRGB coverage while AdobeRGB results are at 75%.
TONE RESPONSE:
Tone response is where we check the display’s Gamma values and or presets if there are any. We then compare the results with industry standards of 1.8, 2.2 and 2.4. Closer to these values are better.
The AOC I2381FH features 3 gamma levels. Based on our results, level 1 is 1.5, level 2 is 1.9 and level 3 is 2.2.
BRIGHTNESS AND CONTRAST:
The result of the tests shows us an overview on how the display actually performs in terms of Brightness and Contrast ratio on varying brightness levels. Higher is better.
Brightness at 100% using our calibrated profile is rated at 190.5 cd/㎡. Contrast ratio on the other hand is at 210:1.
SCREEN UNIFORMITY:
This test shows us an overview of the screen’s uniformity at the calibrated brightness level. The closer this value to 0, the better the performance of the panel.
Screen uniformity is exactly not the best in class, featuring a 1.8 Delta-E average.
COLOR ACCURACY:
This test shows how well different basic color hues are being reproduced by the display. These color tones correspond with the Datacolor SpyderCheckr. Lower Delta-E values are better.
The AOC I2381FH scored a 1.89 Delta-E value. Decent result, even beating the budget IPS based ASUS display on the list.
POWER CONSUMPTION:
The power consumption is checked with a power meter. Measurements are taken at maximum brightness level.
The AOC I2381FH power consumption is at 18.8W. Just expected for its size and caliber.
BACKLIGHT BLEED AND VIEWING ANGLES:
Backlight Bleed is the phenomenon where backlighting from a display leaks. This is prevalent with LED backlight enabled displays where the LEDs used to light the panel are situated at the edges of the display. Testing the Backlight of the display is conducted on a dim room, simulating the recognizable amount of bleed for such scenario.
Viewing angles are also tested to check out how the display panel performs on various positions. This should be helpful if you are looking for a panel that could be used on multi-monitor setups.
Backlight bleed at 120 cd/㎡ is hardly noticeable. Basically perfect, even. Viewing angles are good too, if not great.
BUTTON TO PIXEL INPUT LAG:
The Button to Pixel Input Lag is a combination of system latency from the point of input, processing and display output. That is the basic of it and to quantify the approximate Button to Pixel Input Lag, we utilized Quake 3 Arena as our main shooter. The game is set at the native resolution of the panel with the FPS locked at 250. We check how much delay in milliseconds it took the display to actually output the signal via a 1200 FPS high-speed camera with ~0.83ms of accuracy.
Our button to pixel lag results shows that the AOC I2381FH has an average of 15.7ms of latency. Not the best, but not the worst either.
FRAME SKIPPING:
Frame Skipping is the phenomenon where dropped frames and missing refreshes occur due to ineffective refresh rate overclocking. If your display exhibits such issues, it should be perceptually similar to in-game frame skipping. We are are utilizing the Blur Busters Frame Skipping Checker to test if there is any.
The AOC I2381FH passed our frame skipping test with ease. Nothing to worry about here.
MOTION CLARITY: DISPLAY PERSISTENCE
Motion Picture Response Time (MPRT) is the numbered approach to demonstrate the level of perceived motion blur on a display. Basically, a lower persistence value indicates less motion blur. Refresh rate and the sampling method plays a major part here whereas a higher refresh rate nominally features better display persistence values.
Assessing the typical display persistence is easy enough with sample and hold displays, while CRT and Strobe Lighting enabled displays are quite difficult to test with the current tools available. That said, these are still good references to check out. Especially true if we’re looking for differences based on refresh rates alone.
MOTION CLARITY: PURSUIT CAMERA
Setting up a pursuit camera courtesy of Blur Busters allows us to a great extent, perceive the actual motion blur of the display. Using such method also allows us to check out for other motion artifacts including ghosting, inverse ghosting and other artifacts. This pursuit camera test is a peer-reviewed invention.
The AOC I2381FH featured a not so favorable yet tolerable result on our motion clarity test.
SOFTWARE, LIGHTING AND SPECIAL FEATURES:
The AOC I2381FH had a flicker-free eye care feature. This has been made possible by the direct current backlight panel, reducing flickering light levels. The feature is good for reading or rather, prolonged exposure to the monitor at varying brightness levels.
Other features includes the obvious super slim design front and back, the ability to choose presets and the usual features found on budget displays.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
The AOC I2381FH is one of the many budget oriented IPS displays on the market right now. This is an already fierce territory with an added difficulty due to a number of 144Hz displays starting to show around this particular market segment. That said, if you are not looking for a gaming display, rather something that is based on a reliable IPS panel with eye care features, then this one should do it.
Performance wise, we are looking at an IPS display with good color accuracy, decent tone response and gamut. Build quality is what you should expect for its price, though I must say that VESA mounting option shouldn’t be compromised.
Overall the AOC I2381FH is a value oriented 23 incher IPS display with a Full HD format. Not the best, not the worse, but is certainly a reliable panel for a day full of work.
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AOC I2381FH IPS Frameless Monitor Review
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PERFORMANCE - 7/10
7/10
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BUILD QUALITY - 7/10
7/10
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FEATURES - 7/10
7/10
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AESTHETICS - 8/10
8/10
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VALUE - 8/10
8/10
Summary
Overall the AOC I2381FH is a value oriented 23 incher IPS display with a Full HD format. Not the best, not the worse, but is certainly a reliable panel for a day full of work.
