The business monitors in HP’s Work line have been providing stellar performance and ergonomic comfort to office users for many years, and this year’s additions continues the trend. The HP VH240a (1KL30AA) is a monitor designed for users who spend equal amounts of time working on a desktop PC and a laptop PC. This monitor’s aesthetic is pleasing to the eye, and that’s not where its impressive feature set ends. This time around, this 23.8-inch monitor adds a pair of speakers to the bezel-free frame.
Still, the 60Hz In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel delivers a stunning Full-High-Definition (FHD) picture, and you also get an HDMI port.It lacks a USB port and advanced color adjustments, but it’s still our top pick for midsize, business monitors.
Design and Features
Thin bezels and a very slim, 1.5-inch, matte-black cabinet give the HP VH240a an understated look, just like the 27-inch Asus VG278Q. The 15-pound cabinet is supported by a black, rectangular stand with a short mounting arm that allows you tilt the panel 30 degrees, and it gets height, and pivot adjustments as well. All I/O ports are located around the back, facing downward.
They include one HDMI and one VGA port, but missing are the common USB ports used to connect to storage devices, mobile devices and other peripherals. Also, around the back, on the lower side, are four function buttons used to access the settings, as well as the power button.
The 23-inch IPS panel has a maximum resolution of 1920 by 1080, 72 percent sRGB, a peak brightness of 250 cd/m2, a 1000:1 contrast ratio, and a 5-millisecond pixel response. The on-screen settings include Brightness, Contrast, Color Control, Input Control, Image Control, Power Control, Menu Control, Management and Language. Included in the box are a 1.8m (5.9ft) VGA cable and a resource CD containing drivers and a user guide.
Performance
With the subtle build of the HP VH240a Work monitor, for a minute I was convinced that HP had found a way to make a Full HD at 23-inches look good on an IPS panel, and that was not asking too much. There are good things to this monitor. For one thing, the 60Hz offers plenty smooth visuals for office tasks, and can even suffice for media consumption at the office or at home. Plus, it only takes a few easy clicks to have the monitor resolve the visual signals from your computer’s display adapter.
So, it basically means that you don’t have to fiddle with Windows settings to get the best picture. Right out of the box, the VH240a delivers very accurate colors, which is something you consider for a monitor you’ll be looking at for most of the day at the office. Colors appear uniform and well saturated, something I appreciated when displaying scenes from Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier on Blu-ray disc. And, the matte panel eliminates reflections that would otherwise affect the overall viewing experience.
As with all good IPS monitors, the VH240a does offer wide viewing angles, with no noticeable color shifting or loss of luminance when you view the monitor from a top, bottom, or side angle. While not intended for gaming, it makes a good showing on Grand Theft Auto V (PS4) and Crysis 3 (PC). Granted, you can do with occasional instances of motion blur and some screen tearing, but if you’re looking at occasional after-hours casual gaming, it’ll get the job done.
The 23-inch panel’s 12.8-millisecond input lag (time taken for a monitor to react to a controller command) is fairly short, but not as short as our Editor’s Choice gaming monitor, the Acer Predator XB271HK (9.4 milliseconds). The monitor consumes 20 watts on typical use, but it can consume even less as it offers a power-saving mode. This is identical to similarly-priced monitors in the same category. The speakers would be better though, and hopefully minor blurs in very fast-moving videos won’t get on your way.
The Bottom Line
The HP VH240a is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a good-size display for home/office use, and one that delivers solid performance at a reasonable price. Its design also makes it a good choice for designers or photographers seeking an affordable monitor that produces good color and solid grayscale performance.
For instance, the bezel-free design provides a seamless viewing area when two or more monitors are positioned side by side, and it offers tilt, height and pivot adjustments. For all these, the HP VH240a (1KL30AA) is our top pick for midsize, business monitors.
Recommended Configuration
HP VH240a 23.8-inch FHD IPS Monitor
3 used from $152.00
The Review
HP VH240a
The HP VH240a is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a good-size display for home/office use, and one that delivers solid performance at a reasonable price.
PROS
- Inexpensive
- Set up in minutes
- Standard VESA mount option
CONS
- Mediocre color gamut specs
Review Breakdown
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EDITORS RATING
