Pros
- Full HD 23.8 -inch screen
- IPS technology with 178º viewing angles
- Adjustable inclination and orientation
- HDMI + VGA connectivity
Cons
- Does not have USB-C input
- Not the best sound quality
These days, getting a good monitor that delivers a modern look, a good display, and varying positions is not that hard of an undertaking. What might be harder is getting one that delivers on all these fronts whilst maintaining a budget-friendly price. However, such is the case of the monitor we're going to talk about today, the HP VH240a.
Let's get one thing out of the way here. This is not a high-end monitor nor does it pretend to be. This is an affordable, entry-level 24-inch monitor that delivers a Full HD resolution, decent color correctness, and very limited connectivity options - ie: forget about the DisplayPort -.
Having said that, this doesn't mean the monitor is without its virtues and after studying this monitor up close it's no surprise that it's managed to
captivate so many users thus far. But should you buy it? That's what we're here to determine.
Index
| Make model | HP VH240a |
| Dimensions | 21.2 x 19.7 x 8.6 inches
|
| Weight | 10.3 pounds |
| Panel | IPS | 23.8 inch |
| Resolution | Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) |
| Response time | 5 ms (GtG) |
| Refresh rate | 60 Hz |
| Color coverage | 72% (sRGB) |
| Aspect ratio | 16: 9 |
| Speakers | Yes (2 x 2W) |
| VESA support | Yes (100 x 100 mm) |
| Connectivity | HDMI
VGA
|
The HP VH240a is a multifunctional monitor, valid for performing ordinary computing tasks as well as your standard entertainment usage, including some light gaming - keep in mind this monitor has a refresh rate of 60 Hz and a 5 ms response time -.
Also, thanks to its wide viewing angles (up to 178º) and adjustable design - both in height and orientation -, you can easily adapt it to your workplace; while its video outputs (HDMI and VGA) allow you to connect your computer and gaming console as well as another monitor to complete your setup.
When it comes to the design of the HP VH240a, it's quite clear that HP was determined to deliver a modern, slick design, with a black matte finish that's perfect for a home-office whilst also increasing the screen real estate without incrementing the overall footprint of the monitor.
The stand that accompanies the monitor allows adjustments to the level of inclination (from -5 to + 30º), height and orientation (90º), so you can place it in a horizontal or vertical position - landscape or portrait mode respectively -, depending on the task to be carried out.
Altogether, at its maximum height the monitor stands about 7 inches from the ground - you know what I mean -. However, its the ability to manipulate the screen is what also makes it a bit "more clunky" on the back-end.
Of course, as you'd expect, this monitor can be easily mounted to the wall using the compatible vesa mount.
Connectivity-wise, although this monitor does not stand out as much as other similar models, such as the recently reviewed Asus VG248QE the truth is that it offers us the strictly necessary solutions to connect our laptop or desktop computer and gaming console.
Specifically, it packs a single
HDMI and a single VGA port. That's it. There's no display port, nor USB-C ports. That means, if you're planning to connect it to a
MacBook then you're definitely going to need an adapter,
fortunately these are cheap and easy to come by.
We should point out that whilst this monitor
does feature a couple of speakers we would seriously recommend
using it alongside an external audio solution. The sound quality is quite bad and is perhaps the only feature on which
clients of this monitor have unanimously agreed upon.
So yeah, connectivity is not its best. However,
let's not forget that we're talking about a very affordable monitor here and it's also unfair to compare it to monitors twice its price. All in all it was bound to have a a couple of significant handicaps and we firmly believe that the audio quality and connectivity suite to be said handicaps.
Moving onto the picture quality of the display we can hardly expect it to be comparable to high-end monitors such as the LG 34WN80C-B but it's definitely nothing to scoff at.
Specifically, the HP VH240a has a stunning 23.8-inch diagonal, a Full HD resolution, and 250 nits of brightness. The screen is clear and crisp with a 60Hz refresh rate and 5ms response time. The display features a 16:9 aspect ratio and 72% color coverage (sRGB). It's also got pretty good viewing angles thanks to its IPS technology which delivers a 178 degree viewing angle.
But what does this mean in terms of picture quality?
Let's break it down:
The brightness and contrast are good. You get a high-quality image, with excellent color reproduction.
The colors on the screen are bright but not oversaturated. The black levels are solid (for the price range) and the whites have a more neutral tone to them, rather than being super bright or too cool. This certainly helps if you're doing color-sensitive work, as it leaves more room for you to tweak the image to your liking.
The viewing angle is fantastic. You can easily see the screen from a multitude of angles without losing quality or contrast. The 178 degrees horizontal and vertical angles are quite wide, which means that there will be no need to sit right in front of the monitor. This also comes in handy if you're playing games with friends because everybody will be able to see the screen without any issues.
As for gaming performance, we've got to admit that the VH240a does not make the best of first impressions. It works perfectly okay, but there are some issues with lag and response time (consider the fact that it's got a 60Hz display) which could be a deal-breaker depending on how much you love your high frame rate games.
But it's always good to keep in mind that gaming is not the only thing anyone ever uses a monitor for. It's perfectly capable of delivering an overall pleasant experience during non-gaming activities and could even be considered as a good entry-level gaming monitor for those who don't want to burn a hole in their pocket on one particular piece of hardware.
To put it bluntly; if you're a casual gamer, who just wants to do normal things on the web and watch some movies every now and then, but also occasionally play games that run at under 60 frames per second without missing a beat; then this is definitely the monitor for you.
We should note that its 5ms response time is common enough for the price and emphasizes even further the concept that this is not a monitor designed for gaming.
Chances are when you started reading this review you knew how it was going to end. The infamous: 'it depends'. However, it's inescapable. You know how it is, one man's trash is another man's gold and this monitor is no exception to this rule.
Is this the monitor we would recommend for people looking for the best picture quality? Absolutely not.
Does it offer a good balance between price and features? Yes.
Would we like it to have more connectivity options? Definietly.
Ultimately, this is a monitor we would recommend for those looking for an affordable solution to set up a home-office where they can edit documents, browse the web, stream videos and do all of this whilst adjusting the monitor in height and orientation to fulfill their needs.
We would not however recommend this monitor to those who need a display port connection and are unwilling to purchase an adapter or for those who really require the best picture quality - 100 of the sRGB spectrum -. That set of users should definitely set their sights a bit higher.
