iPhone/iPod Dock
The dock even recharges your iPhone or iPod, which is always handy. And if you hook your computer up to the monitor via the USB port at the rear, you can synchronise the iPod/iPhone with iTunes.
However, the 2 x 5-watt speakers aren't great. In fact, this iOS dock doesn't reproduce audio all that well. Although the monitor's base is bulkier than many compact dock-type products, audio quality just isn't very good. There's no bass, the sound is garish to the point of piercing, and the speakers saturate easily. It actually feels more like a very powerful mobile phone speaker than a proper music device.
Another downside is that A0C doesn't supply any kind of adapter for the various types of device compatible with the dock. Some of them therefore wobble around considerably when resting in the dock. Plus, if the connector changes again in the next iPhone, there's no way yet of telling whether this dock will still be compatible.
AOC has clearly understood that a good way of making a product stand out from the competition is to add an unusual function or feature. So the e2343Fi is a 23" monitor with a 2 ms Full HD screen andâ€"wait for itâ€"a built-in iPhone/iPod dock.
Design and Build
This AOC monitor has a glossy black casing and a slimline design that's just 13 mm thick. To keep its monitor this trim, AOC has moved all the connections down onto back of the monitor's rather bulky stand.
The stand is also home to the iPhone/iPod dockâ€"more about that in the sidebar (see right)â€"as well as an HDMI input, a VGA entry, and an audio input linked to the monitor's 2 x 5 watt speakers (this is particularly handy when using the VGA port, as unlike HDMI, this connection doesn't input both video and audio signals).
The screen can be tilted a little but otherwise the stand is firmly fixed in place. That doesn't do anything to help the AOC e2343Fi score points in this part of the review!
Responsiveness
Our responsiveness tests showed up some slight reverse ghosting effects, with ghost images in opposite colours trailing after moving objects. On the image below it may not look significant, but in practice, reverse ghosting is much more visible than standard ghosting effects (where the ghost images are the same colour as the original objects).
To get rid of this, you need to go into the monitor's onscreen menu (navigation is pretty easy once you get used to what the different buttons do) and switch the "Overdrive" setting from "Medium" to "Low".Â
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| Light Background | Black Background | Average |
Once you've done that, there's no sign of reverse ghosting. We measured the average ghosting time at 11 ms. That doesn't make this 23" monitor the fastest display out there, but it'll still be responsive enough for gamers.
Plus, seeing as the input lag is too low to have any real impact, the e2343Fi won't hold you back with online or LAN gaming.
Colours and Contrast
Colour fidelity, however, is a different story entirely. We measured the average Delta E at 5.5 (the difference between perfect colours and those displayed onscreenâ€"the lower, the better) when it should really be three or less for colours to be considered accurate. The gamma could be more even too (distribution of brightness levels) and a slightly high colour temperature makes for a faint blue overtone.Â
AOC e2343Fi average Delta E
We tried adjusting all kinds of settings in the e2343Fi, but we couldn't find any way of correcting these slight defects. So, as it stands, the e2343Fi won't be suitable for users who need colour fidelity to be spot on, like graphic designers and photo editors. But note too that accurate colours are also pretty handy if you order a lot of things online (clothes, shoes, etc.), otherwise you may end up with some nasty surprises when you unwrap your purchasesâ€"believe us, we've been there. To get accurate colours with the AOC e2343Fi, you'll need to download and install a colour calibration profile.
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The contrast ratio of 810:1 is slightly below average compared with other monitors we've tested (850:1).
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