Viewsonic VX2363Smhl review

We've seen some outstanding monitors appear recently. From the massive-o-monitor that is the Philips BDM4065UC to the wide-screen awesomeness of the LG 34UM95, we've had some great new screens hit our test benches.

What we haven't seen recently though are any budget-oriented screens, just high-spec panels.

So what do you do if you don't have the ready reddies to spend on a massive panel?

Thankfully Viewsonic has been creating good-value monitors, with our favourite IPS panel technology inside, for years. We've been recommending the 23-inch VX2370Smh as our pick of the budget screens for a good long while now, but such things don't last forever and that monitor is now getting harder and harder to find.

Thankfully it's getting replaced by this slightly smaller, but still happily IPS-laden, VX2363Smhl.

This vision in white plastic is reminiscent of some of the budget AOC IPS screens we've seen in the past, using a recessed bezel to make it seem like the panel stretches out to the very edge of the monitor's face.

That gives the screen a nicely classy look on your desktop and the actual panel doesn't disappoint either.

At this price you'd maybe expect to have TN tech forced upon you, but even these 6-bit IPS panels have much better visuals than an old budget TN screen.

The viewing angles aren't up there with the finest panels we've seen recently, but the colours are still vibrant and the contrast levels are good, as well. The black levels and white saturation of this screen, even straight out of the box, are also really impressive.

Not so pro

We're not going to pretend this panel is totally perfect, or will work for photo professionals, but for a seriously budget IPS screen the VX2363Smhl is really impressive for the money.

The surrounds, however, are a little less impressive.

The stand is a very basic tilt affair, while the sheer mass of plastic on show speaks to its budget heritage, too. But when you're plugging Kyrat's endangered species in glorious Technicolor, you're not going to give a pair of fetid Sky Tiger kidneys what's surrounding your screen.

All you want are the visuals being piped directly into your eyeballs with decent panel tech.

We would also argue there's little point in spending more money on a 1080p panel. If you're going to be splashing any more cash we'd recommend pointing it at a larger, higher-resolution monitor.

The way things are going you're likely to want to upgrade to a higher resolution monitor fairly soon anyways – hardware performance has nailed 1080p even in the lower echelons of GPU tech, so we're moving forwards to 1440p and 4K next.

Spending £110 on this screen will keep you happy with your current rig, offering pleasing IPS visuals without shredding your wallet.

It should also keep you going until your next hardware upgrade, at which point you may well be looking to pick up a better screen to show off your nice new hardware, too.

We liked

The price is the big win for this new Viewsonic monitor as is the fact that it has managed to squeeze an IPS panel in there too.

It may only be a 6-bit screen, but we'd still take it over a TN-based monitor even with that 5ms response time.

We disliked

The plastic chassis is a bit clunky, though it doesn't crowd the screen with a hefty bezel. It's also not massively adjustable.

Verdict

For a 1080p gaming PC this bargain-priced monitor wouldn't be a bad fit. It's not going to last forever and the 23-inch panel isn't the biggest or most beautiful, but it's a decent IPS screen for the price.