AOC Angelo 2434pw LCD monitor

AOC's Angelo 2434pw is a 23.6in Full HD LCD monitor with an HDMI input and a distinctive design. It includes an aluminium stand and support pole that enables the screen to be swivelled and tilted, and it provides decent image quality for its asking price.

The design of the AOC Angelo 2434pw LCD monitor is its most appealing feature. It combines a thin gloss black bezel with a stylish aluminium stand and a thin, white rear. Two hinged plastic covers conceal the Angelo 2434pw's connections; they make it easy to hide the cables once they're plugged in, though the hinges feel a little flimsy and could easily be broken if opened or closed with any force.

The AOC Angelo 2434pw is attached to its stand by a support pole that easily clips into the base. Turning the screen to the left allows it to be removed from the stand, while turning it right locks in into place. Although this method of putting it together is quick and easy, the black plastic surrounding the clip in the base moves easily when the screen is tilted or moved and it doesn't feel like the sturdiest connection we've seen. The design means the Angelo 2434pw can be swivelled sideways up to 175 degrees, tilted backwards up to 20 degrees, and can move up and down within an 80mm range.

Complimenting the flashy design are the touch-sensitive controls. Invisible when not in use, a bright blue backlight is activated when your finger moves close to the buttons. We found this worked effectively and the buttons themselves are responsive. Thankfully, the screen itself has a matte finish, so reflective light in an office environment isn't an issue. The AOC Angelo 2434pw also includes two built-in speakers, though predictably the sound isn't great.

The AOC Angelo 2434pw monitor has VGA and HDMI inputs, but strangely omits DVI. Thankfully, AOC packages a HDMI to DVI converter in the box. The HDMI input combined with the native Full HD resolution of 1920x1080 means the Angelo 2434pw is ideal for users of the latest high-definition gaming consoles, such as Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3.

We connected the 2434pw LCD monitor to both an Xbox 360 and a Blu-ray player. The monitor's 2ms response time means it handles motion well, with no noticeable ghosting or blurring during fast moving scenes. We did notice some image noise though, which does tend to affect the quality of Blu-ray movies; it shouldn't be enough to deter potential purchasers, however.

Our DisplayMate tests indicated image quality overall is good, but there are a couple of issues. The AOC Angelo 2434pw LCD monitor struggles with blacks at the far end of the scale and also display some image noise in various tests. The Windows Desktop is sharp and clear and the Angelo 2434pw displays crisp text with no visible aberrations. Unlike the BenQ G2412HD, colours aren't oversaturated.

Like most TN panels, the AOC Angelo's viewing angles aren't the best. There is noticeable colour shift and a loss of detail when viewing the screen from horizontal or vertical angles.