Samsung XL2370 vs Dell U2311H

ilovesfa13

ilovesfa13

ilovesfa13

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What do we reckon chaps?

Yes i do enjoy playing all types of different games, but i also want a monitor that's generally great and beautiful on a day to day basis for movies and browsing etc. No professional work though like editing etc.

Samsung
+ Nice design
+ HDMI port (gfx only has VGA + DVI but am looking to get a card soon for DX11 with an HDMI port).
+ LED
+ Good response time + contrast.

Dell
+ It's an IPS panel
+ ...'nuff said.

Both 23", both roughly the same price. Is the Samsung, for all its impressive numbers and features, still going to get thrashed by an IPS panel?
 
This is an interesting comparison. The XL2370 is one of the best all-round gaming monitors I have used. I have a thorough review on my website here. I am currently reviewing the Dell U2211H so this is quite topical for me. From my experiences so far I would say that the colours on the U2211H are obviously more consistent and accurate with perhaps a better range of shades being displayed. The vibrancy (which some people like) and the brightness of the image is not as good as on the XL2370, though, so it isn't a clear cut IPS > TN situation here. The Dell U2211H is also impressively responsive and it clearly has pretty low input lag - but the XL2370 had a level of responsiveness seemingly approaching some of the 120Hz monitors I've tested recently. In summary:

XL2370:

- Higher brightness
- Better vibrancy
- Lower power consumption
- More responsive
- Lovely aesthetics

U2311H

- More accurate and consistent colours
- Better range of shades
- Highly adjustable stand
 
Come to think of it I could be just looking at the XL2370 with rose-tinted glasses (or indeed green or blue tinted glasses). It was a while since we tested it and we've just had a bash (not literally) with the U2410. In comparison to the U2211H we can quite easily say that the U2410 provides an exceptionally vibrant, vivid and in-your-face experience. This is due largely to the extended gamut and high brightness - the colours on the U2211H are still very pleasing and they look far from washed out.
 
Hi PCM2, thanks for your advice =)

I do go on your site and i have read up on your review on the Samsung, does sound very impressive, especially if what you say about it pushing on the near 120hz performance is true. Also, the benefit of the HDMI is handy just in case for anything like a PS3 etc. The benefit of wide viewing angles on an IPS is also pretty irrelevant for me to be honest. Then again, the TV tuner on the Samsung is also just as irrelevant to me.

While the colours and shade is still certainly appealing on the Dell, the vibrancy and brightness sounds good on the XL. I think the fact that bothers me is that the Dell is a straight up monitor for visuals, it doesnt have the speakers and tv tuner of the Samsung which is cheaper. I'm a believer of getting what you pay for, and the fact that Samsung is the cheaper brand, i worry i am being seduced by its figures even though its essentially a cheap korean build that may well break down within 2 years...
 
AFAIK the samsung XL2370 doesn't have a TV tuner or speakers.

However, if it does break both the Dell and Samsung come with 3 year collect-and-return warranties, which is always nice.

Please be aware that samsung make some of the best consumer-grade monitors (and TVs), this is not some fly-by-night far-east tech company.

The Dell however is more of a "prosumer" product as it offers a panel technology that is generally not required by most consumers, useful for some professionals and appreciated by enthusiasts who know what they are looking for.
 
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No problem ilovesfa13. The XL2370 doesn't come with a built in TV tuner or speakers only the XL2370HD does (which is slightly more expensive and a little thicker and heavier too). Andi is quite right about Samsung - they are certainly one of the 'better' and more trustworthy popular consumer brands. The build quality and overall image quality is generally very good and they really do seem to know what they're doing.
 
PCM - U2410 is a best case scenario, but i just do not think i want to spend that much money on a monitor even though i hear it is a fantastic bit of a kit. I would love to have it, but definitely don't want to spend more than £300 really. I'd rather pay £200 less for 2nd best i suppose.

Andi - Well put, thanks for putting straight a couple of my misconceptions! You've got a good point, i'm not going to flatter myself that i am so pro who is whiz at all this kind of stuff, i just want a screen which is good to look at and serves me with a better quality that most.

Put it this way, both at a budget of £270, which screen would you go for? (either of these 2, or any other for that matter)
 
Personally, I would go for the U2311H. But I have been using IPS and VA monitors for years now and couldn't go back to a TN (albeit an excellent example of the technology). If you don't have such preconceptions then the Samsung will be great.
 
The Samsung has many appealing features, but i think i am more inclined to go for the Dell. Simply, IPS > TN. Going to IPS would resemble more of an upgrade for me, and there must be a reason why almost *everyone* says they would go IPS and would never go back to TN.

Also, many reviews comment on how the XL2370 is so expensive for what it is, whilst the Dell is often praised for how cheap it is for it's quality...it feels like i am getting a better deal out of the U2311H.
 
I changed from a Sony 17" SDM-HS75, which wasnt a bad screen in its days, to a Dell U2311H recently. I was used to running with the colours over vibrant so at first the Dell appeared to be a little lacking in vibrancy. I did have to turn the brightness down to sub 40 still however.

Now I've been using it for a few weeks I really appreciate the colours this monitor displays. Photos look amazing and so do games. I've been playing mostly plane / car sims and FPS's. Really glad I made the move to the Dell, but then I must admit I've not really had a chance to compare it to modern TN panels like others have here.
 
Had the U3211h for a week now. I'm still impressed by the quality of the screen every time I turn it on. It's only a small thing, but I particularly love the way I can sit back in my chair, wheel around a bit, and the contrast doesn't change at all - yey! Viewing angles are quite a lot broader than TN. Not perfect, but much much better - the real angles are probably ~45-60deg. The image has much better uniformity than TN. Going back and forwards from my LCD TV and work monitor, the Dell is very clearly in a class ahead. I've found it fine for gaming. Been playing a lot of UT3, which is a fast game, and it hasn't been an issue. In reality, network lag is a bigger problem. Haven't noticed any ghosting either. However, anyone accustomed to 120hz might take issue with it. All in all it's a very solid all-round display.

For casual use, neither of these monitors need any calibration out of the box (just the brightness needs to be lowered). This is a huge advantage for home users who don't have calibration hardware, or don't want to spend hours fiddling with the settings. 1920x1080 is the sweet spot on a 23 inch imo. Lovely and crisp. Don't need high levels of AA in games.

For me, if your spending more than £200, I'd be looking for either IPS or 120hz. I wouldn't spend any more money on a standard TN, even a good one like the Samsung.
 
Yeah it always takes a bit of adjustment both of the monitor and yourself. I was just reviewing the U2410 which has the most increadible colour reproduction (very vibrant and vivid but generally not oversaturated). The U2211 which I am now reviewing doesn't boast the same vividness to the colours but the range of colours and actually in some cases the vividness (Dirt 2's car paintjobs for example) is fantastic. I am not particularly enamoured by the brightness or responsiveness of the display, but again I am comparing this to the U2410. I imagine the backlight of the U2311 is somewhat more powerful - I measured a peak white luminance of 274 cd/m2 (probably giving around 200-230 cd/m2 typical luminance in most cases @100 brightness) on the U2211H which is certainly on the low side.

Really I think the U2311H offers something unique in the way of value and brings affordable IPS technology to the home user - and it's about time too!
 
I measured the luminance in a 'typcial' gaming scene on Bad Company 2, if there is such a thing. It varied between about 50-170cd/m2 at 100% brightness (only reaching the 170 cd/m2 on the glare) so I did overstate it somewhat earlier. I prefer closer to 230-250 cd/m2 'in the glare' for gaming, myself, but it does depend a lot on the panel. It wasn't really a big criticism of the U2211H but merely an observation. I find that IPS monitors can provide a more "vivid" experience without relying on really high brightness simply because the colours are so much better :)
 
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PCM2 said:
I measured the luminance in a 'typcial' gaming scene on Bad Company 2, if there is such a thing. It varied between about 50-170cd/m2 at 100% brightness (only reaching the 170 cd/m2 on the glare) so I did overstate it somewhat earlier. I prefer closer to 230-250 cd/m2 'in the glare' for gaming, myself, but it does depend a lot on the panel. It wasn't really a big criticism of the U2211H but merely an observation. I find that IPS monitors can provide a more "vivid" experience without relying on really high brightness simply because the colours are so much better :)
Click to expand...

Considering most people are aiming at 120 cd/m2, aiming for 230-250 cm/m2 seems a bit silly.
 
Note 'in the glare'. Note the range of values recorded across a so-called typical scene. 120 cd/m2 is the typical luminance you aim for on the desktop and has nothing to do with the numbers I was aiming for in glare on games. This is why I don't talk about typical luminances in my reviews and instead compare maximum (white point) luminances. They are better defined.
 
Thanks for the comments all.

The U2410 still sounds like an awesome machine. Put it this way, if i got that monitor i severely doubt i will feel the need to ever upgrade above that again. It's really just a matter of stretching to that £450 mark, i could save nearly £200 with the U2311h. Just an issue of going for value or going full hog for the kingpin!
Maybe it's qualities are wasted on me perhaps though...
 
Wasted on you? I doubt.:p You'd probably feel more comfortable paying what you see as a reasonable amount on the U2311H - it's more than worth the money in my opinion. In a few years time when OLEDs hopefully start dazzling us then maybe you'd get more excited about them than if you had reluctantly spent over £450 on a U2410.
 
Slight resurrection :p but I'm also stuck between these two for playing MMO's and FPS.

Is it worth sacrificing the response time for a better looking picture when playing the MMO's? Is it really that noticeable when playing FPS games such as BFBC2?
 
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