The largest representative of Samsung’s new series of economic models offers little new as far as its design goes, but certainly can’t be deemed obsolete either. Glossy black plastic, with a transparent accent on the lower side of the screen frame, appears to be the current trend. The screen frame could certainly be narrower, but that comes down to each user’s taste anyway. Touch-responsive buttons help maintain the clean, rounded lines and enable easy adjustment via the logically organized OSD menu. A swivel-less base and the impossibility of tilting the screen towards the user past the 90 degree point relative to the surface the monitor is placed on may be counted as flaws.

Backlight pervasion is not too distinct and diffused near the upper and lower edge of the display, while display of a uniform black is in general of sufficient quality and expectable of a TN panel. Display of nuanced gradients is very precise, with no visible errors. In general, colour display on this monitor is excellent for home and office users, who also have additional contrast and brightness at disposal, which they can reduce if needed. Samsung has been using the “magic” prefix in their monitors’ features’ names for a long time now, but this time around, they’re actually offering something unusual enough to justify that practice.

MagicAngle setting enables the user to adjust the viewing angle without actually moving the monitor itself. Several usual positions are offered, two of which are aimed at users who seem to “lie” in front of the computer more than sit in front of it, which is definitely a major plus. We haven’t managed to uncover information on how this technology actually works, but it’s not difficult to imagine that we’re actually dealing with mild and gradual (relative to the screen surface) real-time image adjustments. A separate button, magical, of course, can be used to query the MagicAngle menu, so it’s really a usable novelty. Without additional adjustments, the viewing angle is very good and fares among the better ones in the TN panel category. This monitor’s responsiveness will satisfy all multimedia needs of its users, including rapid games.

The B2430 model, as well as the rest of the series, should present home users with a high-quality, affordable solution, a goal which we think is completely fulfilled, but since we still haven’t got the final retail price, we must restrain ourselves from any definitive conclusions. Besides, the best and strictest judge of a product’s price is the buyers themselves.

Samsung B2430
Diagonal	23.6 inches
Resolution	1920 x 1080 pixels
Panel type	TN+Film
View angle H/V	170/160 degrees
Pixel response	5 ms
Brightness	300 cd/m^2
Contrast ratio	1,000:1
Connectors	DVI-D, D-Sub
Price	sample
Contact	www.samsung.com