PHILIPS 234E5QHAW/00 234E5QHAW 23 INCH Monitor IPS LED Ultra Narrow bezel VGA HDMI HDMI(MHL) Speakers 100×100 VESA Whit

If you want a monitor that offers IPS quality, but you really don’t want to pay a premium then something has to give somewhere. We look at Philips’ cheap IPS screen to find out where.

The Philips 234E5QHAW is based on one of LG’s new AH-IPS panels, 23 inches on the diagonal and with full-HD resolution, which sells for under £140. In fact, you may even find it at around £125, which makes it a real budget option.

We tested the white version, although it also comes in black which would probably hide the wide 25 mm bezel better. The screen image doesn’t go right to the edge of the screen – it stops around a centimetre short, but it’s still thin looking. At the bottom is a panel with controls to the right side that protrudes a little. This has a bizarre, and entire superfluous, plastic tongue sticking out under the Philips logo.

Build quality is a little suspect. There’s some light bleed evident on a black screen and the bottom panel flexes more than we’d like. The tilt-only stand is also a cheap plastic stick. While it feels fairly rigid, it may not be particularly strong.