Tom's Guide reviews laptops, desktops, tablets, and monitors, so for most of the year I spend a lot of time on the screen telling you all about it
It's also a lot of fun, especially since I like to play games and watch old movies Display technology has advanced to the point where I can watch some of my favorite movies in ways I never imagined, and the 65-inch LG C2 OLED TV has a beautiful 4K resolution that shows fine details of light and shadow in ways I have never seen before
When words like 4K, OLED, and HDR are thrown around, please understand that they are not just buzzwords But the fact that they are not the only things to be concerned about when purchasing a new display was also brought home to me recently when reviewing Dell's 1080p office monitors
I am referring to the Dell P2424HT monitor, officially known as the Dell 24 Touch USB-C Hub Monitor It's a basic 24" 1080p touchscreen with a 60Hz refresh rate and no HDR support, but I kinda like it
In our tests, this monitor does not have the best color reproduction, nor is it painfully bright However, it works very well, thanks to the articulated stand Thanks to this stand, the display can be tilted, angled, rotated, raised, and lowered with amazing freedom
There is even a small cushion at the bottom of the screen, allowing the screen to be gently placed on the desk when a tap or swipe is needed If you get tired of using the touchscreen at eye level, you can place the display on your desk, which is very convenient for operating Windows 11 or playing touch-friendly games
Also, with a resolution of 1080p, this display will not give you the full Cyberpunk 2077 experience: the Phantom Liberty experience, but I don't like to use it that way Rather, this monitor is more like it was made for use on a laptop, and is perfect for playing lightweight turn-based tactical games like I can run on my Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio And since it's 1080p, I don't have to worry about my laptop struggling to maintain a decent frame rate while I'm gaming on this display
The Dell P2424HT also has a built-in USB hub and Ethernet jack, making it seem like the perfect partner for the laptop In fact, according to Dell, this is "the world's first 238-inch touchmonitor with RJ45 connectivity," so we are truly living on the cutting edge
At first I struggled to understand why they insisted on having an RJ45 Ethernet jack on the monitor, but after witnessing how slowly games downloaded to my laptop over a half-assed Wi-Fi connection, I quickly appreciated it With this monitor on my desk, I can put my laptop on it and connect it to the display, essentially speeding up the web with a wired Internet connection and a large 24-inch touch screen to navigate
Of course, the additional USB ports are a nice touch In addition to the usual HDMI and DisplayPort options, there is one USB-C upstream port for connecting a laptop so you can charge your laptop while using the display
There are also two USB-A ports on the back, along with an audio line output for speaker connection, which sit in a recessed port array covered by a removable black plastic panel Removing and reattaching this panel is a bit of a hassle, but we appreciate that Dell has incorporated a cable router into the port area and provided a slot in the stand for it to pass through When set up correctly, the monitor can be pulled down in front of it or swung off to the side without worrying about cables getting tangled or disconnected
These little touches make me really like this display and want to use it more Right now, though, I have two high-resolution monitors on my desk (one at 1440p and one at 4K) I don't think I'll be buying one anytime soon to put on my main PC, but if I end up building a desk setup around a laptop instead of a desktop, I might
And of course, now is a great time to get one, as Black Friday sales are in full swing and Dell has reduced the price of this display by $100 for a limited time That brings the price down to $419, one of the best Black Friday monitor specials I've seen so far
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