Hazro HZ27WC review

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Verdict:

IPS panels have great viewing angles, excellent contrast and a wider colour gamut than traditional TN panels, and the stripped-down HZ27WC is a great entry-level IPS display

Review Date: 31 Jul 2011

Price when reviewed: £419

Supplier: http://www.hazro.co.uk

Reviewed By: Barry de la Rosa

Our Rating 5 stars out of 5

ExpertReviews Award

The majority of monitors we review are Twisted Nematic (TN) displays, but this isn't the only kind of LCD technology. Following on from our review of a budget MVA (Multi-domain Vertical Alignment) panel - the AOC e2795Vh - this month we test a monitor with another more refined display technology: IPS (In-Plane Switching).

The HZ27WC is the least expensive monitor in Hazro's 27in line, and as such it's stripped down to the bare essentials: a single dual-link DVI connector, a 3.5mm audio input and the DC power connector for the external power supply.

The dual-link input is required because this display as a huge native resolution of 2,560x1,440. This gives loads of room for the operating system, and the high pixel count means that everything looks super-sharp.

IPS panels are designed to have far better viewing angles and colour reproduction than standard TN panels, and the HZ27WC doesn't disappoint in either area. Hazro claims 178-degree viewing angles from any viewing position, and colours remained accurate even when looking at the screen almost side-on. What really struck us were the colours. We're not talking about accuracy - the HZ27WC simply displays more colour than any other monitor we've seen.

In technical terms, this is referred to as the colour gamut - the range of colours a monitor can reproduce accurately. Because the HZ27WC can reproduce more colours, objects take on more life, and contrast is greatly improved because there are more shades to work with. Test photos that on other monitors looked over-saturated looked more lifelike on the HZ27WC, and the glossy finish on the screen also helps to increase the impact of colours.

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User comments

Not for studio use

I was impressed until I got to 'gloss screen'- this type of monitor with IPS is what I like for photo editing and graphics/artwork use, and as such large on-screen images are in use daily in my studio which has full spectrum lighting - a glossy screen would make this difficult to use.
Still not found anything to better my LaCie 324 whcih is now 3 years old.

By trishahardwick on 17 Jan 2012

Matt model

Hi Trisha,

There's a matt screen model available too:

http://www.hazro.co.uk/HZ27WB.php

However I can't comment on its image quality as we haven't seen it. I would imagine it to be comparable.

By bpdlr on 17 Jan 2012

Dangerous!

Many users of the glossy version of this monitor have reported the glass panel falling off which could cause serious injury. TFT Central and Trusted Reviews have updated their reports on this monitor to warn readers of the possible danger posed by continuing to use them.

By glenglen59 on 23 Nov 2012