
Last updated: May 25, 2013
IPS Monitor List: Premium LCD Panels
I'm often asked for a recommendation on what type or brand of LCD monitor offers the best picture quality, to which I usually suggest an LCD that is manufactured using IPS based panel technology. IPS monitors are known for providing superior color accuracy and wider viewing angles than the more commonly found TN monitors. This list goes a bit further and compiles most, if not all of the S-IPS, H-IPS, AH-IPS, e-IPS, PLS and other variations of IPS panels that are currently being used for LCD displays and available on the retail market.
This list is sortable; it can be arranged (in ascending or descending) by Display Model, Size, Resolution, or Price. The default sorting is alphabetical by manufacturer. Updates will be made when a new IPS monitor is introduced or older models are discontinued, replaced by newer models, or no longer available from retail outlets so check back frequently to find the best IPS monitor that meets your display requirements. Monitors that have been recently added to the list are marked with a NEW tag. Once production has ceased on a particular display it will be moved to the discontinued page. For more information about IPS technology, please read LCD Panel Technology Explained, which covers the main LCD panel types and advantages of LCD monitors with IPS panels.
| Display Model |
Size |
Resolution |
Price |
Notes |
|
This list will be updated regularly as new IPS based LCD monitors are released. If you know of one we missed that is currently being produced, please contact us here with the details.
|
| Acer B243PWL Kbmdrz |
24" |
1920 x 1200 |
$280 |
IPS-Pro Technology |
| Acer H236HL bid |
23" |
1920 x 1080 |
$180 |
Very thin bezel, glossy IPS monitor. |
| Acer S275HL |
27" |
1920 x 1080 |
$400 |
6-bit e-IPS, 6ms response time. |
| AOC i2367Fh |
23" |
1920 x 1080 |
$150 |
AH-IPS panel. |
| AOC i2757Fh/Fm |
27" |
1920 x 1080 |
$330 |
AH-IPS (LM270WF5-S2A2) with dithering (6-bit + A-FRC), light matte coating. |
| AOC Q2963PM |
29" |
2560 x 1080 |
$500 |
29" panoramic IPS display, 21:9 aspect ratio. |
| Apple Thunderbolt |
27" |
2560 x 1440 |
$1,000 |
Another Apple 27" IPS display with LED backlighting. |
| Asus MX239H NEW |
23" |
1920 x 1080 |
$250 |
The MX239H uses a LG AH-IPS panel (6-bit + A-FRC). |
| Asus MX279H NEW |
27" |
1920 x 1080 |
$315 |
LG AH-IPS (LM270WF5-SLB1), 6-bit + A-FRC. |
| Asus PA238Q |
23" |
1920 x 1080 |
$300 |
e-IPS (LM230WF3) panel with 100% sRGB. |
| Asus ProArt PA246Q |
24" |
1920 x 1200 |
$430 |
P-IPS display, 98% Adobe RGB. |
| Asus PA248Q |
24" |
1920 x 1200 |
$300 |
LG e-IPS panel (LM240WU8-SLA2), 6-bit + A-FRC. |
| Asus PB238Q |
23" |
1920 x 1080 |
$220 |
Connectivity includes HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI, D-sub, and four USB ports. |
| Asus PB278Q |
27" |
2560 x 1440 |
$620 |
WQHD Super PLS panel, true 8-bit and light matte coating. |
| Asus VG23AH |
23" |
1920 x 1080 |
$280 |
3D IPS monitor, LED backlit. The VG23AH has been reported to have a semi-glossy surface, unlike most IPS monitors which have either an overly aggressive matte coating or glossy finish. |
| Asus VG27AH |
27" |
1920 x 1080 |
$350 |
3D support |
| Asus VS229H-P |
21.5" |
1920 x 1080 |
$140 |
LED backlit e-IPS monitor for the budget crowd. |
| Asus VS239H-P |
23" |
1920 x 1080 |
$170 |
|
| Dell S2240M |
22" |
1920 x 1080 |
$140 |
22" AH-IPS monitor. |
| Dell S2340L |
23" |
1920 x 1080 |
$220 |
23" glossy display with AH-IPS panel. |
| Dell S2340M |
23" |
1920 x 1080 |
$180 |
82% color gamut, 7ms response time. |
| Dell S2740L |
27" |
1920 x 1080 |
$300 |
27" 1080p AH-IPS panel with glossy coating. 6-bit + AFRC. Reported average input lag below 4ms making this a very good monitor for gaming. |
| Dell U2212HM |
22" |
1920 x 1080 |
$210 |
e-IPS panel (LM215WF3-SLC1). |
| Dell U2312HM |
23" |
1920 x 1080 |
$190 |
e-IPS panel (LM230WF3-SLD1). |
| Dell U2410 |
24" |
1920 x 1200 |
$400 |
The U2410 uses an H-IPS panel (LM240WU4-SLB1). |
| Dell U2412M |
24" |
1920 x 1200 |
$300 |
e-IPS panel (LM240WU8-SLA2) |
| Dell U2413 |
24" |
1920 x 1200 |
$500 |
AH-IPS (LM240WU9-SLA1), Light matte AG, 10-bit color depth and GB-LED backlight. |
| Dell U2711 |
27" |
2560 x 1440 |
$700 |
High resolution 27" H-IPS (LM270WQ2) monitor, Wide gamut. |
| Dell U2713H |
27" |
2560 x 1440 |
$700 |
Wide gamut, GB-LED backlight. Supports 10-bit (8-bit + FRC) content with an LM270WQ3-SLA1 AH-IPS panel. PWN isn't used for dimming, so no flicker issues. Also features a light matte coating. |
| Dell U2713HM |
27" |
2560 x 1440 |
$650 |
AH-IPS panel, W-LED, 8ms response time. No PWM used for backlight dimming (monitors with PWM can possibly produce flicker). |
| Dell UltraSharp U2913WM |
29" |
2560 x 1080 |
$600 |
29" panoramic monitor with 8-bit AH-IPS panel, 21:9 aspect ratio. |
| Dell U3011 |
30" |
2560 x 1600 |
$1,100 |
10-bit, 30" H-IPS display. |
| Dell U3014 |
30" |
2560 x 1600 |
$1,300 |
10-bit, wide-gamut 30" AH-IPS display with 14-bit LUT. |
| DoubleSight DS-309W NEW |
30" |
2560 x 1600 |
$1,200 |
1.07 billion color depth, S-IPS panel, CCFL backlight. |
| EIZO ColorEdge CG246 NEW |
24" |
1920 x 1200 |
$2,300 |
LCD display aimed at media professionals, includes a built-in calibration sensor. |
| EIZO ColorEdge CG276 NEW |
27" |
2560 x 1440 |
$3,000 |
16-bit LUT, built-in calibration sensor. |
| EIZO ColorEdge CG243W |
24" |
1920 x 1200 |
$1,600 |
H-IPS monitor. |
| EIZO FlexScan EV2436WFS |
24" |
1920 x 1200 |
$500 |
|
| EIZO FlexScan SX2462W |
24" |
1920 x 1200 |
$1,000 |
H-IPS panel, |
| EIZO FlexScan SX2762W |
27" |
2560 x 1440 |
$1,400 |
10-bit color depth, a 16-bit 3D LUT, uniformity compensation and hardware calibration support. |
| EIZO FORIS FS2332 |
23" |
1920 x 1080 |
$425 |
Includes a "paper mode" which can reduce eye strain from reading by lowering the contrast ratio and increasing black levels. |
| EIZO FORIS FS2333 |
23" |
1920 x 1080 |
$450 |
Gaming optimized IPS/PLS monitor with 3.4 ms response time (gray-to-gray) and a reported input lag of only 0.8 ms. Includes a feature called Smart Insight which improves black level details for an enhanced gaming experience. |
| HP 2011XI |
20" |
1600 x 900 |
$125 |
20" IPS panel. |
| HP 2311xi |
23" |
1920 x 1080 |
$230 |
23" IPS panel, LED backlit. |
| HP DreamColor LP2480zx |
24" |
1920 x 1200 |
$2,000 |
30-bit H-IPS panel (LM240WU5-SLA1) with A-TW polarizer to reduce IPS glow. |
| HP Envy 27 |
27" |
1920 x 1080 |
$450 |
Built-in Beats Audio speaker system. |
| HP Pavilion 20xi |
20" |
1600 x 900 |
$100 |
One of the cheapest AH-IPS monitors on the market. |
| HP Pavilion 22xi |
22" |
1920 x 1080 |
$150 |
|
| HP Pavilion 23xi |
23" |
1920 x 1080 |
$190 |
AH-IPS display. |
| HP Pavilion 27xi |
27" |
1920 x 1080 |
$290 |
Glossy finish, AH-IPS. |
| HP ZR2040w |
20" |
1600 x 900 |
$200 |
|
| HP ZR2240w |
22" |
1920 x 1080 |
$200 |
e-IPS (LM215WF3-SLC2) |
| HP ZR2440w |
24" |
1920 x 1200 |
$350 |
e-IPS (LM240WU8-SLA1), successor to the ZR24w. |
| HP ZR2740w |
27" |
2560 x 1400 |
$700 |
H-IPS (LM270WQ1-SDDA) |
| HP ZR30w |
30" |
2560 x 1600 |
$1,200 |
30-bit H-IPS (LM300WQ5-SDA1). |
| Iiyama ProLite XB2776QS NEW |
27" |
2560 x 1440 |
$600 |
AH-IPS panel with light matte coating. |
| LG 22EA63T NEW |
21.5" |
1920 x 1080 |
$192 |
AH-IPS, MHL (Mobile HD Link) for viewing videos from a phone via micro HDMI. |
| LG 23EA63V NEW |
23" |
1920 x 1080 |
$200 |
AH-IPS monitor with extremely thin bezel. |
| LG 23ET83V |
23" |
1920 x 1080 |
$450 |
AH-IPS panel. |
| LG 24EC53V-P NEW |
24" |
1920 x 1080 |
$240 |
Very basic (and cheap), no frills 24" IPS display. |
| LG 27EA33V |
27" |
1920 x 1080 |
$250 |
AH-IPS panel. |
| LG 27EA63V NEW |
27" |
1920 x 1080 |
$380 |
27" LG AH-IPS LED monitor. |
| LG 27EA83-D NEW |
27" |
2560 x 1440 |
$1,000 |
10-bit (8-bit + FRC) AH-IPS panel with a light matte coating, displays 99% of Adobe RGB and 100% sRGB. |
| LG 29EA93 |
29" |
2560 x 1080 |
$700 |
21:9 aspect ratio, AH-IPS panel. |
| LG IPS231P-BN |
23" |
1920 x 1080 |
$190 |
e-IPS panel (LM230WF3). |
| LG IPS234V-PN |
23" |
1920 x 1080 |
$170 |
LG AH-IPS LED display. |
| LG IPS237L NEW |
23" |
1920 x 1080 |
$230 |
23" AH-IPS panel. |
| LG IPS277L |
27" |
1920 x 1080 |
$470 |
27" AH-IPS panel. |
| Lenovo LT2452p |
24" |
1920 x 1200 |
$400 |
e-IPS, LED backlit. |
| Lenovo LT3053p NEW |
30" |
2560 x 1600 |
$1,600 |
30" AH-IPS monitor with 14-bit LUT, 1.07 billion color support, and sun hood. |
| Monoprice 27" IPS-G Pro |
27" |
2560 x 1440 |
$480 |
Glossy screen, claims to have a zero defects policy. |
| Monoprice 27" IPS LED CrystalPro |
27" |
2560 x 1440 |
$550 |
27" rebranded IPS monitor. |
| Monoprice 30" IPS CrystalPro |
30" |
2560 x 1600 |
$800 |
CCFL backlight, VGA, Dual-Link DVI-D, DisplayPort, HDMI, and Component inputs. |
| Monoprice 30" IPS Pro |
30" |
2560 x 1600 |
$730 |
CCFL backlight, Dual-Link DVI-D input only. |
| NEC EA232WMi |
23" |
1920 x 1080 |
$300 |
e-IPS (LM230WF3-SLB1). |
| NEC PA241W |
24" |
1920 x 1200 |
$850 |
10-bit p-IPS (LM240WU4-SLB1) monitor. |
| NEC PA271W |
27" |
2560 x 1440 |
$1,200 |
10-bit 16:9 monitor with p-IPS (LM270WQ2) panel. |
| NEC PA301W |
30" |
2560 x 1600 |
$2,000 |
10-bit, p-IPS (LM300WQ5-SLA2). |
| Nixeus WQHD 27" |
27" |
2560 x 1440 |
$450 |
Similar to the Achieva Shimian, AURIA EQ276W and other imported Korean IPS monitors that have become popular lately. These units offer a high-resolution, 27" IPS panel at a very affordable price. |
| Philips 278G4DHSD NEW |
27" |
1920 x 1080 |
$450 |
AH-IPS monitor with W-LED backlight, passive 3D support, and LED ambient lighting system. |
| Philips 298P4QJEB NEW |
29" |
2560 x 1080 |
$670 |
UltraWide (21:9) AH-IPS monitor. |
| Philips 298X4QJAB NEW |
29" |
2560 x 1080 |
$670 |
Similar AH-IPS panel to the 298P4QJEB with a different stand. |
| QNIX QX2710 NEW |
27" |
2560 x 1440 |
$335 |
The QX2710 is a Korean Super PLS monitor that can overclock up to 120Hz. |
| ViewSonic VP2365-LED |
23" |
1920 x 1080 |
$250 |
LED backlit, e-IPS monitor. |
| ViewSonic VP2770-LED |
27" |
2560 x 1440 |
$740 |
Uses a PLS panel, Samsung's counter to LG IPS panels. |
| ViewSonic VX2270SMH-LED |
22" |
1920 x 1080 |
$150 |
This line of ViewSonic monitors include mercury free LED backlighting. |
| ViewSonic VX2370SMH-LED |
23" |
1920 x 1080 |
$160 |
LG AH-IPS |
| ViewSonic VX2770SMH-LED |
27" |
1920 x 1080 |
$280 |
AH-IPS (LM270WF6-SAP1) |
Note For Professionals
A calibration tool should be utilized to receive the full benefits of a IPS monitor. I recommend the Spyder4Elite. Also, e-IPS and similar panels with only 6-bit support should be avoided if you do any photo editing or use software that requires accurate color representation. e-IPS (and some AH-IPS) panels have better viewing angles than TN technology, but many of them are 6-bit displays that only support 8-bit color depth through a method of dithering (FRC), unlike other high-end IPS variations which make use of true 8-bit (or higher) LCD panels.
Rundown of IPS Panel Variations Used Today
In today's LCD monitor market there are many versions and diversity found among IPS technologies, unlike when S-IPS first started to become popular among PC enthusiasts many years ago. Some of these panel types appear to be merely marketing gimmicks (p-IPS), while others actually do offer improvements or physical changes (H-IPS). The following are the main IPS variations most commonly utilized in modern LCD displays:
- S-IPS - Super In-Plane Switching was a big improvement that helped popularize IPS technology among the average consumer. They offered improved performance and better response times than the first generation of standard IPS panels. You will find there are few manufacturers who still list their monitors as being S-IPS in the specifications; they have been mostly replaced by AH-IPS, e-IPS and H-IPS.
- H-IPS - Horizontal In-Plane Switching introduced a physical change to the pixel structure of IPS technology. Before this change, IPS pixels resembled the shape of an arrow. H-IPS pixels, upon closer inspection, look like straight lines arranged vertically. H-IPS panels have very similar characteristics to S-IPS, but one noticeable difference is what is now known as "IPS glow". S-IPS panels have a purple tint when viewing dark images from wide angles, whereas H-IPS is more of a white tint, hence the coining of IPS glow.
- e-IPS/E-IPS - The life of this panel type has been very vague. It has been referred to as both E-IPS (Enhanced In-Plane Switching) and e-IPS (Economic In-Plane Switching). The e-IPS version is a simplified version of H-IPS that doesn't require a strong backlight due to greater transparency, thus pricing for these panels is generally cheaper than other IPS technology. E-IPS is an "enhanced" version of S-IPS which featured higher contrast ratios and faster pixel response times.
- p-IPS - Performance In-Plane Switching is simply a marketing term NEC has applied to their 10-bit line of H-IPS displays to separate them from lower end models.
- AH-IPS - LG made even greater performance gains and more accurate color representation with Advanced High Performance In-Plane Switching, as well as reduced power consumption.
- Super PLS - Super Plane-to-Line Switching was developed in 2010 by Samsung as a wide viewing angle panel to counter LG's IPS technology. Super PLS is very similar in design to IPS, though Samsung claims their PLS technology is less expensive to manufacture and achieves higher brightness levels.
IPS Monitor Recommendations
IPS monitors are available for every budget. These are my personal top choices for each price point.
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