HP x2301, a “Micro-Thin” Monitor (23-inches)

HP has released a new uber-thin monitor called HP x2301. With a profile of only 9.8mm, the monitor looks impressively thin on a table. Better yet, its 7.7Lbs makes it relatively to transport. I tried to lift one, and it felt very light – for a monitor. It’s basically the weight of many 17″ laptops.

The resolution of the HP x2301 is 1980×1080 (1080p), and the image quality looked good. On the paper, it has a 8,000,000 to 1 contrast ratio, and can represent 72% of the color gamut, which is not bad for a monitor that is not designed for graphics applications. In terms of response time, you can expect 3ms, which is more than enough for most applications.

The x2301 can be built to be so thin because most of the electronics is located in the base of the display. It’s a trick that TV manufacturers have learned a while ago. It is precisely there that users will find the connectivity options like DVI, HDMI and VGA.

Potential buyers will have to wait until next month as the HP x2301 will start shipping on June 10, for a price of $279.99 — which is actually pretty competitive with monitors that are most definitely not as slim.