ADI MicroScan i610

Review Flat-panel prices are falling across the board, and this month ADI beats the competition by offering the MicroScan i610 for just £349.

The i610's sleek styling looks the part, while the commendable set of hardware specifications (which include a viewing angle of 160 degrees and a contrast ratio of 300:1) wouldn't look out of place on a model costing twice as much.

Hardware pivot support (allowing you to rotate the screen through 90 degrees) is a boon to anyone working regularly with Web or text documents. Although there are no USB facilities as standard, the optional hub – costing £29 – will give users a full complement of ports.

The i610's built-in speakers maximise desk space and provide solid audio output for the average home or office user. Should you not want such facilities, you can save money by investing in the i600. You will have to put up with a slight reduction in hardware features (only 262,144 colours are supported, while the viewing angle and contrast ratio are brought down to 120 degrees and 250:1 respectively), but the lower £349 price tag could prove a persuasive argument.

While price isn't everything, the MicroScan i610 finishes the job with its impressive image quality. The picture is incredibly sharp, the text output clear and the colour scheme, though a little light at times, is always pleasing to the eye.

Try as we might, we couldn't identify the flaw that explains the MicroScan i610's low price. All we can do is advise you to suspend disbelief and replace that bulky CRT monitor with this sleek and slimline alternative. ®

Info

Price: £349
Contact: 020 8327 1900
Website: www.adieurope.com

Specs

Dimensions: 389x63x405mm
Weight: 5.0kg
Screen Size: 15.0in
Dot Pitch: 0.297mm
Viewing Angle: 160 degrees
Max Refresh Rate: 1024x768@75Hz

This review is taken from the June 2001 issue. All details correct at time of publication.

Copyright © 2001, IDG. All rights reserved.