A thing of beauty: Samsung's new 23-inch display

(Credit: CBS Interactive)

The last time I saw the Samsung SyncMaster P2370 in the flesh was earlier this year at CES, right next to its brother, the P2370L. Our time apart has been far too long.

Today we finally received our P2370 review unit and aesthetically it's even more beautiful than I remember. The monitor is a 23-inch, 16:9 display with a 1,920x1,080-pixel native resolution. That's slightly disappointing considering the Dell SP2309W--also a 16:9, 23-incher--has a 2,048x1,152-pixel native resolution.

This thing is the very definition of slick and looks like it belongs in some snooty art gallery (that's a compliment). It has a transparent, glass neck that gives off this cool purplish glow. Unfortunately, DVI is the only connection option included, but the package comes with a DVI to VGA cable as well as a single-link DVI cable.

The DVI connection faces directly back and is encased in this small nook, making it a little difficult to plug in the DVI cable in at first. The only ergonomic option is a 25 degree tilt back; no height adjustment or rotation to be found.

The full panel measures at about 1-inch thick. This is quite thin compared with the Dell SP2309W that has a 2.5-inch thick panel. Unfortunately, the backlight is CCFL-based and we'll have to wait until June/July, according to Samsung, for the LED version, the aforementioned P2370L. Would you believe it has an even thinner panel? Well, it does. But, I guess this will have to tide me over until then.

According to Samsung, the P2370 has a 2ms response time and consumes 50 percent less power. Less power than what? Samsung doesn't say, but maybe, juuuust maybe, i'll have some confirmation on that in a couple weeks.

The Samsung SyncMaster p2370 is available now for $299. Look for a full review soon, but for now, check out the crude pictures below.

Samsung Syncmaster 2370 photos