CES 2009

Samsung has been doing the whole "Touch of Color" (ToC) thing for a few years now. Samsung injects a bit subtle color in monitor bezels, enhancing (depending on your tastes) the aesthetics of the monitor and brands it "Touch of Color."

I don't mind ToC, but I still prefer jet black. My own tastes not withstanding, Samsung is still pushing ToC and it had three monitors at CES 2009 to show it off: the P2070, P2270, and P2370.

Each of the three displays has a transparent bezel with gray shading that gives the edges a crystal-like appearance (as well as making them hard for a camera to photograph).

Each of the new monitors follows this year's trend of 16:9 aspect ratio, with the 22-inch 2270 and 23-inch 2370 capable of 1080p "Full HD" resolution. According to Samsung, they displays also have a 2ms (GTG) pixel response time and each sites on a swiveling stand.

According to Samsung, because of the crystal-like bezel the glare associated with ambient light is reduced. Unfortunately, there was no real way to test this at the CES, so I'll just have to wait until I can get these in the Lab to confirm it.

Each monitor uses a two-lamp low power solution to the backlight and, according to Samsung, uses half the normal wattage of other monitors. Samsung, however, did not make it clear which monitors it used for comparison.

Each monitor also features the transparent glass neck that the LED-based 2370L has. Also, the onscreen display controls have been integrated into the bezel.

Each of these displays will be available in March. Pricing has not been announced.

(Credit: Eric Franklin/CBS Interactive)

A few months ago I reviewed the Lenovo ThinkVision L2440p and L2440x.

Each has the same form factor; however the "x" has LED backlighting, while the "p" is backlit by CCFL. The problem I had with the x is that I felt it was not taking full advantage of the LED technology. One of the purported advantages of LED displays is that the panels can be much thinner than CCFL panels, since there are no big tubes in the back, however the Lenovos had the same exact form factor. This is probably why upon first impression I was so taken with the 23-inch Samsung SyncMaster P2370L.

This is Samsung's first LED backlit monitor and the company has clearly taken advantage of the technology, at least as far as the design is concerned. The panel is extremely thin. There is maybe about 1.5 inches (give or take as I didn't have a tape measure with me) from the front of the display to where the DVI plugs in.

The neck of the display is transparent and there are what seem to be these purplish sparking crystals at the very bottom. That's right, I said it. Purplish, sparkling crystals. This thing is just the epitome of sleek.

Now, the display is impressive looking on its own but you don't really appreciate it until you see the P2370, which is the CCFL version of the display. It looks great in its own right but it is noticeably thicker.

As for performance, there was nothing that stood out as bad, but without being able to view them both in a controlled environment, it's hard to say. The viewing angle was wider than most displays, and the image on both screens was sharp.

The LED-based P2370L will soon be available for $399, and the CCFL-based P2370 will be out at the same time for $299. Check out the slide show for more pics.