The Planar PX2230MW is an optical monitor with HD resolution and multi-touch capabilities, and sits in an A-frame stand. Its made by one of the best touch screen monitor brands in the business, and sports has a 170-degree vertical viewing angle. The means you can see a good deal of the display even if you have the screen reclined to its maximum amount of 20 degrees.
Over the years the PX2230MW has been replaced by newer touch screen monitors, including our favorite Planar monitor right now, the Planar Helium PCT2235, which is often on sale for around $200, making it cheaper than the PX2230MW. You can still buy the latter for roughly $225 or less, and will find it perfectly useable for teaming up with one of the best home computers if you're looking to create a home working setup from scratch.
Planar PX2230MW review: design
The PX2230MW LCD monitor uses optical sensors to determine where you touch the screen, and it enables you to access multiple touch points on the screen for enhanced versatility. The touch screen monitor has a Full HD 1920x1080 resolution and a 16:9 aspect ratio. The pixel pitch (space between the pixels) is 0.248 mm, so pretty standard of the time for a 21.5-inch screen with this resolution.
The Planar PX2230MW has a brightness level of 300 candelas per meter squared, which is decent. It also has a 1000:1 contrast ratio, so black and white colors will be represented accurately on the screen.
As mentioned above, the monitor sits within an A-frame to make it easier to tilt and control throughout the working day, the screen doesn't recline beyond 20 degrees. This angle may be too harsh for a comfortable and practical position. If you don't want the stand, you can simply remove it. The obvious thing to point out here is that, as the Planar PX2230MW is an older monitor, it's nowhere as slim and sleek as today's touch screen monitors. Sit it side-by-side with our top pick, the Acer T232HL, and you'll quickly see the difference.
Planar PX2230MW review: features
Considering its quite a few years old now, the Planar PX2230MW offers a decent spread of features for the price. It has a 22-inch widescreen multi-touch LCD screen, as mentioned above, and was optimized for Windows 7 (the latest iteration of the OS is Windows 10) upon release. The panel is an Active Matrix, TFT LCD.
The monitor also has built-in TrueMedia speakers, which might save your some desktop space when working in a small home office environment. Although we should point out that there are no dedicated volume buttons. The Planar PXL2230MW also offers VGA, DVI-D and HDMI video inputs.
The screen with frame weighs 12lbs, so it certainly isn't light, and measures 20.3x16.4x8.2-inches. Handily, it has built-in blue light reduction presets to vary blue light levels depending on what you're doing, as a way to reduce digital eye strain during longer periods of work at your computer.
Planar PX2230MW review: performance
Overall the Planar PX2230MW performed well during our testing phase, though we do prefer the newer models, which are lighter and slimmer in comparison. For the price this is a perfectly decent and workable monitor, with a bright screen delivering vibrant HD images and solid touchscreen capabilities.
A minor irritation is the bezel that houses the optical sensors. It creates a small lip around the screen that's a little ugly. However, you can use a stylus with this monitor, which may make the added edge of the bezel of little consequence. Planar's touchscreen doesn't recline much, but it's set in an A-frame stand to give it a more ergonomic performance.
Should I buy the Planar PX2230MW?
The Planar PX2230MW is now an older model in the brand's touch screen monitor range, and as such has been leap-frogged by much more technically advanced monitors. Because of this, the PX2230MW can often be found on sale for under $225, which doesn't seem like much for a HD touch screen monitor. However, you can buy the newer Planar Helium PCT2235 for around $200, and we would now recommend that one over the PX2230MW. Simply because the tech is more up to date, and the monitor is lighter and easier to move around.
If you want a stylish touch screen from a computing giant, also check out our Dell P2418HT review. This touch screen monitor is a tad more expensive, but has an adjustable viewing angle and a larger display than many other monitors we've tested.
