HP brushes the dust off its cheapest DreamColor
The HP DreamColor 24x G2 steps into 2017.
Lori Grunin
Senior Editor / Reviews
I've been writing about and reviewing consumer technology since before the turn of the century. I'm also a photographer and cat herder, frequently at the same time.
When you want a color-critical display without spending a ton of money, this HP monitor is worth a look.
Looking to pick up a pro-color-quality display at a price south of $1,000? HP has revved its cheapest DreamColor, the 24-inch DreamColor Z24x to G2.
The update is very minor -- the specifications are identical with the exception of brightness, which dropped from 350 nits to 300 nits. But if you're looking for an inexpensive color-critical display, it's worth knowing this exists. And you can find the three-year-old model for less than $450 (£462), so you could pick one up even cheaper if you go for the last generation. Except in Australia, where it's AU$1,071.
When the DreamColor Z24x G2 ships in July it will cost $559 in the US. I don't yet have pricing or availability for other regions, but the US price converts to approximately £467 and AU$795.
Key specifications
| Manufacturer price | $559 |
|---|---|
| Size (diagonal) | 24 in/61 cm |
| Resolution | "WUXGA (1,920x1,200)" |
| Aspect ratio | 16:10 |
| Panel type | IPS |
| Backlight type | LED |
| Maximum gamut | 99 percent Adobe RGB (96 percent DCI-P3) |
| Rotates vertically | Yes |
| Bit depth | "8 (10-bit simulation via FRC)" |
| Typical brightness (nits) | 300 |
| Color profile stored in hardware | Yes |
| Hardware calibration compatibility | X-Rite i1 Display Pro, Klein Instruments K10-A |
| Selectable color spaces | sRGB, Adobe RGB, BT.709 |
| MHL (Mobile High-definition Link) support | No |
| HDMI | 1 x 1.4 |
| DVI | 1 x DVI-D |
| USB 3.0 (out) | 4 x USB 3.0 |
| USB 3.0 (in) | 1 |
| DisplayPort | 1 x 1.2 (out), 1 x 1.2 (in) |
| Release date | July 2017 |
The most important thing to note is that it's not a true 10-bit panel; like many less-expensive monitors, the Z24x uses an 8-bit panel and use FRC -- frame-rate control -- to interpolate colors between screen-refresh frames and deliver the appearance of a bigger gamut, but might cause some flicker. But it does have hardware profiles, so at least for color-critical sRGB it's a step up.
