Pros & Cons
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- Crisp Ultra-High-Definition (UHD) imagery.
- Good gray-scale performance.
- Lots of I/O ports.
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- Middling color accuracy.
- Limited stand adjustability.
Planar IX2850 Specs
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 |
| Height-Adjustable Stand? | |
| Landscape/Portrait Pivot | |
| Native Resolution | 3840 x 2560 |
| Panel Size (Corner-to-Corner) | 28 |
| Rated Contrast Ratio | 1000:1 |
| Swiveling Stand? | |
| Tilting Stand? | |
| USB Ports (Excluding Upstream) | 2 |
| Video Inputs | DVI |
| Video Inputs | HDMI |
| Warranty (Parts/Labor) | 36 |
| Weight | 13 |
With the IX2850 ($599), Planar joins manufacturers such as Philips, Acer, and Lenovo in offering a 28-inch Ultra-High Definition (4K) monitor for well below $1,000. Based on Twisted Nematic (TN) panel technology, the IX2850 is a solid performer overall, and it's equipped with plenty of I/O ports. It also comes with a handy utility that splits the screen into four quadrants using four different input signals. That said, it can't match the feature set of our current Editors' Choice for midrange UHD monitors, the Acer B286HK.
Design and Features
The IX2850's 28-inch TN screen has a maximum resolution of 3,840 by 2,160 and a brightness rating of 300 nits. The non-reflective panel is framed by 0.8-inch glossy-black bezels and is housed in an 11.9-pound cabinet measuring 2.4 inches thick. There are four VESA mounting holes on the back of the cabinet that allow you to hang the monitor on a wall using an optional mounting kit, or you can use the included round stand. The stand lets you tilt the panel 5 degrees forward and 20 degrees backward but does not provide the height, swivel, and pivot adjustability that you get with the Acer B286HK and the Asus PB287Q.
View All There are four function buttons and a Power button underneath the bottom bezel, but the use of dark labeling on a black bezel makes identifying them very difficult without shining a light directly on them. The Main menu contains settings for Brightness, Contrast, Sharpness, Overdrive (pixel response), and Eco mode. There are four color temperature modes (Warm, Normal, Cool, User Defined) a Blue Light Reducer to help prevent eye strain, and five picture presets (Standard, Game, Cinema, Scenery, and Text). The Picture in Picture/Picture by Picture (PIP/PbP) menu gives you a choice of three PiP sizes (small, medium, and large), while Planar's FlexFour feature allows you to open four PbP windows using four different video sources.
Connectivity ports are plentiful. At the rear of the cabinet are two full-size DisplayPort inputs, two HDMI inputs, a dual-link DVI input, a VGA input, and an upstream USB 3.0 port. On the left side on the cabinet are two USB downstream ports, a headphone jack, and an audio-in jack. The IX2850 comes with an upstream USB cable, an HDMI cable, a DisplayPort cable, and a User Guide. The monitor is covered by a three-year warranty on parts, labor, and backlight.
