ADi i610 15-inch TFT LCD Monitor Specifications
Display Size	15-inches (diagonal viewable screen)
Pixel Pitch (H x V)	0.297 x 0.297mm
Resolution	1024 x 768 (XGA)
Contrast Ratio	350:1
Display Area (W x H)	304.1 x 288.1mm (max.)
Display Colors	262,144 colors (simulated to 16 million colors)
Response Time	40 msec
Luminance	250 cd/m˛ (max.)
Audio	2watt (× 2) and 1 microphone
Input Connectors	15-pin D-sub, AC/IN, Audio Lines
Power Savings (DPMS)	VESA DPMS standard, EPA/Energy Star compliant
Dimensions (W x H x D)	389 x 402 x 63mm
Weight	5.0kg
Power Consumption	30watts (max.)

This is what we got with the ADi i610 TFT LCD monitor.

 

The word unique was the first thing that came to this reviewer's mind after taking the ADi i610 15-inch TFT LCD monitor from its retail box. The ADi design engineers' efforts have resulted in a very clean appearance of the monitor by relocating the stereo speakers, control buttons, and cables to out-of-view positions.

The dark-gray and light-gray color scheme goes well with the black screen (when turned off obviously) and the accompanying black video connection and audio cables. The view from the rear, give the impression of industrial-strength quality. There are indicator arrows at the back also to align the panel exactly perpendicular to the base. Large shiny black cross-head screws fasten together the ADi i610 TFT LCD panel's main casing, and decorative functional air vents (both round and square) are placed generously over the panel's back area.

The ADi i610 monitor's support base is round and "pivot enabled". This is dissimilar to many LCD monitors that try to reduce the chance of accidentally tipping-over the monitor or coordinate overall design aesthetics by using square, oval or irregularly shaped support bases. We softly bumped the panel a bit and were surprised how well it stood up (no pun intended). The pivot function of the base worked smoothly.

The ADi i610's control buttons are placed directly on top of the LCD panel--not really convenient unless users memorize the exact location each small button.

 

More specifically, the four buttons located at the top of the LCD panels (right-hander friendly, 'southpaw' users will find the buttons inconvenient) consist of (left to right): Menu, Negative (-), Positive (+), and main on/off switch. The negative/positive buttons actually correspond to move 'left'/'up' or 'right'/'down' menu selection options found on standard LCD monitor OSDs (onscreen displays).

Audio connections for headset and audio-in are located on the base of the panel support stem--lower right-hand position and lower-rear position, respectively. The three buttons consist of decrease (+) audio output level, increase output level (-) and mute audio. On the upper bezel of the viewable part of the panel, there is a small microphone facing the user, and there is an LED power status indicator near the upper right-hand corner—just above a TCO 99 sticker.

The location of all these three audio control buttons requires that users memorize by feel the various functions if the monitor is placed at standard eye-level height. (Ditto with the four main OSD control buttons.) On a more positive light, in order to help eliminate cable clutter, the ADi i610 has cable slots, and the panel support stem can be used as a convenient carrying handle for short distances.

The two stereo speakers are mounted in the panel support stem--it eliminates unsightly speaker holes from the front of the monitor, but this design reduces audio directional efficiency.

 

Utilizing DisplayMate™ for Windows v.2.0 (Multimedia Edition), we found the ADi i610 15-inch TFT LCD monitor comparable to similar priced models.

One area it did under-perform a bit was displaying pure white screens. Here the ADi i610 tended to display a bit of blue-tint bias. If you intend to do a lot of word processing or work with graphics on a white background, this may well become an irritating aspect of this monitor.

Where the ADi i610 15-inch TFT LCD monitor did well is in displaying colors. Our test screen patterns exhibited good color saturation and tonal gradients. Text was acceptable down to very small (6.8 pt) font size, and contrast was well balanced overall. There were no dead (stuck) pixels, and overall geometry and focus was well proportioned, even to the far edges of the viewable screen.

Video bandwidth index results were 91.4 for the selected display; gamma correction was set at 2.03 for optimized results.

We noticed that the right-hand side of the frame was very sensitive to touch. This could be due to LCD panel clamp restrictions--the result was a visible rippling effect seen onscreen whenever the monitor was moved by handling the aforementioned part of the panel frame. (The same effect can be produced by lightly touching the screens of any TFT LCD panel, but users should avoid doing so if possible.)

A view of the ADi i610 from the back.

 

All-in-all, the ADi i610 15-inch TFT LCD monitor offers unique design, fairly good performance, and very reasonable price of S$799 (with GST) with three-year warranty. What it lacks is ease-of-use in terms of button placement (especially for left-handed users) and optimized audio directional orientation for the two stereo speakers.

If you want an eye-catching, good performing, low-cost 15-inch TFT LCD panel to enhance your office desktop, the ADi i610 should be considered. If you are left-handed, don't like feeling around for specific buttons, and want your speakers facing you directly, this is not the monitor of choice unless price is the major concern.