Hanns.G HP226DGB Hard Glass Full HD LED Monitor

Hanss.G demonstrates that glass has its place in flat panel technology

“This is a very pleasant display that's competitively price”

Let's be honest, some people are good at looking after their computer equipment and others aren't. This is especially noticeable in the business environment, where not having paid for or owning hardware can lead some individuals to be especially uncaring.

In those situations, spending a small amount of money for extra robustness can pay dividends in the lifespan of equipment, which is precisely the market that Hanns.G is aiming for with the HP226DGB.

As such, there isn't much elegant about this design; it's mostly made of thick, high-impact plastic. However, the big selling point is the glass screen cover, which boosts the weight of the panel to just over 5kg.

Most panels these days have a soft plastic covering that doesn't offer any protection to the underlying electronics and is difficult to clean. The glass on this one allows you to easily remove any fingerprints or other priced distractions, while also stopping anything sharp from damaging the LCD array.

In terms of what the display offers beyond that, it's pretty standard fare for a TN 1080p specification panel. It comes with the brightness set to 100%, so it needs some adjustment, but as LCD panels go, this one has strong color saturation and a reasonable response level. Where it's less wonderful is in the viewing angles, but this might actually be a useful feature for those working on sensitive documents that they don't wish others to read.

“An abuse-resistant LCD panel for accident-prone users”

The speakers aren't up to much either, but I stopped some years ago expecting anything that is specified at 2W to ever be impressive. They make sound, but you're not forced to use them.

My only other complaint is the VESA mount, though perhaps I should rejoice that one was included these days. It's good that Hanns.G added this, but it didn't make any consideration for this in respect of the hinges for the base. While the base can be removed, the hinges protections are part of the panel and might well interfere with any attempt to mount the screen.

Even considering this gaff, though, this is actually a very pleasant display that's competitively priced and wouldn't be out of place in the home or at work. If you're a manager who wonders why he pays cleaners to keep the office nice but doesn't allow them to touch the monitors, then some of these might be a solid investment. It's also good for those who have family members who like to point at the monitor while having jam sandwiches and who have little or no depth perception.