Samsung SyncMaster 2493HM Widescreen Monitor

The Samsung 2493HM is a sharp looking monitor, a far cry from the standard minimalist bezel and matte finish of most business oriented screens like the 2243BW. Covered with shiny high-gloss black paint with a silver accent strip along the bottom of the screen, the 2493HM's design is reminiscent of Samsung's LCD TV line-up. The design isn't particularly flashy but manages to carry an air of sophistication. It looks like an expensive piece of equipment and would fit in well with a set of hi-fi speakers.


Like most 24 inch and larger screens, the 2493HM is over an inch thick and will definitely not be mistaken for anything smaller. The 2493HM features a 3/4 inch thick bezel along the top and sides. The bottom bezel is much thicker at about 1.25 inches with an additional 1/4 inch silver accent strip. Overall, the bezel doesn't appear too thick but may not be as suitable for a multi-screen setup since two screens side-by-side would have a combined bezel width of 1.5 inches.

Other than the glossy outer skin, the 2493HM's design is similar to many of the other recent Samsung models. The model number is displayed at the top left corner while the screen's specifications are displayed by various badges at the bottom left and top right corners. The bottom right corner is dedicated to labels for the screen's controls. All of these labels and badges are painted on in a deep grey color that has a "barely there" look. In lower light conditions, the paint becomes very difficult to see. This is both good and bad since the numerous badges won't be distracting but the important button labels will be hard to see. A large Samsung badge is located in the center of the bottom bezel and it uses a much brighter white paint.

The back of the 2493HM has venting along the top and sides to dissipate the heat generated by the back-lights. A standard Kensington lock port is located in the bottom left corner of the screen. The stand is attached by a standard VESA mount.


The 2493HM comes with a robust 4-way adjustable stand that offers height, tilt, pivot, and swivel adjustments. The stand allows the screen to extend in height by 3.5 inches from a minimum height of 15 inches, measured from the top of the screen to the desk, to a maximum of 18.5 inches. The screen can also be tilted up and down by a significant amount. The screen can be rotated 90 degrees to the right into a portrait view. Lastly, the base of the stand has a swivel plate that allows the entire stand to swivel 360 degrees.

Overall, the stand is very firm and stays put where you place it. The base of the stand grips the desk well and doesn't slide, even with a hard push. The stand also holds the screen well and there is minimal screen wobble, which is impressive given the size and weight of the 24" screen. Unfortunately the stand doesn't offer any cable management features. The right side of the stand also has a simple 2-port USB hub built in.



The 2493HM offers a good connectivity with VGA, DVI and HDMI inputs. This is good since a multimedia monitor will often need a wide variety of inputs. The 2493HM's built-in power supply offers the rare feature of an on/off switch which is uncommon for a monitor, especially on smaller screens.
 


The last of the 2493HM's features is a pair of stereo speakers. The speakers are hidden out of sight at the bottom of the screen and fire down into the desk. This setup is commonly used by Samsung's line-up of HDTVs and has proven effective in the past. The speaker receives input from a standard multimedia audio jack next to the rest of the inputs. There is also an audio-out jack also offers pass-through functionality. The output jack can be used for connecting headphones, although its location makes is a bit inconvenient for this purpose.