NEC MultiSync EA244UHD 4K Monitor Review

Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification

The NEC MultiSync EA244UHD is a high resolution 23.8inch wide-gamut colour monitor offering a 4K UHD resolution of 3840x2160, letting you display four times as much as a 1920x1080 screen.

Viewing angles are 178/178 degrees, and the monitor can display 1.07 billion colours. Maximum brightness is 350cm/m2 with a contrast ratio of 1000:1. There are multiple inputs including 2x DisplayPorts, 1x HDMI, 1x HDMI(MHL), 2x DVI-D Single Link, and a USB 3.0 hub (1 up/ 3 down).Response time is 6ms which should be good enough for most video and gaming use. The monitor offers 99.3% AdobeRGB colour, and all of sRGB for around £850.

NEC MultiSync EA244UHD Features

The monitor is supported by an easily manoeuvrable height adjustable stand, which easily accommodates the monitor in both landscape and portrait orientation and makes it easy to find a comfortable viewing position. The design includes a route for the cables.

As with all monitors used for colour work, such as photo and video editing, it's a good idea to calibrate regularly and to do this you will need to use a calibration device such as the i1 Display Pro. If you use multiple monitors, then it's worthwhile calibrating both (or all) devices.

With such a high resolution monitor, you will need to make sure your computer or input (such as a laptop) is capable of displaying the full UHD resolution of 3840x2160, and if you have a PC with a dedicated graphics card, then you’ll need to make sure it’s a NVidia GeForce 650 or higher specification, as otherwise you won’t be able to use the full resolution of the monitor. 

DisplayPort, DVI-DL and HDMI inputs are included for connecting to various types of graphics adapters. You can also use picture-in-picture to display more than one input at the same time

There is a “Human sensor” built-in to the front of the monitor. This detects the presence of a person in front of the screen; and the display switches on/off automatically depending on the presence of the user.

Key Features

• 23.8inch matt screen 
• 3840x2160 (UHD) native resolution
• 1000:1 native contrast ratio
• 350 cd/m2 brightness, 5ms response time (GTG)
• 2 x DVI (25-pin), 2 x DisplayPort, 2 x HDMI (one MHL)
• Advanced Picture-by-Picture (Up to 4 images simultaneously)
• Wide Colour Gamut (99.3% AdobeRGB)
• 10-bit IPS AdobeRGB Wide gamut Colour.
• Human Sensor 
• Ambient light sensor
• USB 3.0 hub, Headphone jack
  2x 1W speakers built-in
• Landscape / Portrait orientation
• 3-year warranty

NEC MultiSync EA244UHD Handling

NEC MultiSync EA244UHD Controls

The NEC MultiSync EA244UHD has a serious look to it, with a fairly thin bezel surrounding the screen. The touch buttons are quite easy to accidentally activate when moving the monitor position. A weight of 8.7kg isn't as heavy as EIZO ColorEdge monitors, and the stand has no problem supporting the weight, whilst offering ease of adjustment for height, tilt and orientation. Although we found it was a little too easy to move, so that it would move even if you used the touch-buttons on the screen. 

A cable tidy is included on the rear of the stand for keeping everything neat once it’s set up how you like.

The monitor can swivel 170 degrees left and right, which is only 4 degrees off an EIZO ColorEdge monitor, and if you regularly want to show others what's on your screen then this can be useful.

NEC MultiSync EA244UHD Menus (2)	NEC MultiSync EA244UHD Menus (3)
NEC MultiSync EA244UHD Menus (4)	NEC MultiSync EA244UHD Menus (5)

There are a number of long and detailed menus, with a wide range of options and controls. Many more than other monitors, and this can seem a little overwhelming at first, but options are fairly clear, and you can always refer to the manual if needed. 

NEC MultiSync EA244UHD Ports

The ports available are 25 pin DVI-D, HDMI and Displayport as well as a headphone socket, a USB upstream connection. There are three USB 3.0 sockets in total.

There is no way to attach a device via an analogue connection to this display (such as VGA), so owners of computers using older graphics hardware (or many older Windows/Linux compatible laptops) may need to upgrade their equipment to use this monitor. A full range of cables are provided in the box, in order to set it up.

NEC MultiSync EA244UHD Performance

The resolution of 3840x2160 provides plenty of working space, although text is quite small, and you may need to alter your computer settings in order to get a comfortable text size. One drawback is that if your computer doesn’t support this resolution, you will be stuck using a lower resolution that will be enlarged. This is also noticeable when using the HDMI connection, as the highest resolution is 1920x1080, but again the monitor does a good job displaying a sharp image.

All this extra workspace makes checking focus on easy, and you can view so much more of your image all at once, with the equivalent of an 8 megapixel image being able to be viewed at 100%. There’s also plenty of space for multiple programs to be used at the same time.

Viewing angles are 178 degrees for both vertical and horizontal, which is the same as the slightly more expensive NEC Spectraview Reference 272 27” display. Although the viewing angle is typical for a high-end display using IPS panel technology, those who are used to the older TN panel technology will be amazed by the difference this makes. Colour and brightness remain consistent, even when viewing the screen from almost any angle. To the eye, the screen appears very consistent in terms of brightness across its surface, and there is no flicker, even under fluorescent lighting.

Video quality is good with excellent blacks and good contrast, and the screen updates quickly with no visible ghosting even with rapidly changing action. There is also no discernible backlight bleed which is common on budget orientated monitors using IPS panel technology. The matt screen surface also helps to ensure reflections are kept to a minimum.

Out of the box, there is a slightly warm colour to the image. There is a slight colour change towards the top of the monitor, and switching on uniformity improves this slightly. 

NEC MultiSync EA244UHD Measurements and Calibration

Using i1 Display Pro to measure the performance of the monitor:

I1 Profile Results

Colour results - Black luminance was measured as 0.136cm/m2, luminance 118 cm/m2 (120 requested), and contrast ratio of 868:1. Colour temperature was 6396K, which is fairly close to the requested 6500K. With uniformity switched on, the contrast ratio dropped slightly.

Measuring the colour difference (Delta-E), with the i1 Display Pro, the average was 1.14, maximum 2.78, impressive results. 

Nb. Delta-E (ΔE) is the measurement of the difference between the expected or requested colour, and the actual colour measured by the calibration device. The lower this number, the better.

It's possible to save the results of performance as an HTML document, so that you have a record of how the monitor is performing, which could be particularly important for colour critical work, or to show that your computer and monitor is set up correctly. Or alternatively to record any changes over time.

White point and Luminance results, and measuring uniformity across the screen:

Using the i1 Display Pro and i1 Profiler Software, 6542K was the Colour temperature achieved in the centre of the monitor, but this deviated as we measured different points on the screen. Luminance was a little off (but very close to) the requested 120cd/m2 being 117 cd/m2 in the centre of the frame.

Luminance Figures	White Point Figures
Luminance Graph	White Point Graph
Uniformity set to off:
White Point Figures Uniformity Off	White Point Uniformity Off

Brightness across the screen is consistent, with the worst result a slight deviation in brightness in one corner of 6%, with most of the screen giving better uniformity.

Colour temperature across the screen was reasonable across the screen, although there was stronger deviation towards the bottom and top of the screen. It was also noticeable when reading black text on a white background. Performance improved when using Uniformity switched on. 

We measured the NEC MultiSync EA244UHD with a Spyder5 Elite, and it shows as having 100% of AdobeRGB, as well as 99% of sRGB and 94% NTSC. This is impressive, considering the monitor is described as offering 99% AdobeRGB, and an EIZO ColorEdge CG276 managed 99% AdobeRGB (and 95% NTSC) in comparison.

We found the best results were from using a calibration device such as the i1 Display Pro, and switching the Uniformity control to on. 

Value For Money

The NEC MultiSync EA244UHD is available for £858 including VAT, alternatively you could buy the NEC MultiSync EA275UHD 4K 27inch monitor (with 78% AdobeRGB coverage) for less at £726 including VAT (the saving would let you buy a calibration device like the i1 Display Pro, and you'd get a bigger monitor). Alternative 24inch 4K monitors include the EIZO ColorEdge CG248 24inch 4K monitor, with built-in colour calibration sensor, available for around £1800 including VAT with a 5-year warranty. 

NEC MultiSync EA244UHD Verdict

The NEC MultiSync EA244UHD is a compact 23.8 inch monitor with an extremely high resolution of 4K UHD, giving a sharp and detailed image, plus 100% AdobeRGB. Colour, contrast, and saturation are all excellent, although consistency across the screen isn’t perfect, although is better with uniformity switched on. For a completely uniform display, you need to look at other, much more expensive monitors. The biggest issue we think that users will have with this monitor is that it might be too high resolution for most people, and 4K would make more sense on a 27inch or larger monitor.

The monitor is well designed, there are a wide range of options and settings in the menus, and the built-in USB3 hub is an excellent addition.

The monitor is ergonomically designed, with a stand that gives a good range of adjustments, including the ability to swivel the screen into portrait orientation. The monitor is also power conscious with options to reduce power usage as well as switch off the monitor if nobody is using it. Colour performance is very good, with improved performance with the uniformity option switched on, and the monitor should be good enough to satisfy most photographers, designers and graphic artists with 100% of Adobe RGB being covered. 

NEC MultiSync EA244UHD Specifications

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