Market Watch - Monitors

Display manufacturers have been releasing new models every few months. There’s always an effort to introduce new features and we’ve seen that in the form of LED-backlight panels and more recently 120Hz and 200Hz 3D capable ones. While monitor manufacturers like to portray that these features are the future, the ground reality at the market level is completely different. We went down to the local tech hub Lamington road and spoke to a few shop keepers to get a better idea of what sells and what doesn’t.

Customers tend to prefer 22-inch models over 24-models. Demand for displays beyond that size such as 27-inch and 30-inch are extremely rare. The native resolution of most 22-inch monitors is identical to a 24-inch monitor - the only thing you get is a larger viewing area. There’s also a budget constraint when it comes to monitors - it’s around the Rs. 8,000 mark. The majority of customers are looking for monitors in the Rs. 8,000 range. This is roughly the same that customers were willing to spend on CRT monitors in the earlier half of the past decade.

There’s also a certain brand loyalty that comes into play. While we here at Tech2 look for specific models and aren’t really brand conscious, most people buying monitors have their favourite brands. It appears Samsung is at the top and more and more users ask for Samsung monitors. The next in line of priority are Dell, LG and Asus. Brands such as AOC and Acer aren’t as popular. Please note that this is what the dealers of these products are saying.

Warranty is also a major concern for many customers. LCD panels are pretty simple, uncomplicated pieces of hardware as compared to CRT monitors, which had more things that could go wrong over a period of time. Still, users prefer to have a five year warranty for their products. That’s something Dell used to offer, but a three-year warranty on monitors is being offered now, at least on mainstream products.

Another thing that’s noticed is that customers rarely have specific models in mind or even features. LED is a key word for TVs and it’s also the case with LED backlit LCD monitors now. Other than that, very few people are looking for monitors specifically with HDMI or with 3D features.

With inputs from Gulbir Bhatia (Prime ABGB)