£800.From www.very.co.uk
VERDICT
The Akoya E23401 makes up for its bland display with good performance, a competitive price and a sleek design
IT’S EASY TO see the appeal of budget all-in-one (AIO) PCs, even more so than a low-cost conventional desktop. A fully working Windows 10 system, sleek monitor, mouse and keyboard, all for well under £1,000? For someone looking to buy their very first PC or upgrade from a laptop, the entire concept is close to perfect.
And yet, the limitations of shopping cheaply are in effect just as strong with AIOs as they are with any kind of computer. Last year’s Acer Aspire S 24 (Shopper 371) is a good case in point: despite looking the business, with its sleek chassis and gold finish, a flawed display and slow storage held it back from greatness.
Maybe the Medion Akoya E23401 will have better luck. It, too, is a sub-£1,000, 24in AIO with a slimline profile. A wired mouse and keyboard are also included in the box, as is a neat little USB webcam. It magnetically attaches to the top of the display, plugging into a USB2 port at the back, so you can remove it and store it when not in use.
RETURN TO SLENDER
Like the Aspire S 24, the Akoya E23401 does an effective job of looking like a far more expensive PC. The small screen bezels, crescent-moon stand and brushed aluminium finish combine to make something that’s stylish on any desk. The power supply has been relegated to a power brick, in order to keep that thin design, but it’s not so bulky that you’ll be tripping over it.
Our only complaint, design-wise, is that the stand isn’t particularly adjustable. It can tilt the screen up and down, but not rise or rotate, so can’t match more dedicated monitors for ergonomics.
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