Specs
| Display Size | 24.5 – inches |
| Panel Resolution | IPS Native Resolution : FHD 1920 x 1080 VGA : FHD 60Hz HDMI : Up to FHD 100Hz |
| Input | 1x HDMI™ (1.4b) 1x D-Sub (VGA) 1x Line-in 1x Headphone-out |
| Speaker | 2 x 2W |
| Panel Technology | SRGB 101% (CIE 1976) |
| Price | RM 369 |
| Power Consumption | External Adaptor (12V 2.5A) |
| Weight | 2.9kg with stand |
Design
We’re always so caught up with gaming monitors and their cutting-edge tech, but what about when I really just need to work? The MSI Pro line has always been interesting to me because of its identity, to be a business monitor that’s affordable, reasonably stylish and feature packed enough to justify its existence in such a compeititive market.
The MSI PRO MP251 is by outlook is your simple, cookie-cutter monitor without any flash, which is exactly what we want out of a work monitor. It’s light and reasonably compact, with a rounded rectagular base with a slit in front to slot a phone or gadget onto. I actually enjoyed that idea very much as I get to see any notifications pop up from my phone. It’s also particularly useful for video calls if you choose not to use your computer instead (you know, multitasking things along with urgency).
The stand is rather short, with no means to tilt and swivel, and due to it’s light weight, it’s not as stable and will rattle if you shake your desk too hard.
The ports are located at the back panel, facing downwards:
1x HDMI™ (1.4b)
1x D-Sub (VGA)
1x Line-in
1x Headphone-out
All manner of controls and settings are done using a stick button at the back, allowing to change simple settings such as brightness, display profile, volume adjustment and input selection.
Generally speaking, it’s a straightforward, ready-to-use monitors free of complicated functions and setup. Slot your HDMI in and you’re good to go. The VGA port provide accessibility to older legacy systems, which is a plus for those in that specific situation. You may also plug in headphones or speakers to the monitor using the provided audio ports, otherwise you can just enjoy the dual 2W speakers that is built into the monitor, which does give it some entertainment factor, or perhaps save you a couple of bucks and desk space if you’re not keen on buying speakers.
That being said, the speakers aren’t particularly loud, but not too soft. It’s not in a particularly sweet spot either, so it really offers a bare experience on the speaker front that would only shine in a quiet office environment.
Set Up
The MSI PRO MP251 is incredibly easy to set up, like you can probably get this thing running in under 30 seconds. It’s a tool-free affair, unless you plan to mount the monitor via VESA (which it does have). You simply slot the monitor itself onto the short stand, and then push it onto the base and you’re done! Everything locks in place and you just have to twist the screen at the bottom to tighten the stand and you’re good to go.
Picture Quality and Motion
Quick Specs
IPS
Native Resolution : FHD 1920 x 1080
VGA : FHD 60Hz
HDMI : Up to FHD 100Hz
The MP251 really shows its value here as a good, versatile office monitor. First off, you’re able to connect both VGA and HDMI, which give you flexibility between older and newer devices, even to USB-C to HDMI if you happen to own the hub/dongle for it. What really made me happy is the fact that the HDMI is version 1.4b, which supports up to 100Hz in refresh rate in Full HD resolution. This gives it a good level of smoothness that’s just 20Hz short of being called a hidden gaming monitor.
Still, after giving it a go gaming-wise with HELLDIVERS 2 locked on 100 FPS, it was still smooth and managed to deliver good on it as I had concerns about the monitor not being able to keep up after a certain amount of time. If you wanted to game discreetly, don’t mind the size and just want to play, then this is suitable for casual gamers looking to play even AAA titles that don’t require you to have a high refresh rate for responsiveness. Its effectiveness here extends it out to even a Nintendo Switch, which is nice. It won’t however do much good on a PS5/XBox as the HDMI requirements are way higher and you’ll just be locked on 60Hz, not even 100Hz so be sure to note that if you intended this to be your portable gaming monitor.
As for color accuracy, the MP251 on paper claims a 101% sRGB coverage, which is a little overkill but necessary to maintain itself in the competitive market that offers more or less those values. It’s not going to be fully utilized due to the fact that it’s only 8-bit in color depth, but between 8-bit and 10-bit, you’re just missing some blue hues, which is not hard to say goodbye to.
Designers and photographers may even find this monitor serviceable for their needs, but as color requirements get higher and higher (think wedding photographer that needs top-tier color accuracy for correction), you may want to consider something else. Either way, the MP251 managed to be a solid monitor for my work on Lightroom, and besides, it wasn’t designated to be a designer’s monitor anyway, and monitors fit for a designer’s requirement would cost nearly 10x the MP251’s measly RM 369 asking price.
The Verdict
The MSI PRO MP251 makes a solid impression to me. The price versus the features given is fair and competitive, offering itself to be an office monitor that has enough hardware to even let gamers play casually, movies to be played out decently and even media workers to color-work on a “just okay” level.
Its light weight, ordinary design makes it portable and normal, but far from mediocre. If MSI decides to give it tilt and swivel capabilities while maintaining the price, then it’ll be a golden opportunity for them.
