Hannspree HT 273 HPB 27” Touch Screen Monitor Review

I’ve always stood on the fence when it comes to new screen technology. Mobile phones -- I’ve been using a touch screen since Windows Mobile 4. Tablets and consoles, I’ve had one of each generation. But my TV wasn’t HD ready until the 3D TVs started to come down in price. My PC monitor was seven years old before I got a second screen.

So you can imagine that touch screens kind of scared me. Windows 10 has touch features built into it, and with the right touch screen you basically have a tablet computer that takes up half of your desk. Well, it just so happens that the HT 273 is just such a monitor. I’ll admit to not being super aware of Hannspree as a brand before this. I knew they existed, but if someone held a gun to my head and asked that they made, I would have been shot -- and they don’t just make monitors.

In the box you get a USB cable, power lead and HDMI cable, as you might expect. The screen itself is quite heavy, and has a solid construction and a kickstand on the back. I say kickstand, as it’s attached to the monitor, and can be moved to a suitable angle to keep it upright, or laid almost flat.

The monitor boasts full 1080p (1920x1080 resolution), an HDMI port, a VGA port and stereo speakers. The display has 10-point touch and a 178” viewing angle. You can adjust the brightness and contrast manually, or set them to one of the presets; PC, Movie, Game and Eco. You can also adjust the colour to a preset or manual, depending on your needs - it’s quite versatile.

Setting the HT 273 up for touch is as easy as plugging the USB cable into an open slot on your PC. Windows 10 and Google Chrome already support touch natively, so you don’t have to do anything extra. The accuracy of the touch screen is pretty good. I had the odd accidentally closed tab in Chrome, or tapping a button in a game that missed the mark, but it was accurate most of the time.

The quality of the display is really nice. Watching video -- either streaming or a ripped file -- always looked nice and clear. Gaming looked smoother than my old monitor, and I was quite upset when I had to pack it up to send it back to Hannspree. The only downside was a minor one, and it’s to do with the speakers.

As mentioned, the HT 273 has stereo speakers built into the rear of the unit. Now, I may have been spoilt by the Dolby Surround in my headset, but the quality of the monitor speakers wasn’t very impressive. It may be their placement or build quality, but the sound was pretty hollow.

The rest of the monitor is very impressive. If this is indicative of the rest of their brand, then I’ll be happy to check out more from them. If you’re in the market for a touch screen monitor, or just want to have a standing desk, then I recommend the Hannspree HT 273 HPB.