KTC H24T09P review: A surprisingly good gaming monitor for just $150

Inexpensive monitors have come a long way, and KTC’s H24T09P is proof. Despite its uninspired name, this humble 24-inch gaming monitor provides vibrant color, smooth motion, and numerous display inputs at a bargain price of just $150.

Further reading: See our roundup of the best monitors to learn about competing products.

What are the KTC H24T09P’s specs and features?

The H24T09P’s specifications are typical for a 24-inch budget monitor. It sticks to 1080p resolution and uses an In-Plane Switching (IPS) display panel with a simple edge-lit LED backlight. Video connectivity is broad, but USB connectivity is missing, and the monitor lacks speakers.

• Display size: 24-inch widescreen
• Native resolution: 1920×1080
• Panel type: In-Plane Switching (IPS) with edge-lit LED backlight
• Refresh rate: 165Hz
• Adaptive sync: AMD FreeSync, Nvidia G-Sync Compatible
• HDR: HDR Ready
• Ports: 2x HDMI 2.0, 2x DisplayPort 1.4, 3.5mm audio passthrough
• VESA mount: 100x100mm
• Speakers: None
• Price: $249.99 MSRP

Still, the monitor’s refresh rate and adaptive sync support stand out. A wide variety of competitors deliver a 165Hz refresh rate around the same price, but the KTC H24T09P is certainly among the least expensive options. It also claims support for both AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync, which proved true in my testing.

How is the KTC H24T09P’s design?

I’d wager that you’ve never heard of KTC before, and the H24T09P certainly won’t change that. It’s a simple matte black plastic slab distinguished only by a small silver-gray KTC badge on the bottom bezel.

Function is more important than form at this price, but the H24T09P suffers several practical shortcomings. The tripod-style stand only adjusts for tilt and its default height is too low for all but the shortest owners. And while the stand is attached with only one screw, it’s not a thumbscrew and instead requires use of a provided screwdriver (or any Philips-head you have handy). Many price-competitive monitors have similar issues, but it would still be nice to see KTC improve here in the future.

The H24T09P includes a 100x100mm VESA mount, at least, so it’s possible to attach a third-party monitor arm or stand with a better range of movement. It’s an extremely light, small monitor, so even the least capable arms and stands should hold it.

How is the KTC H24T09P’s connectivity and menu?

Turn the KTC H24T09P around and you’ll find two HDMI 2.0 ports alongside two DisplayPort 1.4 ports for a total of four video inputs. Most monitors in this price bracket offer just three ports (usually two HDMI and one DisplayPort), so a second DisplayPort is nice to see.

USB connectivity is entirely absent, however. This is true of most monitors in the $150 price bracket but worth remembering. The monitor can’t be used as a USB hub for a wired gaming keyboard or mouse. A 3.5mm audio jack rounds out the options and provides audio pass-through for a headset or speakers. You’ll need them, as the monitor lacks speakers.

I had deja-vu when I opened the H24T09P’s on-screen menu, and soon discovered why: Aside from a change of color, it’s nearly identical to the RCA Evolution Premium.

That’s a good thing. I praised the RCA monitor for its image quality options, most of which also appear on the KTC display. This includes gamma, color temperature, and color calibration modes, plus gaming options like an on-screen crosshair and a “black equalizer” that boosts the brightness of dark areas of the display to reveal foes.

The menu is easy to navigate, too. It’s accessed through a responsive joystick control centered on the bottom bezel that quickly flips through the accurately labeled menu options. A variety of well-labeled shortcut options are included and accessed by moving the joystick in a particular direction instead of tapping it.

How is the KTC H24T09P’s SDR image quality?

Now it’s time to get into the meat of the review: image quality. Inexpensive monitors have improved dramatically in quality over the past decade, but there’s still room for big differences between models. The KTC H24T09P certainly beat my expectations and delivered strong image quality for a sub-$200 monitor.

I’ll start with brightness, where the KTC H24T09P provides a maximum SDR brightness of 296 nits. That’s not going to set records but it’s competitive with other monitors in this price range. And, more importantly, it’s more than enough to deliver a bright image in most situations. The monitor might look a bit dim in a room lit by large sunlit windows but should otherwise look excellent, and I personally used the monitor at just a quarter of its maximum brightness.

The KTC H24T09P certainly beat my expectations and delivered strong image quality for a sub-$200 monitor.

Next up is the contrast ratio where, once again, the H24T09P does well for its category. The monitor’s maximum measured contrast ratio of 1060:1 is modest but slightly better than other budget monitors with an IPS display panel.

The H24T09P’s contrast provides a good sense of depth and immersion when the monitor is used in a partially or brightly lit room. Those who game in a dark room, though, will notice “IPS glow,” an issue that casts a hazy gray sheen over games and movies that should look foreboding. However, most price-competitive monitors share this problem.

Color gamut is possibly the H24T09P’s best result. The monitor can achieve 100 percent of sRGB, 92 percent of DCI-P3, and 84 percent of AdobeRGB. These are great results for a $150 monitor.

A wider color gamut means a monitor can display a wider variety of colors, and it directly contributes to a more vibrant, vivid image. I immediately noticed the benefit in World of Warcraft, as the game’s colorful presentation felt more alive than on other budget monitors I’ve tested. The KTC’s solid color performance remains noticeable when browsing the web, viewing photos, or watching Netflix.

The H24T09P’s color accuracy is mid-pack, but that’s not a bad thing: all of these monitors do well in color accuracy, and only the Monoprice CrystalPro 4K Model 44522 notably outperforms. I wouldn’t recommend the H24T09P for color-critical professional photo and video editing, but this is a $150 budget monitor. Its performance is solid for the price.

While the H24T09P’s overall image quality performance is good, I did notice a pair of flubs in gamma and color temperature. The display reached a default gamma curve of 2.5 and color temperature of 7200K. These figures significantly miss my target gamma of 2.2 and color temperature of 6500K. In real-world viewing, this means the H24T09P’s image skews darker and more sterile than what I prefer. Details in dark scenes can be crushed, while bright scenes can have a clinical blue-white hue.

As mentioned earlier, though, the monitor has multiple gamma and color temperature settings that can be adjusted to fix these issues. Changing the on-screen menu’s gamma setting to 2.0 resulted in a measured gamma of 2.3, while switching the color temperature to Warm led to a measured color temperature of 6600K. These results are acceptable for a budget monitor.

The monitor’s native resolution of 1920×1080 results in a pixel density of 92 pixels per inch (ppi) across the 24-inch display. That’s fairly low in 2023—a 27-inch 4K monitor, by contrast, packs 163 ppi—but standard for this category, as nearly all 24-inch monitors stick to 1080p resolution.

I’m pleased by the KTC H24T09P’s image quality. It delivers good contrast, a wide color gamut, and solid color accuracy for a budget monitor and does so without suffering any major problems. The monitor’s image quality is enjoyable and well-suited to colorful games like World of Warcraft or League of Legends, which benefit from the monitor’s color performance.

How is the KTC H24T09P’s HDR image quality?

KTC advertises the H24T09P as HDR capable, and that’s technically true. The monitor is capable of displaying an HDR signal. But, like all budget monitors, you won’t want to use it.

The monitor’s limited brightness and modest contrast leave it incapable of displaying the added detail HDR is meant to convey. Movies and games don’t look better with HDR turned on. They just look a bit different. Those looking for a good HDR monitor will need to spend drastically more on a display like the Innocn 27M2V or Alienware AW3423DWF.

How is the KTC H24T09P’s motion performance?

The KTC H24T09P has a maximum refresh rate of 165Hz. This only recently became possible in the sub-$200 arena, and while KTC faces competitors, it’s certainly among the least expensive 24-inch, 165Hz monitors available today.

An enhanced refresh rate leads to improved motion clarity, and the H24T09P is no exception. A scrolling test from League of Legends showed terrain and character silhouettes were legible while moving the camera rapidly across the map. Character names and hitpoint bars were hard to read, but some details could be made out. This is typical performance for a 144Hz or 165Hz monitor and much improved over a 60Hz display.

The monitor also has a Moving Picture Response Time mode. It strobes the backlight at a very high frequency, which further improves motion clarity. It’s a genuinely useful feature that delivers strong results. MPRT also cuts brightness in half, though, so the display can seem dim when MRPT is turned on.

There’s also four response-time modes (including off). These are meant to increase pixel response times for better motion clarity, but I didn’t notice a significant difference when using them. That’s both good news and bad news. The image didn’t look much sharper, but it also lacked the distracting “overshoot” image artifacts that can cause problems on other budget gaming monitors.

KTC lists adaptive sync support through AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync Compatible. Both AMD and Nvidia GPUs (from the RX 7000 and RTX 40-series, respectively) worked well in my testing. Frame pacing was smooth and motion looked fluid. These features aren’t available when MRPT is turned on, however, which is also true of most similar monitors with this feature.

Is the KTC H24T09P worth it?

The KTC H24T09P is a great budget gaming monitor that should appeal not just to gamers but anyone who wants a high refresh rate and good color performance. It delivers a broad color gamut and strong motion clarity while avoiding any pitfalls taht might distract from these perks. The monitor’s basic, tilt-only stand and missing USB ports are annoying, but these downsides are typical at this price. Ultimately, the H24T09P is an attractive 24-inch 1080p monitor that can handle a wide variety of tasks, including gaming, at just $150.

Author: Matthew S. Smith