i love several characteristics of this monitor. first, it's VESA compliant. it's amazingly hard nowadays to find monitors with the four screw holes. i don't understand why. it's a major pro. most (maybe all) of the quality third-party monitor mounts require those holes. so if you're ever going to want to buy a nice adjustable mount, you have to have them. second, everything is matte---the screen and the frame and the stand. i dislike shiny stuff because i dislike smudges and reflections. third, the buttons are located in a good place and aren't too hard to press. i'd like them to be even easier to press but they're better than other monitors i've tried. this is big if you're using a mount that allows for rotation of the screen. you want to be able to press the buttons without moving the screen. fourth, i actually like the stand that came with it; it tilts back easily. i just got this monitor so if it fails me prematurely i'll modify this review.