When it comes to monitors, usually it’s set to be one and done for a long while. But for some reason, in the competitive world of monitors, they decide to send out a new model once a month in the hopes of getting you to upgrade for something that’s just one step better than before. And in this case, INNOCN has sent me out the 25M2S to see if that could entice you, or in my case, see if it’s an even better option for retro gaming. So is it worth your time? Or your money? Let’s see.
Specs
For pricing reference, you’re looking at a $399 monitor; however, at the time of writing, it has a coupon for $100 off, leading you to a lower $299 price tag. Which, in my mind, makes this a more palatable value.
- Panel Type: Mini LED
- Screen Size: 24.5”
- Resolution: 2560×1440
- Refresh Rate: Up to 240hz
- I/O: 1x Displayport 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x 3.5mm
- Extra Features: 100mm VESA, Dual Speakers, Adjustable Stand, “Game Assist Functions”
What I Like
The Stand
Kicking off the positives easily, the stand features are way better than their last, cheaper monitor. You get high adjustment, pivot, and 90-degree rotation to use it vertically. Because of this, after testing, it’s mostly been my secondary vertical display thanks to the picture quality and ease of adjustment. What can I say? It’s a nice stand.
The Display
It’s really good. While owners of an Odin 2 Mini might not have been too pleased with their Mini LED displays due to the vignetting, the 25M2S doesn’t seem to have that issue, and remains bright and vibrant when compared to most displays that aren’t OLED. One nice feature is their included presets, which let you pick something that might work better for you. However, I mostly left it on default as a lot of people will stick to either that or the FPS mode. That being said. Good panels are almost everywhere in 2025, so keep an eye out.
Some of the Game Features
Some built-in features have been super nice for use and testing. Multi Display assistance helps adjust my screens, and support for switching between 1440p and 1080p has made things nicer for testing out Mini PCs at lower resolutions. That being said, a lot of these add a bit too much clutter to the screen, and even their marketing shows this.
Timers, refresh rate counters, and “AI Aiming” (ew), all add something to your display and start crowding it up more than what I’d be comfortable with on a monitor this size. Just stick to the basics and you’ll be happier.
What I Don’t
The Design and Size
This is a follow-up from my last look at their displays. They go hard on the gamer aesthetic with carbon fiber plastic panels and hard lines and edges just about everywhere. They go a step further by adding proper RGB LEDs on the back of the monitor. Luckily for me, I can turn that off. But it really makes a busy design look even busier. I just prefer a clean monitor design, even if you only see the front.
More importantly than the design, the size of the monitor is a turn-off for me. Nowadays, 24.5” is too small for anything but a secondary display for me, or a dual 24” setup. I couldn’t see myself using it on its own, and I couldn’t see it being a good option when 1440p, 27” monitors aren’t much more expensive. The Mini LED does bring costs up, but if you’re spending this much, maybe grab a 27” or larger.
The Retro Gaming Experience
Now, last time, I discussed black frame insertion for a monitor with this high of a refresh rate, and I think that still applies here. If you’re looking for something to help make your retro games feel more retro, BFI and maybe a good shader could absolutely do that here.
However, with the Mini LED display, I mostly did my gaming with late 2000s racers. What a shock. Games like Burnout Paradise, or Blur look and play great on the 25M2S, and that shouldn’t be too much of a shock, especially when plugging in a capable PC into it. But one thing I liked doing was finding games that had a bright vibrance to them, rather than the “pee” filter a lot of games of the era had.
“Legally Obtaining” and playing both Test Drive Unlimited games on here was a treat, especially when upscaled to 1440p, and is something I might continue afterwards. Overall, the experience with gaming is super positive. But you should expect that from a gaming monitor.
Final Thoughts
24″ Isn’t that big? Here’s their last 24″ monitor, the 25G2S, easily able to be carried outside.
As a whole, the 25M2S is a solid but small monitor. If you’re looking for something in this 24” range, and you want it to be a quality panel without being OLED, this might be the one to look at. However, if either of those is a no for you, there are other options that are either. Cheaper and larger, more expensive and OLED, or some combination of the four options. This is a niche option, but if you’re a niche user, this is it.
I’m probably gonna go back to TDU again…we’ll see if I have time.
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