Philips monitor: Lower screen resolution is a letdown

PHOTO: PHILIPS

The biggest flaw in this Philips monitor is its 1,920 x 1,080-pixel screen resolution. While this resolution is adequate for a 24-inch monitor, it is not good enough for a 27-inch display. In comparison, the other monitors in this roundup have screen resolutions of at least 2,560 x 1,440 pixels.

To be fair, the lower screen resolution may be useful for gamers with less powerful computers. They can run games smoothly at the native resolution without having to reduce their graphics settings. On the other hand, the Philips monitor does not look as sharp as its rivals when it comes to browsing the Internet or reading a document.

Viewing from the sides and the bottom is poor, though not unexpected, given that this monitor uses a twisted nematic (TN) panel instead of in-plane switching (IPS) technology. There is one upside though: TN screens usually have low response time and input lag. As a result, games, especially first-person shooters, feel responsive.

Philips has tried to inject a bit of flair into the design. The display has a red strip in front and its stand has an opening for cables to pass through. You can rotate the screen by 90 degrees to portrait orientation, and swivel the display to the right or left by 65 degrees.

However, the bezel looks chunky at around 25mm at the top and 20mm at the sides. A laptop-style external power brick is required.

  • TECH SPECS

  • PRICE: $999

    RESOLUTION: 1,920 x 1,080 pixels

  • RATING

    FEATURES: 4/5

    DESIGN: 3/5

    PERFORMANCE: 3/5

    VALUE: 3/5

    OVERALL: 3/5

Like most Nvidia G-Sync monitors, the Philips monitor has a single DisplayPort connector. There are no HDMI or DVI inputs. But there is an integrated USB hub with four USB 3.0 ports at the back.

Touch-sensitive buttons operate the on-screen display settings. The settings are fairly basic with no profiles for specific tasks.

There is an option to display a crosshair on the screen to help players in first-person shooter games. But this lone gamer feature feels like a token gesture.

In my test with a colourimeter, the Philips covered 99 per cent of the sRGB colour space. Colour accuracy was decent, but not as good as some of its competitors.

At $999, the Philips is one of the least expensive Nvidia G-Sync monitors in the market, though AMD FreeSync models are around the same price.

However, the IPS-based Acer XB270HU arguably provides better value despite being more expensive at $1,099.

Vincent Chang

  • Verdict: The Philips stands out for the wrong reason: It has a lower screen resolution than its rivals.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 16, 2015, with the headline Philips monitor: Lower screen resolution is a letdown. Subscribe