Fantastic value if you get it under $300 (I managed to get it on sale for $215). Even at $300, it's a healthy contender for display quality and color balance with monitors even in the $400 range. Of course, there's a reason it's cheaper than those monitors, namely 60Hz, no USB-C (i.e., sorry Macbooks), no additional USB ports and no speakers. It also uses an AC Adapter, rather than integrated power supply. If you're fine with those caveats, you are going to have a hard time finding a better quality display at this price point. If your heart is set on the missing features, then check out the Samsung U28R55 or Asus VG289Q; both use the exact same 28" Innolux panel. However, according to other reviews, Philips seems to have the best factory calibration for color balance and white levels. Out of the box, my Spyder 4 Pro (yeah, yeah, I haven't upgraded that yet) found it quite accurate, although it was a smidge cooler with the default 6500K with Gamma 2.2 setting. A quick calibration fixed that and brought the sRGB level to full coverage, 87% DCI-P3 and 82% Adobe RGB. For comparison, the Philips' DCI-P3 and Adobe values are about 6% higher than the $300-ish Asus Proart PA278QV. So for most color work, it's very good. (If you need higher percentages, you're in the wrong price bracket). Don't forget to install the drivers from Philips' website, along with SmartControl (yes, it's actually useful - you can do all the monitor adjustments from Windows so you don't have to reach around back to use the joystick). After calibration, there's a tiny bit of saturation in the reds, but it's not super obvious and it makes for a very pleasant image that pops, but it's not over the top and unrealistic. The panel coloring is pretty even, although I can tell it's a tiny bit cooler on the far left than the far right side, but I have to really look for it. For this price point, it's stellar.
The stand is surprisingly rock solid and heavy. Making adjustments is easy and it feels very sturdy. I was pleased to see the monitor had vertical adjustment, going as low as 1" above from the desk surface. Vertical and tilt adjustments were solid and I really like the stand, but it is a bit bulky so I mounted it to the wall with a standard 100mm VESA. Overall construction is very solid, even if it's mostly plastic. Philips didn't skimp on the important things like durability. My only gripe (and it's minor) is the lack of an integrated power supply. But, as a result, the back of the monitor is very thin, so there is at least an aesthetic gain from this design decision. The cord for the AC adapter is long enough to hide it out of sight.
While it came with an HDMI cable, I used a DisplayPort cable and Windows 11 recognized it instantly and even adjusted the scaling to a recommended 150%. With this setting, this monitor is a Goldilocks size, with very sharp, readable text and a lot of space to work with. For me, the boost from a 1080 monitor to 4K was fantastic. My only regret is that I didn't make the switch sooner. Everything is so much sharper and easier on my eyes, especially if you do a lot of reading/typing. If you're on the fence, definitely consider this monitor. As to long term, I hope it lasts, but from what I paid, it's about half of what I was expecting to pay for a decently color-balanced monitor with 4K. Go for it!
1/23 Update - Still going strong 7 months later and no regrets or new annoyances!
| Standing screen display size | 28 Inches |
|---|---|
| Screen Resolution | 3840x2160 |
| Max Screen Resolution | 3840 x 2160 Pixels |
