Philips 272P4QPJKEB/00 review

The huge 2,560×1,440 resolution of the Philips 272P4QPJKEB’s 27in display looks razor sharp, and has a versatile array of connection ports. You’ll have no problem connecting it to your computer, as long as your PC has a digital display output because there’s no VGA input on the 272P4QPJKEB.

You’ll need to use a dual-link DVI-D cable to take advantage of the 272P4QPJKEB’s high resolution, but there are also two HDMI inputs and a DisplayPort input if you want to connect other devices to the display. Conveniently, the 272P4QPJKEB also has a three-port USB3 hub, so you’ll be able to plug USB drives straight into the monitor instead of struggling to reach the back of your PC.

The 272P4QPJKEB’s stand is height-adjustable and its super flexible hinge can pivot 90 degrees, which means you can view the monitor in portrait mode as well as the more typical landscape orientation.

IMAGE QUALITY

The 272P4QPJKEB uses a PLS panel, which is a type of IPS technology. These are known for their superior colour accuracy and wide viewing angles, but our colour calibrator revealed the 272P4QPJKEB/00 was only showing a disappointing 89.1 per cent of the sRGB colour gamut at its default settings. This is much lower than we were expecting.

The monitor’s main area of weakness came from its red coverage, but we suspect this was due to the 272P4QPJKEB/00’s slightly strange default colour settings. The monitor’s red colour value was set much lower than its blue and green counterparts in the menu options. Calibrating the display increased colour accuracy to a much more respectable 97.3 per cent. This is much more in line with what we’d expect to see from a PLS panel, but it’s still a few per cent lower than the Iiyama Prolite XB2779QS.

However, our subjective tests looked great and our solid colour images had plenty of depth and vibrancy. Blacks could have been a fraction deeper, but its black level reading of 0.33cd/m² is still good for a monitor of this size.

The monitor’s contrast levels were also excellent. We were a little concerned when we measured a contrast ratio of 799:1, which is lower than expected, but our high contrast images all showed a very high level of detail. We were particularly impressed with how much dark shadow detail we saw, so you shouldn’t have any trouble using it for fine photo editing.

CONCLUSION

The Philips 272P4QPJKEB has a lot to recommend it, not least its price, which is one of the cheapest we’ve seen for a 27in 2,560×1,440 display. It’s just a shame the 272P4QPJKEB doesn’t have better image quality out of the box to match the similarly priced Iiyama Prolite XB2779QS. The USB3 hub and rotatable stand will no doubt be attractive features to some users, but those who want outstanding image quality straight out of the box and a much nicer looking chassis should put the Iiyama Prolite XB2779QS at the top of their shopping list.