Flashy ‘gaming’ screens could also be all the craze among the many youth nowadays, however typically you simply desire a good 27in monitor with out all of the bells, whistles and LED mild exhibits that usually accompany them. Fortunately, the catchily-named Philips 273V5LHAB is one such monitor, and it’s about as plain and simple as they arrive.
I imply that in the absolute best manner, in fact, and whereas this 27in, 60Hz TN panel does include just a few caveats – its 1920×1080 decision being its prime flaw – even I can’t argue with how a lot it prices. Priced at just £154, that is an absolute cut price of an enormous display, and would go well with most individuals simply nice if measurement issues greater than the variety of pixels on present.
I used to be a bit skeptical about its picture high quality after I first turned it on, as initially the 273V5LHAB’s brightness and distinction ranges appeared utterly up the spout. Everything appeared washed out and had a sickly white sheen to it, however fortunately issues began to cool down as soon as it had a little bit of time to heat up.
Colours by no means reached the identical sort of depth and vibrancy as my reference AOC Q2770PQU, however my calibrator nonetheless returned a really admirable outcome after I examined the 273V5LHAB’s default User Define mode. Without making any sort of changes in any respect, the 273V5LHAB scored extremely on the common sRGB color gamut (92.7% if you wish to be exact), and a decent distinction ratio of 1114:1 revealed loads of element in darkish shadow areas. I even managed to push that share as much as 94% with a few minor tweaks to its RGB values, which is fairly good for a TN display when your typical IPS show usually hits round 96%.
There are three different mounted color profiles to select from, however I wouldn’t advocate them, as this made photographs and video games seem much more washed out than User Define. Otherwise, all you’ve bought is fundamental brightness and distinction controls, in addition to SmartContrast and Overscan choices, however I left the latter turned off and didn’t really feel the necessity to contact the previous.
The solely factor to keep in mind is that its peak brightness solely hits round 350cd/m2, which doesn’t provide you with a variety of leeway in the event you’re in a room that will get a variety of direct daylight. I additionally needed to have the brightness turned as much as full whack to get the most effective accuracy studying on my calibrator, so dimming the display will price you some additional lustre. On the entire, although, it produces a reasonably nice image contemplating the worth.
The solely main downside is its decision. I’ve all the time discovered 27in is just a bit too huge for 1920×1080, as textual content begins to get a bit grainy and pixellated. Word paperwork nearly get away with it, however e mail shoppers actually begin to present its limitations when stretched throughout a display this huge, as textual content begins to turn out to be very hazy across the edges and tough to learn. As a common rule, I’d all the time advocate choosing a 2560×1440 decision in the event you’re shopping for a 27in monitor, however in the event you’re largely going to be utilizing it for gaming and nothing else, then it’s much less of an issue.
Its massive measurement additionally means the 273V5LHAB wants little in the way in which of additional ergonomics. Its brief, mounted stand affords a tiny little bit of tilt up and down, however that’s just about it. If you want your screens sitting a bit increased in your desk, nevertheless, you’ll have to search out just a few books to prop it up. DisplayPort fiends can even must look elsewhere, because the 273V5LHAB solely has VGA, DVI-D and HDMI inputs, plus your commonplace headphone and audio-in jacks.
Otherwise, although, there’s so much to love concerning the 273V5LHAB, regardless of its couple of shortcomings. The smaller AOC G2460PF nonetheless wins by way of greatest worth for cash in this type of worth vary, however in the event you’re on the lookout for an enormous display on a budget for less than £200, the Philips 273V5LHAB is a good place to start out.
