Philips Brilliance 272P7VPTKEB 27in 4K Monitor Review

Rating: 8.5.

They say good things come in small packages, and the Philips Brilliance 272P7VPTKEB could be a case in point. It is very telling that a 27in screen feels small, but with the influx of larger screens we have had recently here at KitGuru, it feels pretty compact. Yet this screen offers a 4K resolution and a host of features, although not so much for the gamers amongst us.

The engagingly named 272P7VPTKEB may have a relatively small 27in diagonal in today's screen market, but its native 3,840 x 2,160 resolution is hardly tiny. In fact, this is a lot of pixels to fit into this amount of desktop real estate. It also uses a premium IPS panel, for optimum image quality. This offers a reasonable 1,300:1 contrast and 350cd/m2 brightness.

However, the specifications won't be so pleasing for gaming. The pixel response is just 5ms, rather than the 1ms preferred by those who are serious about their first-person shooters. The vertical scanning frequency maxes out at 76Hz, and 60Hz at 4K resolution. There's no FreeSync of G-Sync either, to adapt the refresh to the frame rate being delivered by your graphics card.

The more corporate focus of this screen becomes clear when you look at the features. Alongside a three-port USB 3.0 hub are stereo speakers providing a rather meagre 2W of output, and a natty pop-up webcam with associated microphone. The latter makes this screen ready to go for Skype video conferencing.

Connections include HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.2, plus Mini DisplayPort 1.2. The HDMI connection supports MHL connections, for hooking up your smartphone, and there's VGA for legacy connectivity, although this would be a waste of the 4K resolution. There's also a host of adjustments for positioning the screen just where you want it.

On the downside, 4K IPS panels are still not cheap, and the 272P7VPTKEB comes in at a princely price in excess of £600, an amount that could get you a top-end gaming screen with a larger size but lower resolution. For the more business-focused market the 272P7VPTKEB is aimed at, however, this could be worthwhile, if the quality is there to match the price. So let's find out if it is.

Specification:
Screen size: 27-inch, 16:9 aspect, curved
Native resolution: 3,840 x 2,160
Refresh rate: 60Hz
Panel type: IPS
Contrast ratio: 1,300:1 (typical)
Brightness: 350cd/m2
Response time: 5ms Grey-to-Grey
Display inputs: HDMI 2.0 / MHL 2.0, Mini DisplayPort 1.2, DisplayPort 1.2, VGA
USB hub: Yes, 3 x USB 3.0 (1 with Fast Charge)
Tilt: Yes
Raise: Yes
Swivel: Yes
Other: Audio output, audio input, DisplayPort output, 2W stereo speakers, 2Mpixel webcam with microphone
Retail Price: £611.88 (inc. VAT)

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