Verdict

Pros

• Outstanding colour coverage
• Huge resolution
• Sturdy design
• Useful USB hub and webcam

Cons

• Needs more inputs
• Hood would have been useful
• Brightness slightly lower than advertised

What is the Philips Brilliance 275P4VYKEB?

High-end monitors offer a no-compromise experience for colour-sensitive work, and the 27-inch Philips 275P4VYKEB is perhaps the finest example that TrustedReviews has reviewed for quite some time.

With a huge 5K resolution that’s ready to tackle any task you throw at it, along with a classy design and some extra features, it’s the ultimate secondary monitor.

Related: Best monitors for all budgets

Philips 275P4VYKEB – Design and features

This professional monitor uses Philips tried-and-tested stand and base design. With a slightly D-shaped base and silver upright, it looks understated and premium – although it would be nice to see Philips begin to explore other design options soon. If I were a style critic – which for the purposes of this paragraph, I am – I’d say that the bezel is a little chunky.

Still, overall the monitor does look good and it wouldn’t look out of place in an office. Plus, there are extra features that make it an even more attractive desk mate. These include three USB 3.0 ports on the right side for plugging in peripherals you don’t want trailing across your desk.

There’s also a built-in webcam, although with a resolution of only 2 megapixels it isn’t the finest you’ll see, but it’s a welcome addition, along with the two microphones. Still, for those for whom video conferences are essential, this is a neat addition.

The stand is particularly versatile, with 150mm of height adjustment made simple by the quick and lightweight mechanism. The monitor can also be rotated 90 degrees to create a gigantic portrait monitor, which is handy for such workloads as proofing magazine pages in order.

All in all, this monitor is loaded with handy features that help justify the enormous asking price.

Philips 275P4VYKEB – Setup and image quality

The only decision you’ll need to make about setting up the 275P4VYKEB is whether you want to use the supplied stand or not. Fitting it to the rear of the monitor is easy: just slot it in – it clicks securely into place. The whole assembly weighs 8.1kg; you’d be wise to clear a space for the monitor before you start unpacking it.

If you haven’t taken full note of the specs then the only nasty surprise is likely to be the distinct lack of inputs on this monitor. In order to get a full 5K resolution you’ll need to connect two DisplayPort cables to your source PC and to the monitor. As a result, you’ll need a PC or laptop with a high-end dedicated graphics card in order to power the two displays

There are no other source inputs, which is a surprise. Most premium monitors have several inputs including HDMI, and often allow for picture-in-picture modes. Not with the 275P4VYKEB – and this is a little disappointing.

The on-screen menus are well designed and on the whole simple to navigate, although a lack of physical buttons – the control buttons are touch-sensitive – means button presses aren’t as definite as some might like. After initial setup, though, you’re unlikely to use these menus too often.

But there is where the 275P4VYKEB’s disappointments end. Image quality is second-to-none. The 5,120 x 2,880 panel uses PLS technology to deliver vibrant and accurate colours, and offers exceptional viewing angles – which means that anyone standing even remotely close to your monitor will see your work in all its glory.

In its out-of-the-box setting, the TrustedReviews colour calibrator detected the monitor displaying 100% of the sRGB colour gamut, 99% of the Adobe RGB gamut and 94.6% of the DCI-P3 gamut. This clean sweep of the figures is super-impressive. The depth of colour that this monitor can display at any one time is extraordinary, and with a full complement of 10.7 billion colours, there isn’t much here that won’t be faithfully recreated by the 275P4VYKEB. I had some issues calibrating it to an exact

Maximum brightness peaked at 255 nits, which was actually a little under Philips’ quoted brightness, while black levels were rated at 0.32 nits, which lead to a perhaps slightly underwhelming 800:1 contrast ratio.This can often be the case with high-end monitors that focus on colour accuracy.

However, with the very glossy coating and slightly low maximum brightness, this monitor could probably have done with a plastic hood being provided in the box to shield users from external light sources. Colour temperature was slightly warm at 6,200K, but this is easy to change in the on-screen menus.

Brightness uniformity was fine, if not exceptional, with a slight dip in performance at the bottom left of the screen, where it was around 20% darker.

The on screen menus reveal a few image customisation options, including colour presets, but you can also dive deep and customise temperature, gamma and RG balance.

One thing that is important to note is that you might not want to use this monitor as your primary screen. I personally don’t have a problem with on-screen items looking fairly small, but if you do, 5K might prove to be too small.

Should I buy the Philips 275P4VYKEB?

If you’re after a high-end monitor with the highest resolution possible for under £1,500, the 275P4VYKEB is great option. The NEC EA244UHD is probably the best alternative option and can be bought for slightly less, but it doesn’t feature 5K. Of the monitors Trusted‘s reviewed, the Philips 275P4VYKEB is the most attractive 5K monitor you can currently buy.

Verdict

Superb colour coverage, great viewing angles and an office-friendly design – this is a great monitor for colour professionals.

Trusted Score