Review: Philips Brilliance 499P9H

Conclusion

There's a lot to consider when summing up the Philips Brilliance 499P9H, so let's get the obvious out of the way first; if you're looking for a mega-wide gaming monitor, this isn't it. Should silky, ghost-free gameplay be your main priority, turn your attention to the likes of the Asus ROG Strix XG49VQ (review coming soon).

Rather than attempt to be a jack of all trades, Philips has put productivity first, and in our opinion the 499P9H is all the better for it.

Designed as a one-stop replacement for a dual-screen setup, this vast curved display does away with a central bezel to create a single seamless 32:9 canvas that is great for productivity. That in itself isn't enough to justify the £850 cost, but by integrating a convenient USB-C docking station, a multi-client KVM and Windows Hello face recognition, Philips has created an attractive solution for hassle-free management of multiple PCs.

The end result is sleeker and more beneficial than most multi-monitor setups, however there are a couple of caveats. The first is that software isn't fully able to realise the potential of this super-widescreen format. Snapping apps to the left or right on Windows 10, for example, feels wasteful, as the 499P9H can handle at least three, maybe four, concurrent windows, and Philips doesn't offer a screen-splitter utility of its own. In this regard, a multi-monitor setup is, ironically, more flexible, and depending on the type of work you're doing, Philips' 5,120x1,440 VA panel might not tick all the right boxes. Pixel pitch is fairly modest by today's standards, so don't expect the absolute sharpest image, and if your workload benefits from more vertical space or a portrait orientation, the 1,440 pixels on offer here could be deemed a tad narrow.

Plenty to mull over, yet all of these variables don't detract from that fact that Philips' 32:9 panel is ultimately an outstanding place to work. Those who view multi-monitor setups as crucial to getting things done should definitely give the 499P9H a closer look.

Philips Brilliance 499P9H

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The Philips Brilliance 499P9H monitor is available to purchase from Amazon.

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