Review: Philips Brilliance 272P4APJKHB

Introduction

Philips delves into a wide variety of market segments for displays including the gaming, general-purpose and professional segments. The Philips 272P4APJKHB is a monitor aimed specifically at professional users of Adobe programs, such as Photoshop or Premiere Pro, thanks to some important headlining features. The most notable of which is 99 per cent of Adobe RGB colour gamut coverage, as well as 100 per cent of sRGB, and factory-calibrated colours on its 10-bit IPS panel.

A professionally-calibrated display suited for Adobe applications understandably comes with a steeper price than a standard 27in QHD panel. The 272P4APJKHB retails for around £600 while general-purpose panels of equivalent size and resolution tend to start as low as the £275 mark, such as the AOC Q2778VQE we reviewed earlier this year. It should be quite clear by now that Philips targets a more niche market and certainly isn't looking to win anyone over with price-to-performance metrics. The Philips 272P4APJKHB is all about features and performance to suit professional applications.

Design and Connectivity

The Philips 272P4APJKHB opts for slightly more refined aesthetics than a typical general-purpose or gaming-grade display. A matte-finish is used for the entire chassis which has a faux brushed-aluminium aesthetic that is surprisingly resistant to fingerprints.

The professional aesthetic is let down, somewhat, by the rather chunky bezels, because we find thinner bezels tend to provide a more sleek and professional appearance. The Philips 272P4APJKHB uses a glossy finish to the 27in QHD panel which aids Philips in achieving more vibrant and rich colours compared to a matte-type finish. Philips includes a shading hood accessory, which is standard not an optional extra, to prevent reflections on the glossy panel.

The front of the 272P4APJKHB includes a 2MP webcam with a built-in microphone which is a somewhat unexpected inclusion for a desktop-class display. There is also a pair of infrared sensors on the front to detect user presence and turn-off the display when the user is absent, for power-saving purposes, and this feature is optional and can be turned off at any time.

Philips provides a suitably professional-feeling stand with the 272P4APJKHB that has every adjustment needed. Height adjustment, pivot, rotation, swivel and tilt are all available and, for the particularly picky user, a 10cm VESA mount is also supplied for custom monitor arms or wall-mounting solutions.

Connectivity and I/O reflects the monitor's professional status with dual HDMI, dual-link DVI and DisplayPort supporting Picture-in-Picture and Picture-by-Picture operation modes across any two of those ports. Audio is handled by a pair of stereo 2W speakers that can receive audio via DisplayPort, HDMI or through the 3.5mm audio-in connection, while a separate headphone-out connection is provided on the front underside of the monitor for easier accessibility. A built-in USB 3.0 hub rounds out the connectivity but we're a little disappointed to not see a multi-function card-reader since it would be appropriate for the target audience.