Introduction
- Manufacturer: Philips
- Product Page: 243B9
- Purchase: £184 from Currys PC World
£267.11 At the time of review from Amazon UK
Philips makes a wide range of products and while we are looking at their 243B9 Monitor today, they have a bit of something for everyone. Looking for a toothbrush? They got you covered! Maybe you need a new light bulb, air fryer or breast pump? Philips has your back and is a well-known brand and has been for as long as I can remember. While it is always important to buy stuff from trusted brands, it is ever so important when it comes to electronics. Philip’s was apparently founded in 1891 and their first products were light bulbs! I don’t know about you but I can’t recall too many companies that sell electrical goods being 130 years old, that is absolutely crazy. So, as far as I am concerned, Philips has been around long enough to have my trust, not saying that they are the greatest or best, just that they definitely deserve a bit of faith when it comes to the quality of the products they sell.
Specifications
Closer Look
The monitor comes in a brown box with quite a bit of information on it. A couple of the main features this monitor comes with is USB-C Docking and an Ultra Narrow Bezel. Looking around the rest of the box and you will find out a few more of the features Philip’s thought it was important to mention on the packaging.
Having a look at everything that comes in the box and we can see the base, monitor arm and the screen itself. There is also a small assortment of cables including the power, HDMI, Display Port and USB cables. If you’ve done your homework and are purchasing this monitor and have compatible hardware, this should be just about everything you need to get it up and running.
One of the first things I noticed was the bezel, or should I say the lack of a bezel. If you are planning on using this in an office multi-monitor setup, this thing bezel will be warmly welcomed. The Philips 243B9 comes with a 1920x1080P resolution and a 75 Hz refresh rate making it a great work monitor and would even be OK for a bit of light gaming from time to time.
The Philips 243B9 can also be adjusted to your preferred viewing angle with ease. To adjust the height, simply move the monitor up or down until you reach your desired height.
The 243B9 can also be rotated either way into portrait mode! I won’t go into specifics but this is actually very helpful for loads of people and will make their workload much easier especially if using this as a second monitor.
Oh, you thought the 243B9 was done? Oh and no my friends! It can also be tilted giving you full control of the viewing angle! This is extremely helpful from an ergonomic standpoint and will also come in handy for when the sun is shining just a bit too much so you need to tilt the monitor just a tad so you can actually see what is on it.
One thing I always like to see is physical buttons and those which I can actually see. Navigating OSD menus is hard enough as it is so I am always pleased to see actual physical buttons on monitors as it makes it just that tiny bit extra easier.
The stand is a nice place to lay your phone when not using it! This would have been a great place for a Qi charger in my opinion and hopefully, something Philips and other manufacturers may look into at some point as wireless charging becomes more widely accepted and available.
This isn’t the thinnest monitor on the block but that is just fine as it is not overly thick either. There is a small clip on the back of the monitor stand that will hold your cables in place to offer a bit better cable management.
There are a number of ports on the 243B9, we have – VGA (Analogue), DisplayPort 1.2 x 1, HDMI 1.4 x 1, USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 x 1 (upstream, power delivery up to 65 W), USB 3.2 x 4 (downstream with 1 fast charge B.C 1.2)
On the other side, we have the power button and power cable input. While there is your standard on/off button on the front of the monitor, this power button will completely turn the power off and is what is recommended to be used anytime you need to unplug/plug the monitor in.
I used the monitor for several tasks from day to day work and even threw in a bit of gaming for good measure! The colours were very good and it was quite responsive and even when gaming, everything looked good. While this monitor isn’t designed for gaming, it is still nice to know it can handle a couple of light gaming sessions now and again.
Conclusion
The Philips 243B9 is a great monitor if used for its intended purpose. It is a 24″ monitor with a 1920×1080 resolution and is designed more so for professionals and those on the move. The USB-C port will allow you to hook your laptop up right to it with a single cable should it have a USB-C port. The IPS display is going to give you a full view of the display from most angles which will come in handy should you want to use it as a 2nd or 3rd screen on your setup. The ergonomic design and being able to adjust the height/tilt/rotation of the 243B9 is also going to be a big advantage should you want to use it as part of a multi-monitor setup and are good features to have in general.
The price currently a bit much currently coming in at £267 on Amazon. However, this is sort of our fault as we delayed the review a bit and when we originally received the monitor, it was much closer to around £180 on Amazon UK. Either way, this is a monitor made for professionals and while the latter price is much more attractive, those looking for something to easily connect their USB-C based laptops may not have an issue with the small premium on top.
*Edit – After Emailing Philips the link for the review, they showed me I overlook the pricing at Currys PC World which is currently £184! This makes the monitor a much better deal and a more worthy option for you to look into should you be in the market for a new monitor.
When all is said and done this is a great monitor for everyday and office use and being able to handle some light gaming is a bonus. It has plenty of inputs to connect almost anything to it you could need and its versatility of viewing angles is absolutely amazing. This is a great monitor if you need something that doesn’t take up too much space but still offers plenty of functionality and a good overall viewing experience. While it is only 1080P it is a 24″ screen so this is just fine and shouldn’t be an issue for most!
