Philips 27B1U7903
PC Pro|May 2023
One of those products where if you have to ask the price then you can't afford it, but the quality is outstanding
TIM DANTON
Philips 27B1U7903

PRICE £882 (£1,058 inc VAT) from uk.insight.com

Normally I might struggle to write a full-page review about a monitor. Not this time. Every cutting-edge technology I can think of is included here, and the result is as awe-inspiring as it is expensive.

Let's start with mini LEDs. Rather than the strips of LED lighting that normally illuminate IPS panels, tiny individual LEDs allow Philips to provide a far more uniform and controllable backlight. There are 2,304 lighting zones here, and Philips can pump up the brightness to 1,400cd/m² in localised areas.

Without wishing to lapse into hyperbole, it looks spectacular. I've watched the intro to the Frozen Worlds episode from Our Planet to test HDR performance on many different monitors, but this is the first time I've made an "ooh" sound as the sunlight catches the ice. It's no coincidence that the Philips 27B1U7903 is the first monitor I've tested to support VESA's DisplayHDR 1400 certification.

Part of the reason it looks so spectacular is the 4K resolution. When packed into a 27in panel, that translates into incredible levels of detail: at 163 dots per inch, everything from photos to Excel documents looks pin sharp.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM PC PROView all
Key things to look for when buying a mini PC
PC Pro

Key things to look for when buying a mini PC

Buying a mini PC isn't like buying a laptop or a fully fledged desktop PC, but a pitfall-laden experience that sits somewhere in between

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2024
BRANDS YOU CAN TRUST
PC Pro

BRANDS YOU CAN TRUST

Whenever you buy something in the coming year, why not draw on the experience of thousands of discerning buyers?

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2024
5 things we learned from Lenovo Tech World'24
PC Pro

5 things we learned from Lenovo Tech World'24

In a landmark event where the CEOs of AMD, Intel and Nvidia all took to the stage, the theme of \"smarter AI for all\" was never far away, writes Tim Danton

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2024
The Darktrace leading to government
PC Pro

The Darktrace leading to government

British security firm Darktrace has been mired in controversy. Now its former CEO is a government minister. Rois Ni Thuama and Barry Collins investigate

time-read
9 mins  |
December 2024
Microsoft is doing more harm to Arm than good, argues Jon Honeyball
PC Pro

Microsoft is doing more harm to Arm than good, argues Jon Honeyball

You know that sinking feeling you get when something is not quite right? That nagging doubt that it shouldn't be like this? It was like that when I read that Qualcomm has cancelled its Snapdragon X developer kit, a desktop Mac mini-like box designed for developers to create and test apps for Windows on Arm (WoA).

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2024
How do we know how smart AI really is?
PC Pro

How do we know how smart AI really is?

Maths questions. Silly word puzzles. Counting the letter \"r\" in a sentence. Nicole Kobie reveals how we're trying to work out exactly how intelligent AI is

time-read
7 mins  |
December 2024
Missed call Whatever happened to the Acorn Communicator?
PC Pro

Missed call Whatever happened to the Acorn Communicator?

When Acorn launched its 16-bit Communicator computer with a built-in modem, it struggled to get potential buyers to listen, as David Crookes explains

time-read
9 mins  |
December 2024
STEVE CASSIDY-"Getting workers to do simple jobs in the 16th century was not much different from the 21st"
PC Pro

STEVE CASSIDY-"Getting workers to do simple jobs in the 16th century was not much different from the 21st"

Why 16th century \"networking\" legislation still has an impact, and why the term AI is confusing to punters as well as a waste of natural resources

time-read
8 mins  |
December 2024
JON HONEYBALL -"The more I have to do with UK telcos, the more broken their systems seem to be"
PC Pro

JON HONEYBALL -"The more I have to do with UK telcos, the more broken their systems seem to be"

After being tempted by the iPhone 16 Pro Max - for professional reasons, honest - and the Watch 2 Ultra, Jon discovers not everything is perfect in Apple's new generation

time-read
10 mins  |
December 2024
Apple iPhone 16 Pro
PC Pro

Apple iPhone 16 Pro

A bigger display, borrowed 5x tetraprism zoom from the Max and no price hike make this the best iPhone

time-read
7 mins  |
December 2024