Philips 439P9H – wide boy with a camera for multitasking

Conclusion

Ultrawide monitors have not only gaming but also work use. This is especially the case when it comes to the so-called super ultrawide monitors or pieces with an aspect ratio of 32:10. This is exactly where the Philips 439P9H fits. It impressed us with features, such as rich port selection or an IR camera for Windows Hello. It also offers a KVM switch for connecting accessories to two computers at once and easily switching between them.

Basic specs

Packaging and equipment

The cardboard box depicting the monitor and some of its basic features is relatively large and heavy, which reveals that it is a proper piece of monitor.

In addition to the monitor, the package includes a power adapter, documentation, HDMI and DisplayPort cables, and even a USB-C to USB Type A cable for connection to a PC.

The massive stand will have to deal with the higher weight of the panel, so its dimensions are larger than usual. That is about 35 × 30 cm and will take up a large part of the table, so you must take this into account in advance.

The stand consists of one part, so there is no need to assemble it and screw the leg to the base.

However, you will already need to screw it to the back of the display, although even here you will find it easy to insert the stand into the holes in the VESA mount. However, due to the higher weight of the display, the need to use screws will not be considered a negative as with other monitors.

The front view of the monitor shows us, above all, its large width. The 32:10 format is unconventional, but due to its higher height, it is more suitable for productivity than the more commonly used 32:9 format. In practice, it is a pair of 16:10 Full HD displays, which you have combined into one without a dividing frame in the middle.

The back does not have any special features, such as a backlight or a headphone holder. There’s only the stand mounting, port connectivity and you can see the camera on top, which we’ll look at in a moment.

The display offers one of the larger curvatures, namely the 1800R. Due to the larger width of the monitor, it is more noticeable.

All port selection is located on the right side of the back. There is an HDMI 2.0 connector, a pair of DisplayPort 1.4, a pair of 5 Gb USB-C 3.2 gen 1 and four classic 5 Gbps USB type A ports, one of which offers fast charging. There is also an audio jack and an RJ-45 Ethernet port is an interesting feature. The monitor therefore offers complete equipment for docking laptops, but also computers, even two at once.

On the other hand, there is only a connector for powering the integrated power supply and the power switch.

Take a look at the mentioned camera. It slides out of the top of the display and then tilts 90 degrees.

It offers Full HD video and 2 Mpx resolution. What’s more interesting, however, is compatibility with Windows Hello face recognition for easy login to the computer. This is a feature that you will find on some laptops such as Asus ZenBook 14 or MSI GS66 Stealth. It is definitely an interesting expansion of the computer’s capabilities, whether in terms of security or ease of use. Nowadays, in the home-office times, the Full HD camera will come in handy.

The monitor offers height adjustment and tilt, as well as sideways rotation. You will not find pivot here as with other ultrawide monitors, as its use is unrealistic. Height adjustment is in the range of 130 mm. At the lowest point, its bottom edge is 40 mm from the base and the top edge 400 mm. In its highest position, it is 170 mm high and 530 mm high for the top of the display.

In addition to the height, you can also adjust the tilt of the monitor from -5 to +10 degrees. The mentioned sideways tilting is possible in the range of 20 degrees.

The backlight bleed is visible when a black background is displayed, but it is not exaggerated. With such large displays, however, this is not unusual.

Ultrawide monitors have not only gaming but also work use. This is especially the case when it comes to the so-called super ultrawide monitors or pieces with an aspect ratio of 32:10. This is exactly where the Philips 439P9H fits. It impressed us with features, such as rich port selection or an IR camera for Windows Hello It also offers a KVM switch for connecting accessories to two computers at once and easily switching between them.

Variety of settings

Up to five buttons on the right edge of the display are used for controls. The power button has a slight protrusion, making it easier to recognize and preventing from turning off the monitor accidentally.

Move the arrows to quickly switch between image modes, select input or control the KVM switch.

The OSD menu offers a large number of settings, such as Low Blue mode, color adjustment, USB mode switching, volume change or selection of the Czech language of the user environment.

Image control is used to turn on HDR mode, change overdrive SmartResponse or adjust gamma.

PbP mode is designed to connect two sources at once. Thanks to the integration of the KVM switch, it is also possible to connect one peripheral device to the monitor, with which you can then control both computers. It works well, but you need to get used to manually switching between the favored input you want to control.

Rich connectivity really comes in handy with such a monitor. We connected the notebook via 75 W USB-C, which is also used for charging, and on the other hand, the computer with the included cable to the other USB-C and its graphics card to the DisplayPort. Subsequently, the keyboard and mouse to the USB ports and only the Ethernet connection for a complex docking station is left now.

If you need to use two computers at the same time, this will definitely be an interesting option.

Ultrawide monitors have not only gaming but also work use. This is especially the case when it comes to the so-called super ultrawide monitors or pieces with an aspect ratio of 32:10. This is exactly where the Philips 439P9H fits. It impressed us with features, such as rich port selection or an IR camera for Windows Hello It also offers a KVM switch for connecting accessories to two computers at once and easily switching between them.

Image properties

We tested the display properties using the Datacolor Spyder5Elite color analyzer. The display has a VA panel with a diagonal of 43″ and an aspect ratio of 32:10, a resolution of 3840 × 1200 px, anti-reflection surface and minimalist frames on three sides. In practice, it acts as a pair of joined 16:10 Full HD displays without a center frame and with curvature. I praise the larger vertical dimension, which is more suitable for work than the more traditional 32:9 ratio. Although it is not a gaming-oriented monitor, it offers a 100 Hz refresh rate and Adaptive-Sync. I can also confirm compatibility with G-Sync. Like with similar models, you will also find the VESA Display HDR400 certification here, which, as we know, means rather the possibility of playing HDR content, but it is nothing like full HDR experience.

We compared the display quality in the default mode, i.e. the one in which the monitor will be immediately after unpacking. On the manufacturer’s website you will find information on 123% sRGB coverage, 91% AdobeRGB, 95% DCI-P3 and 105% NTSC, a contrast of 3000:1 and a brightness of 450 nits. Thanks to the VA panel, you can look forward to slightly better color rendering and especially viewing angles than in the case of models with TN panels. What values did we measure with the color analyzer?

That confirmed more than 100% sRGB coverage and also provided information on 87% AdobeRGB, 96% DCI-P3 and 86% NTSC. The values of AdobeRGB and NTSC thus lag slightly behind the promoted values. The gamma value is at the level of 2.1 with a small deviation, thus copying the 2.2 curve. The Delta E color difference is 2.79, which means that the monitor’s color reproduction is relatively accurate.

The monitor also offers sRGB mode, designed for work and say for printing and so on. The reduction in displayed colors is reflected at 95% sRGB, 73% AdobeRGB, 73% DCI-P3, and 69% NTSC coverage. Gamma has changed to 2.2 and we can also see a change for the better with Delta E with a value of 2.26. In this case, it is one of the best results in sRGB mode. Usually, in such a dedicated mode, even more percent of the color gamut is lost, but here the sRGB with 95%, gamma and Delta E improvements, is also rather to be praised than criticized.

The monitor offers up to five Gamma modes – 1.8, 2.0, 2.2, 2.4 and 2.6. The measured values ​​are 1.8, 1.9, 2.1, 2.3 and 2.5. The maximum measured brightness is 432 nits in the basic mode, which is just slightly less than the presented 450 nits. After switching to the Native color mode, the maximum brightness was up to 482 nits, which exceeds the specified limit. So the brightness really is very good and deserves praise. The contrast ranged between 900–1200:1 depending on the color mode and color temperature. The uniformity more or less confirms the findings from the black level test, some deviations can be seen mainly with the backlight, but it is not dramatic. It should also be taken into account that the measurements with the color analyzer may not fully correspond to reality. The reason is the fact that during such a measurement, the area of ​​the display is divided into 9 parts – 3 vertical and 3 horizontal, and measurements are subsequently performed in these areas. However, the area of ​​the display is relatively large, so one part where we measure is relatively large. Therefore, minor backlight imperfections might not be captured well with the analyzer.

Input Lag and Response Time

We also measured input lag on the monitor in several SmartResponse modes.

The basic Off mode has a relatively good input lag of only 11.9 ms, which is one of the better measured values. By gradually switching to Fast, Faster and Fastest, we’re getting values of 11.6/11.2/10.5 ms, which are small but measurable improvements. The monitor certainly doesn’t have to be ashamed of its input lag.

On the manufacturer’s website you will find information about 4 ms response time GTG, i.e. pixel refresh speed. In the four SmartResponse modes, only slight differences in ghosting can be observed. The smallest difference is probably between Off and Fast, there’s almost no change to see. It is a bit better at Faster and surprisingly Fastest does not have any significantly visible inverse ghosting, which is a relatively common phenomenon at the maximum value. So for the first time I can recommend the highest or second highest value for the elimination of ghosting.

Ultrawide monitors have not only gaming but also work use. This is especially the case when it comes to the so-called super ultrawide monitors or pieces with an aspect ratio of 32:10. This is exactly where the Philips 439P9H fits. It impressed us with features, such as rich port selection or an IR camera for Windows Hello It also offers a KVM switch for connecting accessories to two computers at once and easily switching between them.

Conclusion

Philips 439P9His an interesting monitor for work and multitasking. You will mainly use it to display two or three applications at once. Thanks to the PbP mode, it can also be used to simultaneously display the contents of two sources/computers, laptops, etc. When used in this way, you will appreciate the KVM switch, thanks to which you can connect one set of accessories to the monitor and then switch between connecting it to one or the other PC. This is especially useful for keyboards and mice.

I also praise the Full HD camera with face recognition via Windows Hello. It simplifies logging in and will also be helpful during home office. When playing multimedia, the integrated 5W speakers, which are relatively loud, or the audio output of the monitor might be useful. The HDR400 certification will ensure trouble-free playback of HDR content and games, but for a full HDR experience you will still need an OLED/miniLED panel. Gamers will be interested in the 100 Hz refresh rate and Adaptive Sync support, including G-Sync compatibility. I have almost no reservations about color reproduction and color modes. The basic mode gives very good values and surprisingly the sRGB mode does not take away as much of the gamut as usual, so it is actually usable. I can also praise the color difference and brightness, which has a really high value compared to other displays that we’ve had for the test.

The price tag of around 800 euros is quite acceptable, considering that we actually get two monitors in one, a webcam with face recognition, a USB hub with a KVM switch, a docking station for laptops and a display suitable for graphic work and gaming. This is thus a really interesting alternative to dual monitor setups, which are a necessity rather than an exception for productivity.

You can buy this monitor at our partner’s website czc.cz for 21,790 Czk/820 Eur

• Contents
• Details
• Variety of settings
• Image properties
• Conclusion