Display mainstay Philips' new 279M1RV monitor doesn't seem all that interesting at first, especially for PC gamers. It carries a "Designed for Xbox" logo and a modest primary feature set. But it's also equipped an ambient lighting feature called Ambiglow, similar to the Ambilight feature on some of the company's televisions.
The Philips 279M1RV boasts 4K resolution with a 144 Hz refresh rate, packed inside a 27-inch Nano IPS panel. To pair with the high refresh rate, the monitor also supports for vivid color, as evidenced by VESA HDR 600 support. It has a 1 ms gray-to-gray response time and 1000:1 contrast ratio. Typical brightness is rated at 450 cd/m². The color gamut spectrum is rated for 98% of DCI-P3, 112% of NTSC, 133% of sRGB, and 110.1% of the Adobe RGB range.
Besides its color abilities, the monitor features Nvidia's G-SYNC support using the DisplayPort connector, with a 60 to 144 Hz range. Despite the "Designed for Xbox" badge, it seems very much suited for PC gamers as well. In the case of the use of the HDMI 2.1 port, the monitor enables Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and Fixed Rate Link (FRL) with the new protocol.
When it comes to I/O ports, it is equipped with three HDMI 2.1 connectors, one DisplayPort 1.4 connector, and one USB-C connector that can become an alternative DisplayPort connector or provide charging power of 65 Watts. The USB connectors are listed as one USB-B (upstream) and four USB 3.2 (downstream with 2 fast charge B.C 1.2). A headphone jack is present as well in the standard 3.5mm format.
Of course, the monitor's main differentiator is its Ambiglow abilities. If you're unfamiliar with the technology from televisions (where it's called Ambilight), Ambiglow features RGB LEDs on the rear of the monitor that mimic what's happening on the screen, to deliver a deeper sense of immersion. Besides that, LowBlue Mode and Flicker-free options are bundled as well. The monitor features two 5W speakers equipped with DTS Sound and virtual surround sound support.
The 279M1RV is already available from Philips's distributor network, and the pricing is set at £725/€845 in Europe. Customers living in the United States should see similar pricing, though it doesn't seem to be available as of this writing.
