Philips 221V8LN 22-inch Gaming Monitor Review: So Much For So Little

VA Panel, 75 Hz, FreeSync and wide gamut color for just $70.

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Philips 221V8LN
Editor's Choice
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

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Innovation can take on many forms. For displays, things like resolution, refresh rate, color volume, size and features all combine to drive technology forward. But value is an innovation too. I’ve watched new technologies appear at the premium end of the price spectrum only to reach the budget sector a few years later.

Looking back over my entire database of display reviews, now numbering almost 400 monitors, I’ve never tested a product that cost less than $100 before this. The Philips 221V8LN, by far, delivers the most performance for the least money in my experience.

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

I only need to wrap this up with a simple checklist: contrast over 4,200:1, check; pixel density over 100ppi, check; refresh rate over 60 Hz, check; wide gamut color with 85% DCI-P3 coverage, check; Adaptive-Sync, half-check because it’s FreeSync only; accurate color out of the box, check; decent gaming experience, check. And the bonus – near-perfect gamma that’s better than almost every display I’ve ever tested. Yes, the overdrive could be a little better and the sRGB mode isn’t truly sRGB. But the 221V8LN only costs $70. From that perspective, I have to give it an Editor’s Choice.

If you’re looking to anchor a budget gaming system and are OK with a 22-inch screen, the Philips V-Line 221V8LN is only $70 and has no competition.

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Christian Eberle
Christian Eberle
Contributing Editor

Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.

1 Comment Comment from the forums
  • citylion
    Personally I have to disagree.

    Nearly all content, movies, blurays, webpages, games, have been mastered to adhere to rec. 709 / srgb standards. I bought a LG ultrawide monitor for its DCIP3 color, and sure its good, but the sRGB mode is absolutely terribly inaccurate, visibly so, with a green tint.
    Reply