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Conclusion
With today’s monitors divided into distinct usage categories, it’s pretty much impossible to identify any of them as perfect. Gamers want different things than graphics pros, and business users have no need for features like G-Sync or wide gamuts. But some monitors stand out for their exceptional image fidelity. The Philips BDM3270 is one such product. With unmatched out-of-box accuracy, fantastic contrast, and a simply gorgeous 32” VA screen, it strikes us as one of the best panels we’ve seen.
With a slew of gaming products sporting G-Sync or FreeSync, refresh rates of 144, 165, and even 200Hz, coupled with impressive motion processing, it’s hard not to be drawn to them when considering what “the best” is. But in our sphere, getting work done is often the top priority, which is why we prize contrast, clarity, and color accuracy above all else. You can have the fastest panel and the smoothest framerate, but if image depth is lacking and color doesn’t look right, can that display truly be called “great?"
The BDM3270 is not a gaming monitor, that much is plain. It runs at 60Hz and doesn’t offer any sort of adaptive-refresh. SmartResponse, or overdrive, works well at reducing motion blur, but that’s the only attention paid to video processing here. Philips’ efforts have all been spent on creating the most accurate monitor you can buy. And that’s without calibration. Our test results in the default 6500K image mode were better than what we see from just about any other professional display after adjustment.
And lest you think this all comes at a high price, think again. While we wouldn’t consider the BDM3270 inexpensive (what 32” monitor is?), it’s selling for less than $700 at this writing, clearly an excellent value. We might be tempted to deny it professional status because it doesn’t offer a wide gamut option, but with accuracy this good, we’re willing to make an exception. The BDM3270 is, quite simply, as close to perfect as we can possibly imagine. For class-leading contrast, amazing out-of-box accuracy, image clarity, and build quality, we’re giving it our Tom’s Hardware Editor’s Choice Award.
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