To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover Brightness and Contrast testing covered on page two.
Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level
To compare the Philips Momentum 558M1RY’s performance, we’ve rounded up other large displays from our database.We have the HP Omen X 65 Emperium and Alienware 55-Inch OLED AW5520QF. And in the smaller 43-inch size are the Asus ROG Swift PG43UQ and Acer Predator CG437K. Rounding out the group is a 49-inch mega-wide, the Viotek SUW49DA. All are VA panels, except the Alienware’s OLED screen.
OLED isn’t known for high brightness, and at max brightness settings Alienware’s offering is barely brighter than the 558M1RY’s minimum brightness level of 105 nits. Great for a sunlit room, the 558M1RY can go up to almost 750 nits brightness. The Asus and Acer panels are even brighter, though it’s hard to imagine playing games at such high outputs. Fatigue would set in quickly.
The Alienware’s black level is too low to measure, so the monitor, theoretically, has infinite contrast. The VA panels’ contrast levels are quite low as well, though their bright backlights help raise the contrast. The final contrast values (third chart above) are what differentiate the monitors. The 558M1RY is just behind the best VA screen from Acer at 4,713.3:1. That is an impressive number that beats every desktop-sized monitor we’ve tested.
After Calibration to 200 nits
After calibrating the 558M1RY to 200 nits brightness (see our recommended settings on Page 1), static contrast ratio increased slightly to 4,808.6:1. It now tops the Acer by about 5% -- a small, but visible, amount. The Philips’ SDR image is stunning both in depth and sharpness with deep and true blacks rich with shadow detail.
A few slight hotspots spoiled the Philips’ ANSI test result. 3212.3:1 is still an excellent figure that is well ahead of any desktop-sized screen. At the same time, the AW5520QF OLED is still showing us unmeasurable black levels, so its ANSI contrast is also theoretically infinite.
