Philips’s 243B1: An Inexpensive Monitor with USB-C Docking & Presence Detector
by Anton Shilov on February 20, 2020 4:30 PM EST
USB Type-C connectors on displays and docking capabilities for modern laptops are extremely convenient, but up until recently monitor manufacturers have treated USB-C as a premium feature. This is slowly but surely changing, as this week Philips introduced its business-oriented model 243B1, which promises to be one of the most reasonably-priced USB-C docking displays on the market.
The Philips 243B1 is a pretty regular 23.8-inch IPS monitor for office use, featuring a 1920×1080 resolution, 250 nits max brightness, a 1000:1 contrast ratio, 178º/178º viewing angles, and a 75 Hz maximum refresh rate. The LCD can display 16.7 million colors and covers 107% of the sRGB as well as 91% of the NTSC color gamuts, which is fine as most productivity applications (especially for Windows) use the sRGB range.
The key features of the Philips 243B1 are of course its docking and connectivity capabilities. The monitor has a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port with DP Alt Mode that supports a 65 W power delivery, which is enough for most laptops. And, when not being used with a modern laptop, the monitor also has a DisplayPort 1.2 input and an HDMI 1.4 port for legacy inputs.
Like many other docking-capable monitors, Philips's display also features an integrated GbE port and a quad-port USB 3.2 hub, reinforcing its docking role and offing additional ports for laptops that may come with few. Meanwhile, on the audio front, the LCD has two 2W speakers as well as 3.5-mm audio in/out connectors.
Another interesting capability of the Philips 243B1 monitor is its infrared PowerSensor, which detects whether or not someone is using the display. If there isn't a user present, the LCD reduces its brightness to cut down power consumption and prolong its lifespan.
Since the Philips 243B1 is designed primarily for offices where VESA arms are uncommon and placement is not always ideal, the monitor comes with a stand that can adjust height, tilt, and swivel. Also, the stand can rotate the display by 90º, which will be convenient for those who use two monitors in portrait mode.
| Specifications of Philips's B Line Monitor with USB-C Docking | ||
| 243B1 | ||
| Panel | 23.8" IPS | |
| Native Resolution | 1920 × 1080 | |
| Maximum Refresh Rate | 75 Hz | |
| Response Time | 4 ms GtG | |
| Brightness | 250 cd/m² | |
| Contrast | 1000:1 | |
| Viewing Angles | 178°/178° horizontal/vertical | |
| Pixel Pitch | 0.2744 mm² | |
| Pixel Density | 92.56 ppi | |
| Display Colors | 16.7 million | |
| Color Gamut Support | 91% NTSC 107% sRGB |
|
| Stand | Height: 150 mm Tilt: -5° to 35° Swivel: -180° to +180° Pivot: -90° to 90° |
|
| Inputs | 1 × DisplayPort 1.2 1 × HDMI 1.4 1 × USB-C (DP 1.4 Alt Mode + 65 W Power Delivery) |
|
| USB Hub | 4-port USB 3.0 (Type-A) | |
| Audio | 2W stereo speakers audio in/out ports |
|
| Power | Idle | 0.5 W |
| Eco | 14.6 W | |
| Peak | 15.2 W | |
| Delivery | 65 W | |
| Launch Price | £239 in the UK | |
Philips will start sales of the 243B1 monitor in the UK this March for a recommended price of £239.
Related Reading:
- CES 2020: HP Unveils Advanced Docking Monitors w/ Webcam, GbE, USB-C PD
- Philips Brilliance 272P7VUBNB: A Sub-$350 27-Inch 4K IPS Monitor with 65W USB PD & GbE
- Philips Reveals 346B1C 34-Inch 100 Hz Curved UltraWide Monitor with USB-C Docking
- HP’s E344c: A 34-Inch Curved Ultra-Wide Productivity Monitor
Source: Philips
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eek2121 - Thursday, February 20, 2020 - link
Still pretty expensive, considering you can get a 4K IPS monitor AND usb-c dock for that price.lmcd - Thursday, February 20, 2020 - link
4K IPS for that cheap? Please refer me lolcilvre - Thursday, February 20, 2020 - link
https://www.anandtech.com/show/15020/philips-brill...The_Assimilator - Friday, February 21, 2020 - link
For around 40 quid more that's a much better buy than this. You lose two USB ports and the 3.5" jack (which actually nobody cares about anyway) but gain 4K and HDMI 2.0.DeathReborn - Thursday, February 20, 2020 - link
https://skinflint.co.uk/?cat=monlcd19wide&xf=1...Take your pick.
The_Assimilator - Friday, February 21, 2020 - link
Pure, unmitigated bulls**t.deil - Friday, February 21, 2020 - link
Its not bad, considering single juice cable for most of your desktop. Still I wish that was a bit more than 65W. I currently run this combo, which causes cable swarm.....https://www.dellstore.cz/upload/prod/89000/575-bbi...
deil - Friday, February 21, 2020 - link
but it can juice 130W though that USB-c which is enough even for 1060 & 45W i7 combo.Sttm - Thursday, February 20, 2020 - link
"Brightness 250 cd/m²"Hope you like working in the dark!
PeachNCream - Friday, February 21, 2020 - link
I know on paper that number is rather unimpressive looking, but not everyone wants or needs more brightness. A lot of my time is spent behind a display panel of some sort and I typically find myself reducing screen brightness to 50% or less of the total output just to keep them from feeling really harsh. In my usage, going much higher than 250 is pretty pointless because I will never push it that high unless it's a phone and I'm in direct sunlight which doesnt really apply to this situation.