Key Specifications
Review Price: £559
3840 x 2160 resolution
32in VA panel
VESA DisplayHDR 600-compatible
4ms response time
60Hz refresh rate
1 x DisplayPort, 2 x HDMI
What is the Philips Brilliance 328P?
The Philips Brilliance 328P (328P6VU) costs more than many of its 4K rivals, but this screen does also aim to satisfy professional users offering great image quality alongside some solid features.
Can a professional panel with high dynamic range (HDR), a 4K resolution and a 10-bit screen convince users to open their wallets just a little wider?
Philips Brilliance 328P – Design and features
ThePhilips Brilliance 328P doesn’t have any revolutionary features, but it does bring plenty to the table when it comes to productivity and colour accuracy.
For starters, it has a 10-bit LCD screen. As such, this panel can display over one billion colours – far more than the 16.7 million produced by the 8-bit panels that usually make up consumer displays.
Alongside the ability to display more individual colours than some of its more affordable rivals, having a wider colour gamut also means you’ll get better depth and gradation between different shades.
Both factors are important for colour-sensitive work, where having a greater number of colours to play with results in more precision and range.
It’s a step up from other screens I’ve seen recently, such as the AOC AGON AG322QC4and ViewSonic XG2340C. Those panels adhere to the DisplayHDR 400 protocol, which is an entry-level HDR standard that delivers minimal benefit.
However, DisplayHDR 600 still only sits in the middle of VESA’s HDR protocol slate, which means that there are higher standards still that the Philips Brilliance 328P isn’t achieving. The DisplayHDR 1000 specification, for instance, calls for a 1000-nit backlight and a peak black level of 0.05 nits.
The inclusion of DisplayHDR 600 on the Philips isn’t bad, however. There’s a noticeable improvement in contrast, depth and punch when viewing HDR content, especially when compared to DisplayHDR 400 screens. It can’t match the top HDR protocols, but it’s a step up for a panel at this price.
Of course, while HDR content does look decent on this screen, the situation isn’t quite that simple. There still isn’t a huge amount of HDR content and software around, whether you’re working with photographs or video, watching movies or playing games.
Right now, it’s a technology for the future that has a limited impact today. More content and software will become available, though, and this screen’s reasonable HDR protocol gives it a solid shelf-life.
The inclusion of a 10-bit VA panel and HDR bode well for work, but in other departments the Philips’ specification is ordinary. Its refresh rate tops out at 60Hz, and there’s no syncing technology. The latter isn’t a critical omission, but it would have been nice to have the option of smoother gaming movement.
It has a middling 4ms response time, and Philips claims that it handles 94% of the Adobe RGB colour gamut.
The 4K resolution, when spread across a 32-inch diagonal, delivers a density level of 140ppi. That’s decent – it’s very crisp, and it’s difficult to see pixels even when looking closely. The plenty of screen real estate, and the well-balanced density level means that you could get away with using Windows 10 with minimal scaling.
An even sharper experience is achievable by buying a 27-inch 4K screen, but the extra crispness won’t be transformative.
The Philips has some good features, but it still doesn’t tick every box when it comes to high-end work tasks such as design and photography. That’s no surprise – at £559, this screen is planted firmly in the middle of the market when it comes to work screens.
If you require a proper professional 4K panel with 100% Adobe RGB coverage or better HDR, you’ll have to pay nearer £1000 – or maybe more.
 Review){kind=link}
0 Comments