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With more and more laptops and smartphones opting for reversible USB Type-C connections, you’d think there would be more monitors catering for this type of port. After all, aside from its superfast data-transfer speeds, USB Type-C is also capable of outputting video, making it ripe for extending your new laptop’s display to a second screen, or displaying media from your smartphone.
It also gives you the option of attaching a USB Type-C dock and adding even more connections to your monitor without having dozens of cables strewn across your desk.
The Philips 258B6QUEB, however, is the first USB Type-C monitor to arrive in the Expert Reviews offices, and it might just be the most flexible monitor I’ve ever seen. In addition to that all-important USB Type-C port, it can turn its hand to just about anything.
It comes with your standard HDMI, DisplayPort, dual-link DVI and VGA inputs as well as a trio of standard USB 3 ports. One of the latter happens to support “fast charging”, although it’s only 1W, so don’t expect smartphone charge times to rival a dedicated wall adapter. There’s also a headphone jack and 3.5mm audio input, plus a pair of 2W integrated speakers to round everything out. The only thing missing is a second USB Type-C port to enable ongoing daisy-chaining of other USB Type-C peripherals.
That’s a small complaint, though, given how flexible this monitor is. And it’s not only flexible in terms of its data connectivity. It’s highly adjustable from a physical perspective as well, with 130mm of height adjustment available and -5 to 20 degrees of screen tilt. It can swivel -65 to 65 degrees side to side, and can pivot 90 degrees so you can use it vertically. Its robust, silver highlighted stand looks smart and professional, making it a good fit for home or office use.
Of course, such flexibility means nothing without an equally excellent panel to go with it. Luckily, the Philips has come up trumps here. Equipped with a 25in, 2,560 x 1,440 IPS display, the 258B6QUEB flew through our colour-calibration tests, scoring an impressive sRGB coverage of 98.2% straight out of the box on both its 6,500K and sRGB colour profiles. There’s a slight shortfall in its blue coverage, but the screen never looked overly warm as a result.
There’s also a User Define mode that lets you tweak the colour profile yourself, but sadly I wasn’t able to claw back that tiny bit of blue coverage to get it to full 100% once I’d calibrated it. Instead, its sRGB coverage remained at a steady 98.2%. Still, when you combine that with an excellent contrast ratio of 1,118:1 and a peak brightness of 352cd/m2, the 258B6QUEB acquits itself very well in terms of overall punch and vibrancy, making it a great option for web browsing, editing documents and watching video.
At just £300, the Philips Brilliance 258B6QUEB is an absolute steal for both office and home users alike. Its colour accuracy is top-notch across every colour mode and it has more inputs than you probably know what to do with. It’s a Best Buy.
| Hardware | |
|---|---|
| Screen size | 25in |
| Resolution | 2,560 x 1,440 |
| Screen technology | IPS |
| Claimed contrast ratio | 1,000:1 |
| Claimed brightness | 350cd/m2 |
| Refresh rate | 60Hz |
| Claimed response time | 5ms |
| Response time type | grey-to-grey |
| Horizontal viewing angle | 178 degrees |
| Vertical viewing angle | 178 degrees |
| Screen elevation | 130mm |
| Portrait mode | Yes |
| Internal speaker (power) | 2x 2W |
| Detachable cables | Yes |
| USB hub | 3-port USB3 |
| Integrated power supply | No |
| Video inputs | VGA, dual-link DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C |
| Audio inputs | 3.5mm audio input |
