Philips’s 243B1: An Inexpensive Monitor with USB-C Docking & Presence Detector
by Anton Shilov on February 20, 2020 4:30 PM ESTUSB 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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rmullns08 - Thursday, February 20, 2020 - link
It's not much cheaper than the 1.5 year old HP E243d, which also has a built-in popup webcam, and DP output for daisy chaining.The_Assimilator - Friday, February 21, 2020 - link
DP and HDMI are now legacy? Best tell the graphics card manufacturers who only have those "legacy" connectors.cygnus1 - Friday, February 21, 2020 - link
They're not quite as legacy as a DB15 VGA port, but they're definitely a lot farther from new than USB-C. By like nearly a couple decades for HDMI.cygnus1 - Friday, February 21, 2020 - link
I have the 34" ultra wide version of this that came out last year, my wife uses with it her MacBook. It's pretty awesome with the single cable plugging in to get everything including power hooked up to the laptop. Her old USB C dock frequently had to be unplugged/reset but the monitor never has that issue.quiksilvr - Friday, February 21, 2020 - link
Here is the source. https://www.philips.hr/c-p/243B1_01/lcd-monitor-s-...You forgot to mention that it has a BUILT IN ETHERNET JACK. This will be awesome for office applications.
nico_mach - Friday, February 21, 2020 - link
Right, this is a good price if you can replace a dock, too.