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This smaller 4K monitor costs more than its bigger siblings

Philips has announced a new addition to its UltraClear 4K UHD product range, a smaller – but still feature packed – 24-inch 4K screen that it claims is one of the first on the market.

Besides the 3 840×2 160p resolution, the rather awkwardly named 241P6VPJKEB display also boasts MultiView, so that you can view two separate video sources at the same time, as well as Mobile High-Definition Link connections so that users can output their phone screens to the monitor. A 2MP webcam, a microphone and three USB 3.0 ports have also been included.

Product Manager for Philips Monitors, Albert Ulfman at MMD who represents Philips in Africa said in a statement, “It [the 241P6VPJKEB display] offers amazing viewing clarity for every content (sic), and is an excellent fit for the resolution-scaling capabilities of Windows 10. It’s part of the commitment of MMD to giving users a more enjoyable and productive viewing experience with the equipment on their desks.”

Sounds great, right? Well, it is and it isn’t.

And then it gets confusing

According to MMD the retail price is expected to be R5 shy of R11 000, which is a bit confusing as Philips’ larger 28-inch 4K display in the same range is currently retailing for R9 999 on Takealot. Why you’d be expected to pay more for a smaller screen struck us as a little fishy, so we asked about it.

Philips told us the short answer is that the current exchange rate will affect pricing on the newer 24-inch models, while the 28-inch displays being sold for less are older stock, purchased when the rand wasn’t as much in the toilet. Those last words are ours, not theirs, but you get the picture – the exchange rate is taking its toll on imported goods. Literally.

The longer answer is that the 28-inch model uses a TFT panel – also known as a TN panel – which has very little colour correction ability and thus isn’t as nice or as expensive as an IPS panel. The 24-inch model, on the other hand, uses an IPS panel and is thus more costly in addition to producing better-looking images.

You can check out a handy explanation of the pros and cons of these two panel types below.

There is no word yet as to when the 24-inch monitor will be available in South Africa, but we will update you as soon as we know.

The last question we have to ask is why anyone would actually want a 4K 24-inch screen; that ridiculously high resolution seems better-suited to larger displays, as smaller ones don’t really need much help making whatever they display look crisp and sharp at 1080p.

Still, Philips probably knows what it’s doing. Probably. I guess only time – and sales figures – will tell.

[Image – Philips]

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