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The Philips Brilliance 27E3U7903 has offered a welcome break from the gaming monitors I usually review. Aimed squarely at creators and the professional market, this monitor offers a pin-sharp 5K IPS panel and a host of other features designed to appeal to pro users.
In terms of the overall design and build, it clearly takes strong inspiration from the Apple Studio Display, and that's no bad thing as it's a beautiful-looking monitor. The only real downside is that while it may look like the Studio Display, it lacks the premium metal chassis and is instead quite plasticky overall – a definite disappointment considering the £849 MSRP. Does it make much difference once it's set up and sat on your desk? Not really, but it doesn't make the best first impression.
However, Philips does offer a wide range of features that will help to entice prospective buyers. It offers Thunderbolt 4 support, for instance, along with a built-in proximity sensor and KVM functionality. There's also loads of different colour space options to choose from – including sRGB, DCI-P3, Adobe RGB and more – alongside integrated Ethernet and a 5MP webcam. The webcam isn't as good as the one on the Studio Display, but it's more than passable for video calls.
As for actual panel performance, the discussion becomes slightly more nuanced. Safe to say the factory calibration isn't the best, with a warm overall colour balance and gamma that's slightly too low, resulting in higher-than-expected average deltaEs. The colour space modes do help, but only to a certain extent – the Adobe RGB mode, for instance, is good but it's not great, and I'd certainly hope for the latter at this price.
On the other hand, the 27E3U7903 offers the widest gamut I've ever seen – wider even than QD-OLED – and the results when calibrated are nothing short of jaw-dropping. It's also worth reiterating that the monitor is Calman Ready, so anyone with an existing Calman Studio or Ultimate license will benefit from the integration. Not only can you use the AutoCal feature for a very speedy calibration, but it's a proper hardware calibration using 1D/3D LUTs, whereas most screens are limited to calibration via the ICC profile only.
That does mean users who don't want to manually calibrate, but still want a highly accurate experience using the preconfigured colour modes, may not be convinced by the 27E3U7903. On the other hand, if you were going to calibrate regardless, this monitor delivers some of the best results I've ever seen, so the panel is clearly stellar, even if Philips' factory calibration leaves a bit to be desired.
Ultimately, then, I do think the Philips Brilliance 27E3U7903 is worth buying – it may not be a blanket recommendation as outlined above, but there is enough on offer here to warrant a purchase. At an MSRP of £849, it's almost half the price of the Apple Studio Display, too, so that alone is a factor worth thinking about.
We found it listed on Amazon UK HERE but it's currently out of stock and only showing one listing for a used model.
Pros
- Smart and stylish design, clearly inspired by the Apple Studio Display.
- Widest colour gamut we've ever seen.
- Very high contrast for an IPS panel.
- Feature-rich OSD.
- Thunderbolt 4 support.
- Gets very bright at over 600 nits.
- Will do the job for some HDR workflows, even if it lacks proper local dimming.
- Some will prefer the glass glossy front over a matte option.
- Calman Ready certification allows for fast and accurate calibration.
- Built-in webcam (even if it isn't the best).
- 5K resolution at the 27in screen size is pin-sharp.
- Good value at £849 considering all of the above.
Cons
- Factory calibration could be better.
- Colour space modes are good but not great.
- Small amount of visible grain despite the glossy finish.
- Feels a bit plasticky considering the price.
- Webcam is clearly inferior to the Studio Display's.
- Lacks real HDR support given the DisplayHDR 600 certification.
KitGuru says: There are some drawbacks to consider, but if you're looking for a 5K monitor and were always going to calibrate, the Philips Brilliance 27E3U7903 delivers some phenomenal results.
