Philips 27M1N5200PA Monitor Review

User Rating: 8
27M1N5200PA monitor review

If you’re in the market for a new display that effortlessly manages to nail gamer chic without a designer price tag, then the Philips Momentum series is worth some of your hard earned cash. Today we’re taking a look at the Philips 27M1N5200PA, a FHD IPS display that takes latency to a new low.

For esports fans and competitive gamers, speed is paramount, latency is the enemy, and anything under 120Hz might as well be a picture frame. The 27M1N5200PA is a brand new IPS display from Philips that aims to score headshots on every single one of those tests. Available now from online retailers at just over £300 or local equivalent, this display presents a display with tons of pace and an impressive response time.

SEPCIFICATIONS

Panel Type: IPS
Backlight type: W-LED system
Panel Size: 27 inch / 68.5 cm
Maximum Resolution: 1920 x 1080 @ 240 Hz*
HDR: HDR Ready
Colour Gamut: NTSC 95%*, sRGB 110.2%*, Adobe RGB 87.1%*
AMD FreeSync™ Technology: Premium

Performance

Response time: 1 ms (Grey to Grey)
MPRT: 0.5 ms
Low Input Lag Option: Yes
Brightness: 400 nits
Contrast ratio: 1000:1

Connectivity

Signal Input
HDMI 2.0 x 2, DisplayPort 1.4 x 1
USB: USB-B x 1 (upstream), USB 3.2 x 4 (downstream with 2 fast charge B.C 1.2)
Audio (In/Out) Audio out
Speakers: 2 x 5W

Out The Box

Our latest review unit from Philips makes a similar out the box impression as the 27M1N3200VA. The outer packing is acceptably easy to get into, with little in the way of unnecessary packaging and plenty of firmly placed cardboard that will keep everything undamaged and can go straight in the recycling. I know that it’s a minor point for many of us, but it’s great to see manufacturers try to make our own consumption a little more sustainable.

Moving on from the outer shell, the 27M1N5200PA is a relatively conventional setup. You’ll find a two-part stand, cables, a manual, and the aforementioned display housed and unpacked in just a jiffy. The stand is similar to the rest of the Momentum range, a full metal construction that comes in two parts. the base could come crashing out of an arcade cabinet and looks more like a retro space invader than the monolithic options included with other monitors. It gives the whole thing a distinct aesthetic that is further enhanced by the hexagonal core of this structure.

Like the other Philips units, the toolless construction is a welcome design choice that makes putting together the 27M1N5200PA a breeze. Adding the final touch and connecting the display to the aforementioned stand only requires the smallest amount of effort to clip in the VESA compatible back.

Initial Impressions

Once fully assembled, the latest monitor to make it from Philips to my rig could fit on just about any setup. The mix of a gunmetal grey industrial stand with the established aesthetic of other mid range Momentum series monitors ensures that this will easily work as a daily driver and then switch over to a high spec gaming rig without dropping a frame. The angled edges and unique base still give a hint of what’s under the hood but without needing to resort to flashy effects. Like the Agon PD27, this is a more refined design than you’ll find when set against almost all other gaming focused options.

 

ports on 27m1n5200pa

 

If you’re planning to use this for anything other than gaming, then there are plenty of ports, so you are unlikely to start pulling cables out in frustration, while the addition of four USB 3.2 ports, two of which are fast charge variants, provide plenty of connectivity for a mic, keyboard, mouse, and other office accessories too. Before even turning on the 27M1RN520, it’s safe to say that Philips nailed industrial chic with a retro arcade edge.

Turn It ON Already – Color Coverage Results

The 27M1N5200PA initially impress when powered on As a FHD IPS panel that is likely no surprise here. The Philips displays we’ve tested did great numbers already and I was not exiting anything different. The 27 inch of IPS panel is just about the limit of what I’d consider crisp at FHD resolution but it manages well. Colors also look great from first light with plenty of dynamic range, but these eyes aren’t the final arbiter.

As usual, the color coverage of this competitor was tested using our usual Datacolor configuration equipment. Initial out of box numbers assured us that virtually no calibration was actually required for the 27M1N5200PA. If you’re looking to just get going out the box, then there’s really no need hang back and tweak settings. Philips nailed it here. After calibration, only a one percent difference was detectable over a single measurement. Those results, however, were a little unexpected.

 

27M1N5200PA monito color coverage

100% of sRGB, 79% of AdobeRGB, 85% of P3, 76% of NTSC

 

While the 27M1N3200VA managed a very impressive set of results for a VA panel, this IPS offering feels like it falls a little short in comparison. While both Philips monitors managed a solid 100 sRGB , the latest hardware on our desks clocks in 79% of AdobeRGB, 85% of P3, 76% of NTSC. This, falls below our results for the comparable 3000 series, which after retesting repeatedly still remained an odd result. That said, the final results on color testing are still very solid for a display in this price rage and as long as you aren’t looking to stray beyond office, entertainment, or gaming then tis really shouldn’t be too much of a consideration.

Contrast ratios are within the expected range for an IPS display, topping out around the mid 860:1 at the mid point of the monitor and meaning that while HDR content will still look ok at a push, we would expect to leave this turned off for the most part.

 

Performance

The Momentum monitor range is clearly built to do more than doom scroll and doodle. Gaming monitors regularly assert a 1ms response time but the quite ridiculous headline MPRT range of 0.5ms advertised by the 27M1N5200PA seriously stretched our own ability to accurately test the delay between firing a round in Apex and watching the result. Thankfully the 1ms GtG was something we could confirm using our usual configuration and testing kit. I’m confident in saying that the sub 1ms latency advertised was achieved while we hooked it up, and now I have an urgent need to start tweaking out test kit for this sort of reaction range

Performance on a gaming monitor is about more than latency, however. In an arena, you’ll first need to take aim then fire. This means you’ll need a current representation of what’s going on in game and a well defined target. The 27M1N5200PA offers the prospect of tear free video hat never falls behind the in game action, with a top end refresh rate of 240Hz. To test the real life result of this, the trusty UFO frame rate and ghosting tests were used to confirm that these top speeds stack up and the video still manages to look clear.

 

monitor stand

 

If you were expecting a blurry mess, then you’ll remain disappointed. As with the 27M1N3200VA, the 27M1N5200PA works superbly up at high frame rates. Blowing past the 165Hz mid range and up to 240Hz, pictures remain clear with no noticeable ghosting whether in game or in testing. The inclusion of AMD FreeSync Premium aids this and the 27M1N5200PA even registers as G-Sync compatible. If you’re looking to simply plug in and push speed to its limits, then the 27M1N5200PA seems like a great choice out of the box.

If the already impressive low latency isn’t fast enough then getting into the settings and making a few changes of your own is simple. The joystick control installed in the back corner of this display is a feature that only serves to remind me how utterly horrible and unintuitive individual base mounted buttons actually are. The Philips OSD UI continues to impress with obvious design decisions that make the array of on board options easy to find. The software support should be utterly ignored, as per our previous reviews, but whether you’re looking to turn on low blue light mode, change the color temperatures, tweak input lag settings, enable the Philips SmartResposnse mode, or manually modify the MPRT setting The OSD provides a whole host of options for anybody looking to make their own modifications. Realistically, the inclusion of FreeSync Premium and G-Sync compatibility means anybody with a current generation GPU can just plug in and go.

The Final Picture

When you finally plug in the 27M1N5200PA, it’s unlikely you’ll be sitting down to run a bunch of tests. Instead this high speed gaming monitor is likely to spend more time in Apex Arenas or the precarious ledges of the jungle, so that’s exactly where I took it. Playing through more than a few disastrous rounds of solo queue in Apex legends, the 27M1N5200PA managed admirably. The decent color reproduction merged with a great response time and an impressive refresh rate mean that everything in this brightly animated future looks fantastic. For of free to play and eSports legacy titles that are designed to throw intense high speed action at a range of rigs, the 27M1N5200PA is in its element.

For more sanguine experiences like Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the 27M1N5200PA is more of a mixed bag. Players can still benefit from the clarity and responsiveness of this design, but try to turn on HDR and you’ll start to hit the limits of this option. While three default and one personal HDR configuration are available, none of these manages the nuance that the jungle requires. Sure, when it comes to large swathes of the screen, this HDR mode manages well enough but try anything more complex and the highlights can end up looking washed out thanks to the low IPS contrast ratio and the backlighting choices. We’d honestly advise taking a look at the 27M1N3200VA if you don’t need to  swing past 120Hz at this price point.

Thankfully, the market for the 27M1N5200PA is likely to be all in on arena battles. If you’re looking for a monitor that plays as hard as you work and that doesn’t aim for garish gamer tropes, then this is a great choice. Speed, clarity, and a wonderful clean aesthetic are at the core of the Philips 27M1N5200PA and will definitely meet the demands of the more refined esports enthusiast.

The 27M1N5200PA is available now. Check out everything about this speed freak over at the official Philips website now.

Summary
The Philips Momentum 5000 27M1N5200 is a blisteringly fast esports monitor that absolutely aims for the top of the ladder. It incorporates a nuanced look that is all action and no hype, but push this FHD IPS panel into other arenas where the experience isn't all about reaction times, and you might uncover some compromises. An amazing monitor for FPS fans and esports competitors looking to gain every edge on the competition without shouting about it.
Good
  • Incredible Frame Rates and Heckin fast response time
  • FreeSync and Gsync Compatibility
  • Barely Any Setup Required
Bad
  • Color Coverage Is Just OK
  • HDR is very blunt
8
Great
Written by
For those of you who I’ve not met yet, my name is Ed. After an early indoctrination into PC gaming, years adrift on the unwashed internet, running a successful guild, and testing video games, I turned my hand to writing about them. Now, you will find me squawking across a multitude of sites and even getting to play games now and then

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Lost Password

Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.