The Philips Momentum 279M1RV and 559M1RYV are the HDMI 2.1 monitors you’ve been waiting for
Two of my favourite monitors in 2020 both came from Philips – the Momentum 278M1R and the 558M1RY. They offered exceptional performance for the price, and apart from missing a couple of desirable upgrades, were almost perfect.
Well, it seems Philips has its finger on the pulse, as these new monitors directly address the shortcomings of the previous pair. If you aren’t already using a monitor for console gaming (and you should be), you might want to take a look at the latest and greatest from Philips.
Philips Momentum 559M1RYV
Looking at the spec sheet, the 559M1RYV appears almost identical to the 558M1RY, but with the highly sought after inclusion of HDMI 2.1. This makes this the perfect big-screen companion to the Xbox Series X, as you can now run the display at 4k/120Hz.
Even though not much else seems to be different, this isn’t an issue, as the 558M1RY was already one of the best big-format HDR displays I’ve ever seen. Peak luminance of 1200 nits in HDR mode and an incredible 750 nits in SDR was complemented by stunningly accurate colour, impressive motion handling, a fast input response and an outstanding Bowers and Wilkins soundbar. Literally, the only thing I could say negative about it was the lack of HDMI 2.1 support, which was still a fledgling technology back then. Now that they’ve added HDMI 2.1 and 4k/120Hz support, this is shaping up to be an incredible monitor.
Another more subtle addition is the inclusion of a USB-C port, which can handle KVM inputs and display 4k/120Hz. This is joined by three HDMI 2.1 ports (forward-thinking of Philips here), DisplayPort 1.4 and USB up and downstream ports.
We have a review unit headed our way, so keep your eyes peeled for our review. This gargantuan 55″ model is expected to be available for purchase very soon, we’ll be sure to update when it becomes available from stores and at what price, though a conservative estimate would be IRO £1200-£1300.
Philips Momentum 27″ 279M1RV
Of the two new Momentum “Designed for Xbox” monitors, the 27″ model has seen the biggest changes in comparison to its predecessor. I loved the 278M1R, but it was limited to just 60Hz and the DisplayHDR 400 performance was ok, but lacklustre compared to its big brother (above).
HDMI 2.1 has again been included, so the 279M1RV now supports 4k/120Hz, but the colour gamut has been significantly increased to 98% DCI-P3, 133% sRGB (previously 99% sRGB) and 110% Adobe RGB. This is thanks to the inclusion of a new Nano-IPS display (like the AOC Agon AG273QXP we reviewed), which creates incredible colour. The display also carries DisplayHDR 600 certification, which officially requires some form of local dimming to attain. However, the spec sheet on the website lists it as 450 nits peak brightness, so we’ll have to wait until we’ve tested one to know for sure.
Like the 559M1RYV, the 279M1RV also has USB-C with DP-alt mode supporting 4k/120Hz. Additionally, the 27″ Momentum also has three HDMI 2.1 ports, a DP1.4 port and multiple USB-A. Compared to the previous model (which was my recommended mid-range 27″ 4k monitor at the time), the 279M1RV looks to be much, much better. If they bring this display out at a good price, it’s going to be very hard to turn down.
We should have a review unit coming out to us later this year, but I’m that confident of how good this monitor will be I’m already planning to purchase one.
I could dive deeper into why I think these displays will be perfect for both PC gamers and the new-gen consoles (especially Xbox Series X), but I’ll save the in-depth analysis for the reviews. I believe these will be the console gaming monitors to beat this year, so if you are looking for a new monitor, you might want for these to release before pulling the trigger.
