The Philips 221V8LB is one of the most affordable monitors you can buy for gaming, school, and office. It’s a 22-inch display with basic features, but it goes up to 100Hz, so it’s smoother and snappier than your typical budget display. It’s an easy choice since it’s one of the cheapest monitors around, but let’s take a look to know if it’s worth it.
Philips 221V8LB Specifications
- Screen Size: 22 Inches
- Resolution: 1080p FHD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Panel Technology: Vertical Alignment (VA)
- Refresh Rate: 60Hz
- Response Time: 4ms
- Contrast Ratio: 3000:1 (Static)
- Brightness: 250 cd/m²
- Built-in Speakers: No
- Stand: Height -No
- Stand: Tilt – Yes
- Stand: Swivel – No
- VESA Compatibility: Yes (100 x 100)
- Connectivity: 1 x HDMI, 1 x VGA, 3.5mm Audio Jack
- Dimensions with Stand (WxHxD): 19.41” x 14.53” x 8.7”
- Weight: 5.8 lbs
Design and Features
The Philips 221V8LB looks like an old basic monitor since it’s not as sleek as you would expect from a newer model. It has a matte black finish, so it won’t stand out too much against any gaming or productivity setup. It has bezels that stand out, but that’s not a major issue compared to what it offers.
It’s a 22-inch model, so it’s more compact than most of the commonly available monitors out there in the market. It does need 8.7 inches of depth from a desk, but that’s not a lot by today’s standards. It’s very light at 5.8 pounds, so it’s portable enough for LAN parties or if you move around a lot for work.
It’s a cheap gaming monitor by all means, but it doesn’t feel flimsy or unrefined like some ultra-budget models out on the market. The plastics used are thick and sturdy, and there were no signs of cosmetic defects on any of its parts. The included stand has some wobbling, but it was stable for the most part.
The Philips 221V8LB still uses buttons, but that’s understandable since it’s a very affordable variant. It is annoying that you have to press multiple keys to get to a specific setting. The keys are tiny, but they are not as hard to press as similar designs, so they are less straining.
The included stand only offers tilt to help with lowering the overall manufacturer costs and, eventually, the retail price. The monitor rides low because of this, so you might want to prop it up on top of books or a monitor stand. It’s also compatible with VESA mounts, so you might want to go that route if you want more flexibility.
Its connectivity layout doesn’t offer much, but that’s expected from an extra-budget monitor like it. You only get HDMI and VGA, plus a 3.5mm jack for headphones or speakers. Other monitors have DisplayPort at least, but it is not necessary to get the monitor’s maximum output.
You don’t get speakers with this model, but that’s okay since most built-ins on budget models are weak or unrefined anyway. You are better off with a decent speaker set or pair of headphones, especially when it comes to gaming or movies.
Display and Performance
The Philips 221V8LB sports a 22-inch VA panel with a 1920 x 1080 resolution, a 100Hz refresh rate, and a 4ms response time. The backlight has a 250 cd/m2 output while the contrast is listed at 3000:1. This model doesn’t have entertainment-grade specs like HDR compatibility, but that’s understandable since it was not primarily designed for it.
1080p monitors are still popular because they are well-suited for office or schoolwork and gaming. The main complaint about them is that they are not as sharp, but the smaller screen size and tighter pixel density on this model alleviate that. It is very easy to run with basic specs, so it’s a perfect choice for budget builders.
The Philips 221V8LB covers 99.9% sRGB and 87% DCI-P3 for great color performance in games and movies. Its default accuracy had a deltaE average of 1.97 which makes it decently accurate for a budget display. It’s great for media consumption and gaming because of this, although it’s not the best for editing work.
Calibrating the monitor reduced the dE average to 1.45, which looks more balanced and natural than the default setting. However, that’s not a significant improvement that can be used to justify the purchase of a colorimeter. We recommend prioritizing a prosumer monitor instead if color quality is important to you.
The Philips 221V8LB’s backlight reached 248 cd/m2 at 100%, so it can only fight a decent amount of glare. Its contrast, on the other hand, is fantastic since it reached 3891:1 at 50% brightness. The monitor is capable of deep blacks and gradients, making it better than its IPS counterparts in some aspects of imaging.
Panel uniformity for the test sample was great since there were no major backlight leaks on any of its parts. There is still some variance in the backlight’s spread, but it is barely noticeable while playing games or watching movies. Note that this can vary with every unit made due to tolerances, so there are worse ones out there.
The main weakness of this monitor and its panel type is its slower pixel response time. The 100Hz refresh helps, but it is not enough to keep the screen from showing blurring or persistence in fast-paced and contrasting transitions. Fast IPS or TN is your best bet here, but there are none out there that match the screen size and specs of this model.
The Philips 221V8LB is compatible with FreeSync, but the G-Sync Compatibility mode did not work because it needed DisplayPort. However, we think it’s fine since 1080p 100Hz doesn’t take a lot to run, so it would be easy to stabilize your framerates to prevent tearing and stuttering. Its input lag sits at 6ms at 100Hz, enabling it to be snappy and responsive enough for fast-paced gaming.
Thoughts on the Philips 221V8LB
The Philips 221V8LB is an excellent choice if you are on the hunt for a cheap gaming monitor that’s priced well below a hundred bucks. You get a 100Hz-capable panel with excellent contrast and color coverage for a low price, so we think it’s a fantastic deal. It’s not the most heavily equipped out there, but it’s built quite well for a budget display.
The Philips 221V8LB is far from perfect as expected since a lot of desirable features were excluded, and the price was lower as much as possible. It’s not blur-free, and it has limited functionality, and we know many would prefer to get something that’s more sophisticated. However, it is still a steal in our books since it rolls gaming performance, usability, and fantastic pricing in one package.
Pros:
- Great Colors and Contrast
- 100Hz Refresh Rate
- Very Affordable
Cons:
- Prone to Blurring
- Limited Features
About the Author: 
Paolo has been a gaming veteran since the golden days of Doom and Warcraft and has been building gaming systems for family, friends, and colleagues since junior high. High-performance monitors are one of his fixations; he believes that every citizen has the right to enjoy one. He has gone through several pieces of hardware in pursuit of every bit of performance gain, much to the dismay of his wallet. He now works with Monitornerds to scrutinize the latest gear and create reviews that accentuate the seldom-explained aspects of a PC monitor.
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