The Philips 243B9 offers a high-quality IPS panel that’s built into a robust and well-equipped package that’s ideal for daily use. This model comes from the B-Line which caters to business and office users, so it focuses more on functionality over eye candy. The Philips 243B9 is an easy pick up for the school and work from home trend this year, but let’s check out its performance numbers first.
Philips 243B9 Specifications
- Screen Size: 24 Inches
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080 FHD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Panel Technology: In-Plane Switching (IPS)
- Refresh Rate: 75Hz
- Response Time: 4ms
- Contrast Ratio: 1000:1 (Static)
- Brightness: 250 cd/m²
- Built-in Speakers: Yes (2 x 2 Watts)
- Stand: Height – Yes
- Stand: Tilt – Yes
- Stand: Swivel – Yes
- Stand: Pivot – Yes
- VESA Compatibility: Yes (100 x 100)
- Connectivity: USB-C x 1, HDMI 1.4 x 1, VGA x 1, USB. 3.2 x 4, USB-C 3.2 PD65W x 1, 3.5mm Jack x 2
- Dimensions with Stand (WxHxD): 21.30” x 18.78” x 8.51”
- Weight: 11.44 lbs
Design and Features
The Philips 243B9 is a business monitor, so it’s strictly functional and it doesn’t have any flashy decorations. The monitor has a matte black finish which will always look clean and new since it’s resistant to smudging and stains. The display is bezel-free on three sides, but you will still see inner panel borders when it’s in use.
the Philips 243B9 could be made sleeker if its base wasn’t semi-circular in shape. The cabinet isn’t the thinnest as well since it’s about 2.8 inches deep. These are very minor complaints, but shaving off the extra poundage will matter for savvy users who want to use the least amount of space.
Build quality for the Philips 243B9 is excellent since there is no rattling or wobbling from the monitor when it’s assembled and upright. The plastics used feel sturdy and thick enough to outlast your other peripherals. It’s a budget model, but we didn’t see any nicks or cosmetic defects on its edges and surfaces.
One downside of being a budget option is the OSD button layout instead of a functionally better joystick. It’s great that they are readily accessible at the front of the bottom bezel, but they are still prone to wrong inputs. It’s a struggle to use them in dark and it takes some time and practice to get familiar with their individual functions.
The stand included with the Philips 243B9 offers tilt, swivel, pivot, and height adjustments by default. It’s easy to get a comfortable viewing angle for long work hours so it will be great for productivity. You can swap it out with a VESA mount, but it’s not necessary unless you need to save space or if you have multiple displays.
Connectivity is excellent for the Philips 243B9 even if it can be considered a budget model. The layout includes the usual DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 1.4 slot, but it also has a VGA input for older devices. You also get four USB 3.2 slots for fast transfers and a pair of 3.5mm jacks for audio passthrough.
But what stands out for the Philips 243B9 is its 65-watt USB-C slot that enables single cable operation with laptops like the new MacBooks. 65 watts isn’t a lot especially if you’re packing the flagship variants, but it can sustain the laptop sufficiently in regular workloads like office work. It’s also worth noting that it’s quite rare to get USB-C with budget monitors, so this is a big plus for the Philips 243B9.
The Philips 243B9 also has a pair of built-in speakers which aren’t powerful or detailed, but they will get the job done. They can come in handy for work-related use such as conference calls or even background music which won’t need high-end capabilities.
Display and Performance
The Philips 243B9 offers a 24-inch IPS panel with a 1920 x 1080 resolution, a 75Hz refresh rate, and a 4ms response time. The backlight is listed at 250 cd/m2, while the contrast ratio is listed at 1000:1 like most IPS monitors. This model doesn’t offer special features like HDR since it was designed for productivity.
24-inch 1080p monitors are still popular for a multitude of applications so you won’t be outdated or left in the dust with the Philips 243B9. It’s easy on the eyes since it’s not too sharp and most web content will display natively on it. You won’t struggle with small text, and games or movies will always run smoothly.
The Philips 243B9 covers 99.5% of the sRGB gamut which allows it to look decently vibrant for daily use. Default accuracy is excellent as well since the deltaE average is at 1.41, so color deviances won’t be visible. It’s not editing monitor-perfect, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a comparable model with similar or better performance.
Calibrating the Philips 243B9 with a colorimeter improved the dE average to 0.98 which is even better than the default setting. However, most users won’t be able to discern the improvements in regular use, unless they are into editing work. It’s also worth noting that colorimeters aren’t cheap so you will be able to buy a better monitor with the total cost of this upgrade.
The backlight on the Philips 243B9 punched beyond its listed spec and reached 280 cd/m2 at 100% brightness. Its contrast ratio hit 1085:1 at 60% brightness, but it’s not enough to counter the limitations of IPS. Dark scenes and black images can still look washed out, especially when the monitor is used in the dark.
Panel uniformity for the Philips 243B9 could use some improvements since there are some light leaks on the edges of the screen. The flaws aren’t always noticeable in full color, but dark scenes in games and movies can show the loss of contrast and vibrancy in the affected areas. However, this aspect varies between every unit, so there are better samples out there.
Responsiveness isn’t the best with the Philips 243B9 since it was not designed for fast-paced action. The 75Hz refresh rate adds a bit of headroom for motion handling, You need to use the Fast setting of its Overdrive feature to cure the trails and ghosting. It’s not suitable for competitive gaming, but it will get by with casual or single-player titles.
The Philips 243B9 doesn’t support FreeSync, so naturally, Nvidia’s G-Sync Compatibility mode will not work. Adaptive Sync is essential for modern monitors, but it’s not a big loss for productivity displays. Input lag sits at 10ms, so there is no need to worry about delays or de-synced instances.
Thoughts on the Philips 243B9
The Philips 243B9 is a fantastic buy for school or work from home use thanks to its superb functionality. You get plenty of connectivity and eye safety features, but the big bonus here is the excellent IPS panel. It’s accurate and balanced out of the box, so most users will be happy with it after plugging it in and adjusting a few settings.
Some essentials are missing from the Philips 243B9 such as great contrast and Adaptive Sync, but that’s understandable. You can also get a more affordable 1080p 75Hz monitor, but USB-C won’t be available on most of the available options. The Philips 243B9 is a great buy for productivity and business use, especially if you are using a USB-C laptop.
Pros:
- Great Price
- 65-Watt USB-C
- Great Default Image Quality
- Simple and Functional Design
Cons:
- Limited Contrast
- Regional Availability
- No Adaptive Sync
About the Author: 
