The Philips 271V8LB focuses on the essentials while keeping its price as low as possible versus the competition. It has a large 27-inch display that’s perfect for school or work, plus it has 100Hz and Adaptive Sync for gaming. It is flexible and affordable, but let’s see if the actual performance numbers will also impress.
Philips 271V8LB Specifications
- Screen Size: 27 Inches
- Resolution: 2560 x 1440 QHD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Panel Technology: VA (Vertical Alignment)
- Refresh Rate: 100Hz
- Response Time: 4ms
- Contrast Ratio: 4000:1 (Static)
- Brightness: 250 cd/m²
- Built-in Speakers: None
- Stand: Height -No
- Stand: Tilt – Yes
- Stand: Swivel – No
- Stand: Pivot– No
- VESA Compatibility: Yes (100 x 100)
- Connectivity: DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI x 1, VGA x 1
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 24.2” x 18” x 9.1”
- Weight: 7.7 lbs
Design and Features
The Philips 271V8LB has a barebones design, but that discrete look can be a good thing too. The monitor has a clean black finish, so it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb. The display has a bezel-free design, so it doesn’t look too busy like some budget models.
Philips has various products across the monitor pricing spectrum, but it’s very present in the budget segment. They know how to build a durable budget monitor, so models like this have decent durability so they feel solid and reliable. There is a bit of wobbling due to the minimal stand, but it’s not a big deal most of the time.
27-inch monitors aren’t gigantic nowadays, but some can still take up more space than what’s necessary. The device needs a little over 9 inches of depth due to the round base. It is very light at 7.7 pounds, so it should be portable enough to be moved around, like when you’re settling into a dorm or apartment at college.
Budget models like the Philips 271V8LB have an annoyance in the form of OSD buttons. It’s minor, but it can be a bit irritating to press buttons again and again to get to something mundane like the brightness setting. Joysticks would have been better, but we’re not treating this as a demerit since the monitor is very affordable.
The included stand only offers tilt, so it can be limiting, especially if your office or home furniture is not ergonomic. Some users might need a VESA mount or a couple of books to prop it up better, but the former is an added cost. We recommend getting an affordable monitor arm for this model since you have a lot of headroom budget-wise.
The Philips 271V8LB’s I/O is also simplified to help with lowering its price point. You only get HDMI and VGA for video inputs, so there isn’t much to choose from. However, HDMI is quite common and capable of the full output of this screen, so it shouldn’t be an issue.
You also don’t get speakers with this monitor, but that’s not entirely a deal breaker for most. Headphones will most definitely have better audio quality, so we recommend them instead. However, built-ins would be great for dorm or office use since they make the device more usable.
Display and Performance
The Philips 271V8LB sports a 27-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 4000:1. This model doesn’t support HDR, but that’s understandable since it’s not equipped for that.
1080p at 27 inches isn’t great since the pixel density is quite loose compared to the 1440p and 4K variants. Visibility and legibility are great, though, and it’s easy to run most games on it with a modest system. However, objects in games can look jagged or letters can be fuzzy as a result of this characteristic.
The Philips 271V8LB covered 98% of sRGB and 70% of DCI-P3, so it is not the most vibrant out there. Its default accuracy had a deltaE average of 1.88, so it is quite decent from the factory, thanks to basic calibration. Most users won’t need to do anything to this monitor aside from adjusting the brightness to a comfortable level.
Calibrating it reduced the dE average to 1.32, making it more balanced or neutral like many sRGB monitors out there. It’s not a huge improvement, but this monitor was not meant for color-critical work anyway. We don’t recommend getting a colorimeter for it because of these facts, for the sake of practicality.
The Philips 271V8LB’s backlight reached 234 cd/m2 at 100%, so it can still get decently bright against a well-lit room. Its contrast peaked at 3351:1 at 50% brightness, enabling deep blacks and dark scenes. Only OLED is better at this point, but be wary of black-crushing, which can be a hindrance in games where visibility is important.
Panel uniformity for the test sample was not perfect since there were backlight leaks on the right side of the screen. It shows up as clouding in dark scenes, but lighter backgrounds, like the white of a browser, are not as affected. Note that this can vary with every monitor made due to tolerances, so there are better and worse units out there.
The Philips 271V8LB’s main weakness is its slower pixel response time. Fast-paced scenes will reveal smudges or persistence, and the monitor isn’t equipped to deal with it completely. However, we don’t see anyone using this for competitive gaming, so it’s not a big deal for the most part.
The Philips 271V8LB is compatible with FreeSync, but G-Sync did not work since it needs DisplayPort. You won’t need VRR for 1080p 100Hz most of the time anyway, but it’s still handy to have. Its input lag sits at 6ms at 100Hz, so it’s decently responsive for gaming and all-around use.
Thoughts on the Philips 271V8LB
The Philips 271V8LB is a great choice for budget shoppers who want the most for each dollar spent. It has a nice 100Hz screen that makes it usable for work and play, plus it’s very easy to use and manipulate for beginners. It’s the perfect choice for back-to-school or college setups since it is cheap and convenient.
However, that lowered price also comes with glaring limitations that many will not like. I/O options or fancy screen specs are usually omitted to help with pricing. It’s an excellent buy for the price, but expectations should be managed as to what comes with it.
Pros:
- Decent Color Accuracy
- Very Affordable
- 100Hz
Cons:
- Limited Gamut Coverage
- Limited Features
- Tilt-Only Stand
About the Author: 
Paolo is 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, and he believes that it’s every citizen’s 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 to create reviews that accentuate the seldom-explained aspects of a PC monitor.
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