Philips Momentum 559M1RYV 4K 120Hz Monitor Review

How Much Does it Cost?

The new Philips Momentum 559M1RYV 4K 120Hz Monitor will set you back around $1600 or £1200. However, with the stock currently rolling out, that’s subject to change. I doubt it’ll go up, but we may see some deals. Furthermore, expect the old model to drop to stay below £1000 too to make room for this new model. At this price range, it’s very competitive for a 55″ HDMI 2.1 monitor. The next step up would be an equivalent 2021-22 model OLED TV, which will cost at least another £300-400.

Overview

Of course, that is a lot of money, but given the features, specifications, and overall panel size, it’s really quite competitive. It’s not more than a similarly equipped smart TV, but you just don’t have to deal with all that software junk most brands cram in there. I dare say it’s also calibrated right out of the box to a significantly higher standard than most TVs ever are. meaning for movie fans and gamers, it’s pretty much just a plug and play setup.

Powerful Performance

Personally, I did find some of the built-in profiles worked better for movies vs gaming, but really, that’s quite subjective. However, with the included remote, it’s quick and easy to make changes on the fly. More customisation of the profiles would have been nice, and the Xbox mode annoyingly sets the backlight to green but doesn’t revert it when you change to another profile. The movie profile for HDR is also completely oversaturated, but the HDR1000 mode offers a very accurate picture overall. Thankfully, the remove also includes the volume controls for that mighty soundbar, which again is pretty loud, and typically never went above 10-20 for my usage.

Sound Bar

I would like to them produce a model without the soundbar, as brilliant as it may be for some, it’s not going to appeal to everyone. I suspect those spending £1200 on a panel may already have a soundbar or home AV setup that they prefer. Alas, the soundbar looks great and does its job well, so I’m not too upset about it, if I’m completely honest.

Old Dog, New Tricks

While I like to see new designs rolled out from time to time, I loved last year’s model, and I’m glad to see they stuck with it. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. This is still the same great monitor I know and love but with significantly improved performance thanks to HDMI 2.1. The benefits of this may not make a big difference for movie lovers. However, for gamers, getting the best resolution, a bigger refresh rate, and VRR technology are literally game-changers. Sure, PC gamers have had similar benefits in the past, but getting all this in the living room on a big format display feels like a special occasion every time you fire it up.

Should I Buy One?

It’s big, heavy, bold and pretty damn expensive, but I can’t deny that you do get what you pay for. I’m a little reluctant to publish the review now, as it’ll inform Philips that I’m done with it, but they’ll have to catch me first…