What to make of the epic Philips Brilliance 498P9Z? It\u2019s not entirely unfamiliar. In fact, hack the \u2018Z\u2019 off the end and you have the Philips Brilliance 498P9, an ostensibly identical monitor that rolled out nearly two years ago.<\/p>\n
Identical, that is, save for one critical difference. The new Z model adds high refresh to the package, all 165Hz of it, where the existing model topped out at 60Hz. And what an existing package that was and continues to be.<\/p>\n
The basic numbers are a bit bonkers. The huge 49-inch panel is formatted to an almost ridiculously wide 32:9 aspect ratio. You get 5,120 by 1,440 pixels and a punchy peak brightness of 550 nits. Actually, that latter figure is also an upgrade over the non-Z, which tops out at 450 nits.<\/p>\n
The panel\u2019s inherent contrast remains 3,000:1, which immediately tells you this is a VA rather than an IPS monitor. Even LG\u2019s very latest IPS Black panel is only good for a claimed 2,000:1 contrast. VA panels aren\u2019t typically renowned for their speedy responses, so the 498P9Z\u2019s 4ms rated response performance isn\u2019t a huge surprise. But it is some distance off current 1ms IPS technology.<\/p>\n
As for other panel attributes, the Z's claimed coverage of the AdobeRGB gamut has actually dropped off a couple of points to 89%. DCI-P3 coverage, which is arguably more relevant for what has become a more gaming-centric monitor, is 91%, which is middling. It takes 95% and up to impress us, these days.<\/p>\n
Philips has also added HDR support for this revised model. But it\u2019s the basic DisplayHDR 400 variety, so don\u2019t get too excited. There\u2019s no local dimming, no fancy mini-LED backlight. That said, the superior contrast of a VA panel never hurts when it comes to improving dynamic range.<\/p>\n