This Philips momentum monitor is the first monitor designed for the Xbox Series X specifically. Now what does this mean?

The Momentum has the HDMI 2.1 input, which enables next gen gaming in 4K, 120Hz refresh rate in 55 inch.

You’re probably wondering, why buy a monitor if I can buy a tv for gaming? Good question, both have their pro’s and cons. Blacks will be a bit better on a tv of the same budget for example, the ambiglow on the Momentum is ‘meh’, not always accurate, but this monitor does have a way lower input-lag, which is a benefit when streaming games on Twitch for example. And let this be a big factor for gamers.

 

As said, refresh rate is 120Hz, it has HDR with Display HDR 1000, and some specific gaming modes in the menus.

Now, those are all the facts and how they advertise this monitor. I did some testing and here’s my review on the Philips Momentum.

The Pro’s

• it has a great design in my opinion, but you’ll need some space to put it.
• The integrated Bowers & Wilkins soundbar is awesome. I was playing a shooter game and heard footsteps to the right, left and behind me, which was a very nice experience.
• the refresh rate is great and input lag is also very minimal. I tried shooter games and racing games and both were very fluid.
• it’s a big monitor and a big box, but eventually if you have 2 people it’s pretty to setup and mostly plug and play
• it has a lot of different inputs; usb c, regular usb with fast charging, hdmi 2.1, and displayport
• there’s also multiview, which you can use to have two sources on the screen for multitasking. I didn’t really try this, because I can only do one thing at a time.

Now for the negative things

• the blacks in some cases don’t look that nice. They are a bit washed out, but for me that’s not a really big issue
• I was not that pleased with the ambiglow however. Maybe I did something wrong, but the colours coming from the LED’s were not always correct with what you see on the screen. It’s a nice touch and maybe it works better in some cases, but when gaming on the series x, it was not great to be honest
• the price: it’s not cheap. This monitor comes in at 1400 euros, but you get the full package of course.

Should you buy this?
It’s a difficult question, because it’s a big investment. I would suggest if you have a series X and want to get the full experience, this monitor will deliver.

However, if you’re using this monitor for Netflix most of the time, I would suggest going for a tv in that case. However, if you’re watching this video, you’re probably a gamer and in that case, if you have the money to spare, this is a good choice.