MonitorLCD monitor with USB-C docking

Purchased monitor for home office specifically to work with MacBook Air via the USB C connection. Straight out of the box it work with my MacBook Air without any firmware updates. Extremely happy with the display quality and array of usb connections to simplify my workspace. Their are a number of settings that users can choose from based on your preference. Price point was acceptable for 4K USB C Monitor.

Left half of the screen backlit noticeably flicks / blinks. It takes 5minutes for the display to "heat up" before it stops blinking. Once display refused to produce sound via HDMI / DP, only changing the volume in the display menu "fixed" sound reproduction. Take attention to the refresh rate: there are two near 60Hz and by default Windows 10 selected the lower one via HDMI (in fraction of Hz) - display showed lots of rainbow artifacts and incorrectly rendered solid colors in some positions (like black like is displayed as blue line). Power Delivery works via USB-C.

Using USB-C connection with MacBook Pro 16" (2018) as a secondary display at 4K 60hz. I initially encountered a frustrating issue in which the display would randomly cut out entirely. Turning the Smart Power setting on seems to have remedied the issue. Otherwise seems like a solid monitor!

Even at 27" using full resolution is too small for my eyes even with glasses, so I use 150% as recommended by Windows 10. It gives a satisfactory result, but character contrast is still lower than I'd like. Also, because of a Win10 bug, when the screen sleeps, all windows overlay the upper left corner and have to be dragged out again. There is a fix, but it's difficult to implement because it requires editing the registry and it doesn't stick. The online documentation is terrible and doesn't describe how to use the settings, but merely names them and gives overly brief functional descriptions.

The only reason I bought this is to be able to use ONE cable to connect my laptop (as docking is supposed to work). However, the DisplayPort over USB-C in this monitor can only do 4K 60Hz when the USB2.0 is selected in the menu (instead of USB3.2). With USB3.2 selected it maxes out at 4K 30Hz which is unusable. With USB2.0 selected everything looks like it's working - you have 4K 60Hz, you have power going to the laptop and you have USB hub with Ethernet connection. But... The USB hub is only USB2.0 speed, which means the Ethernet maxes out at about 300Mbps and external drives connected to the monitor have severely limited transfers. Result? I have to use TWO cables - USB-C for the hub with USB3.2 set in the monitor and an additional DisplayPort cable. BTW I'm using it with the ThinkPad X280.

tldr; using the "fast charging" port on my monitor completely broke my iPhone, and now I have to buy a new one I purchased this monitor last week, and it worked fine as an external display for about 2 days. One of the USB-A ports on the side of the monitor is advertised as a "fast charging" port for your smartphone. On the second day of monitor use, after plugging in my iPhone XS for about 15 minutes (before charging, my phone had maybe 60% battery), I noticed that my phone was no longer responding or turning on. I tried powering it all the way down but to no avail. Tried charging it through a normal wall outlet, through my power strip, through my computer: nothing worked. To clarify, my iPhone is about 3 years old, and I would classify it as being in fairly good condition (i.e., no known battery or performance issues). The next day I had an appointment at Apple's Genius Bar, and a tech confirmed my worst fear: somehow in those 15 minutes of "fast charging" through my monitor, something had damaged my phone's internal circuitry and made it unable to receive/circulate power. The tech noted that this was not just a dead battery issue (in which case they could just replace it), but an issue with the whole phone, and unfortunately the only option I had was to buy a new phone. I called Philips customer support yesterday and spoke with 2 different employees, both of whom tried to find any reason this could be my fault. No, I did not plug into the incorrect USB port. No, I did not charge my device during a storm or electrical fire. Yes, I know that all smartphone batteries have a finite lifespan, but no, a phone battery gradually (i.e., over a few years) being able to hold less and less charge is very different than one that in a matter of minutes shuts off and is never able to receive charge again. Absolutely infuriating. They said my case is being escalated, and I will consider updating this review with any progress, but for now I have been trying to get through life without a phone (quite difficult nowadays when so many services I use are 2FA-protected) until I can buy a new one. I'm definitely never plugging anything else into the "fast charging" port on my monitor, but honestly I would just recommend avoiding this monitor altogether. Trust me, you don't want the horrible feeling of discovering your phone is bricked after you simply plugged it in to charge. Wish I could rate lower than 1 star, but this will have to do.