Closing Remarks, Who Is It For?

So the one thing I haven't mentioned up until now is the price, and that's largely because this is a niche product: those looking to buy something like the Momentum 43 will be specifically after what this display provides, and really there's not a lot of competition. There are a few other 43-inch 4K displays out there, but the Momentum 43 is the only one that is HDR capable and is certified for DisplayHDR 1000.

The Momentum 43 is $900, which puts it ~$250 to $300 more than your basic 43-inch 4K IPS SDR display that typically retails for $600 to $650. The HDR provided by the Momentum 43 is far from perfect, but it still will deliver a much better experience than those basic 43-inch displays so I'd say the higher price is worth it in that sense. However I'd really only recommend this monitor for those who want to use it for HDR gaming or movie playback.

The SDR mode has a few issues like a wider-than-standard color gamut that you can't easily correct, and the uniformity issue makes desktop use with solid colors a bit of an eyesore. Those who just want a massive display for productivity, for whatever reason, are going to be better off with a $600 basic IPS equivalent.

But the bigger question is whether you should buy a 43-inch monitor like this at all. As I mentioned earlier, I think this sort of size is impractical for productivity use. Those that want to multi-task with side-by-side apps are better off with either an ultrawide display, or multiple monitors, so you can position them to better suit your field of view.

For PC gamers, the Momentum 43 is massive, but if you're using it at a standard desk viewing distance, you'll most often find games are just enlarged onto this huge screen rather than extended to give you a better field of view. For that reason I'd probably again recommend either an ultrawide, or say a 32-inch monitor, which will present you with fewer issues.

And then for people wanting to use the Momentum 43 more as a TV, for console gaming or movie watching, I don't think it provides good value. Sure, it's 4K HDR and has a remote, but there are much better 4K HDR TV deals out there. I'd recommend the 55-inch Vizio P-Series which is actually $100 less than the Momentum 43, while providing a larger screen, an FALD backlight for better HDR, and similar brightness, color space and contrast to the Momentum. And it has 5 HDMI ports, not one.

So at the end of the day, the Philips Momentum 43 is kinda left in no man's land. It's a fairly respectable display in its own right, it does a lot of things well and also has a few issues, but I just don't see a use case for this class of display at this price. It's basically a super-niche product, you'd only really consider it seriously if you had a specific reason to purchase a 43-inch monitor with DisplayHDR 1000, and for most people I don't imagine they will have that specific reason.

Shopping Shortcuts:
  • Philips Momentum 43 4K HDR Monitor on Amazon
  • Vizio P-Series 55" 4K HDR Smart TV on Amazon