Philips 24E1N1100A 24 Inch 100Hz IPS Monitor Review: The Budget All-Rounder We’ve Been Waiting For?

In our testing lab, we see a constant parade of monitors. There are the ultra-wide, curved behemoths designed for immersive gaming, the colour-accurate 4K panels for creative professionals, and the barebones screens for corporate offices. But for years, the real challenge has been finding a monitor that hits the elusive “sweet spot” for the everyday user. We’re talking about someone who works from home during the day, dives into a few rounds of their favourite game in the evening, and catches up on streaming services over the weekend. They need crisp text, smooth motion, and vibrant colours, but they don’t have an unlimited budget. It’s a space where compromise has always been the name of the game: you could get a high refresh rate but had to settle for a washed-out TN panel, or you could get a beautiful IPS display that was stuck at a sluggish 60Hz. This search for a single, affordable screen that excels at both productivity and play is a problem we, and many of our readers, know all too well.

What to Consider Before Buying a Monitor for Work and Play

A monitor is more than just a screen; it’s a key solution for enhancing productivity, improving gaming performance, and making multimedia consumption more enjoyable. It’s the primary window to your digital world, and its quality directly impacts everything from eye strain after a long day of work to your competitive edge in a fast-paced game. The main benefits of a well-chosen monitor are improved visual clarity, which makes reading and editing documents easier; smoother motion, which eliminates screen tearing and stutter in games and videos; and better colour accuracy, which brings photos and movies to life. Investing in the right display is an investment in your daily comfort and digital experience.

The ideal customer for this type of hybrid monitor is someone setting up a home office, a student who needs a screen for both studies and entertainment, or a casual gamer looking for a significant upgrade from a standard 60Hz display. They value versatility and performance-per-pound above all else. However, this category of monitor might not be suitable for those with highly specialised needs. Professional esports athletes will likely demand 240Hz+ refresh rates, while graphic designers or photographers will need panels with near-perfect sRGB and Adobe RGB colour gamut coverage and hardware calibration support. For those users, higher-end, specialised monitors would be a more appropriate, albeit more expensive, alternative.

Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:

• Resolution & Screen Size: For a 24-inch monitor, Full HD (1920×1080) is the industry standard, offering a good balance of sharpness and performance. It ensures text is crisp without being too small and doesn’t require an ultra-powerful graphics card to drive games at high frame rates. Anything larger than 27 inches, however, benefits from a higher QHD (2560×1440) resolution to maintain pixel density.
• Panel Type & Refresh Rate: IPS (In-Plane Switching) panels, like the one in this Philips model, are lauded for their superior colour accuracy and wide viewing angles compared to older TN or VA panels. A refresh rate of 100Hz is a noticeable step up from the standard 60Hz, providing much smoother scrolling, cursor movement, and gameplay. It represents a new baseline for a quality user experience.
• Connectivity & Ergonomics: Ensure the monitor has the ports you need. HDMI is ubiquitous, but some older devices still use VGA. A lack of DisplayPort can be a limitation for some high-end graphics cards. Also, consider the stand—does it offer tilt, or is it fixed? A VESA mount option provides flexibility for using third-party monitor arms for a more ergonomic setup.
• Eye Care Features: If you spend hours in front of a screen, features like a LowBlue mode and Flicker-Free technology are not just marketing buzzwords; they are essential. These technologies reduce harmful blue light emissions and eliminate invisible screen flicker, both of which are major contributors to digital eye strain and fatigue over long periods.

Keeping these factors in mind, the Philips 24E1N1100A 24 Inch 100Hz IPS Monitor stands out in several areas. You can explore its detailed specifications and current offers here.

While the Philips 24E1N1100A 24 Inch 100Hz IPS Monitor is an excellent choice, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:

First Impressions: Sleek, Simple, and Surprisingly Capable

Unboxing the Philips 24E1N1100A 24 Inch 100Hz IPS Monitor, our initial impression was one of understated efficiency. The packaging is straightforward, and assembly is a breeze. As one user aptly noted, it’s “very easy to put the stand on, slotting it in place.” The two-piece stand—a base and a neck—clicks together without tools and then attaches securely to the back of the panel. The whole process took less than two minutes from box to desk. Aesthetically, the monitor is clean and modern, with thin bezels on three sides that make it a great candidate for multi-monitor setups. While the construction is entirely plastic, it feels solid enough for its price point, with no alarming creaks or flex. Powering it on for the first time, we were greeted by a bright, vibrant image. The IPS panel immediately shows its strength with punchy colours and excellent viewing angles, a significant leap from the TN panels that used to dominate this price bracket. It feels like a product that focuses its budget where it matters most: the screen itself.

Performance Deep Dive: Putting the Philips 24E1N1100A Through Its Paces

A monitor’s true worth is revealed not on the spec sheet, but through hours of real-world use. We put the Philips 24E1N1100A 24 Inch 100Hz IPS Monitor through a gauntlet of tasks, from mind-numbing spreadsheets and long-form writing to fast-paced gaming and movie marathons. Our goal was to see if this affordable display could genuinely serve as a jack-of-all-trades without any critical compromises.

Visual Fidelity and Colour Performance: The IPS Advantage

The star of the show here is undoubtedly the IPS panel. Right out of the box, colours are noticeably more vivid and accurate than what you’d find on a typical budget monitor. We found the display to be excellent for multimedia consumption; watching YouTube videos and streaming shows on Netflix was a pleasure, with rich tones and deep blacks (for an IPS panel) that made the content pop. As one user confirmed, the “picture quality is really good,” making it a great choice for a home office where media consumption is just as common as work. The 178-degree viewing angles are also spot-on, meaning colours stay consistent even when viewed from the side, which is crucial for sharing your screen or in multi-monitor arrays.

However, to get the absolute best picture, a little tweaking is required. Like some other users, we found that diving into the settings can unlock even more potential. One particularly helpful user suggested that “nvidia users to go into your nvidia control panel and adjust the colour settings inside there,” and we can wholeheartedly second this recommendation. A few minor adjustments to digital vibrance and gamma in the graphics card’s control panel took the image from “good” to “great,” adding a level of saturation and contrast that really brought out the best in the panel. The on-screen display (OSD), controlled by a single joystick on the back, is functional, though some have found it a bit fiddly, with one user calling it a “specie di incubo” (a kind of nightmare) for simply turning the power on and off. While we didn’t find it that dramatic, it certainly takes some getting used to.

Smooth Motion: The 100Hz and 1ms MPRT Experience

The jump from 60Hz to 100Hz is one of the most significant quality-of-life improvements you can make to your computing experience. On the Philips 24E1N1100A 24 Inch 100Hz IPS Monitor, this upgrade is immediately apparent. Simply moving the cursor across the desktop feels more responsive and fluid. Scrolling through web pages and documents is buttery smooth, reducing the jittery effect that can contribute to eye strain. For productivity, this translates to a more pleasant and premium-feeling experience. For gaming, it’s a game-changer. While not at the level of a 144Hz or 240Hz esports display, the 100Hz refresh rate, combined with Adaptive Sync, provides a tear-free and fluid gaming experience in titles like *Flight Simulator*, *Fortnite*, and *Apex Legends*. One user specifically bought it for a flight simulator setup and found it “excellent” for their needs.

It is critical to note, as a savvy user pointed out, that the monitor defaults to 60Hz out of the box. You must manually go into your operating system’s display settings (Windows Display Settings or NVIDIA/AMD Control Panel) to select 1920×1080 at 100Hz. This is a common practice for high-refresh-rate monitors and not a fault of the device, but it’s something first-time buyers might miss. The advertised 1ms response time is specified as MPRT (Moving Picture Response Time), which is achieved through a backlight strobing technique. While this does reduce motion blur effectively, it can also reduce brightness and may introduce flicker for some sensitive users. For most casual gaming, leaving it on the standard overdrive setting provides a clean image with minimal ghosting, making it more than capable for its target audience.

Design, Build Quality, and Onboard Features

For a budget monitor, the design is surprisingly thoughtful. The integrated cable management clip on the stand is a small but welcome touch that helps keep your desk tidy. The monitor itself is lightweight at just 2.9kg, making it easy to move or mount. Speaking of which, the VESA compatibility is a huge plus, allowing you to use a monitor arm for perfect ergonomic positioning, which the included tilt-only stand doesn’t offer. The physical build is where some of the cost-saving measures become apparent. One user noted a minor “difetto nell’assemblaggio della plastica inferiore” (a flaw in the assembly of the lower plastic), suggesting that the fit and finish isn’t perfect across all units. This aligns with a few other reports of minor cosmetic issues or even receiving damaged units, highlighting a potential for inconsistency in quality control, which is a common risk in the budget electronics segment.

Perhaps the most universally criticized feature is the integrated speakers. Several users confirmed our findings: they are present, but not impressive. One person described the audio as giving “mucha pena” (is very pitiful), while another stated they are “not the most powerful in the world” but sufficient for video calls. We agree with this assessment. The speakers are fine for system sounds, podcasts, or a quick work meeting, but for any serious music listening or immersive gaming, you will absolutely want a dedicated soundbar or a good pair of headphones. It’s best to think of them as a convenient backup rather than a primary audio source. The Philips 24E1N1100A is a monitor that clearly prioritizes screen performance over audio, a trade-off we believe is the right one at this price.

What Other Users Are Saying

Synthesizing feedback from a wide range of users, a clear picture of the Philips 24E1N1100A 24 Inch 100Hz IPS Monitor emerges. The overwhelming majority of positive reviews praise the monitor for its excellent value proposition. Users are consistently impressed with the picture quality for the price, frequently describing it as “very pleased,” “way better than my last monitor,” and perfect for home office tasks like “Excel, Chrome, videollamadas.” One Spanish-speaking user was “encantada con esta pantalla” (delighted with this screen), highlighting that the image is sharp, the colours are pleasant, and most importantly, it doesn’t cause eye strain even after hours of work.

On the negative side, there are two recurring themes. The first is inconsistent quality control and packaging. Several users reported receiving units that were either dead on arrival (“big lines on screen”), damaged (“a crack on the bottom left”), or were missing accessories like the VGA or audio cables mentioned in the manual. The second common complaint is the weakness of the built-in speakers, a point almost universally agreed upon. These issues underscore the reality of buying in the budget category: while you can get fantastic performance for the money, there’s a slightly higher risk of encountering a manufacturing or shipping flaw compared to premium models.

How Does the Philips 24E1N1100A Compare to the Alternatives?

The Philips 24E1N1100A 24 Inch 100Hz IPS Monitor occupies a competitive space. To understand its value, we need to compare it against some popular alternatives with different strengths.

1. Samsung Odyssey G5 LS27CG552EUXXU 27″ Gaming Monitor

The Samsung Odyssey G5 is a significant step up in almost every gaming-related metric. It offers a larger 27-inch screen with a sharper QHD (2560×1440) resolution, a much faster 165Hz refresh rate, and an aggressive 1000R curve for enhanced immersion. It also includes HDR10 support for more dynamic contrast. This monitor is the clear choice for serious gamers who prioritise performance and have a more powerful graphics card to drive the higher resolution. However, it comes at a substantially higher price. The Philips is a better choice for users on a tighter budget or those whose primary use is productivity, with casual gaming as a secondary concern.

2. Samsung LS24D360GAUXXU 24″ Curved Monitor

This Samsung monitor is a more direct competitor in terms of size and price. It matches the Philips with a 24-inch, FullHD resolution and a 100Hz refresh rate. The key differentiator is its curved screen, which is a matter of personal preference—some users find it more immersive, while others prefer a flat panel for productivity tasks like graphic design or working with spreadsheets. The Philips holds an edge with its IPS panel, which typically provides better colour accuracy and viewing angles than the VA-type panels often used in curved monitors at this price point. If you strongly prefer a curved display, this Samsung is a solid option; otherwise, the Philips’s IPS panel makes it the more versatile choice.

3. ARZOPA A1 15.6″ FHD Portable Monitor

The ARZOPA A1 isn’t a direct competitor but represents a different solution to a similar problem: adding screen real estate. This is a 15.6-inch portable monitor designed to be a second screen for a laptop on the go. It connects via USB-C or HDMI and is incredibly lightweight and slim. It’s the ideal choice for frequent travellers, students who work in different locations, or anyone needing a temporary second display. It cannot, however, replace a primary desktop monitor like the Philips. The Philips offers a much larger screen, a higher refresh rate, and a more stable setup for a permanent workspace. This is for adding a screen to your laptop bag, whereas the Philips is for building your desk setup.

Final Verdict: An Exceptional Value for Everyday Excellence

After extensive testing and poring over user feedback, our conclusion is clear: the Philips 24E1N1100A 24 Inch 100Hz IPS Monitor is an outstanding value and one of the best all-round budget monitors we’ve seen. It successfully bridges the gap between work and play, offering a feature set that was, until recently, reserved for more expensive models. The combination of a vibrant IPS panel and a smooth 100Hz refresh rate creates a user experience that feels premium and responsive, whether you’re editing documents or exploring a virtual world.

Yes, there are compromises. The built-in speakers are forgettable, the stand is basic, and there appears to be a degree of quality control variance that is common in this market segment. However, Philips has made the right trade-offs, pouring the budget into the core component: the display panel itself. For students, home office workers, and casual gamers looking for a significant, meaningful upgrade from a standard 60Hz screen without emptying their wallet, this monitor is an easy and enthusiastic recommendation. It delivers where it counts, providing a visually pleasing and fluid experience for a wide variety of tasks.

If you’ve decided the Philips 24E1N1100A 24 Inch 100Hz IPS Monitor is the right fit for your desk, you can check its current price and purchase it here.