Philips has combined two separate worlds in its new monitor

E-Ink or E-ink monitors are not a new phenomenon. Although they are few in number, they appear in the market and have been forming the screens of e-book readers for several years. Because they both consume very little energy and do not tire the eyes. The problem is, the grayscale and slow refresh rates make these displays useless for other activities, especially games. However, Philips found a new solution: a separate E-Ink display positioned to the side of the 1440p monitor.

Combination of traditional IPS display and E-Ink

Philips 24B1D5600, a new one of the names we are used to from the company, is a 23.8 inch 2560 x 1440 IPS monitor with a 75Hz refresh rate and 250 nits brightness. What makes this monitor special is the split e-ink display that can be attached to the side. This 13.3-inch display has 1200 x 1600 (150 PPI) resolution, 4:3 aspect ratio, 4-bit grayscale support and its own backlight, including color temperature to minimize blue light. The e-Reader can be connected to the main unit via hinges and angled up to 45 degrees.

Both the monitor and the E-ink display request separate connections to a PC and a power supply. The split screen makes the connection via USB-C. It can also provide 15W power output to charge connected devices. Thanks to its plug-and-play compatibility, the main monitor can be used for daily use, while the second monitor is reserved for static text, helping increase productivity. At least Philips thinks so.

The main monitor unit has various connectivity options such as DP 1.2, four-port USB Type A, Gigabit Ethernet port and audio input. It also has a USB-C port that supports USB PD 3.0 up to 90W. The Philips 24B1D5600 is currently on sale in China for around $850. There is currently no global sale of the product. If you like the idea, you might also like the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Twist laptop with both OLED and E-Ink displays announced at CES 2023.