Philips’ new display has a screen on both sides

Its name may be boring and uninspired, but the Philips 24B2D5300 professional monitor brings a new feature that I’ve never seen on a monitor before: screens on either side. The design will primarily benefit people who constantly angle their computer screen so those on both sides of a desk can see it, like a car salesman guiding a buyer through configuration options or a doctor conferring with a patient. But there are also potential coworking applications.

Featuring 23.8-inch back-to-back LCD panels with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 at 120 Hz, the monitor can be connected to one or more devices using either a pair of USB-C power ports or a pair of HDMI ports. In most scenarios it will be connected to a single computer with the same thing reflected on both sides, but the two displays can also be used as two extended displays, with one side displaying public information and the other private details. Repositioning the monitor can be tricky because it can’t be mounted on an articulating arm, but its base swivels 180 degrees so you can still rotate it to easily check what’s displayed on the other side.