Holy multitasking, Batman! Philips slapped an e-reader onto a monitor

I don't usually cover enterprise products unless it does something really unique that impresses even me, a non-businessman. And the Philips 24B1D5600 monitor does exactly that. It's a dual-screen monitor with a quirky feature—the second screen is essentially an e-reader. As someone who spends most of my workday sifting through emails and Google docs, I'm intrigued.

The Philips 24B1D5600 (via Tom's Hardware) is your standard 24-inch 1440p monitor that is no different than what you've probably got sitting at your desk at work, except this one has a 13-inch e-paper side panel display that promises to make reading those endless PDFs and emails a lot easier on the eyes.

This monitor's 75Hz refresh rate and 4ms response time don't make it an ideal candidate for gaming, so it's better suited for work than play. Although tiny 1440p gaming monitors are becoming increasingly popular, this monitor doesn't offer the performance serious gamers would expect.

The 13.3-inch E-Paper display has a resolution of 1200 x 1600 (with a 3:4 aspect ratio) and folds in up to 45 degrees. It uses its own power independently of the main screen via USB Type-C connection. An on-screen menu allows you to switch between different viewing modes.

The ePaper display doesn't have backlighting or emit blue light, which some say cause eye strain and headaches. It's more like reading a physical book. If you've ever used an e-reader like a Kindle, you're already familiar with the technology.

While this all seems pretty neat, the main display's maximum brightness of 250 nits is on the lower end for a productivity monitor. Unfortunately, you can't purchase the e-paper display separately and attach it to an existing monitor.

The Philips 24B1D5600 is currently available in parts of Asia for roughly around $600, but there's no word on US availability and pricing.

Jorge is a hardware writer from the enchanted lands of New Jersey. When he's not filling the office with the smell of Pop-Tarts, he's reviewing all sorts of gaming hardware, from laptops with the latest mobile GPUs to gaming chairs with built-in back massagers. He's been covering games and tech for over ten years and has written for Dualshockers, WCCFtech, Tom's Guide, and a bunch of other places on the world wide web.