The release of Apple's port-deficient MacBooks caused some gnashing of teeth regarding its lack of legacy connectors, but the upshot is that there's a new breed of professional monitors with lots of functionality integrated into a USB Type-C port. Philips' new 328P6AU and 328P6VU displays are members of this new clade with their integrated speakers, Gigabit Ethernet connectivity, and multi-port USB 3.0 hubs, all working over a single connection that also carries the display signal. Anton Shilov spotted these monitors at IFA in Berlin and wrote about them over at Anandtech.
The 328P6AU is the more pedestrian of the pair, relatively speaking. According to the site, this monitor is based on an IPS-ADS panel with a 2560×1440 resolution and a maximum brightness of 400 cd/m². The most impressive specification the display's 98% coverage of the Adobe RGB color space. This panel is aimed at professionals, so it reportedly comes with a stand that allows for height, rotation, tilt, and pivot adjustments. The higher-end 328P6VU has a more impressive spec sheet, with a resolution of 3840×2160, brightness up to 600 cd/m², and 16-zone local dimming, a feature that should make for fantastic contrast ratios.
Both monitors come with the same connections for DisplayPort, HDMI, and analog inputs, plus a USB Type-C port. The USB-C connector should allow a single cable to carry a display signal plus USB 3.0, audio, and Gigabit Ethernet. Anandtech didn't say whether the USB-C connector could also charge an attached laptop.
Anandtech says the Philips 328P6AU will go on sale next month, though pricing isn't available. The more impressive Philips 328P6VU is set to hit the European market in the first quarter of next year for around €539, or approximately $538 without VAT.