The brand new Philips Evnia 34M2C8600 is superior. It is such a reduction to say that. In latest months we have coated a number of new screens primarily based on cutting-edge mini-LED and OLED panel tech. However they’ve all dissatisfied to a point, together with Philips’ personal mini-LED monitor the Philips Evnia 34M2C7600MV (opens in new tab).
Philips has gone for a shiny coating and it makes all of the distinction. This factor appears to be like stellar.
Not Philips’ new Evnia OLED, although. This factor rocks. By most measures, this new OLED monitor is not particularly novel. It is primarily based on the identical Samsung-sourced QD-OLED panel we first noticed in Alienware’s 34-inch OLED model. You recognize, the one which went straight to the highest of our favorite gaming monitor checklist.
So, it is a 3440 by 1440 pixel merchandise with that immersive 21:9 facet ratio and a delicate 1800R curve. Philips claims the identical 250 nit full-screen SDR brightness and 1000 nit peak HDR brightness, the latter in a small 3% window. Likewise, each screens promise 0.1ms response instances and are able to 175Hz refresh.
Each manufacturers even declare exactly the identical 99.3% protection of the DCI-P3 gamut and in every case you get VESA DisplayHDR True Black certification. So, yeah, on paper there’s principally nothing to decide on between them. In follow? Properly, in follow it seems this new Philips panel has a decisive benefit.
Evnia 34M2C8600 specs
Display measurement: 34-inch
Decision: 3440 x 1440
Brightness: 1,000 nits peak HDR 3% APL, 250 nits full display screen SDR
Response time: 0.1ms
Refresh fee: 175Hz
Viewing angle: 178° H&V
Distinction ratio: 1M:1
Options: OLED panel, 99.3% DCI-P3, adaptive sync, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.0, USB Sort-C with 90W PD, USB hub, 1800R curve
Worth: $1,200 | £1,150 (opens in new tab)
No, it is not the Philips Ambiglow RGB lighting on the rear of the chassis. That is enjoyable, however would not actually transfer the needle materially. Neither is it the absence of an Nvidia G-Sync module. The Philips simply has commonplace VESA-spec adaptive sync, however is not any cheaper than the Alienware regardless of that.
The truth that this Philips has USB-C with energy supply, which the Alienware lacks, likewise most likely is not a significant component on what’s primarily a gaming show. Although it must be famous it’s essential use that USB-C interface or the DisplayPort connection to get the complete 175Hz refresh.
Funnily sufficient, the necessary distinction is not something massively excessive tech. But it surely does handle one of many few drawbacks of the Alienware, particularly its matte anti-glare coating, which barely robs the show of perceived distinction and makes black tones look a tiny bit gray.
Philips has gone for a shiny coating and it makes all of the distinction. This factor appears to be like stellar. However let’s not get forward of ourselves. The Philips Evnia 34M2C8600 impresses as quickly as you flip it on. That is not as a result of it instantly does one thing beautiful.
As a substitute, it is as a result of it would not look instantly damaged on the Home windows desktop. It simply operates usually and with none clunkiness or weirdness. You’ll be able to’t say that for any OLED monitor we have reviewed that is as a substitute primarily based on an LG OLED panel, such because the flexible Corsair Flex (opens in new tab). All of them have apparent brightness points and have a tendency to do annoying and distracting issues, equivalent to adjusting the general brightness of the panel mechanically if in case you have the temerity to resize a browser window. It is simply so distracting.
Not so, the brand new Evnia OLED. Like its Alienware cousin, it would not run a problematic ABL or automated brightness limiter in SDR mode. What’s extra, it is fairly punchy at 250 nits for full display screen brightness. LG-based OLED screens are available in beneath 200 nits for full display screen brightness and which means they give the impression of being plain dingy and boring on the Home windows desktop.
Sure, mini-LED screens do primary brightness higher. However with that comes all of the downsides of LCD, like mediocre pixel response, plus the quite a few new points that include native dimming, together with blooming and crushing of shadow element. A lot depends upon precisely how the dimming algorithm has been coded with mini-LED screens.
Even higher, the brand new Philips is de facto properly calibrated in HDR True Black mode. Particularly, the SDR colour steadiness is bang on in that mode. If that feels like an esoteric concern, it truly issues. As a result of it means you possibly can run this monitor in HDR True Black mode on a regular basis.
This, absolutely, is way nearer to the way in which HDR is supposed to be.
The slight catch is that there’s a seen brightness limiter working in HDR mode. So, you possibly can see the entire panel adjusting its brightness as you do issues like open and shut browser tabs or modify utility window sizes. It is pretty obvious in a number of the punchier HDR modes, however in our most well-liked HDR True Black mode it is barely seen, particularly in comparison with the large shifts in brightness we have seen with screens working LG panels.
Finally, you need not consistently swap forwards and backwards between HDR True Black and SDR mode relying on content material kind. This, absolutely, is way nearer to the way in which HDR is supposed to be. Talking of this being the way in which HDR is supposed to be, that applies to the precise HDR efficiency, too. Run some HDR video and, holy moly, the Evnia appears to be like nice. The shiny coating actually accentuates the distinction between these inky OLED blacks and the scorching highlights.
Granted, the HDR True Black mode is just calibrated to peak 400 nit brightness. However the good black ranges imply that that is sufficient for a very punchy total really feel. Highlights actually pop, even restricted to 400 nits.
Hop into an HDR-capable recreation equivalent to Cyberpunk 2077 and with this monitor you truly perceive what all of the HDR hype has been about. Working Cyberpunk in HDR unambiguously appears to be like higher than SDR mode on the Evnia. It is shocking how few HDR screens you possibly can say that of, even these with ludicrous peak luminance ranges.
Extra to the purpose, the Evnia completely sizzles in Cyberpunk. Exterior, there’s immense shadow element similtaneously fabulous pop the place shafts of daylight hit objects or characters. Inside, neon lights actually sock it to your retinas. However proper subsequent to that you may see particulars within the darkness that you’ve got by no means noticed earlier than. It is a bit of a revelation.
In truth, seeing this monitor do its HDR factor is to expertise one thing of an epiphany. Out of the blue, HDR is sensible moderately frustrates. If there’s a catch it is that not one of the various HDR modes Philips has included fairly hit the spot.
Sure, they permit entry to greater HDR brightness ranges and thus obtain that 1000 nit claimed peak. Drawback is, they’re all somewhat oversatured and imbalanced. If all you care about is pure visible punch, then OK. However the colour steadiness and saturation solely appears to be like proper within the barely extra restrained HDR True Black mode.
In different phrases, you possibly can’t have the complete 1000 nit expertise and correct colours on the similar time, which is a tiny little bit of a pity. Us? We would persist with HDR True Black mode. It has loads of pop, a real HDR expertise and pure, convincing colours. It is simply nice.
Seeing this monitor do its HDR factor is to expertise one thing of an epiphany.
There’s extra excellent news elsewhere. The pixel response is, in fact, outrageously zippy. It is higher than any IPS monitor. Mix that with the 175Hz refresh, which is sufficient for all however essentially the most lag-sensitive esports addicts, and you’ve got significantly speedy total expertise.
Should you’re in search of downsides past the slight commerce offs of the assorted HDR modes and the marginal remaining brightness limitations, properly, there’s one apparent subject baked in from the get go. Its pixel density. 3440 by 1440 pixels on a 34-inch ultrawide monitor makes for a pedestrian pixel density of 110DPI.
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After all, the next decision and better pixel density would have implications for body charges. For instance this was a 5K2K 34-inch panel with 5,120 by 2,160 pixels. That is your pixel density solved proper there. However you then’d instantly have a brand new body fee subject. Even an Nvidia RTX 4090 (opens in new tab) goes to wrestle to hit triple-digit body charges in essentially the most demanding video games at that form of decision.
Anyway, like its Alienware cousin the Philips Evnia OLED does lack the retina-slicing sharpness and graphical element of, say, a 27-inch 4K monitor. There isn’t any avoiding that. However in a pure gaming context, it is nonetheless an amazing compromise between visible element and body charges.
It is extra for common computing and productiveness that the decision and pixel density do not fairly get the job carried out, particularly given the worth level. On that word, the Samsung OLED panel’s triangular moderately than striped subpixel construction can be barely suboptimal for rendering fonts.
You even have any remaining doubts over OLED longevity. Will this Philips finally endure from burn in? That is exhausting to foretell. Up to now, its Alienware cousin utilizing the identical Samsung QD-OLED panel appears to be faring properly out within the wild.
All of which signifies that you could have guessed what’s coming. Yup, the Philips Philips Evnia 34M2C8600 is our new favorite gaming monitor. It matches the Alienware OLED at each vital flip, after which provides a shiny coating that basically lets that Samsung QD-OLED panel sing.
The Alienware does provide full G-Sync performance for just about the identical cash. so from an goal scoring perspective, it is a useless warmth. However the ethical win goes to Philips. That is the OLED monitor—heck, the something monitor—we’d select.
There isn’t any backlighting weirdness that it’s a must to put up with on mini-LED screens. Likewise, the complete display screen brightness is much better than LG-based OLED screens. As a substitute, that is the nearly no-compromise OLED expertise we have been ready for. It truly is that good.
