Philips Evnia 34M2C8600 review – OLED and Ambiglow in a gaming monitor

The Philips Evnia 34M2C8600 brings Philips’ signature Ambiglow know-how to bear on the world of OLED gaming screens. Including a wash of lighting behind the display that matches the picture on show, it attracts you into what you are watching or enjoying in a really magical manner. Philips combines this characteristic with a QD-OLED panel that boasts successfully infinite distinction and dazzling HDR, however there are a number of downsides to this show.

The Philips Evnia 34M2C8600 really slipped underneath our radar when it was first launched, however has lastly discovered its manner into our testing labs and continues to be extensively accessible. For those who’re a fan of the Ambiglow know-how and the immersive really feel it will possibly deliver, this Philips panel goes to have sturdy enchantment and make it the most effective gaming screens you should purchase. We have put it via its paces to see simply what its 34-inch, 175Hz, OLED, Ambiglow mixture brings to the social gathering.

Specs

Options

Main the cost on the options of this panel is its Ambiglow know-how. This makes use of an array of 14 RGB LEDs on the again and 14 extra on the underside of the panel to supply a flood of lighting behind your show. You possibly can set these lights to be a set colour, however one of the simplest ways to make use of them is to set them to match the video that is being proven in your show.

With Ambiglow set to match your video feed, you are handled to an extremely absorbing impact that, notably when mixed with the ultrawide facet ratio of this panel, makes for an incredible expertise when watching widescreen films or enjoying video games on the panel’s 21:9 facet ratio. At the very least that is the speculation. As I focus on within the efficiency part, in follow, I discovered the Ambiglow tech comes with a number of caveats.

This show makes use of a Samsung QD-OLED panel with a 3,440 x 1,440 decision – a great match for the 34-inch display measurement. The panel is an older technology than the newest QD-OLEDs, although. As such, its most brightness tops out at simply 250cd/m². That is sufficient for many sensible indoor use in considerably darkish environments, however is a bit dim to be used in a brighter workplace, as an illustration.

Nonetheless, with successfully infinite distinction, dazzling HDR colours, and a lightning-fast response time – together with a decently speedy 175Hz refresh fee – you’ve got a panel that ought to be very best for many video watching and gaming. Freesync assist is current too, and I confirmed the show supplies G-Sync assist too on Nvidia playing cards, even when it does not include official G-Sync certification.

Becoming a member of the panel is a decently beneficiant number of extras. The stand provides top, rotation, and tilt adjustment, whereas the panel consists of loads of connections. You get a single DisplayPort 1.4, two HDMI 2.0 ports, an audio out, and a four-port USB hub. You even get a pair of built-in 5W audio system that are not completely terrible.

Design

The Philips Evnia 34M2C8600 is one sleek-looking gaming monitor. Its white, barely mottled plastic and silver metallic construct actually units it other than most different darker, moodier gaming shows, and there is a feeling of high quality to its construct too.

That stated, it does endure from the widespread drawback of ultrawide, curved shows, which is that its stand is somewhat extensive and deep, so it takes up a good quantity of desk house. It isn’t egregious, although, and once more appears to be like sensible.

A slight design oddity is the width and uneven nature of the bezels round this display. The aspect bezels are wider than the highest one, and the left and proper bezels aren’t even. The latter is seemingly due to the show’s OLED safety methods, which barely transfer the picture from time to time to cease the show displaying precisely the identical picture for too lengthy and leading to picture burn-in. Nevertheless, we have by no means seen fairly such an excessive model of this bezel width distinction earlier than.

One closing design level to notice is that this show features a cooling fan. This spins successfully always and is noticeable in a silent room, so if that type of background hum is a significant irritation, you may battle with this show. Nevertheless, any type of background noise – birdsong, wind within the bushes, workplace chatter – shortly drowns it out, plus it isn’t noticeable when utilizing a headset, even an open-backed one.

Picture high quality

Out of the field, the Philips Evnia 34M2C8600 instantly makes an impression with its picture high quality. It has all the weather you’d hope to get from an OLED panel, corresponding to vivid colours, true black ranges, and successfully infinite distinction. Hearth up a sport or video with shiny colours and plenty of variation in mild and darkish, and you will be completely absorbed by its show.

Nevertheless, longer-term use reveals a number of points. Probably the most fast is that the show has a barely too heat/yellow look to it. It is refined in particular person, however I examined it with a Calibrite colorimeter and the show’s claimed 6,500K colour temperature measured simply 6,095k. Crucially, there is not any strategy to manually tweak the colour stability both.

You possibly can choose the 7,500K mode, which I measured at properly beneath its claimed degree, at 7,059K, however that is nonetheless barely too chilly/blue. This is not an enormous drawback for gaming and watching video – the show nonetheless appears to be like good – however is not very best for work, particularly for those who do any duties that require correct colours (video/picture enhancing, design, and so on), until you’ve got entry to a colorimeter to calibrate the show utilizing software program.

One other problem is textual content high quality and colour fringing on high-contrast edges. Many OLED panels endure from noticeably decrease high quality textual content than LCD panels with the equal pixel density, and that is the case right here too, although textual content continues to be by and huge fairly clear. The likes of the LG Ultragear 27GR95QE are worse, as an illustration, however this panel continues to be on the sting of what I might think about using for every day work, the place numerous studying or interacting with textual content is required.

As for Ambiglow, this may make a extremely large impression in sure conditions. As you possibly can see from the picture beneath, in a darkish room, the glow across the display is kind of absorbing.

Nevertheless, there are a number of minor issues with the implementation right here. The primary is that the taillights aren’t fairly shiny sufficient, and the decrease lights are comparatively too shiny, so the impact is a bit misplaced behind the display, particularly in case you have something aside from a white wall shut behind the display (see beneath). Additionally, the taillights solid a slight shadow of the monitor’s stand on the wall behind.

The opposite problem is that the lighting tends to err on the aspect of being washed out and shiny, somewhat than offering a extra vivid show. When it really works, it appears to be like nice, however the likes of the Nanoleaf 4D display mirror package present a barely higher precise show, even when it’s a much more cumbersome system.

Lastly, this panel additionally has a shiny end with a decently efficient anti-reflection coating. Even with daylight displaying via underneath the blind behind me whereas I considered this show, it nonetheless solely mirrored as a lot as you possibly can see within the lighter patch on the underside left space of the picture beneath, whereas my highly effective pictures ceiling strip lights solely created the reflections you possibly can see within the picture additional up this web page.

Gaming efficiency

Gaming on the Philips 34M2C8600 is a largely incredible expertise. Its slight points with textual content readability or colour temperature aren’t actually noticeable whereas gaming, and the mix of the ultrawide panel, OLED picture high quality, 175Hz refresh fee, and the ultra-fast response time of its OLED panel, makes it vastly succesful for all kinds of video games.

Whether or not you need the cinematic really feel of a sport like Indiana Jones and the Nice Circle or the quick response wanted for a session of CS2, this show can do all of it. The very newest OLED panels can go even brighter, and the likes of the LG Ultragear 32GS95UE with its 4K decision and as much as 480Hz refresh fee (solely at 1080p) can outclass this panel in sure eventualities, however largely the expertise right here is incredible.

Worth

The Philips Evnia 34M2C8600 launched with an MSRP of $779 / $749 however can now be had for $729 /£649. These aren’t large value drops for a monitor over a 12 months outdated, however they’re welcome and, in the end, OLED panels nonetheless retain a premium value. As an illustration, it stays aggressive with the value of comparable screens such because the Alienware AW3423DW, which makes use of the identical QD-OLED panel.

Alternate options

Alienware AW3423DW

Launching a 12 months or so earlier than the Philips Evnia 34M2C8600, however nonetheless utilizing the identical QD-OLED panel, the Alienware AW3423DW was a revelation on the time. It was among the many first OLED panels to essentially really feel like a viable improve for a non-ridiculous value. It stays one of many few 34-inch ultrawide OLED decisions and could be discovered barely cheaper than the Philips. Learn our full Alienware AW3423DW evaluation for extra info.

LG Ultragear 32GS95UE

The LG Ultragear 32GS95UE is a costlier show than the Philips, nevertheless it makes up for the value with unimaginable versatility. Its 32-inch panel, mixed with a 4K decision, eliminates points with OLED textual content high quality and makes for gorgeous visuals. In the meantime, its capacity to change to a 1080p/480Hz mode supplies cutting-edge aggressive gaming efficiency. It will possibly even do 4K at 240Hz. Learn our full LG Ultragear 32GS95UE evaluation for extra info.

Verdict

The Philips Evnia 34M2C8600 is displaying its age slightly, with the very newest OLED panels offering a better most brightness and tending to have barely higher textual content readability. Nevertheless, this show nonetheless nails the core enchantment of an ultrawide show for watching video and enjoying video games. Its response is quick, colours are dazzling, and the extensive, excessive distinction view it supplies is totally absorbing.

What’s extra, with Ambiglow in the proper circumstances – a darkish room with a white wall behind it – this show’s immersion outclasses nearly some other show in the marketplace. Add the helpful further options and glossy design, and there is a lot that appeals about this show.

Nonetheless, concentrate on its limitations. It would not be our first selection for text-heavy every day work due to its mediocre textual content readability and fan noise – not very best for those who prefer to work in silence – and its low most brightness will not go well with shiny areas both.

In the end, then, we’d solely actually strongly advocate this show if you could find it at a good low cost. At ~$750, it is nonetheless a bit too costly contemplating the a number of caveats to its efficiency.

For extra curved gaming monitor choices, take a look at our greatest curved gaming monitor information, or if you would like a very new strategy to view your video games, why not have a learn of our greatest VR headset information.