Philips' Ultrawide 346P1CRH Packs USB-C Daisy-Chaining, 100 Hz, HDR & Adaptive-Sync
Philips offers a very well-rounded display
Philips is back again with a new monitor, this time unveiling the 346P1CRH. This creatively-named display follows the recipe of a curved 34-inch ultrawide, but with a few unique qualities that make it a very attractive contender for office users who want to fire up a casual game from time to time.
Beneath the tidy, no-fuss exterior styling of the display resides a VA panel with a 1500R curve and a 3440 by 1440 resolution. Due to being a VA panel, it has a static contrast ratio of 3000:1, and the display has a peak brightness of up to 500 cd/m². Although the panel is limited to 8-bits for just 16.7-million colors, gamut coverage is quite alright at 120% of the sRGB space, 88% of AdobeRGB, and 90% of the DCI-P3 space. This means that although professional photographers and video won't be fully satisfied, general-purpose or casual editing can certainly be accomplished on this display. A factory sRGB calibration is provided with a Delta E of less than 2.
If you're taking a break from work and firing up a casual game, the 346P1CRH won't disappoint, either. With a refresh rate of 100 Hz, Adaptive-Sync support, 4ms response times, and DisplayHDR 400, games will run smoothly, and without stuttering or tearing at framerates between 48 and 100 Hz.
Philips also considered its user's needs when it decided what to do for the display's connectivity, where again, the spec sheet doesn't leave us wanting more. For starters, it comes with USB Type-C with daisy-chaining support, along with USB-C docking and up to 90 watts of power delivery. Other display inputs include a DisplayPort 1.4 connector and two HDMI 2.0 inputs. On the USB-side, there is a 4-port hub that feeds from either the USB Type-C input or a USB Type-B input, depending on which input you've selected in the KVM switch options. Topping it off, there is a headphone jack and Gigabit Ethernet. Oh, and there's a pop-up webcam built-in, along with a proximity sensor.
Consider that all these features are packed together into one monitor, you'll soon realize that this is a very well balanced piece of kit that's capable of catering to a huge audience. Unless you have extreme needs in any particular area such as color reproduction or extremely high refresh rates, the Philips 346P1CRH likely has everything you'll need from a monitor for years to come.
The best part: It's available for pre-order in Europe for about €560, with delivery at the end of the month. Though we don't have information about US pricing or availability, we do hope it will land here soon for a similar price, as we feel that the 346P1CRH might become quite popular.
Stay On the Cutting Edge: Get the Tom's Hardware Newsletter
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
Niels Broekhuijsen is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He reviews cases, water cooling and pc builds.