Philips Evnia 34M2C7600 Review: High Contrast and Wide Gamut Color

34-inch Ultra-Wide WQHD VA gaming monitor with a Mini LED backlight, 165 Hz, DisplayHDR 1400, Adaptive-Sync, and extended color.

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Philips Envia 34M2C7600
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

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Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

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Philips Evnia 34M2C7600
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

I modified my test procedure in the 34M2C7600’s case to show its full potential. Out of the box in SmartImage mode, it peaks at just under 500 nits with a respectable 2,727.5:1 contrast. But in Game 1 mode, with the brightness maxed and no other adjustments, the peak is much higher at 740 nits with contrast at nearly 4,000:1. This is a much better state of affairs thanks to the lower black level.

After Calibration to 200 nits

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Philips Evnia 34M2C7600
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

I couldn’t calibrate the RGB sliders because there aren’t any. But I changed the gamma to 2.4 and chose the Preset color temp to get a slightly higher contrast. You can see that all the panels have excellent native contrast. It’s a bummer you can’t use the 34M2C7600’s local dimming because it would add a lot of punch to SDR content.

Quality control is excellent, which is indicated by the Philips’ high ANSI contrast value of 3,315.9:1. Despite the lack of an SDR zone dimming option, the monitor looks fantastic with deep blacks, bright whites and plenty of color.

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Christian Eberle
Christian Eberle
Contributing Editor

Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.