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.

Reviews
By Christian Eberle
published
Philips Envia 34M2C7600
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

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Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors.

The one place where the 34M2C7600, and its Mini LED counterparts, runs away from the competition is peak brightness. DisplayHDR 1400 is the order of the day and that, along with 1,152 dimming zones, makes a huge difference in image quality.

HDR Brightness annd Contrast

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

When measuring a full field, the 34M2C7600 renders around 1,100 nits, so I reduced the pattern to 25% coverage and got almost 1,500 nits. Small highlights are extremely bright and really help the image pop. Philips has engineered its local dimming very well here. I couldn’t measure the black levels as all unused LEDs are shut off, so the contrast is also unmeasurable. Though the ASRock effectively extends its dynamic range to an excellent 16,907:1, it doesn’t hold a candle, or a diode, to the Mini LED screens. Only a good OLED like Asus’ PG27AQDM can deliver a deeper image than this.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color

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Philips Evnia 34M2C7600
(Image credit: Portrait Displays Calman)

There are five HDR picture modes, but the only one remotely close to color accurate is DisplayHDR 1400. The default one, Game HDR is extremely red in tone, and the others don’t deliver the proper luminance tracking for optimal performance. You can see visually perfect grayscale tracking from bottom to top and an EOTF that is flawed only in its darkest steps. The 34M2C7600 rises too slowly from black, which means some shadow detail may be hard to see in some games. It’s too bad you can’t use the Shadow Boost feature to fix this, but it is grayed out. Most HDR games have luminance tweaks in their menus, so I turned to dial in the image on a per-title basis.

HDR color is rich and vibrant with excellent saturation tracking. Most points are on target or a little over-saturated which is forgivable. Hues are spot-on, which means the image is always natural and pleasing. The DCI-P3 and Rec.2020 charts exhibit the same performance, which is a good thing. Most HDR content is mastered in the Rec.2020 gamut and the 34M2C7600 comes close to covering it. Thanks to accurate grayscale, luminance tracking and a very wide color gamut, the 34M2C7600 is one of the better HDR monitors out there. It truly does justice to the format.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

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MORE: How to Choose the Best HDR Monitor

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.

6 Comments Comment from the forums
  • cknobman
    I have a hard time considering this when I can get a OLED version cheaper.
    If the display wasnt curved it might make a case for desktop and productivity use but thats not really the market this display is targeting.
    Reply
  • coloradoblah
    when will these ultrawide gaming monitors move on from 1440p? I dont need 4k but why not at least make a switch to 1600p from some 38” monitors, I like my 4 year old 34” 1440p monitor but i can see the pixels.
    Reply
  • coloradoblah
    cknobman said:
    I have a hard time considering this when I can get a OLED version cheaper.
    If the display wasnt curved it might make a case for desktop and productivity use but thats not really the market this display is targeting.
    I use my curve for work, it took a little getting used to but as long as you arent doing graphic design stuff you can make it work
    Reply
  • Alvar "Miles" Udell
    $1300? No thanks. There are better options that have better color accuracy, don't have a curved screen or VA panel, and cost under $1000.
    Reply
  • alithegreat
    There should be a comment and comparison to aw3423dwf, which I guess is about 1100$.
    Reply
  • MiniITXEconomy
    Alvar Miles Udell said:
    $1300? No thanks. There are better options that have better color accuracy, don't have a curved screen or VA panel, and cost under $1000.

    Ugh, thank you so much, this was the info I was looking for... also, hell no, I ain't paying that much for this.
    Reply