Philips Evnia 34M2C8600 Review: Stunning Image and Stellar Gaming Performance

34-inch ultra-wide curved QD-OLED gaming monitor with 175 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR, and infinite contrast.

Reviews
By Christian Eberle
published
Philips Envia 34M2C8600
Editor's Choice
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

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To compare the 34M2C8600’s performance, I’ve lined up an almost-all-OLED group that consists of Corsair’s Xeneon Flex, Asus’ PG27AQDM, Alienware’s AW3423DW and AW3423DWF, and as a control, the Philips 34M2C7600 which is a VA Mini LED with similar specs.

Pixel Response and Input Lag

Click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures.

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Philips Evnia 34M2C8600
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Higher refresh rates mean higher frame rates and smoother motion. But when comparing OLEDs, there is little difference between 175 Hz and 240 Hz. Two LCDs running at those speeds are more obviously different. This is because OLED processes motion better and keeps objects sharp at lower speeds. I have observed this to be true of all the OLEDs I’ve tested.

If input lag is your most important metric, the PG27AQDM is the current king, but the 34M2C8600 isn’t far behind at 27ms total. This difference might be too much for professional gamers, but most players won’t be disappointed at the Philips’ feel or performance. It is very responsive and smooth in all types of gameplay. However, you’ll notice the other Philips is a bit lower in the ranking thanks to its 165 Hz refresh rate. And it is much less smooth than all the OLEDs.

Viewing Angles

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Aside from “it’s awesome'' there isn’t much else one can say about the 34M2C8600’s off-axis image quality. This is one of OLED’s major advantages over LCD. The degree of light polarization is far lower, meaning you won’t see any reduction in brightness and just a minimal color shift. You can see a bit of red in both angle shots, horizontal and vertical. But this will be hard to spot in actual content. The 34M2C8600 is very shareable by two users.

Screen Uniformity

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, click here.

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Screen uniformity doesn’t get much better than 2.10% deviation. The 34M2C8600 produced one of the lowest values I’ve ever recorded. None of the OLEDs here have any visible glow, bleed or variation, so as a technology, it is more consistent in this test than LCDs. In practice, any number below 10% is visually perfect.

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.

8 Comments Comment from the forums
  • cknobman
    I'm sorry but the brightness, especially HDR brightness, is just too low and far off other OLED monitors.
    Maybe in the grand scheme its acceptable, but for $1200, I expect more/better.
    Reply
  • AnimeMania
    I take it there is not a VESA mount to attach an arm.
    I don't know why monitor companies do not use HDMI 2.1 for monitors with high refresh rates, it seems like it could have been advantageous, since the speakers are better than average quality.
    Reply
  • slurmsmckenzie
    AnimeMania said:
    I take it there is not a VESA mount to attach an arm.
    It does at least have this option - someone linked an image from this reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/ultrawidemasterrace/comments/11su4al/i_bought_an_philips_evnia_34m2c8600_ama/
    Image: a/un6ZK3oView: https://imgur.com/a/un6ZK3o
    Reply
  • BlockParty
    cknobman said:
    I'm sorry but the brightness, especially HDR brightness, is just too low and far off other OLED monitors.
    Maybe in the grand scheme its acceptable, but for $1200, I expect more/better.
    Someone is buying these unfortunately, B&H Back ordered till, Jul 10, 2023
    $1,299.99, the deal breaker for me is the lack of HDMI 2.1

    I really like the look of this monitor but it will not do well in a room that has a decent amount of sunlight. Should be perfect for the neckbeards living in mom's basement rent-free.

    This should cost at most $799, but I would still rather buy an LG OLED C2 42" personally.
    Reply
  • Sopping_Wet
    I prefer Quantum Dot IPS monitor with HDMI 2.1 @ 4k. Especially, with higher refresh rate and for what ever reason the Quantum Dot IPS monitors make HDR look the best by far
    Reply
  • dave.rara66
    Sopping_Wet said:
    I prefer Quantum Dot IPS monitor with HDMI 2.1 @ 4k. Especially, with higher refresh rate and for what ever reason the Quantum Dot IPS monitors make HDR look the best by far
    So you've compared the two side by side? Didn't think so... :LOL:

    Quantum Dot or not, there is no way technically that an IPS monitor can even approach the infinite contrast of an OLED. Therefore, HDR on an OLED destroys HDR on IPS. Not a single review on this monitor (or any of the newcomers that use the same panel) have uttered a word about QD IPS being any competition.

    Be happy with what you have, and please don't make false claims out of jealousy.
    Reply
  • dave.rara66
    I see no reason to buy this over the Alienware AW3423DW. The AW is slightly better in almost every respect (though the differences are mostly negligible) for the same price.

    The real advantage of the AW is the warranty process. They don't repair anything; if they cant solve the issue over the phone with a few silly suggestions, they will ship a new replacement panel (you keep the stand) overnight - no credit card required. Then you pop the old panel in the same box and slap on the pre-paid shipping label. No on else does this. Free shipping both ways and a zero dead-pixel policy is killer. I doubt Philips comes even close.

    I do think there is a typo in this review. On page five, you are showing the Philips as only achieving ~419 nits in HDR, while the AW3423DWF isn't much better. Yet, the AW3423DW (the AW3423DWF's sister monitor sans Gsync Ultimate) is over 1000 nits?

    Something's off...
    Reply
  • Riptar012
    Admin said:
    There is no better image for gaming than the one on an OLED screen. Philips’ Evnia 34M2C8600 is a 34-inch curved ultra-wide with a WQHD QD-OLED panel, 175 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, wide gamut color, HDR and infinite contrast.

    Philips Evnia 34M2C8600 Review: Stunning Image and Stellar Gaming Performance : Read more
    Other convenience
    Kensington lock
    VESA mount (100x100mm)
    VESA bracket
    AnimeMania said:
    I take it there is not a VESA mount to attach an arm.
    I don't know why monitor companies do not use HDMI 2.1 for monitors with high refresh rates, it seems like it could have been advantageous, since the speakers are better than average quality.

    AnimeMania said:
    I take it there is not a VESA mount to attach an arm.
    I don't know why monitor companies do not use HDMI 2.1 for monitors with high refresh rates, it seems like it could have been advantageous, since the speakers are better than average quality.
    Reply