Why you can trust Tom's Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
The 34M2C8600 ships in its Standard picture mode and it is close enough to spec that one can simply set brightness to taste. No RGB sliders are available, but three of the color temp presets render D65.
Grayscale and Gamma Tracking
Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.
By default, the color temp is set to 6500K with gamma at 2.2. Tiny errors at 60, 90 and 100% are nearly invisible in both test patterns and content. Gamma is slightly light at the 20% step and a bit dark at 90%, also a minor error. This is excellent out-of-box performance.
I’ve included the grayscale and gamma run as a post-calibration result, but the only adjustment is a reduction in the brightness slider. That tightens up gamma a bit, but no other changes have occurred.
Turning on the sRGB option shrinks the gamut and leaves gamma and grayscale the same. And that is how it should be.
Comparisons
The other monitors, save the 34M2C7600, can be calibrated to a high standard. Visual differences here are tiny but nit-pickers may take issue with the 34M2C8600’s lack of RGB controls. However, in my experience, it didn’t lessen the gaming experience. Gamma, at any rate, is tight with a small 0.13 range of values and a minor 1.36% variation from the 2.2 reference value.
Color Gamut Accuracy
Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.
Aside from a bit of red over-saturation, the 34M2C8600 renders all, and then some, of DCI-P3. Most importantly, it hits all the green points, which most wide-gamut monitors cannot do. The errors are tiny and not visually significant. You’ll see a bit of bonus red in some content but not enough to cause a complaint. You can see that changing the brightness value does not alter the gamut test result.
The sRGB gamut rendering is interesting. Red is quite over-saturated, but blue is under. This is unusual in my experience. The overall error level is low, but in content, you’ll see the extra red and blue will look a little pale. The 34M2C8600’s version of sRGB is superior to that of the 34M2C7600, but neither monitor is really qualified for color-critical work in the sRGB color space. If DCI-P3 is on the menu, you’re fine.
Comparisons
The 34M2C8600’s 1.58dE color error is hard to beat by any monitor except an OLED. The screens I’ve tested so far are all more color-accurate than typical LCDs. At 2.66dE, the 34M2C7600 isn’t far behind though. I’m splitting hairs here.
One of the main promises of quantum dot OLEDs is greater color saturation. You can see that in play from both the 34M2C8600 and the Alienware screens which also have QD layers. But the Philips wins the day by a nose. It is extremely colorful, and that’s something that clearly translates to gaming and productivity. The image is stunning in every respect. Note that even the least colorful screen isn’t far below 100% coverage. That’s well above the norm, which is closer to 90%.
MORE: Best Gaming Monitors
MORE: How We Test PC Monitors
MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor
