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

If HDR brightness is important to you, a Mini LED screen is the better choice. Some of them can exceed 1,400 nits. But dynamic range is the most important thing to me and anyone else seeking maximum image depth. That’s where OLED is unchallenged.

HDR Brightness and Contrast

Image 1 of 3
Philips Evnia 34M2C8600
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The 34M2C8600 meets its DisplayHDR 400 certification when measuring a 25% window pattern. Philips specs it at 1,000 nits with a 3% window, but I could not verify this with my equipment. I have no complaints whatsoever. And like any OLED, black levels can’t be measured so the contrast is infinite. I observed the same behavior from the Mini LED 34M2C7600.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color

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Philips Evnia 34M2C8600
(Image credit: Portrait Displays Calman)

I measured the 34M2C8600’s four HDR modes and settled on True Black as the best. The default setting, HDR Game, is just OK. It rises out of black too quickly, where True Black sticks closer to the reference. This provides a much more dramatic effect. HDR looks amazing here with flawless grayscale and near-perfect luminance tracking. It doesn’t get better than this.

HDR color is over-saturated in the red and green primaries, but the other colors follow their targets closely. The 34M2C8600 tracks better than many of the HDR monitors I’ve tested. This translates to sharp detail, natural hues and content that just looks right. Similar behavior can be seen in the Rec.2020 test, where the red primary almost hits 100%. There is a ton of color here and it shows in everything, games, video, still photos, even the Windows desktop. 

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