Philips Evnia 42M2N89 Gaming Monitor Review: The OLED Invasion Continues

42-inch OLED display with 4K resolution, 138 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, wide-gamut color and HDR

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Philips 42M2N89
(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.

With Mini LED screens hitting 2,000 nits, OLED is considered by some to be inferior for HDR content. Nothing could be further from the truth. It’s about dynamic range and because OLED black levels are so low, they will always look better. The 42M2N89 is no exception to this. When an HDR signal is input, it switches modes automatically and offers four additional image presets. I use the default one, HDR Game, for these tests.

HDR Brightness and Contrast

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Philips Evnia 42M2N89
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

All the OLEDs here were measured using 25% window patterns. The 27-inch models have higher output, but the 42M2N89 is the best of the jumbo screens with over 485 nits peak. I measured the black levels here as the 42M2N89 doesn’t completely shut the screen off, so I recorded an HDR contrast ratio of 20,006.4:1. This is lower than most of the Mini LED screens I’ve tested. Still, visually, their advantage is general brightness, not perceived contrast. It’s always about black levels so the OLED will always win on that score. Like the SDR test, if you lined up all the OLEDs here, they’d look the same in HDR mode.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color

Image 1 of 3
Philips Evnia 42M2N89
(Image credit: Portrait Displays Calman)

I tested the four HDR modes and settled on HDR Game as the most accurate. It realizes the 42M2N89’s full potential for dynamic range and color accuracy. There are no visible grayscale errors and the EOTF tracks to near perfection. Steps up to 45% are a tad dark, then the trace goes slightly light until the tone-map transition at 65%. These are minor errors and in no way detract from the stunning HDR image.

With over 95% coverage of DCI-P3, the 42M2N89 can show all the color mastered into HDR content. Generally, there is a little over-saturation typical of all the HDR monitors I’ve tested. This adds a bit of punch to the image without obscuring detail or overblowing the picture. When the reference is Rec.2020, the 42M2N89 over-saturates similarly until the panel runs out of color at around 85%. This is also typical of the best HDR monitors I’ve tested. The 42M2N89 is as good as it gets in all aspects of HDR performance.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test PC Monitors

MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor

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.

16 Comments Comment from the forums
  • oofdragon
    It's a TV And on that note you can find the LG 42 OLED 120Hz around $700
    Reply
  • toffty
    oofdragon said:
    It's a TV And on that note you can find the LG 42 OLED 120Hz around $700
    Beat me to it. I don't know why / how monitor manufacturers continue to ask for obscene prices when there are same/better products for cheaper.
    The 48" LG can be had for $500 less too
    Reply
  • Greg7579
    Christian, I need your help. I am a Medium Format (GFX) photographer and have enjoyed editing and viewing my own extremely high-resolution files on 32 inch 4K professional IPS monitors (various ASUS pro monitors over the years). I am about to build a top-end gaming PC, but I do not game. I just want a fully loaded extremely top-end PC because I just do, and also because Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom use a lot of AI masking and features now, so I will be running a 4090 GPU and the best ram and CPU that can be had. Now the monitor....
    I almost ordered an ASUS mini-LED at 3-5 grand this past year but held off. I've followed the OLED invasion that you wrote about and know you love OLED. I have an OLED 80 inch TV in fact.
    But I'm about to order the Dell 6K you reviewed, and I know you talked about the drawbacks of IPS and the HDR performance of that Dell IPS monitor. But 6K is 6 K.... And I'll be viewing and editing thousands of those huge GFX raw files. Plus, the Dell 6K IPS has double the PPI of this Phillips OLED monitor.
    I am so tempted by this OLED invasion. and this monitor. I know my images will look stunning on it.
    But 6k is 6k.... And the Dell PPI is way better....
    Plus, I won't be able to get back 4 or 5 feet from that 42-inch monitor. I will be at normal desktop viewing distance.
    I have heard some productivity guys say not to go with OLED unless you are a gamer. They talked about fonts and how the screen looks with windows 11 and all the Microsoft and Adobe programs having certain issues. One prominent tech guy said to not even consider OLED for Windows productivity work.
    Is this monitor OK for productivity and for my photography? I don't care about not being able to calibrate it. The color specs are awesome.
    So, what do you think, Sir.... Should I get the Dell 32 inch IPS 6K or this (or one of these) 42 inch OLED?
    I don't care about the cost in this case - 1400 vs 3500. I care, but it is not an issue in this case. The Dell is twice as much, but it is 6K....
    Would you be willing to tell me which way to go in my case? Should I get that 42 inch OLED for what I do (not game).
    Reply
  • newtechldtech
    Greg7579 said:
    Christian, I need your help. I am a Medium Format (GFX) photographer and have enjoyed editing and viewing my own extremely high-resolution files on 32 inch 4K professional IPS monitors (various ASUS pro monitors over the years). I am about to build a top-end gaming PC, but I do not game. I just want a fully loaded extremely top-end PC because I just do, and also because Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom use a lot of AI masking and features now, so I will be running a 4090 GPU and the best ram and CPU that can be had. Now the monitor....
    I almost ordered an ASUS mini-LED at 3-5 grand this past year but held off. I've followed the OLED invasion that you wrote about and know you love OLED. I have an OLED 80 inch TV in fact.
    But I'm about to order the Dell 6K you reviewed, and I know you talked about the drawbacks of IPS and the HDR performance of that Dell IPS monitor. But 6K is 6 K.... And I'll be viewing and editing thousands of those huge GFX raw files. Plus, the Dell 6K IPS has double the PPI of this Phillips OLED monitor.
    I am so tempted by this OLED invasion. and this monitor. I know my images will look stunning on it.
    But 6k is 6k.... And the Dell PPI is way better....
    Plus, I won't be able to get back 4 or 5 feet from that 42-inch monitor. I will be at normal desktop viewing distance.
    I have heard some productivity guys say not to go with OLED unless you are a gamer. They talked about fonts and how the screen looks with windows 11 and all the Microsoft and Adobe programs having certain issues. One prominent tech guy said to not even consider OLED for Windows productivity work.
    Is this monitor OK for productivity and for my photography? I don't care about not being able to calibrate it. The color specs are awesome.
    So, what do you think, Sir.... Should I get the Dell 32 inch IPS 6K or this (or one of these) 42 inch OLED?
    I don't care about the cost in this case - 1400 vs 3500. I care, but it is not an issue in this case. The Dell is twice as much, but it is 6K....
    Would you be willing to tell me which way to go in my case? Should I get that 42 inch OLED for what I do (not game).
    6k is 6k ? get 8K oled .... 32 inch 8K resolution OLED monitors are coming this year.
    Reply
  • Greg7579
    newtechldtech said:
    6k is 6k ? get 8K oled .... 32 inch 8K resolution OLED monitors are coming this year.
    I don't think 8K OLED desktop monitors are coming this year. I might be wrong about that. Hope I am. But how is OLED for productivity? Photoshop? Lightroom? Windows? MS Office? The web? I'm not a gamer but will have the powerful PC.
    Reply
  • Alvar "Miles" Udell
    $1399.99 for a monitor that will in the space of a couple of years be so burned in it's worthless? Easiest pass in the world.
    Reply
  • UWguy
    I’m waiting for a 32” OLED. 42” is too big for an average desk.
    Reply
  • ssj3rd
    Mate or glossy?
    Couldn’t find the answer in the text/test…
    Reply
  • newtechldtech
    ssj3rd said:
    Mate or glossy?
    Couldn’t find the answer in the text/test…

    with high brightness monitors it does not matter anymore being matt or glossy ...
    Reply
  • newtechldtech
    UWguy said:
    I’m waiting for a 32” OLED. 42” is too big for an average desk.
    no need to wait more

    https://www.lg.com/us/business/oled-pro-monitors/lg-32ep950-b
    Reply