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In the jumbo desktop genre, the two technologies with the best image quality are OLED and Mini LED. OLED is the contrast king, with Mini LED just a bit behind. The question then becomes, how much brightness do you need? Mini LED is very bright, as high as 2,000 nits, while OLED in large sizes might hit 500. But unless you are using your display in a very bright room, that high brightness is unnecessary.
It's obvious that I am partial to OLED, not only for its image quality but its super smooth motion and gaming feel. Every example I’ve reviewed has been a stunner. Philips’ contribution to the genre is no different. I’ve already covered the Evnia 34M2C8600 curved ultra-wide and the 42M2N89 impressed me just as much.
The picture is stunning in every respect. With incredibly low black levels, contrast is superb. As the most important element of image fidelity, OLED and the 42M2N89 get it right every time. Brightness is a bit low in SDR mode but for a typical indoor environment, it’s bright enough.
Color is the standout here. The 42M2N89 can’t be calibrated, which would be a bummer if it were any other monitor. But right out of the box, it delivers reference-level accuracy. Most professional screens, which cost considerably more, can’t boast this level of precision. I could ding it for its under-saturated sRGB mode, but I seriously doubt this will concern anyone looking for a gaming, entertainment and general-use display.
Philips has included every possible convenience feature here as well. You get a handy remote, aiming point and sniper mode. The Ambiglow lighting, something unique to Philips, is useful both as a bias light and as a colorful display. The audio quality is better than many televisions and the stand is just like a quality monitor stand with height, swivel and tilt adjustments.
If you’re comparing the 42M2N89 to a television, remember that as a computer monitor, you not only get the higher 138 Hz refresh rate, but you get DisplayPort which enables G-Sync operation in addition to its FreeSync Premium certification. And at $1,400, it’s a decent value.
You’ll never regret buying a jumbo monitor so if you’re in the market, the Philips Evnia 42M2N89 is a worthy option.
MORE: Best Gaming Monitors
MORE: How We Test PC Monitors
MORE: How to Buy a PC Monitor
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.
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toffty
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.oofdragon said:It's a TV And on that note you can find the LG 42 OLED 120Hz around $700
The 48" LG can be had for $500 less too -
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....Reply
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). -
newtechldtech
6k is 6k ? get 8K oled .... 32 inch 8K resolution OLED monitors are coming this year.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). -
Greg7579
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.newtechldtech said:6k is 6k ? get 8K oled .... 32 inch 8K resolution OLED monitors are coming this year. -
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 -
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 ... -
newtechldtech
no need to wait moreUWguy said:I’m waiting for a 32” OLED. 42” is too big for an average desk.
https://www.lg.com/us/business/oled-pro-monitors/lg-32ep950-b