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Philips Evnia 49M2C8900 QD-OLED: Two-minute review
In my experience, I couldn’t fully enjoy the Ambilight feature as much as I thought I would, considering the length of the display (which can serve as a compliment to how immersive it is), and yes, I tried it without another monitor mounted on top of it, and came to the same conclusion. It’s also worth noting that the Ambilight feature can sometimes fail at representing accurate colors.
That doesn’t mean it’s bad by any means, but it made me realize that I likely would have enjoyed the feature far more on the 34-inch 1440p or 42-inch 4K Philips Evnia fashions. It simply will get to some extent the place you surprise if the 32:9 side ratio is a bit bit an excessive amount of, however finally, if these aren’t dealbreakers for you, you may completely love this show.
On a more positive note, though, gaming in titles like Call of Duty or Battlefield 6 on this show provides you an additional edge and allows you to make the most of a 240Hz refresh price. If you may have the {hardware} able to pushing excessive body charges, you may reap the advantages with easy gameplay and a 0.03ms Grey-to-Grey (GtG) response time, minimizing ghosting and blur as pixels transition.
It’s not simply multiplayer FPS shooters the place this shines, as that is an distinctive show in narrative-driven motion video games, and really makes you’re feeling such as you’re on the heart of the motion. The elevated standpoint you get with tremendous ultrawide shows, as such, shouldn’t be understated, offering a cinematic expertise to get misplaced in, and I felt that throughout the quite a few single-player video games I examined on this show.
The 49M2C8900 is one other show that highlights how significantly better OLED is when in comparison with common LED and even mini-LED displays. Sure, mini-LED shows can present higher, extra constant brightness ranges, notably as a result of there isn’t any frustration with ABL. However, OLED is just undefeated with regards to deep black ranges, and you’ll see that in my Wallpaper Engine screenshots beneath – really fascinating.
Just to spotlight, for those who’re a giant fan of horror video games that take full benefit of darkish environments and even these with fixed shade modifications like Cronos The New Dawn, then there’s loads of enjoyable available with this show. The photographs do not do it sufficient justice, and a few may even recommend there’s main bloom or over publicity, however that is not the case in any respect with this show.
It will get even higher when Ambilight is working at its greatest, mixing in completely with jumpscares or sequences in video games the place colours shift quickly on display, lending additional ammunition to an immersive visible expertise. I can undoubtedly see this being cherished by those that aren’t notably enthused by Ambilight when shopping for this monitor, versus me, who was underwhelmed with its inconsistencies.
Philips Evnia 49M2C8900 QD-OLED: Price & Availability
- How much does it cost? $1,500 (retail) / £799 / AU$1,799
- When is it available? Available now (first released in 2023)
- Where can you get it? Available in the US, UK, and Australia
The Philips Evnia 49M2C8900 is a pricey super ultrawide monitor, retailing at $1,500 and around £1,649.99 in the UK, which would have been an instant dealbreaker for me and many others. Still, it’s been available since 2023, so pricing has inevitably plummeted, meaning you can find it at much lower prices – specifically £799 (around $1,050) – with more active sales seeing it drop even further.
Is it worth the retail price it was at previously? No, and that’s no shade on the display’s quality, because $1,500 is a tough ask for any gaming monitor. However, at its current pricing, I can easily recommend this for anyone who’s adamant to dive into the QD-OLED super ultrawide gaming experience, with the added productivity benefits.
However, it’s worth noting that if you do plan on getting this display, it’s best to act fast, as it can be quite difficult to find it at various online stores. It doesn’t appear to be discontinued yet, but new Philips Evnia monitors are likely on the horizon to take the limelight.
Philips Evnia 49M2C8900 QD-OLED: Specs
Philips Evnia 49M2C8900 QD-OLED: Performance & Design
Again, on a more consistent basis, I was left happy using the Philips Evnia 49M2C8900, as it gave me what I needed for almost all of my games (excluding those that don’t support the 32:9 aspect ratio).
It’s simple, really: if immersion is your top priority and you’ve never used a display like this, I have no doubt this will be right up your alley. I must admit that I’m an ultrawide enthusiast, so I do have an element of bias towards these displays. Still, if anything, that ultimately makes me more critical of them with nitpicks – but aside from the issues with Ambilight and ABL, there are hardly any complaints from me with this display.
When ABL isn’t an issue, you really notice just how great high brightness is for gaming, and thanks to the QD-OLED panel, I had no problems with any form of ghosting or smearing, which is something you might find with a VA mini-LED monitor, like the Mobile Pixels 34-inch ultrawide monitor I reviewed.
It’s additionally value noting that whereas this monitor is FreeSync Premium Pro licensed, it helps G-Sync, so each AMD and Nvidia GPU customers will be capable of get pleasure from screen-tearing-free gameplay.
Speaking of GPUs, it could be value investing in a beefy GPU; to provide you an thought, I used to be utilizing the Asus TUF RTX 4080 Super OC GPU (the second GPU behind the RTX 4090), and the 5120×1440 show decision provides it a run for its cash, knocking Cyberpunk 2077‘s body price right down to its knees round 50 to 60fps with ray tracing enabled and Frame Generation disabled.
In phrases of design, there’s so much to like concerning the Ambilight function when it is functioning with out glitches, and, excusing my private points with the width of those tremendous ultrawide displays, I imagine many others will admire shade shifts and results much more than I do.
I did not get to make use of a monitor mount, and the stand that comes with it’s serviceable, however I’d suggest shopping for a desk mount because the stand’s base takes up an honest quantity of area on the desk – and the display itself is already large sufficient, taking on a majority of the room accessible.
Philips Evnia 49M2C8900 QD-OLED: Productivity & OSD
It isn’t just gaming where it shines, though, as productivity was a highlight while testing this display. If you thought that the 32:9 aspect ratio would serve as a detriment to your work-from-home duties, think again, because I was left very pleased with what the 49M2C8900 had to offer.
I tend to multitask a lot when working, with multiple browser tabs left open, and perhaps some videos playing in the background, and this is the monitor built just for that. Yes, there are readability issues, as you’ll find with a wide variety of OLED displays with fringing around text, but this has never been a major issue for me, and it wasn’t the case with this display either.
While my review unit didn’t come with a remote control, the addition of one is a godsend, and another aspect I don’t see nearly enough monitor manufacturers considering. I haven’t got my hands on the remote control at all, but I don’t need it, as I know that anything other than constantly reaching for the power button and OSD control behind the display is significantly more convenient.
The OSD itself is serviceable with numerous tabs on settings for Ambilight (in the Ambiglow tab), SmartImage, and other input and audio options. Besides the option of a remote control or the OSD control on the monitor rear, the Philips Evnia Precision Center software works wonders as a replacement, allowing you to change settings via mouse and keyboard.
Should you buy the Philips Evnia 49M2C8900 QD-OLED?
Buy the Philips Evnia 49M2C8900 QD-OLED if…
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Philips Evnia 49M2C8900 QD-OLED: also consider
How I tested the Philips Evnia 49M2C8900 QD-OLED
I used the Philips Evnia 49M2C8900 QD-OLED for just over a month, for both work and play, testing numerous games and movies to grasp the performance of the screen and the Ambilight color capabilities.
This is a 32:9 display, so multiplayer shooters like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 had been examined to take full benefit of the display property and enhanced perspective of motion on display. It’s extremely excellent for video games that depend on instantaneous reactions and higher views of peripherals, and it is one of many highlights that I seen constantly.
After utilizing a handful of shows now (notably QD-OLED), I’ve been in a position to differentiate the professionals and cons of those shows in comparison with common LEDs or mini-LED, which is why I’m sure that that is among the many greatest you may ever discover available on the market.