I have always been a fan of ultrawide monitor aspect ratios. There's something about the form factor that just helps to immerse me in the game I'm playing even more, and for productivity they are king in my opinion.
So I was naturally very excited to check out Philips' latest super ultrawide offering, with the added bonus of the QD-OLED panel to test to boot. And, simply put, the Philips Evnia 49" QD-OLED Super Ultrawide might be the best monitor I've ever had grace my desk.
Specifications:
- Price: $1499.00 (Amazon)
- Panel Size: 48.9"
- Curvature: 1800R
- Aspect Ratio: 32:9
- Viewing Angle:
- @ C/R > 1000
- 178 degrees (H) / 178 degrees (V)
- Picture Enhancement SmartImage game
- Maximum Resolution: 5120x1440
- Max Refresh Rate: 240hz
- VRR Technology:
- AMD FreeSync Premium Pro
- G-Sync Certified (Compatible between 50-240Hz)
- HDR: DisplayHDR True Black 400 Certified
- Lighting: Philips Ambiglow 3-Sided
- sRGB: Yes
- Display Colors: Color support 1.07 billion colors (10 bit)
- Color Gamut (typical): NTSC 127.4% ; sRGB 153.1% ; Adobe RGB 125.2%
- Color Gamut (min.): DCI-P3: 99%
- Contrast Ratio (Typical): 15,000,000:1
- SmartContrast: Mega Infinity DCR
- Response Time: 0.03 ms (Gray to Gray)
- Flicker Free: Yes
- Pixel Density: 108.77 PPI
- LowBlue Mode: Yes
- Display Screen Coating: Anti-reflection, 2H
- Low Input Lag: Yes
- KVM Switch: Yes
- Built-in Speakers: 7.5 W x 4, DTS
- Speaker Configuration: 7.5 W x 2 Tweeters, 7.5 W x 2 woofers with flow port
- I/O:
- HDMI 2.1 x 2
- DisplayPort 1.4 x 1
- USB-C x 1 (DP Alt mode, Power Delivery)
- USB Hub version 3.2 Gen1 / 5Gbps; USB-B upstream x 1, USB-A downstream x 4 (with 2 for fast charge B.C 1.2)
First Thoughts and Unboxing
Given the fact that the Philips Evnia 49M2C8900 is 49" wide, I should not have been as shocked as I was when the box arrived on my doorstep with its size. This was a monster to bring in, but I'm glad the actual packaging was up to the rigors of shipping, especially given the size. As someone who used to ship instruments - sometimes as large and fragile as a monitor can be - I appreciate a good packing job.
Unboxing the Philips Evnia 49M2C8900 was actually a breeze. The package comes with everything you are going to need to put it together, from the screws for the stand, to the screwdriver itself to attach them all, assuming you don't have one handy. While heavy, getting the large, curved screen on the sturdy and well-built stand was pretty simple, and within about 10 minutes, I had the monitor hooked up and on my desk.
From a form factor standpoint, the 32:9 aspect ratio is imposing if you're not used to it for sure. Sitting at my desk, the monitor dominates my vision, the subtle 1800R curve wrapping around just enough where I can spy the screen in my periphery. This is in stark contrast to the last super ultrawide monitor I reviewed, which was a flat screen and forced me to turn my head continuously during regular use.
Effectively, by having the Philips Evnia 49" Super Ultrawide Curved monitor on my desk, it was as if I had two 27" 1440p monitors side-by-side, simply without the bezel in the middle to break things up. As someone who typically works with two monitors, this monitor effectively replaced the two monitors I was already using, actually freeing up some space on my desk surface as well.
While most of my desk embraces a darker aesthetic, I do love the subtle silvers and white color scheme Philips is using for its Evnia series. The monitor stand's feet are white speckled with silver and it pops against my dark black Razer desk mat in a way I wasn't sure I was going to like initially. The monitor itself is thinner than I expected when I was anticipating this showing up, and while the back does have quite the hump, the part that wraps around the panel is rather thin. I do wish screen was bevel-less, with the panel extended right up the very edges of the housing, but this is a minor nitpick.
The Philips Evnia 49M2C8900 49" Super Ultrawide Curved monitor uses a second-generation OLED panel, using Samsung's latest QD-OLED panel to drive the visuals. As our hardware editor Chris Coke explained in a recent article, the advantages of the QD-OLED panel means better color luminance, "truly fantastic HDR performance," and deeper blacks. The Evnia 49" Super Ultrawide monitor is also ClearMR 13000 certified, which means the monitor doesn't deal with the typical blurring you would see at high refresh rates on last generation's panel technology.
Given that this monitor is a 240hz, 5120x1440p panel, the lack of any real pixel blur is necessary to give the crisp, clean image the panel manufacturer is going for.
The monitor also comes equipped with some pretty decent speakers, equipped with DTS Sound. They aren't anything to really call home about, and if you've got a great set of headphones or speakers already you'll be opting for that, but in a pinch they can drive some great audio.
Additionally, the Philips Evnia 49M2C8900 has a built-in KVM switch, which has been a godsend as someone who has spent the last two weeks working from this monitor. Bouncing between my MacBook Air plugged into the USB-C port on the monitor and my gaming rig has been a relative breeze, as the KVM switch just gives me control of whatever I have on the screen at the moment.
Additionally, I'm a big fan of the MultiView mode, which turns the single super ultrawide monitor into two separate monitors. This has been great when hooking my PlayStation 5 up to the monitor while keeping my Mac plugged in - being able to use the same monitor for both and have the images side-by-side was great. This could be ideal for streamers who want a single set up but don't want to bother with multiple monitors cluttering their space - or if you're a dual-PC streamer looking for the same.
Controlling the monitor could be an issue if it didn't come equipped with a remote control. On the right hand side of the monitor's back is a smaller joystick which can control the onboard OSD, but the remote control is the better way to do so - if for no other reason than it's physically more comfortable to do so.
The OSD itself is pretty straightforward and easy to navigate, with tabs controlling everything from its HDR and image presets to controlling the RGB on the back of the monitor via Philips Ambiglow. The OSD doesn't feel particularly responsive, but it's definitely better than some of the other ones I've used out there.
Philips Evnia 49" 49M2C8900 Super Ultrawide Curved Monitor - Performance
The form factor of the Philips Evnia 49M2C8900 is a productivity powerhouse, as I mentioned previously. Plugging my MacBook Air into the monitor and driving it daily has been a joy, as much of my writing and editing is done there anyway. Having spread my work across this large canvas in front of me, multiple windows across the screen without it ever feeling cluttered has been a dream. Even though I typically work with a single 21:9 ultrawide or two monitors at my gaming rig, there is something about having a full, uninterrupted desktop when working that makes me more productive.
Being able to throw multiple documents open at once, edit articles, and edit images or video timelines, all without feeling like I need to move things around or minimize windows to give myself enough room, made the workflow so much better than normal. I was also initially worried about issues with haloing around text or text fringing, yet the Philips Envia suffers this not at all. Everything, from Word and Google Documents to Premiere Pro timelines, was crystal clear, and Apple's top-notch color accuracy really shines on this QD-OLED panel.
While I love the form factor, it has drawbacks while working. Given its sheer size, having to turn my head to read something on the fringes of the screen can get annoying, but it's no more annoying than when I would have to do so when using two monitors at the desk. The curvature does help, but for text reading it doesn't stop me from needing to shift my body to read everything comfortably. It's a minor nitpick and one that I knew I would have going into this, but it's still something to be aware of if you've never experienced 32:9 before.
I daresay, though, most people aren't looking at the Philips Evnia 49M2C8900 49" gaming monitor for productivity. Gaming is really where this monitor, and its 32:9 form factor, really shine.
It should be noted, that many, many games out there still don't support 32:9 aspect ratios well, though in recent years that has changed. And, if you're here you're likely an MMO fan, so I've got some great news for you: MMOs are utterly brilliant on this monitor.
One of the challenges many will face when playing games is either black bars on either side of the image since the game itself doesn't support the 32:9 aspect ratio, or a UI that doesn't adjust to make it easier to view at this size. Remember me mentioning that I would sometimes have to shift my head or my body to view certain things? Well, in some games that don't have true 32:9 support, this will be a factor.
Thankfully, this trend is slowly going away, with many games now offering actual 32:9 support. Ghost of Tsushima on PC is one such example, with a setting that allows you to choose between a 16:9, 21:9 or 32:9 UI presentation, moving the UI elements to where they would be on those respective aspect ratios. Cyberpunk 2077 does something similar, allowing you to actively set your UI where you need it to be for quick viewing.
MMOs are also incredible at this aspect ratio since so many allow for native UI customization. Playing Star Wars: The Old Republic the last few weeks on this monitor, I never really felt like I had to go searching for skill bars or the mini map - instead I was able to just move them where they would be if I were still running my Gigabyte 32" 4K display and take in the immersive world around my Sith Assassin.
Immersive is the word I would use to describe gaming on the Philips Evnia 49" Super Ultrawide Curved gaming monitor. Game worlds enveloped me as I played them, from the deserts of Tatooine to the harsh volcanic landscape of Iceland in Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2. This, coupled with the incredible color accuracy and inky blacks of the QD-OLED panel, made me sometimes forget the world around me as I played.
It's not without some drawbacks. I have noticed some flicker when using adaptive sync, especially in places like hangars in EVE Online and grayer skylines in Ghost of Tsushima. Turning off GSync on my PC alleviated these issues, so it's something to beware of, but it doesn't happen all the time, so I never felt the need to keep adaptive sync turned off.
HDR content shines on the Philips Evnia 49M2C8900, and the addition of HDR presets out of the box helps to better dial in the image presentation for those who might not necessarily want to tweak their settings in-game. Honestly, I set the monitor up using the HDR True Black setting in the OSD and just never touched it again. Games like Cyberpunk 2077 looked even better using the True Black setting - seriously, Night City always looked incredible, but this was another world the first time I fired it up. Despite the True Black name, colors here were vivid and popped right off the screen; while the shadows were incredibly well-detailed, the blacks were inky thanks to the pixel-by-pixel brightness control the QD-OLED panel sports.
Using a preset like this doesn't stop you either from tweaking settings in-game to really dial in the exact look you want, either. But, I would estimate for many this would be enough - especially since many games (like MMOs) don't have built-in HDR so Windows Auto HDR comes to the rescue there.
The games I played would not have been nearly as immersive if the refresh rate and response times weren't top-notch, either. 240hz is a lot of...well...hertz, and the Evnia's ability to push this refresh rate with no ghosting or blur is nothing short of exceptional.
Coupled with competitive games like PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, and using technologies like Nvidia Reflex to increase responsiveness further, it kind of felt unfair to the other players around me who might not have similar set ups. Coupled with in-monitor features such as SmartSniper, which gives a zoomed-in view of your aiming reticle on the top of the screen, or the crosshair feature many monitors come with now, there's plenty here for the competitive gamer. They are both gimmicks, but for some those features might be a major selling point towards this over the competition.
Philips Evnia 49" 49M2C8900 QD-OLED Super Ultrawide Curved Gaming Monitor - Panel Care
One frequent issue with OLED panels, especially the first generation of them, is burn-in. This was also an image on old plasma TVs, so it's nothing new to the panel game, but it's definitely something to think of if you're in the market for an OLED gaming display.
Thankfully, Philips have equipped the Evnia monitors with a suite of panel care features that can help stave off this dreaded issue, and the second-generation QD-OLED panel should be less susceptible to the problem compared to the first.
Pixel Orbiting will shift the images a few pixels at a time, to "avoid potential sticking," according to Philips, and the 49M2C8900 comes with three presets: Slow, Normal and Fast. I've had this on the default "Slow" setting for the last few weeks and have not once noticed the orbiting happening, which is a good thing. Additionally, there is a Pixel Refresh mode which will effectively, erm, refresh the panel at four hour intervals, though you can choose to ignore this during use. This can be put off for about 16 hours of cumulative use, which then Philips takes over and forces the issue. I actually like this as it actively is ensuring the panel stays good for as long as it can.
The monitor also comes with a 3-year warranty, meaning that if there are any issues, especially burn-in, your warranty should cover it (though it should be noted that disabling the panel care features could void your warranty, according to the Philips website).
Philips Evnia 49" 49M2C8900 QD-OLED Super Ultrawide Curved Gaming Monitor - Verdict
At the end of the day, the full package that the Philips Evnia 49" QD-OLED Super Ultrawide Curved Gaming monitor offers is nothing short of incredible. As a workstation monitor, it's superb with all the real estate needed to be supremely productive without feeling cluttered. The KVM switch makes using multiple devices on the same monitor a breeze, and the MultiView feature gives even more functionality for multiple devices.
From a gaming perspective, this is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best-looking monitor I've ever used in my day-to-day. It's really hard to go back to a normal panel now, even when console gaming, and so I find myself playing my PlayStation 5 more at my desk now versus my 4K TV in my room. Its HDR performance is top-notch, with absolutely life-like colors popping off the screen, while the deep blacks give so much depth and character to each scene.
Coupled with the blistering 240hz refresh rate and incredibly low input lag (seriously, it was never an issue), completely absent blurring, the monitor was so responsive that sometimes I felt I might need to turn the DPI down on my mouse to compensate.
Sure, the flickering in some scenes when using GSync is a bummer, but I daresay unless you're running an RTX 4090, you're not going to come near that 240hz limit in most games - unless you're playing only competitive titles, or using DLSS or FSR 3 in your games (and even then, in demanding titles I never came close). So turning off VRR might not be the worst thing if you're not worried about coming up against that limit.
While not every game fully supports 32:9 gaming, especially those incredibly dependent on pre-rendered cutscenes, the market today offers much more native support versus just a few years ago. In my few weeks of gaming on this thing, I've not really been disappointed by the dreaded black bars limiting the aspect ratio - that just hasn't happened outside the standard 16:9 cutscene in Ghost of Tsushima so far.
However, it's not cheap. The Philips Evnia 49" Super Ultrawide Curved gaming monitor is $1499 as of the time of this writing, and in today's economy especially, that can be hard to justify. However, for a second generation QD-OLED panel that performs as well as this one does, it's hard to argue the price, especially as it's not outrageous compared to its competition in the space. It's a lot of money, but you're getting a lot of monitor for that price, and I honestly feel it's worth it in the end.
The panel care features and 3-year warranty give me great peace of mind that this investment will also stand the test of time.
At the end of the day, though, if you're in the market for a new monitor and are looking to jump into the OLED panel realm, the Philips Evnia 49M2C8900 49" Super Ultrawide Curved gaming monitor really deserves a look when making your purchasing decision. It's an absolutely fantastic monitor that performs admirably in every area - and it's definitely one that I'll be recommending for the foreseeable future.
Full Disclosure: The product described in this review was provided by the manufacturer for the purposes of this review. Some articles may contain affiliate links, and purchases made through this will result in a small commission for the site. Commissions are not directed to the author or related to compensation in any way.
