INTRODUCTION

    Ever since the very first high-end CRT monitors (well over 19-inches) started getting released by companies like EIZO (FlexScan), SONY (Trinitron) and Mitsubishi (Diamondtron) back in the mid to late 90's I've always tried my best to have a good screen on my desk. Back then it's worth pointing out that because we didn't have the Hz wars that we have today (only a handful of models supported over 100Hz back then) what almost all of us cared about was screen size, image quality and of course cost. Today things have changed quite a bit and so aside screen size, image quality and cost one also needs to decide on screen aspect ratio (16:9, 16:10, 21:9, 32:9 are the prevalent ones today), panel technology (VA, IPS, TN and OLED variants currently), screen curvature, response time and of course frequency. The Philips EVNIA line of PC monitors made its debut back in 2023 and one of their latest models to get released last May is the 49M2C8900L model.

    Philips' new gaming brand, Evnia, plans to "Reinvent the rules". Designed for the modern gamer, Philips Evnia monitors slash stereotypes by providing more than just technical advantages, but also a sleek design that molds into any modern home environment. At Philips Evnia, the goal is to make a monitor designed for everyone and anyone that aspires to be a gamer. With immersive features including the exclusive Ambiglow, gamers can personalize their surroundings and feel at ease when it's time to game.

   The 49M2C8900L is an 32:9 super ultra-wide 48.9-inch (124.3mm diagonal) curved (1800R curvature) model based on an 10bit QD-OLED panel (Samsung) which sports a resolution of 5120x1440p (dual QHD/108.77ppi density) with 144Hz refresh rate, 178 degrees viewing angles (horizontal/vertical), 0.03ms response time, 153,1% sRGB and 125.2% Adobe RGB color gamut, 1.000.000:1 contrast ratio, support for HDR10 and DisplayHDR400 True Black and 350-450-1000cd/m2 brightness (non HDR/HDR/peak). The Philips EVNIA 49M2C8900L is also equipped with four 7.5W DTS sound compatible speakers (2 Tweeters and 2 Woofers with 5 modes and 5 EQ adjustments), Ambiglow RGB LEDs (7 modes), built-in KVM, anti-reflection coating (2H) for optimal viewing results, adjustable stand (height/tilt/swivel) and several technologies like Crosshair (fixed screen crosshair), StarkShadowBoost (boosts brightness in low light areas), Smart Sniper (zooms in part of the screen), Adaptive Sync (G-Sync and FreeSync Premium Pro compatible), PIP/PBP (picture in picture and picture by picture), low blue light filter and also gets shipped with a small remote control in its bundle. As for available connectivity the EVNIA 49M2C8900L comes ready with two HDMI v2.0 ports, single DisplayPort v1.4 port, USB-C input port, USB-B host port, two USB-C charging ports (90W max), two USB-C ports and a 3.5mm audio out. Regarding warranty Philips offers a 3-year limited one which also includes burn-in.