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Philips Avea 49M2C8900 QD-Oled: A two-minute review
In my experience, I didn’t 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 to represent accurate colors.
That’s not to say it’s bad by any means, but it made me realize that I might have enjoyed this feature a lot more on the 34-inch 1440p or 42-inch 4K Philips Avenue models. It just gets to the point where you wonder if the 32:9 aspect ratio is a little too much, but ultimately, if those aren’t deal breakers for you, you’ll absolutely love this display.
On a more positive note, though, titles such as gaming The call of duty or Battlefield 6 This gives you an extra edge on the display and lets you take advantage of the 240Hz refresh rate. If you have hardware capable of pushing higher frame rates, you’ll reap the benefits with smooth gameplay and a 0.03mm gray-to-gray (GTG) response time, minimizing ghosting and blurring as pixels shift.
It’s not just a multiplayer FPS shooter where it shines, as it’s an exceptional display in narrative-driven action games, and really makes you feel like you’re at the center of the action. The field of view you get with a Super Ultrawide display, like, it shouldn’t be reduced, should provide a cinematic experience not to be missed, and I felt that I tested a number of single-player games on this display.
The 49M2C8900 is another display that highlights just how much better OLED is when compared to regular LED or even mini-led monitors. Sure, mini-led displays can provide better, more consistent brightness levels, especially since ABL is no letdown. However, OLED just can’t be beat when it comes to deep black levels, and you can see that in my Wallpaper Engine screenshots below – really interesting.
Just to highlight, if you are a big fan of horror games that take full advantage of dark environments or even constant color changes. Kronos the New Dawnthen have a lot of fun with this display. The pictures don’t do it justice, and some might suggest that it has a bigger bloom or more exposure, but that’s not the case at all with this display.
It gets even better when Ambilight is at its best, blending in perfectly with jump skiers in games or sequences where colors shift quickly across the screen, adding extra ammunition to an immersive visual experience. I can definitely see them being loved by people who aren’t particularly inclined to buy this monitor by Ambilight, as opposed to me, who was plagued by its inconsistencies.
Philips Avene 49M2C8900 QD-Oled: Price and Availability
- How much does it cost? $1,500 (retail)/ 99 799 / 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 Avenue 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 deal breaker for me and many others. Still, it’s been available since 2023, so pricing has necessarily dropped, meaning you can get it for much lower prices – notably £799 (about $1,05050) – with more active sales seeing it drop even further.
Is it worth the first retail price? No, and that doesn’t detract from the quality of the display, as $1,500 is a stiff ask for any gaming monitor. However, at its current prices, I can easily recommend it to anyone looking to dive into a QD-Oled Super Ultrawide gaming experience, with added productivity benefits.
However, it’s worth noting that if you plan on getting this display, it’s best to act fast, as it can be quite difficult to find at various online stores. It doesn’t seem like it’s closed yet, but the new Philips Avenue monitors are likely to light up the horizon.
Philips Ave. 49M2C8900 QD-Oled: Specs
Philips Avenida 49M2C8900 QD-Oled: Performance and Design
Again, on a more regular basis, I was happy to use the Philips Avena 49M2C8900, as it gave me what I needed for all my games (except 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’ve no doubt this would be right up your alley. I must admit that I’m an Ultrawide enthusiast, so I have an element of bias towards these displays. Still, if anything, this ultimately makes me more critical of them with nitpicks – but aside from the Ambilight and ABL issues, I hardly have any complaints with this display.
When ABL isn’t an issue, you really feel how great the brightness is for gaming, and thanks to the QD LED panel, I didn’t have any problems with ghosting or ghosting, which you might find with VA mini-LED monitors, like the Mobile Pixels 34-inch Ultrawide monitor I reviewed.
It’s also worth noting that while this monitor is FreeSync Premium Pro certified, it supports G-Sync, so both AMD and NVIDIA GPU users will be able to enjoy screen-tearing-free gameplay.
Talking about the GPU, it would be worth investing in a beefy GPU. To give you an idea, I was using an ASUS TUF RTX 4080 Super OC GPU (the second GPU behind the RTX 4090), and the 5120×1440 display resolution gives it a run for its money, knock. Cyberpunk 2077Its frame rate hovers around 50 to 60fps with ray tracing enabled and frame generation disabled.
Design-wise, there’s a lot to love about the Ambilight feature when it’s working flawlessly, and, barring my own personal issues with the width of these super-ultrawide monitors, I’m sure many others will appreciate the color shifts and effects more than I do.
I didn’t get to use the monitor mount, and the stand that comes with it is serviceable, but I’d recommend buying a desk mount because the base of the stand takes up a decent amount of space on the desk — and the screen itself is fairly wide, with the majority of the room available.
Philips Avenue 49M2C8900 QD-OLED: Productivity and OSD
It’s not just gaming where it shines, though, as productivity was a highlight when testing this display. If you think the 32:9 aspect ratio will hurt your work-from-home duties, think again, because I’m very pleased with what the 49M2C8900 has to offer.
I tend to multitask a lot while working, have multiple browser tabs open, and maybe have some videos playing in the background, and this is just the monitor it’s made for. Yes, there are readability issues, as you’ll find with a variety of OLED displays around text, but it’s never been a big issue for me, and it wasn’t with this display either.
Although my review unit didn’t come with a remote control, the addition of one is a godsend, and another aspect I don’t consider on monitor manufacturers. I haven’t gotten my hands on the remote control at all, but I don’t need to, as I know anything else is significantly more convenient than constantly reaching for the power button and OSD controls behind the display.
The OSD itself is serviceable with multiple tabs on settings for Ambilight (in the Ambiglow tab), SmartImage, and other input and audio options. In addition to the remote control or OSD control option on the monitor rear, the Philips Avenue Presence Center software works wonders as an alternative, allowing you to change settings via mouse and keyboard.
Should you buy the Philips Avenida 49M2C8900 QD-OLED?
Buy Philips Avene 49M2C8900 QD-Oled if…
If you don’t buy it…
Also consider: Philips Avea 49M2C8900 QD-Oled
How I Tested the Philips Avenue 49M2C8900 QD-OLED
I used the Philips Avenue 49M2C8900 QD-Oled for just over a month for both work and play, testing a number of games and movies to get a feel for the screen’s performance and Ambilight color capabilities.
It’s a 32:9 display, so multiplayer shooters love it Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Tested to take full advantage of screen state and better view of on-screen action. It’s incredibly ideal for games that rely on quick reactions and enhanced peripheral vision, and it’s one of the highlights I’ve seen consistently.
Having used a handful of displays now (especially QD-Oled), I’ve been able to distinguish the pros of these displays compared to regular LED or mini-led ones, which is why I believe they’re among the best you’ll find on the market so far.
