In today’s digital world, choosing the right monitor is crucial both for a home office and a professional work environment. The Philips PHL34e1c5600 monitor is a device that can meet the demands of both home users and office workers. How does it perform in practice, and is it worth buying? This is what we explore in today’s review.
Traditional monitors are characterized by a simple, flat design that easily fits into any work environment. They are usually lighter and take up less space, making them ideal for limited spaces. In contrast, curved monitors stand out with their unique design, which includes a gently curved screen. This curvature can enhance immersion, especially during gaming or watching movies. The materials used in both types of monitors are often similar, but the construction of curved models may require additional durability to maintain their unique shape and slightly different weight distribution.
One of the main arguments for curved monitors is their ergonomics. The curvature of the screen is designed to mimic the natural curvature of the human eye, which can reduce eye fatigue during long sessions. In addition, curved monitors may offer better viewing angles, allowing the user to fully immerse in the content. On the other hand, standard monitors are more versatile and may be easier to set up in various office configurations.
A Large Screen, Many Possibilities
The Philips PHL34e1c5600 monitor has a 34-inch diagonal screen, providing a large working surface and very good image quality. The screen has a resolution of 3440 x 1440 pixels, corresponding to the UWQHD standard. This gives users quite a large workspace. I really liked the ability to comfortably open up to four windows of equal size on one screen. This only shows the possibilities that this monitor offers. Until now, I worked on two screens at the same time, but now I don’t really need a second screen, because I can comfortably split the one in the Philips. The 21:9 image format allows for comfortable content viewing, and the curved screen adds even greater depth and immersion. In large but flat monitors, I often found myself turning my head when looking at the edges of the screen, especially since I sit quite close to the monitor. Here the curvature works great and naturally surrounds us from both sides.
The Panel and Image Refresh in This Monitor
If you need an inexpensive monitor for working with graphics, playing games, or watching movies, then the Philips PHL34e1c5600 could be an interesting choice. This monitor has a screen refresh rate of 100 Hz, which means a smooth and clear image without the blurring effect. This is a visible upgrade compared to the classic 60 Hz, but still, it’s evident that it falls short of 144 Hz. A response time of 1 ms (MPRT) and 4 ms (GTG) allows for the elimination of ghosting, which is important both for gamers and professionals. On paper, this monitor also has very good color reproduction, covering the sRGB color space at 123%. A static contrast of 3000:1 guarantees deep blacks and bright whites, which is key for photographers and graphic designers. The ability to display 16.7 million colors allows for accurate reproduction of different shades.
In practice, it’s not bad. Accustomed to 4K IPS monitors with quite high brightness and excellent color reproduction, I always look somewhat reluctantly at screens with lower resolution, especially TN or VA matrices. In the case of Philips, we have a matte VA LED matrix. However, I recommend setting the brightness to 100%, contrast at about 75%, refresh at 100 Hz, and not using any predefined profiles built into the monitor settings. It’s also worth mentioning that to appreciate this monitor – you have to sit directly in front of it, right in the middle. Otherwise, on the farther edge, you will see worse viewing angles, manifested for example by poorer brightness.
Comfort and Ergonomics of Work
An important aspect of working with a monitor is comfort and ergonomics. The Philips PHL34e1c5600 has features that allow you to adjust it to your own preferences. Height adjustment of 130 mm and the ability to tilt the screen forward or backward mean that you can find optimal work settings. The monitor also has eye protection technologies, including flicker reduction (Flicker free) and a blue light filter, which ensures comfortable use for longer periods. In terms of equipment and connections, the Philips PHL34e1c5600 has quite a lot of options, including HDMI, DisplayPort, audio output, and USB, including USB Type-C with DisplayPort and Power Delivery function. The built-in speakers of 2 x 5W power provide rather average sound, and the built-in microphone reduces ambient noise, which is a good option during video conferences. In the top frame of the monitor, the manufacturer also added a built-in camera for video
conferencing. It has a resolution of 5 megapixels and is certified by Windows Hello, allowing you to log into the Windows system using face recognition. There is also a camera cover that can be slid to provide additional privacy.
The Monitor in Practice
I like the stand of this monitor. It’s stable, but also not too large and quite thin. This means it doesn’t take up too much space on the desk, which is a big plus. The screen has good backlighting and is comfortable to work on. Although sometimes I feel that it can lose sharpness momentarily, for example, after scrolling the screen with text. I tested this monitor in the shooter game The Finals, where it performed excellently. I don’t like the rather cumbersome main menu, as well as the lack of a quick way to turn off the monitor. It’s also a pity that the manufacturer didn’t opt for a 144 Hz refresh rate, which is more noticeable and “felt” with the naked eye.
