Philips launch new Evnia gaming monitor & peripheral lineup

Philips gathered world media to officially launch a new line of gaming monitors and peripherals this weekend, set to “reinvent the game” under its new brand, Evnia.

Evnia, a Greek word meaning “good”, “smart”, and “articulate thinking”, was the underlying message for the event’s presentation, with many of the products featuring smart design traits, high-quality features, and intricate styling.

We were lucky enough to be invited to the event in Paris to get hands-on with some of the new Evnia products – including a 42-inch OLED, 34-inch ultrawide QD-OLED, and a 34-inch Mini-LED ultrawide.

While the event was hosted by various members of the Philips management team, much of the focus was around real-life users, including QueenArrow, Team Vitality, and the general user.

Evnia marketing trailer:

We got a glimpse of QueenArrow’s journey in a well-produced marketing trailer showing off some of the hurdles she had to surpass to get to where she is today – concluding with her appreciation for the Evnia products she’ll be using for the foreseeable.

Team Vitality’s CEO was also present alongside QueenArrow, stating how the french esports organization would be partnering with Philips and Evnia moving forward.

All being said, the brand will feature several high-performance gaming monitors, headsets, keyboards, and mice, with expected release dates set to hit shelves by January 2023.

When will Philips Evnia monitors release?

Evnia’s first gaming monitor will officially launch in December 2022, retailing for an eye-watering €2069 (£1599) at launch.

The first of four lines to be released within the Evnia brand will be called the 7000 series – closely followed by the 8000 series, 5000 series, and 3000 series.

While there were no concrete details surrounding the budget-tailored 3000 series – nor were there any samples on display – we did get 5000 and 8000 series launch dates.

Both lines of monitors look set to hit shelves by January 2023 – with three initial SKUs up for grabs (42M2N8900, 34M2C8600, and 27M2C5500W).

Philips Evnia monitor specifications & pricing

During the press event, we were given unprecedented access to test the new Evnia panels in “full” – without physically testing them for color accuracy or response.

The room was crowded but there were enough samples to go around, with a couple of each initial SKU on display.

Before we discuss our initial thoughts on the panels, but first, let’s take a closer look at the specifications each will come equipped with:

The core lineup will feature an OLED model (42M2N8900), Mini-LED model (34M2C7600MV), and QD-OLED model (34M2C8600). Alongside this, a standard edition VA “best-of-both-worlds” display will also be available.

As you can see from the table above, the flagship SKUs aren’t exactly the cheapest monitors on the market. In fact, some are actually bordering on the expensive side – especially when you compare them to similarly-specced alternatives.

Take the 34M2C8600 as a prime example. On paper, it’s relatively similar to the Alienware AW3423DW – one of the market’s first QD-OLED gaming monitors. They both feature a QD-OLED 34-inch display, both offer a 1440p screen resolution, and both showcase a 175Hz refresh rate. However, on launch, the 34M2C8600 is considerably more expensive – retailing for £1599.

The AW3423DW is only £1,099 by contrast, leaving a slightly bitter taste in the mouth – regardless of how good the panels looked. Speaking of looks, the 34M2C8600 delivers excellent aesthetic appeal, sporting a 1800R curve, white color scheme, and RGB throughout. As expected, bezels are incredibly slender on this panel – that said, the side profile is a little on the chunky side.

Pricing aside, it’s safe to say that all the panels on display during the Philips Evnia event looked fantastic. Better yet, they seemed to perform to a high level as well – with most media representatives seemingly walking away with a positive outlook on the displays.

The more premium models will feature a white color scheme while the less-premium “standard” models opt for a grey tone. In an Acer-esque move, the Evnia range will also make full utilization of recycled materials. After speaking with one of the senior design members of the range, it was clear that using said materials was high on their list of priorities.

Despite this being the case, the monitors and peripherals within the Evnia lineup all felt – and looked – incredibly premium.

Evnia 42M2N8900 OLED gaming monitor

The OLED (42M2N8900) was, by far, the biggest draw of attention during the presentation, with many influencers getting their moment to enjoy its superb color accuracy, contrast, and viewing angles.

Like other 42-inch OLED models in today’s market, the 42M2N8900 features absolutely stunning picture quality and image handling. The lightning-quick 0.1ms response time was clear for all to see, demonstrated nicely through a fast-paced Formula 1 title.

Viewing angles were, as expected, absolutely flawless – with perfect color performance even when viewing the monitor from obscure angles. The bezels were incredibly thin and the general profile of the monitor was definitely on the slender side – a feature that didn’t transfer over to the QD-OLED or Mini-LED models.

Despite its high price tag, the Evnia OLED gaming monitor also features a high percentage of recycled materials – used mainly in the stand and rear panel at the back of the monitor. Philips has managed to pull off the styling of this quite well, however, with the monitors definitely offering a premium look and feel.

Evnia peripherals

Alongside a slew of gaming monitors, Philips also unveiled accompanying peripherals for each of the monitor series.

Each monitor will come with the choice to purchase a partnering mouse, keyboard, and headset – all of which can be controlled through the new Evnia software suite.

With the peripherals not launching until later in the year (June 2023 expected), we don’t have a tonne of information regarding the specs. That being said, many of the peripherals will utilize similar recycled materials as the monitors.

Additionally, the keyboards look set to feature Cherry MX switches, RGB, and other game-related features too. We tested the headphones while at the event and, unfortunately, while the sound wasn’t the worst, it did seem to fall victim to annoying bass-boosting tweaks.

Final thoughts on Evnia

Overall, we were pretty impressed by the range of products that are due to launch within the Evnia brand. Of course, the big unveilings were the monitors and, without properly testing them, it’s hard to say whether or not they’re going to hit the floor running.

Of course, pricing looks to be “competitively priced”, yet on the higher end of the spectrum. Hopefully, when we get to test the panels in full, they’ll offer some unique features that set them apart form the competition. Because right now, the only thing separating them from other market leaders is build quality and styling – which isn’t much to go off.