The last year has seen an explosion of gaming monitors specifically designed for recreational gamers while also delivering great specs for creatives. The likes of AOC and Philips have gone head-to-head in producing monitors with amazing refresh rates, response times, and, on the whole, great design.
The latest offering is the Philips Evnia 27M2N8500. This is likely to be one of the best monitors we've seen this year, thanks to the 360 Hz refresh rate, QHD resolution, and relatively affordable price point.
The 27-inch version is the smaller brother to the 32-inch display, which has a higher resolution but an inferior refresh rate. These two monitors force gamers to decide between visual resolution and rapid refresh rates.
This monitor is far from cheap, but when it comes to paying for these sorts of specs, you'll be hard-pressed to get a better deal than the Evnia 27M2N8500.
Philips Evnia 27M2N8500 Monitor: Key specifications
Design and build
The Philips Evnia 27M2N8500 has adopted a really nice design ethos. I'm so used to testing monitors that adopt plain black plastic with an unattractive stand and bracket, making it difficult sometimes to be positive about design features. As soon as I unboxed the monitor, I could see this was no ordinary offering.
The stand is constructed of a speckled composite material that looks truly fantastic. It blends seamlessly into a powder-coated metallic upright before giving another nod to the speckled design at the top. It looks sleek and well-thought-through.
The bracket supports the 27-inch display, which looks equally impressive thanks to the thin silver trim around the left, right and top edges. The display also includes a thin 10mm strip at the bottom, which finishes the look off nicely. What looks brilliant in the pictures looks even better in reality.
Philips have introduced a new dynamic lighting feature that illuminates the rear of the monitor and if your display backs up against a wall, then you'll have a really nice glow at the back. Windows 11 users are able to synchronise all RGB lighting throughout their connected monitors and accessories but this is not possible with Apple devices. Although I'm not particularly a fan of this type of lighting, I know a lot of gamers are and will welcome the change with open arms.
The abundance of ports are located at the rear of the monitor with HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB options available. These are facing downwards, which means all cables immediately come into view underneath the screen. Phillips has included a gap between the two sides of the upright, which allows for some cable tidying, but I would've preferred the ports to come straight out the back.
The monitor is well built with premium parts used throughout. The monitor can be tilted, swivelled and height. Adjusted for that perfect ergonomic position.
Features and performance
The headline feature of the Evnia 27M2N8500 is the 360 Hz refresh rate, which allows for unbelievably fast gaming. Considering most gaming monitors before 2024 would top out at around 180Hz, this is a considerable jump. It makes all the difference for gamers, where split seconds make all the difference between winning and losing. It looks great on this monitor and delivers where gamers need it most.
This 27-inch monitor has QHD resolution, which gives you 2560 x 1440 pixels to enjoy. The visuals benefit from the high-density pixel count that is made possible through the display port or HDMI port. This all adds to a fantastic viewing experience for gamers and creatives alike. One of the areas outside of gaming at this resolution and pixel count that come into their own is the graphics industry. 3D visuals, CAD designs, and video editing all pop from the screen.
Alongside an unbelievable refresh rate and a reasonable resolution, the Evnia 27M2N8500 provides DisplayHDR True Black 400 and true 10-bit display technology. These push the quality of the colours right up to professional standards and ensure colours are replicated accurately and with enough dynamic range. When looking at and working with visuals on the monitor, I could tell that Philips has done a lot of work to create a feature set that provides fantastic results.
There's a little bit of a problem with clarity around the edge of the screen, but it's only noticeable if you really concentrate on it. For the most part, you'll never know it's there. I would like to have seen the monitor upgraded to 4K resolution, but you'll need the 32-inch alternative to jump up to that.
As with displays that you're going to be using for extended periods of time, it's important to have features that purposefully care for your eyes. Philips has included a LowBlue mode alongside flicker-free technology, which seriously reduces eye strain and fatigue.
Price
The Philips Evnia 27M2N8500 is at the more affordable end of gaming monitors with this level of spec. It'll cost you £649.99, although if you want to upgrade to the 32-inch version, then you'll need to set aside £1,039.99.
Buy it if
- You need the fastest refresh rates
- You value design and function
- You want a trusted brand
Don't buy it if
- You need 4K resolution
- You want a super-large display
- You want a cheap display
