Gaming monitors have mostly come in two sizes for years: 27 inches or 32 inches. If you wanted something bigger, you usually ended up buying a TV. Philips says it now has a monitor for the space in between.
The company has announced the 36M4C5500P, which it said is the first curved gaming monitor on the market at 36 inches. It’s aimed at players who’ve outgrown 27 and 32 inches but don’t want a living room TV on their desk.
The refresh rate is the main draw
The panel is Fast VA and runs at up to 260Hz. Philips is promising response times as low as 0.3ms, and it lists 1ms GtG on the spec sheet. Those two figures aren’t the same measurement, so treat the 0.3ms claim as a best case.
According to Philips, the monitor keeps a sharp image at high frame rates. That’s what you’d expect it to say. VA panels have a history of smearing in dark scenes, so it’s worth waiting for independent testing before you believe the company on that point.
Ultrawide shape, 1440p resolution
The 36M4C5500P is part of the Evnia 5000 series. It has an ultrawide aspect ratio and a resolution of 3440×1440, the same pixel count you’ll find on plenty of 34-inch ultrawides. On a bigger screen, that means lower pixel density.
Brightness is rated at 350 nits. In HDR mode, Philips said it can reach between 450 and 500 nits. That’s enough for some HDR highlights, but it’s a long way from the numbers OLED and mini-LED monitors advertise.
The color numbers point at more than gaming
Philips lists color coverage of 126% sRGB, 105% NTSC, 91% Adobe RGB and 95% DCI-P3. The company is also pitching the monitor to professionals as well as gamers, and it has anti-glare treatment, among other things.
If you edit photos or video on the same desk you game on, the 95% DCI-P3 figure is the one to look at. Real-world calibration results will matter more than the box numbers, though.
The ports are where it falls short
You get two HDMI 2.1 ports and one DisplayPort 1.4. That covers a PC and a console without much trouble.
But there’s no USB at all. You won’t find a hub, a USB-C input or a single port for a keyboard or webcam. The only other connection is a 3.5mm headphone jack. If your laptop charges and connects over one USB-C cable, this monitor won’t do that for you.
Philips hasn’t announced a release date or a price for the 36M4C5500P yet.
