Philips Brilliance 346P1
If you fancy a clutter-free desk monitor, this is a bona fide curved bargain
SCORE
PRICE £393 (£471 inc VAT) from shop.bt.com
We were so impressed by this monitor three months ago ( see issue 310, p69) that we put it on the A-List and, while it loses that top spot to the LG UltraWide 38WN95C, the Brilliance 346P1 remains a phenomenal choice if a large, curved screen appeals.
Philips lifts the 346P1 above rival 34in curved VA monitors by packing it with user-friendly features. It’s an excellent choice for anyone wanting a clutter-free desk, with an RJ-45 port, four USB-A ports (all sensibly mounted to the left of the screen) and even a KVM switch if you want to share your mouse and keyboard with a second connected computer. Note that its USB-C connection provides a wholesome 90W of power too.
While the stand is basic in design, and wobbles more than we’d like when prodding the OSD buttons, there’s a superb 180mm of height adjustment and you can swivel it 360°. That OSD offers few controls over colours, but Philips expects you to choose between its eight SmartImage options; think Office, Game, LowBlue Mode. You can also quickly flick between sources, with all other controls via the menu.
We recommend you use this to switch the light sensor on, as this will adjust the brightness of the display – and if you keep it on the maximum 507cd/m2 this monitor can achieve then you’ll need to wear sunglasses.
While there is an sRGB mode, you’re better off choosing Office as this actually does a better job of covering the sRGB gamut: it reached 99% in our tests versus 91.3% for the sRGB setting, and with an average Delta E of around 0.6, it’s accurate too.
While other monitors are directly aimed at gamers, the Brilliance does a fine job thanks to a 100Hz peak refresh (even at the screen’s native 3,440 x 1,440 resolution) and support for AMD FreeSync, and the pair of 5W speakers are more than good enough if you don’t have your headphones to hand. As an extra bonus, this monitor even supports DisplayHDR 400.
We aren’t so convinced by the webcam, which only sporadically worked with Windows Hello, but it hides out of the way when not needed.
The 346P1 isn’t perfect, but at this price it adds up to yet another brilliant monitor from Philips.