But it’s very expensive, has limited HDR support and mediocre pixel density.
Multiple monitors or one very big screen.
That’s ultimately what your choice comes down to if you want the very best in multitasking display support.
(Image credit: Philips)
You also get an integrated pop-up 5MP webcam with Windows Hello and AI tracking support.
If that all sounds appealing, the catch is the price.
Let’s find out how Phillips' latest model compares to thebest ultrawide monitorson the market.
RGB lighting and other gamer-centric flourishes definitely do not feature.
Still, this is a mostly well-engineered display with a fantastic feature set.
The main negative from a design perspective is the stand.
(Image credit: Philips)
Then again, it’s easier to access when plugging in headphones.
It definitely offers better image quality than most built-in monitor cams.
It’s probably a software tweak away from being great.
(Image credit: Philips)
As it is, the AI tracking element is best ignored.
Philips 49B2U6903CH: Performance
The basic format of the Philips 49B2U6903CH isn’t exactly novel.
But the physical reality of a 49-inch curved monitor with a 32:9 aspect ratio is still very impressive.
(Image credit: Philips)
This is an awful lot of monitor.
The benefit for multitasking is obvious enough.
As for image quality, the biggest downside of this Philips is the pixel density.
(Image credit: Philips)
However, for now there are no 32:9 aspect, 49-inch ultrawide monitors available with higher pixel density.
In practice, that means the SDR colours look accurate and well balanced.
That’s plenty for burning off even very bright ambient light conditions.
(Image credit: Philips)
What’s more, the panel’s SDR-calibration in HDR mode is bang-on, too.
That said, you do have to be realistic about the HDR capabilities of a display like this.
There’s no local dimming, let alone the per-pixel lighting of an OLED screen.
(Image credit: Philips)
Long story short, this isn’t really an HDR-capable display, despite the VESA HDR400 certification.
Elsewhere, Philips quotes this monitor as being capable of 100Hz.
Whatever, 120Hz is plenty for desktop responsiveness and smoothness.
(Image credit: Philips)
Not that this is a gaming monitor, but it will do that job on the side just fine.
Philips 49B2U6903CH: Final verdict
From a productivity perspective, this is a very fine display tool.
The image quality is likewise all you could ask for from this punch in of display.
(Image credit: Philips)
It’s punchy, it’s accurate, it’s well calibrated, it’s plenty quick enough.
Sure, the HDR support is limited.
But the real downside for productivity is that mediocre pixel density.
(Image credit: Philips)
it’s possible for you to’t blame Philips for that.
What you could take Philips to task over is the price.
For sure, a monitor this size with the features it offers is never going to be cheap.
For more content creation displays, we tested thebest business monitorsand thebest monitors for a dual-screen setup.
