Screens havenât changed much in the last few years. Theyâve gotten a bit bigger, better specs or at the top end a bit more curved but they havenât really added anything new. Plug them in and show an image. The 349P7FUBEB can do that and does it well but itâs got another trick â USBC. People have been building USB hubs into screens for years and itâs a useful addition without being a must-have. The 349P7FUBEB isnât just a hub â it lets you plug in and run your video, charge your laptop and connect to other plugged in devices all in one cable. Its a dock with a screen built in.
When I bought my current laptop â a Razer Blade Stealth â I was careful to pick a design that had a reasonable range of ports but that also had a USBC Thunderbolt 3 port. In theory, this can handle two 4k 60Hz screens and it really did turn out to be that simple. Plug a single cable from the screen to my laptop and Windows instantly recognised it as an external screen and the laptop started drawing power. After that the screen has three older style USB ports and a 3.5mm jack so with a little rewiring I was able to get my mechanical keyboard and Blue Yeti mic plugged in leaving the last fast charge USB port to charge my phone. Add in my Bluetooth headphones and MX Master Bluetooth mouse and I had a single wire going to my laptop with the added bonus that I didnât need to use my laptops normal charger and could pack it for longer trips.
So it works really well as a dock â how is it as a screen? Curved screens donât quite get the wow fact that they did a few years ago but a widescreen curved monitor set up correctly is still my personal perfect setup for maximum productivity. The width lets you fit in multiple windows without squashing and get the most done at once. Phillips also added other productivity features â Multiview to let you show the feeds from two different computers, blue reduction to make it easier on the eyes and a single button joystick controller that lets you get to the settings without having to decipher what every key does.
The screen has a decent level of adjustability with the screen and stand pivoting on the base. The upright stand goes to a slider that allows the whole screen to move up and down from a minimum of 43cm to a maximum of 61cm from the table. The whole thing also tilts forward by a few degrees or back by up to 20 degrees. Assembly is straightforward with the upright attaching to the screen with a single click and the base taking a click and then a single hand tightened screw. The end result is weighty and stable with s minimum of wobble and it stays where you adjust it to. Finally, the panel itself is an impressive QHD which manages to be both bright and colourful. Itâs got a 100Hz refresh rate and is easy on the eyes. Dedicated gamers probably wonât find it ideal but thatâs more a reflection on games not being set up for a screen this wide rather than any criticism of the screen itself.
The 349P7FUBEB isnât a monitor for everyone. Its price is going to put a lot of people off but if your main computer is a USBC laptop and you need a huge amount of screen real estate in a sensibly designed, immersive package itâs perfect. Highly recommended for someone who needs a combination of portability and screen space.
Available from August with an RRP of ÂŁ750
Product dimensions: 60 x 81 x 28 cm ( at maximum)
Colour: Grey and black
LCD panel type: MVA
Backlight type: W-LED system
Panel Size: 34Â inch / 86.36Â cm diagonal
Display Screen Coating: Anti-Glare, Haze 25%
Colour gamut (typical): NTSC 99.8%*, sRGB 117.3%*
Effective viewing area: 797.22 (H) x 333.72 (V) â at a 1800 R curvature*
Aspect ratio: 21:9
Optimum resolution: 3440 x 1440 @ 60Â Hz
Pixel Density: 109.68 PPI
Response time (typical): 4Â ms (Grey to Grey)
Brightness: 300  cd/m²
Contrast ratio (typical): 3000:1
SmartContrast: 50,000,000:1
Pixel pitch: 0.232 x 0.232Â mm
Viewing angle: 178Âş (H)/178Âş (V)
Flicker-free: Yes
Display colours: 16.7 M
Scanning Frequency: 30â160Â kHz (H)/40â102Â Hz (V) (DisplayPort, USB-C), 23â102Â Hz (V) (HDMI)
sRGB: Yes
LowBlue Mode: Yes
Adaptive sync: Yes
Ergonomics:
Stand Height adjustment: 180 Â mm
Swivel: -170/170 Â degree
Tilt: -5/20 Â degree
VESA: Yes
Power supply: External, 100-240 VAC, 50-60 Hz
Weight
Product with stand: 9.60 Â kg
Product without stand: 6.60 Â kg
Included in the box: Monitor with stand, USB-C to USB-C cable, USB-C to USB-A cable, HDMI cable, DP cable, Audio cable, Power cable and user documentation.
Warranty: 12 months from manufacturer defect
The monitor is a stand-alone unit so needs a PC to drive it. It can use a standard desktop PC but the built-in USBC dock aims it more at those using modern laptops that use it USBC as a primary port. Not all USB is created equal but if you have a modern machine from a well-known manufacturer â Dell, Apple, Razer or HP for example chances are that youâll get a good result.
Philips is a huge Dutch conglomerate that makes and sells a huge variety of products worldwide. It will probably be familiar to every reader for its TVâs healthcare equipment, monitors, smart home equipment, lights and consumer electronics.
We based our Ergohacks Verdict on two weeks of use. It was provided by Phillips in July 2018. Â This article was first published on 30 July 2018
Phillips Curved UltraWide display with USB-C dock â 349P7FUBEB Screens haven't changed much in the last few years. They've gotten a bit bigger, better specs or at the top end a bit more curved but they haven't really added anything new.Â
