Samsung's 49-inch curved screen terrifies lesser gaming monitors
The flagship of its new curved QLED game displays can replace two side-by-side 27-inchers, and the three models are the first to support AMD FreeSync 2.
I dislike the cavalier way monitor and TV makers have been tossing "immersive" around to market their curved displays. But if you plonk me in front of Samsung's new 49-inch curved QLED monitor with any game, I might forget to eat or sleep.
The company launches its new line of gaming monitors with a few firsts. In addition to offering its biggest desktop gaming monitor to date (the previous largest size was 38 inches), the three new models also represent Samsung's first use of its latest-generation, metal-core QLED technology in desktop displays. QLED allows the VA-based panels to achieve a TN-panel-level 1-millisecond pixel response time. It's also got 144Hz refresh but with IPS-quality color gamut and viewing angles.
They're also among the first displays to support AMD FreeSync 2, which the company announced at the beginning of the year. FreeSync 2 brings on-GPU HDR processing to Radeon gamers, much like Nvidia's G-Sync HDR does for GeForcers.
And while it's not a first, the displays also hit a relatively high 600 nits brightness and 125 percent sRGB color gamut.
Though the 49-inch model is a monster -- you can finally replace side-by-side setups for both working and gaming, since it covers the same territory as two 27-inch 16:9-aspect-ratio monitors -- all is not optimal. It has a resolution of 3,840x1,080 pixels, an odd 32:9 aspect ratio which Samsung's calling Super Ultra Wide HD. Oy.
The result is a fairly unimpressive pixel pitch for a $1,500 monitor: 0.31mm or 81 pixels per inch. That's not terrible for gaming, but if you need sharpness for photo editing or working with crammed spreadsheets, it might not serve you very well.
The smaller displays are much better in this respect. They're 32- and 27-inch models with almost identical specs but 2,560x1,440 pixels packed into a smaller space for better density, despite the lower horizontal resolution -- roughly 109ppi and 92ppi, respectively, with more standard 16:9 aspect ratios.
Still, I'm going to shoving everything off my desk now in hopes of getting to test the big'un soon. It will be the first to ship -- you should be able to preorder today from Amazon or Micro Center and shipping will start in early July. I don't have price or availability for the UK or Australia, but the US $1,500 converts to about £1,170 and AU$1,990.
The 32-inch C32CHG70 will be available for preorder only on Newegg.com for the time being at $699 (about AU$930 or £545), while the 27-inch C27CHG70 can be preordered directly from Samsung for $599 (about £470 or AU$795).
Basic specs
| Samsung 49 C49HG90 | Samsung C27HG70 | Samsung C32HG70 | |
| Price (MSRP) | $1,499 | $599 | $599 |
| Panel type | VA-QLED | VA-QLED | VA-QLED |
| Backlight type | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Size (diagonal) | 49 | 27 | 27 |
| Curve radius | 1800R | 1800R | 1800R |
| Resolution | 3,840 x 1,080 | WQHD (2,560 x 1,440) | WQHD (2,560 x 1,440) |
| Aspect ratio | 32:9 | 16:9 | 16:9 |
| Pixel pitch (mm) | 0.312 | 0.23 | 0.23 |
| Maximum gamut | 125 percent sRGB, 95 percent P3 | 125 percent sRGB, 95 percent P3 | 125 percent sRGB, 95 percent P3 |
| Rotates vertically | No | Yes | Yes |
| Typical brightness (nits) | 600 (peak) | 600 (peak) | 600 (peak) |
| HDR | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sync standard | FreeSync 2 | FreeSync 2 | FreeSync 2 |
| Maximum vertical refresh rate (at HD or higher resolution) | 144Hz | 144Hz | 144Hz |
| Gray/gray response time (milliseconds) | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| HDMI | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| DisplayPort | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Mini DisplayPort | 1 | No | No |
| USB Type-A (out) | 2 x USB 3 | 2 x USB 3 | 2 x USB 3 |
| USB 3.0 (in) | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Built-in speakers | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Headphone jack | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Release date | July 2017 | Summer 2017 | Summer 2017 |