This monitor has several advantages over its competitors that nothing currently available combines into a single package. If you are looking to game at 1080p this is likely as good as it gets. Killer features include:
1) Static Contrast - This monitor is VA with fast transitions. The most common panel technologies for gaming monitors are TN and IPS. Both technologies are limited to about 1:1000 standard contrast. This panel is up to 1:3000. There is an Eizo VA gaming monitor that I believe does better at 4.5k, but it is hard to find, more expensive, and has classic VA issues with transitions that this monitor avoids. The reason, in short, why VA is seldom used in gaming is that VA pixels have trouble quickly transitioning between high and low brightness leading to "smearing". This issue is all, but non-existent in this monitor and the similar Samsung cf791.
2)144hz and 1ms response times - One of the few VA panels on the market with these specs.
3) Color - Quantum dot allows for 125% of the "sRGB" color gamut. Most gaming monitors fall somewhere below 100, many around 90 something. Colors on this monitor are very vivid. The antithesis of the classic "washed out" TN. While this monitor's color accuracy is not likely to equal a quality ips panel, this shouldn't be a concern for consumer usage.
4) Freesync - With an AMD gpu, you can say goodbye to screen tearing and stuttering! Range is 70-144, but this monitor supports LFC allowing for an effective range of 1-144.
5) Motion blur reduction - This monitor can strobe which significantly reduces blur. An issue with this feature is that the monitor maxes brightness with the strobe turned on (it gets quite bright). With the feature disabled the monitor is flicker-free and thus relatively easy on the eyes.
The monitor has an easy to navigate OSD. There is a joystick on the back and 3 buttons on the bottom for presets. The curve is nicer than I expected, it is fairly subtle. Supposedly, the advantage of the curve is that it makes the entire screen more nearly equidistant from your eyes than a flat display would. The included stand feels sturdy and is adjustable.
My monitor has minor backlight bleed in the corners which is has yet to be noticeable in practice.
Note regarding firmware version - The presence of green or purple trailing has been reported on older revisions of this monitor. Supposedly Samsung updated the firmware on their monitors mid-October to reduce this. I returned the monitor I recieved from Amazon as it was September model (without testing it) and purchased a November from a different retailer. I have yet to notice any trailing on my November monitor (though there are many who never noticed or weren't bothered by trailing in older pre-October models.) Manufacture month can be determined by serial number. Around 5 or so digits from the right there will be a letter or number indicating the month: 8 Aug, 9 Sep, A Oct, B November. Presumably, C would be December though I have yet to see reports of monitors with a C. A possible indicator of the updated monitor is the presence of "Standard Engine" and "Ultimate Engine" freesync settings in the OSD. Older models either call these setting something else or have two simple on and off options rather than the three. I forget which.
| Standing screen display size | 27 Inches |
|---|---|
| Screen Resolution | 1920x1080 |
| Max Screen Resolution | 1920 x 1080 Pixels |
