Samsung’s been on a roll with their curved screens, and now we get to enjoy the very same thing on a more personal sized level. Enter one of Samsung’s latest 24-inch curved monitors, which is more than just a pretty picture.
Build
In terms of looks, the monitor pretty much looks like most of Samsung’s curved displays that it has a glossy frame with a relatively thin bezel. This general aesthetic is quite commonplace across their monitors but it isn’t by any means bad, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
As for the specs, it possesses a 178-degree curve with a 16:9 aspect ratio, Full HD resolution and a 3,000:1 contrast ratio on top of being one of the first to be sporting AMD’s FreeSynch tech over HDMI.
I like the fact that the monitor is very straightforward too, you literally just get a power button with the controls at the back in a neat little row. Here you will find a HDMI port, VGA port, audio jack, plug for a Kensington lock and a power socket. That’s literally it.
No DVI port though, but it would happily accommodate most gaming or entertainment setups. There’s even the option to install a wall bracket, but that you will have to purchase separately.
The monitor doesn’t possess speakers so you have the option of connecting the rear jack to a pair of speakers or other a pair of headphones if you wish.
On the other hand is the stand that is pretty glossy like the monitor’s bezel. While it doesn’t swivel left and right, though it does tilt up and down. We’re not huge fans of the glossiness but at least the whole ensemble seems fairly stable.
Performance
We’re generally quite happy with the performance, the colours are crisp and the blacks are deep, with the screen’s brightness quite impressive.
As expected the monitor has pretty good viewing angles, which generally speaking is the main strength of a curved display. You could easily sit anywhere along the side and still get roughly the same experience.
Also, the display is one of the first monitors to feature AMD FreeSync tech over HDMI, so it’s capable of syncing up the screen refresh rate with your framerate, reducing image tearing and stutter. We didn’t experience any of these while running the monitor so its safe to say it does what it says on the tin.
We played both No Man’s Sky and Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens to no issue whatsoever, and frankly it does a good job for movies too.
However, the display does cap out at 1920×1080 resolution so you won’t be able to push it to 1900×1440, and you won’t quite get that 4K goodness either. Either way, it’s still pretty good for gaming as it is.
Verdict
All in, we think that if you’re just going to get one monitor for your gaming and otherwise entertainment needs this is the ticket. There aren’t many that can keep up to the rigours of matching the game’s framerate to the screen, even less of such are curved displays.
Though if you want one with a higher resolution, you could look to one of its larger siblings instead.
https://youtu.be/3m2wcy2gvp4
As for the pricetag, it’s a little steep at RM1429, but it’s still one of the cheapest available ranges on the market if you insist on getting a curved screen.
Hit the gallery below for more images of the 24″ Samsung Curved Monitor CF390:
