the dell 2713HM is complete crap fro real work. it´s a gaming monitor but no match for people who need a good colormanaged monitor.
no sane person intersted in accuracy would use the dell over a eizo or nec. the samsung is better then the dell but no match to eizo or nec monitors aroun 1000 euro.
Who said every monitor must be for GRAPHICS work ? I can work my programming just fine on the 2713HM and do everything else on the computer without noticing any real "color" problems. Excellent monitor for the price ! This Samsung however breaks the bank. 27" WQHD really need to come down in price, not up...
The PA248Q is only 1920x1200 so Apples to Oranges, but yes the price is wrong. If the measured performance had matched the data sheet, it would have worked at $1,000 for a certain audience. That after a WQHD display with really accurate color and uniformity but that doesn't need a color gamut beyond sRGB. As the post-calibration numbers show, it is capable of very high performance.
Unfortunately it didn't meet that. I don't know if mine was a bad sample or if they measure a different way, but it didn't hit the level of performance the price point would require. It's a nice display, I've been using it post-calibration and it's really great, but most people lack $1,000+ in calibration gear to bring out that performance. Hopefully Samsung can get it right in the next generation, because it has a lot of potential.
Have you used a 27" 1440p monitor? Sure, 1600p is great, but they usually cost twice as much and there is much less competition. I came from a 24" 1920x1200 monitor to a Samsung S27A850D (luckily without the complaints many people had with it, lots of backlight bleed and other stuff), and the narrower picture doesn't really bother me, the higher resolution in all axes is much more important for me. And since Win7 with the easy side-by-side view of applications, productivity is even higher.
Seriously, you can get the Dell or HP 27" IPS or PLS models on sale for half the price, or in other words, you could have TWO excellent 2560x1440 monitors for the price of the Samsung.
Before I chose a preset I measured the grayscale and color saturations on all preset modes. sRGB and Calibrated were practically identical. However, sRGB allows for a brightness setting while it is preset on Calibrated. Because dE2000 will factor in a target brightness (200 cd/m^2 in our case), this would then cause Calibrated to have higher error levels overall. If we didn't have a target light level it might have been slightly better but you also only could use the monitor at 260 cd/m^2 or so of brightness.
The panel is only one piece of the system. You can have a great panel and a really bad display result. See the reviews of the LG 29EA93 versions and how much difference you can get using the same panel.
The reviews of the QNIX and X-STAR rate it as being pretty much identical in quality (including out of the box color accuracy) as the name-brands. The only downside is the cheapo stand and casing.
It's almost in the same position as Apple's (aging) Thunderbolt dispay. They're both 2560 x 1440 27" displays that sell for $1k, they both have nice looking industrial designs, and have image quality that's good, but no longer great.
If I were considering either one, I'd jump the marginal $250 and grab the NEC, or save $300 and grab one of the other ones.
Regarding Apple's Thunderbolt display, at least for the same $1K price Mac users get another benefit: the built-in T'bolt hub that gives USB, and FW ports, plus ethernet and a power supply for laptop charging. Together these would cost at least another $300, effectively reducing the Apple monitor's price. For those who can benefit from this docking capability (not everyone, obviously) that makes the T'bolt monitor very decent value.
What about the LG 27EA83-D? I own one. Got it from Microcenter for $649 when it was released and newegg just had it on sale for $550. 27" IPS panel, 2560x1440, 99% Adobe RGB, works great for games that I've tried, and is stunning after calibration. It does come precalibrated with results but those are never true. All the reviews I've read have raved about it and I've been waiting for Anandtech or tftcentral to confirm my bias. Please give this monitor a review! Thanks.
I just would never buy a Samsung, especially not a expensive one like this. My experience with their products is usually a short lived one, because they tend to break pretty early.
Well I've bought 3 HDTVs, 4 PC monitors, 3 SSDs, and 2 mobile phones all made by Samsung and none have given me any problems. You are just unlucky. Look at the reviews of any of the products I mention above on sites like Amazon or NewEgg and see how many people complain about failure.
Meh, the DisplayPort and HDMI are nice, but I paid less than that for two 27in WQHD displays a year ago. Samsung, get this to a 4K resolution and you'll have buyers in 2014.
The lower contrast will hurt performance for games and movies, yes. Typically on a display like this that is the trade-off to have a more uniform overall screen with a more controlled backlight. For many environments (graphic design, photography) the uniformity and color accuracy are both more essential than the contrast ratio.
It is. Look at the recent NEC PA242W for an example. However that is a 24", 1920x1200 display that sells for over $1,100, so you are paying for that calibration.
This looks like a great display for CG people where colour profiles are still AWOL with apps like ZBrush, Mudbox, etc. They assume you're using sRGB. But you still want a high-quality display. That said, it is a bit pricey compared to the dual Dell U2713HM monitors that I'm running quite happily.
This is indeed slotted in a narrow niche: would have been so much better if it had support for AdobeRGB.
The NEC PA271W can be purchased new at B&H Photo for $859 (no Spectraview + Calibrator bundle). But it is so good out of the box that you don't need an external calibrator. Downside is that is is CCFL and some units have an audible high pitched whine when high contrast images are displayed.
The NEC PA272W is just launched and will be available in the US on Nov 18th for $1299. LED Backlight, wide gamut coverage takes care of Adobe RGB requirements. Good warranty and dead pixel policy.
There is also the ASUS PA279Q for around $850 (wide Gamut). Pre Cal numbers aren't outstanding out of the box (dE < 2 claimed) but cleans up after post calibration. Has overshoot ghosting though.
Then there is the ViewSonic VP2772 for $990 (wide Gamut support).
In the 30inchers, the Dell U3014 is frequently on sale for $940ish. Can get a refurb directly from Dell for $640. Have to get Rev A03 though ;-)
There is the new HP Z30i (wide Gamut) for $1299.
All the new ones use LG's new semi glossy (satin/pearl finish) coating and not the grainy coatings of old 1st gen panels (the PA271W falls into this category unfortunately)
Having considered all this, the Samsung is indeed overpriced for what it offers. Stiff competition all around.
This monitor is dead in the water for anyone doing photography who needs an expanded color gamut. There's a reason why NEC monitors are the goto here. I don't care about how easy it is to use the OSD; I'm using software calibration.
Alan, Agreed. By software calibration - are you using software to write to your video card LUT or the 14bit 3axis LUT inside the monitor. The interface bit depth is different (8 or 10bit per color depending on interface used) to the internal bit depth for storing the color info. Using the monitor internal LUT has significant advantages for Color Management. ( you may be already aware of this, so, sorry if this is redundant). Just thought it might be worth mentioning.
Yes, writing to the monitor's LUT which is why NEC monitors are so easy to work with. I've used both their own Spectraview software or the ArgylCMS freeware to calibrate it. Of course the needs of photographers are quite different from those who game on their computer for which this monitor might be sufficient.
Samsung's excuse (Korean) http://samsungtomorrow.com/2914 They admitted that the reports are "accidentally" misprinted, although the monitors are hand calibrated each through four stages.
It might be true, but Samsung has a very long list of shady practices....
Thanks for posting that. I hadn't seen that before so it is good to see. That would certainly explain why the measurements on the included data sheet didn't match up to the performance I measured with CalMAN myself.
After spending a fortune on an XL20 LED monitor some years back - I discovered that the Samsung IPS alternatives are good but not as good as tru IPS. I won't buy another.
Can someone explain to me - why would Samsung not calibrate this monitor before shipping? Is it a question of matching the monitor to the graphic card?
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hbsource - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
As someone once said, 'There's no such thing as a bad product, just bad pricing.' That seems to be the case here.Da W - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
For that price i got 3 ASUS PA248Q monitors, which are pretty good.hero1 - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
Tell me about it. That is way more than the Dell U2713HM that I have. Samsung screwed up here.Silma - Saturday, November 2, 2013 - link
Very happy with the Dell U2713HM, far less expensive and superior in almost all ways to the Samsung.Gothmoth - Saturday, November 2, 2013 - link
the dell 2713HM is complete crap fro real work.it´s a gaming monitor but no match for people who need a good colormanaged monitor.
no sane person intersted in accuracy would use the dell over a eizo or nec.
the samsung is better then the dell but no match to eizo or nec monitors aroun 1000 euro.
wavetrex - Sunday, November 3, 2013 - link
Who said every monitor must be for GRAPHICS work ?I can work my programming just fine on the 2713HM and do everything else on the computer without noticing any real "color" problems. Excellent monitor for the price !
This Samsung however breaks the bank. 27" WQHD really need to come down in price, not up...
cheinonen - Friday, November 1, 2013 - link
The PA248Q is only 1920x1200 so Apples to Oranges, but yes the price is wrong. If the measured performance had matched the data sheet, it would have worked at $1,000 for a certain audience. That after a WQHD display with really accurate color and uniformity but that doesn't need a color gamut beyond sRGB. As the post-calibration numbers show, it is capable of very high performance.Unfortunately it didn't meet that. I don't know if mine was a bad sample or if they measure a different way, but it didn't hit the level of performance the price point would require. It's a nice display, I've been using it post-calibration and it's really great, but most people lack $1,000+ in calibration gear to bring out that performance. Hopefully Samsung can get it right in the next generation, because it has a lot of potential.
deeps6x - Friday, November 1, 2013 - link
"The PA248Q is only 1920x1200.."Quite frankly I'd rather have the extra 120 pixels in screen height than the higher resolution.
2560 x 1600 monitors please.
Bakes - Friday, November 1, 2013 - link
I have to agree with you. I think 16:10 just seems more usable. I don't mind that movies are letterboxed.Death666Angel - Friday, November 1, 2013 - link
Have you used a 27" 1440p monitor? Sure, 1600p is great, but they usually cost twice as much and there is much less competition. I came from a 24" 1920x1200 monitor to a Samsung S27A850D (luckily without the complaints many people had with it, lots of backlight bleed and other stuff), and the narrower picture doesn't really bother me, the higher resolution in all axes is much more important for me. And since Win7 with the easy side-by-side view of applications, productivity is even higher.Death666Angel - Friday, November 1, 2013 - link
You realize the monitor here has 240 vertical pixels more than the 1200 you speak of?NicoleJNavarro - Monday, November 4, 2013 - link
hii
EJS1980 - Monday, November 4, 2013 - link
For that price I got 2 Overlord Tempest OC's, and overclocked them to 120Hz. Nothing beats 1440p at 120Hz....NOTHING!!!djscrew - Friday, November 1, 2013 - link
here here!NicoleJNavarro - Monday, November 4, 2013 - link
my best frends mum just got a year 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV by working from a home pc... browse this site
twizzlebizzle22 - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
Tl;Dr average monitor... High priceSamus - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
Seriously, you can get the Dell or HP 27" IPS or PLS models on sale for half the price, or in other words, you could have TWO excellent 2560x1440 monitors for the price of the Samsung.JarredWalton - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
Except for the uniformity aspect, which Samsung does very well. But yes, it's priced too high for what you get in our opinion.Spoelie - Friday, November 1, 2013 - link
What I don't get is why you didn't measure or use the "Calibrated" preset. Everything is done in sRGB.cheinonen - Sunday, November 3, 2013 - link
Before I chose a preset I measured the grayscale and color saturations on all preset modes. sRGB and Calibrated were practically identical. However, sRGB allows for a brightness setting while it is preset on Calibrated. Because dE2000 will factor in a target brightness (200 cd/m^2 in our case), this would then cause Calibrated to have higher error levels overall. If we didn't have a target light level it might have been slightly better but you also only could use the monitor at 260 cd/m^2 or so of brightness.QuantumPion - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
Get the same panel offbrand (QNIX/X-STAR) for only ~$300-$350ish off ebay. Win.cheinonen - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
The panel is only one piece of the system. You can have a great panel and a really bad display result. See the reviews of the LG 29EA93 versions and how much difference you can get using the same panel.QuantumPion - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
The reviews of the QNIX and X-STAR rate it as being pretty much identical in quality (including out of the box color accuracy) as the name-brands. The only downside is the cheapo stand and casing.glenster - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
Samsung should put out one like the Qnix QX2710.aliasfox - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
It's almost in the same position as Apple's (aging) Thunderbolt dispay. They're both 2560 x 1440 27" displays that sell for $1k, they both have nice looking industrial designs, and have image quality that's good, but no longer great.If I were considering either one, I'd jump the marginal $250 and grab the NEC, or save $300 and grab one of the other ones.
MykeM - Friday, November 1, 2013 - link
You can pick Apple's TB Display for $800 at Apple online store. It's refurbished but comes with the same 1 year warranty.NCM - Tuesday, November 5, 2013 - link
Regarding Apple's Thunderbolt display, at least for the same $1K price Mac users get another benefit: the built-in T'bolt hub that gives USB, and FW ports, plus ethernet and a power supply for laptop charging. Together these would cost at least another $300, effectively reducing the Apple monitor's price. For those who can benefit from this docking capability (not everyone, obviously) that makes the T'bolt monitor very decent value.xKeGSx - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
What about the LG 27EA83-D? I own one. Got it from Microcenter for $649 when it was released and newegg just had it on sale for $550. 27" IPS panel, 2560x1440, 99% Adobe RGB, works great for games that I've tried, and is stunning after calibration. It does come precalibrated with results but those are never true. All the reviews I've read have raved about it and I've been waiting for Anandtech or tftcentral to confirm my bias. Please give this monitor a review! Thanks.Panzerknacker - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
I just would never buy a Samsung, especially not a expensive one like this. My experience with their products is usually a short lived one, because they tend to break pretty early.Nfarce - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
Well I've bought 3 HDTVs, 4 PC monitors, 3 SSDs, and 2 mobile phones all made by Samsung and none have given me any problems. You are just unlucky. Look at the reviews of any of the products I mention above on sites like Amazon or NewEgg and see how many people complain about failure.Bateluer - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
Meh, the DisplayPort and HDMI are nice, but I paid less than that for two 27in WQHD displays a year ago. Samsung, get this to a 4K resolution and you'll have buyers in 2014.TridenT - Thursday, October 31, 2013 - link
Typo in your second graphic: 1iProLolimaster - Friday, November 1, 2013 - link
And fix the awefull contrast, 500:1? What a joke.Minimum 1000-1100:1
cheinonen - Sunday, November 3, 2013 - link
The lower contrast will hurt performance for games and movies, yes. Typically on a display like this that is the trade-off to have a more uniform overall screen with a more controlled backlight. For many environments (graphic design, photography) the uniformity and color accuracy are both more essential than the contrast ratio.lkuzmanov - Friday, November 1, 2013 - link
Does anyone know why displays aren't being factory calibrated? Surely it must be technically possible.cheinonen - Sunday, November 3, 2013 - link
It is. Look at the recent NEC PA242W for an example. However that is a 24", 1920x1200 display that sells for over $1,100, so you are paying for that calibration.DaveGirard - Friday, November 1, 2013 - link
This looks like a great display for CG people where colour profiles are still AWOL with apps like ZBrush, Mudbox, etc. They assume you're using sRGB. But you still want a high-quality display. That said, it is a bit pricey compared to the dual Dell U2713HM monitors that I'm running quite happily.abhijeeth - Friday, November 1, 2013 - link
This is indeed slotted in a narrow niche: would have been so much better if it had support for AdobeRGB.The NEC PA271W can be purchased new at B&H Photo for $859 (no Spectraview + Calibrator bundle). But it is so good out of the box that you don't need an external calibrator. Downside is that is is CCFL and some units have an audible high pitched whine when high contrast images are displayed.
The NEC PA272W is just launched and will be available in the US on Nov 18th for $1299. LED Backlight, wide gamut coverage takes care of Adobe RGB requirements. Good warranty and dead pixel policy.
There is also the ASUS PA279Q for around $850 (wide Gamut). Pre Cal numbers aren't outstanding out of the box (dE < 2 claimed) but cleans up after post calibration. Has overshoot ghosting though.
Then there is the ViewSonic VP2772 for $990 (wide Gamut support).
In the 30inchers, the Dell U3014 is frequently on sale for $940ish. Can get a refurb directly from Dell for $640. Have to get Rev A03 though ;-)
There is the new HP Z30i (wide Gamut) for $1299.
All the new ones use LG's new semi glossy (satin/pearl finish) coating and not the grainy coatings of old 1st gen panels (the PA271W falls into this category unfortunately)
Having considered all this, the Samsung is indeed overpriced for what it offers. Stiff competition all around.
Alan G - Friday, November 1, 2013 - link
This monitor is dead in the water for anyone doing photography who needs an expanded color gamut. There's a reason why NEC monitors are the goto here. I don't care about how easy it is to use the OSD; I'm using software calibration.abhijeeth - Friday, November 1, 2013 - link
Alan,Agreed. By software calibration - are you using software to write to your video card LUT or the 14bit 3axis LUT inside the monitor. The interface bit depth is different (8 or 10bit per color depending on interface used) to the internal bit depth for storing the color info.
Using the monitor internal LUT has significant advantages for Color Management. ( you may be already aware of this, so, sorry if this is redundant). Just thought it might be worth mentioning.
Alan G - Saturday, November 2, 2013 - link
Yes, writing to the monitor's LUT which is why NEC monitors are so easy to work with. I've used both their own Spectraview software or the ArgylCMS freeware to calibrate it. Of course the needs of photographers are quite different from those who game on their computer for which this monitor might be sufficient.Gothmoth - Saturday, November 2, 2013 - link
well EIZO or QUATO is the goto. but NEC spectravies are not bad below 2000 euro.bobbozzo - Friday, November 1, 2013 - link
Hi, please include the Aspect Ration on the specs chart on the first page of all monitor reviews.This one appears to be 16:9 :(
Thanks!
bobbozzo - Friday, November 1, 2013 - link
arg... Aspect Ratio!AnnonymousCoward - Friday, November 1, 2013 - link
30ms lag is unacceptable, and 67% gamut is bound to look dull next to a wide gamut playing any game. Too expensive, too.Gothmoth - Saturday, November 2, 2013 - link
test EIZO and QUATO monitors... why do you test all the dell and samsung consumer stuff but not the more pro oriented monitors out on the market?eizo CX240 or CX270... they are the competition to the NEC PA271 or PA272.
not these dell or samsung monitors.
cheinonen - Sunday, November 3, 2013 - link
As soon as Eizo or Quato will send me a display I'll test one. Until then I can't!hoboville - Monday, November 4, 2013 - link
Holy cow, I was thinking "Hmm this is a nice monitor, I've been wanting to get 1440p". Then I saw the price. What are they thinking?JakeLee - Tuesday, November 5, 2013 - link
Aren't you people aware that Samsung got caught cheating customers with fake calibration reports last year?Part 1: (partially English)
http://colormgmt.com/60166005864
Part 2: (Korean only)
http://colormgmt.com/60166308743
Samsung's excuse (Korean)
http://samsungtomorrow.com/2914
They admitted that the reports are "accidentally" misprinted, although the monitors are hand calibrated each through four stages.
It might be true, but Samsung has a very long list of shady practices....
cheinonen - Tuesday, November 5, 2013 - link
Thanks for posting that. I hadn't seen that before so it is good to see. That would certainly explain why the measurements on the included data sheet didn't match up to the performance I measured with CalMAN myself.lemonadesoda - Tuesday, November 5, 2013 - link
After spending a fortune on an XL20 LED monitor some years back - I discovered that the Samsung IPS alternatives are good but not as good as tru IPS. I won't buy another.mr2kat - Tuesday, November 5, 2013 - link
Can someone explain to me - why would Samsung not calibrate this monitor before shipping? Is it a question of matching the monitor to the graphic card?