Samsung Announces First Freesync 2 Monitors: CHG70 & CHG90 – Quantum Dots, Up to 49”, 144 Hz, DCI-P3

Samsung on Friday announced the C49HG90 monitor, their new flagship gaming monitor that includes virtually all of the major gaming-oriented display technologies available today. The new 49” screen has a an ultra-wide 32:9 aspect ratio, a 144 Hz refresh rate, and uses quantum dot nanocrystals to enable support for DCI-P3 color gamut, and, perhaps most importantly, it supports AMD’s forthcoming FreeSync 2 technology. In addition, Samsung introduced its CHG70-series displays that will support the same technologies, but will be smaller and more affordable.

The Samsung C49HG90 is the company’s first ultra-wide display with the 32:9 aspect ratio and the so-called double full HD (DFHD) resolution (3840×1080). The monitor is based on a VA panel with up to 600 nits brightness, 1 ms moving picture response time (MPRT) as well as a 144 Hz refresh rate, two features important for fast-moving games. The panel has 1800R curvature along with 178° viewing angles to make gaming experience more immersive. The smaller C32HG70 and C27HG70 monitors use 32” and 27” curved VA panels (respectively) with a 2560×1440 resolution as well as the same refresh rate and MPRT as on the flagship model.

Large dimensions, curvature and a high refresh rate are not the only distinctive features of Samsung’s new breed of gaming displays. The C49HG90 features LED backlighting enhanced with quantum dots that enable support for the DCI-P3 color space (as well as larger-than-sRGB gamut) and the HDR-focused AMD’s FreeSync 2. Samsung claims that the QLED backlighting of the display is similar to that used in its high-end UHDTVs with HDR, but does not say anything about features like local dimming or formal support for the HDR10 spec. Keeping in mind that Samsung’s announcement is focused around games and FreeSync 2 (and the latter uses its own HDR transport) the status of the HDR10 support isn’t known at this time.

Meanwhile, Samsung’s HDR implementation makes the CHG70- and the CHG90-series displays the first to support AMD’s FreeSync 2, which is something bigger than just a new dynamic refresh rate technology (as discussed in the appropriate article). The FreeSync 2 mandates support for Low Framerate Compensation – an optional feature for FreeSync 1 monitors – but the biggest shift from a feature perspective is how HDR works. Rather than double-tone mapping the dynamic range – tone mapping a game once from its rendering space to HDR10’s space, and then again in the monitor from HDR10 to the monitor’s native space – FreeSync 2 skips the middle-man by having games tone map directly to a monitor’s native dynamic range. This saves potentially precious milliseconds both by removing a step, and by putting the extremely fast GPU in charge of the process instead of the historically inconsistent display processors inside monitors.

As this is the first FreeSync 2-related news to hit the scene in nearly 5 months, there are some remaining questions that at least as of Samsung’s announcement have not yet been answered. Chiefly, when AMD will enable FreeSync 2 support on their end, as all of the heavy lifting is being done by AMD’s drivers. Coupled with that is a need for FreeSync 2-enabled software – since devs need to code for it – so that there’s something to use with the display. Samsung says that it had collaborated with DICE and Ghost Games to enable HDR in the upcoming Star Wars Battlefront II and Need for Speed Payback games, which may indicate that these two titles will be among the first to support AMD’s FreeSync 2.

Samsung plans to demonstrate its CHG70- and the CHG90-series monitors in action at the Ubisoft booth at the E3 convention this week, just a couple of weeks before the devices will hit the market. This in turn implies that this Ubisoft is also set to support AMD’s FreeSync 2 (good news for the GPU developer) in at least some of its titles, but this is a speculation for now.

While the C27HG70 and C32HG70 look like rather regular gaming displays with a high refresh rate and FreeSync 2, HDR and DCI-P3 support as important bonuses, the C49HG90 seems like an experimental model that will compete against multi-monitor setups. Consumer displays with the 21:9 aspect ratio have been available for several years now and are gaining traction, but so far, no monitor manufacturer has attempted to offer a very large monitor with the 32:9 aspect ratio and a relatively low DPI. People buying the C49HG90 will not be able to watch 4K content on them in native resolution and that may stop some gamers from adopting it. On the other hand, those who use multi-display setups for ultra-wide screen gaming today do not necessarily enjoy 4K video anyway.

The Samsung C49HG90 will be available in late June at a price of $1499. The monitor is now available for pre-order at Amazon and Micro Center in the U.S. The 32” C32HG70 will cost $699 and is available for pre-order at Newegg, whereas the 27” C27HG70 will be priced at $599 and can be pre-ordered from Samsung now.

Gallery: The Samsung C49HG90 Display

Related Reading:

• Samsung Investing in 3840×1080 and 3840×1200 Curved Displays at 144 Hz
• Samsung CFG70: Curved 144Hz Displays with Quantum Dot Backlighting and AMD FreeSync
• Acer Announces Predator X27 Monitor: 4K@144 Hz with DCI-P3, HDR10, & G-Sync
• ASUS Demonstrates ROG Swift PG27UQ: 4K, 144 Hz, HDR, DCI-P3 and G-Sync
• ASUS Announces Designo Curve MX38VQ: 37.5 Inch Curved Display with Qi Charging
• LG 38UC99 Announced: 37.5-Inch Curved 21:9 Display with 3840×1600 Resolution

ASUS Unveils Three Strix Gaming Monitors: FreeSync & High Refresh Rates

Hot on the heels of the Swift PG35VQ announcement, ASUS has unveiled three new Strix-branded gaming monitors that will feature AMD’s FreeSync technology. While the first Strix model was unveiled back at CES 2017 – the Strix XG27VQ – it was a one-off until the announcement of these newest models. Clearly, ASUS intends to have a gaming monitor lineup that consists of both the Strix and Swift series.

Starting off from largest to smallest, we have the Strix XG32V. This model has a 31.5-inch IPS panel with a WQHD resolution of 2560 × 1440 and an 1800R curve that should help provide a wider field of view. We don’t have a ton of other technical details, we do know that this model can handle refresh rates of up to 144Hz and it supports FreeSync. It will be interesting to see what the actual FreeSync range actually is.

For connectivity, there are two DisplayPort 1.2 inputs, one HDMI 2.0 input, and an undisclosed amount of USB 3.0 ports. Like on many of their other new gaming-oriented monitors, ASUS has added Aura Sync lighting to the XG32V. This not only means there will be an ROG logo that shines down onto the desk, but a back panel that features RGB LEDs and that can be synchronized with other Aura Sync-enabled PC components and peripherals.

Moving on to the next monitor, the Strix XG27V is a more value-minded model that shares the 1800R curvature of the XG32GV, but shrinks the panel down to 27 inches and the resolution to 1920 x 1080. Thankfully, this model can handle refresh rates of up to 144Hz and it also supports FreeSync.

While the XG27V has onboard Aura RGB lighting, it doesn’t have Aura Sync, so it cannot synchronize with other Aura-compatible components and peripherals. Although specifics are lacking, connectivity is the form of a DisplayPort input, an HDMI input, and DVI-D port.

While the Strix XG258 might be the smallest of the bunch, it has an ace up its sleeve. This 24.5-inch display features a 1920 x 1080, which is pretty conventional, but it supports a maximum refresh rate of up to 240Hz. According to ASUS, this means that the delay between new frames is just 4.2 ms, compared to 6.9 ms on a 144Hz gaming monitor.

Much like the XG27V, this model has onboard Aura RGB lighting, but it doesn’t have Aura Sync, so it cannot synchronize with other Aura-compatible components and peripherals. For connectivity, there are two DisplayPort 1.2 and two HDMI inputs, one of which is HDMI 2.0.

Although we have no pricing details, all of these new Strix gaming monitors will be available starting in Q3.

Acer Predator Z35P Available for Order: Curved 35″ with 3440×1440@120 Hz and G-Sync

Acer has quietly launched yet another curved ultra-wide Predator display for gamers seeking a large diagonal, a high resolution and an ultra-high refresh rate. The Predator Z35P resembles its predecessor launched a couple of years ago, but has a higher resolution and a better contrast ratio. The new monitor is available for pre-orders now.

Acer’s Predator Z35 was one of the first large ultra-wide curved displays featuring a very high refresh rate when it was introduced in mid-2015. Its large dimensions, along with a 144-200 Hz refresh rate, and accompanied by NVIDIA’s G-Sync technology, made it well known among demanding gamers – but its resolution of 2560×1080 was not high enough. The relatively low resolution was justified by the fact that in 2015 only ultra-high-end graphics cards could hit 200 fps in demanding titles at 2560×1080. In the mean time, graphics cards have come a long way in two years and it is time for Acer’s large curved ultra-wide monitor to get a resolution upgrade.

The new Acer Predator Z35P is based on a 35” VA panel offering a 3440×1440 resolution (2.39:1 aspect ratio), a maximum brightness of 300 nits, a 2500:1 contrast ratio, a 100 Hz refresh rate, 178°/178° viewing angles, a 4 ms response time, and 1800R curvature. According to TFT Central, the refresh rate of the panel can be overclocked from 100 Hz to 120 Hz, which is not as high as the 200 Hz possible on the original Z35, but which is well beyond what non-gaming monitors can offer.

When it comes to connectivity, the Acer Predator Z35P monitor has one HDMI 1.4 port, a DisplayPort 1.2 port, four USB Type-A headers (with one USB-B input) and a 3.5-mm audio jack to drive two 9 W integrated speakers.

The new Predator Z35P does not seem to have many rivals on the market that can offer a similar combination of features: dimensions (35″), resolution (3440×1440), curvature, a very high refresh rate (up to 120 Hz), G-Sync support and so on. In fact, there are only two of them: the AOC Agon AG352UCG as well as the HP Omen X, if we do not consider slightly smaller 34″-class ASUS ROG Swift PG348Q and Acer Predator X34 (this one uses an IPS panel with 60 Hz, but it is overclockable to 100 Hz).

The Acer Predator Z35P is expected to be available in the U.S. in the coming weeks for $1099.99. Amazon is taking pre-orders on the display with ETA in one to three weeks.

Gallery: Acer Predator Z35P

Related Reading:

• AOC Expands AGON Family with Curved AG322QCX and AG272FCX 144 Hz Displays
• NEC Goes for a Curved Display, Launches 3440×1440 MultiSync EX341R Monitors
• Acer Announces Predator X27 Monitor: 4K@144 Hz with DCI-P3, HDR10, & G-Sync
• Acer Predator Z271UV Gaming Monitor: 1440p, 144-165Hz, G-Sync, Eye Tracking
• Acer Introduces A Pair Of Predator Gaming Displays
• Acer Launches Curved XR382CQK Display: 37.5-inch, 3840×1600, FreeSync, & USB-C