24 Samsung C27HG70
HDR monitor is ahead of the curve
If 2017 was the year of 4K, when TVS, monitors and even n phones offered four times more pixels, then 2018 is the year of HDR (high-dynamic range), when everything appears in even more colours rs than the 16.7 million we already had. This model is one ne of the first to bring HDR to consumer PCS, combining it with impeccable gaming specifications.
That mostly means the picture’s refresh rate is extremely fast: the ‘Quantum Dot’ pixels can change colour in a millisecond, and although no PC can actually send that many frames ( frame rate), it does go up to a market-leading 144Hz. Choosing the fastest response-time settings limits the brightness, however. If you’re into fast-moving games, and especially if your AMD graphics card can take advantage of Freesync 2, this curved 27in screen – with the ‘2.5K’ resolution that’s currently seen as a good trade-off between clarity and frame rate – is a great option.
But what if you just want a nice monitor for Windows 10? Compared with 4K models, the C27HG70 isn’t ultrasharp, and the difference is visible when reading small text, for example. In other respects, though, it leaves little to be desired. HDR, which you can use for films as well as games, isn’t quite as eye-popping as on the latest TVS, since the C27HG70 doesn’t go as bright, but we were happy with the results.
Unlike Apple’s imac screens, it can’t manage the full film industry DCI P3 colour space, falling 12 per cent short by our measurements. But our demanding colour meter confirmed it covered just about all of the SRGB range, and certainly good enough for most photo and video editing. The backlight was even, and with a clever stand that offers lots of adjustment and can pivot 90 degrees for those who like to work vertically, the C27HG70 should disappoint no one.
Five hundred quid, though? Well, it’s not uncommon to spend that on a telly, and you might spend more hours staring at your PC. All the same, that’s still expensive. But, as with all technological advances, there’s a good chance that today’s high-end will be tomorrow’s normal. For now, your existing PC may not support HDR and Windows 10 doesn’t handle it well on the desktop anyway, while not that many games or films make use of it yet, so it might still be a bit early to invest.
A monitor that will satisfy gamers now and the rest of us for years to come