Samsung CFG73 Review:
 144Hz Quantum Dot Gaming Monitor 

Samsungs foot stand is made out of plastic and feels a bit cheap compared to the overall monitor build quality. It is also very lightweight. The design is personal taste, the improvement against the CFG70s foot stand otherwise are very good.

min. Range to the wall (Curve)
Display mid.: 20 cm

Display side.: 21.8 cm
Foot Stand: 27.5 cm

Ergonomics on the Samsung CFG73 are very good. The only one thing I'm missing as in most other monitors is a lower Min. height adjustment.

Min. height: 7 cm
Max. height: 19.5
Swivel: -15/+15 °
Tilt: -3/+20 °
Pivot: -2/+92°

On the back, we find a bluish circle with a glossy Samsung logo. Everything is kept in a dark anthracite bluish matte plastic surface. On the top, we find a cooling slot.

Panel Width
Left, right, top: 1.1 cm
Bottom: 1.6 cm

The Samsung's panel frame has a very nice design without any reflection issues on the inner panel frame.

Border thickness: 1.1 cm
Total thickness (+curve): 4.1 cm

We also can wall mount the monitor (Vesa 100 x 100 mm).

The monitor, except the foot stand, has a very nice and solid build quality. The used plastic does not feel cheap and everything is very well constructed.

The only thing to complain about here is the lightweight foot stand made out of plastic and that adjustments are not as smooth as on other gaming monitors like the Asus MG248Q or the Viewsonic XG2401 for example.

1x HDMI cable
1x DisplayPort cable
1x Power cable

1x Headphone Holder

1x Wall-Mount Adapter

1x Support CD

1x Calibration Report

Only thing I'm missing is longer cables since these included cables are only 1.5 meters long.

Samsungs offers a very good solution in terms of cable management. It has a clean look behind a cover integrated into the foot stand. It is just not that easy to remove this covering plate and you should be a bit careful not to break something in the covering which is made out of soft plastic.

We find simply 1 Joystick on the right behind the monitor with which we can navigate through the whole OSD.

Navigation is perfectly solved. Also added are three macro buttons on the lower right, where we can save and quick switch between our presets, something I'm missing in really many monitors.

Everything we need Samsung simply gave us on the CFG73 and the CFG70. The Black Equalizer works perfectly for those who want more details in blacks and we even have sharpness settings. What we miss:

- More Blue Light Filter options (not necessarily needed since we can change it through the color temperature

- Fewer steps in sharpness settings

Furthermore:

- Overdrive options (without strobing)

- The option to change brightness when using the Motion Blur Reduction (Backlight-Scanning) feature

This, however, belongs to the topic response time.

Native Contrast (120 cd/m2): 2437:1
Contrast with Local Dimming (120 cd/m2): N/A
Black Level: (120 cd/m2) 0,049 cd/m2

For a VA panel monitor, the Samsung has an average contrast ratio. Compared to current TVs the contrast is not that good - but since we are comparing to other gaming monitors and we don't know how gaming monitors will improve over the next time, we still have a good contrast ratio on the Samsung CFG73.

since this is not an hdr monitor with brightness control, the brightness will not change with respect to a larger white or color area.

min brightness: 43.45 cd/m2
max brightness: 352.11 cd/m2

SDR Peak 2% Square: 352.11 cd/m2
SDR Peak 10% Square: 352.11 cd/m2
SDR Peak 25% Square: 352.11 cd/m2
SDR Peak 50% Square: 352.11 cd/m2
SDR Peak 75% Square: 352.11 cd/m2
SDR Peak 100%: 352.11 cd/m2

SDR Sustained 2% Square: 352.11 cd/m2
SDR Sustained 10% Square: 352.11 cd/m2
SDR Sustained 25% Square: 352.11 cd/m2
SDR Sustained 50% Square: 352.11 cd/m2
SDR Sustained 75% Square: 352.11 cd/m2
SDR Sustained 100%: 352.11 cd/m2

HDR is not supported.

HDR Peak 2% Square: N/A
HDR Peak 10% Square: N/A
HDR Peak 25% Square: N/A
HDR Peak 50% Square: N/A
HDR Peak 75% Square: N/A
HDR Peak 100%: N/A

HDR Sustained 2% Square: N/A
HDR Sustained 10% Square: N/A
HDR Sustained 25% Square: N/A
HDR Sustained 50% Square: N/A
HDR Sustained 75% Square: N/A
HDR Sustained 100%: N/A

The Samsung has three different gamma setting. On "mode" we hit the perfect gamma curvature of gamma 2.2. Since the CFG73 also offers the Black Equalizer, you can easily change shadow details with this option.

Note:

- Gamma 2.2 is not perfect for everyone. Some people also can prefer gamma 2.0 for example. 
- You also should not that Gamma 2.2 on a VA, an IPS, an OLED, as same as on a TN panel will look different.

The Samsung CFG73 hits the near "perfect" 6500K on its native color temperature settings. However, if you prefer a warmer color temperature as I do, you should consider that the Samsung CFG73 has a bit more red/orange tint compared to current WQHD 1440p gaming monitors.

6500K does not necessarily mean that this is the perfect result for you. For print, the standard in color temperature, for example, is 5500k. Personally, I prefer a color temperature around 5800k. If you want to see the closest picture to that how a game or a movie was edited in the post-production, 6500k is the closest setting. It also offers the cleanest whites.

Samsungs's maximum deviation is 13% while around 15% is average on a gaming monitor. The result for gaming is very good whereas it is too much for a professional.

Here you should consider, those gaming monitors are not made for a perfect homogeneity. Within games, you wouldn't really see a difference. 

A maximum deviation of 2.5 in Delta E the white point homogeneity. For games a very acceptable result. When browsing the web, I was able to see a yellowish banding stip on the left. This means that a white color on the left has a much warmer color tone than in the center or even on the right. Strangely the measuring hardware didn't recognize this, while I can see clearly (!) with the naked eye.

Measurements very close near to the panel frame are not included. With the naked eye otherwise, it is very clearly visible that the CFG Series has bigger issues with the homogeneity in this area.

10% - 20% - 30% - 40% - 50% Grey

My CFG70, for example, has a much more visible yellowish "banding" tint on the left side. DSE is only a tiny bit visible and more of an issue at the 27" Inch version of the CFG73. In addition, on the 10% grey pattern, the VA Glow is very obvious.

In terms of DSE (Dirty-Screen-Effect) which is important for panning shots, the Samsung in 24" is good. In terms of uniform colors, the CFG73 is bad. However, this is mostly only visible in brighter and uniform image content (especially in gray) and not a real issue for games.

Viewing angles in bright image content strongly differ from viewing angles in dark image content. The VA Glow is also obvious in brighter image content which is the reason why colors on the CFG73 also can sometimes have a washed out look.

All in all, viewing angles are good - even not as good as on projectors or some OLED displays.

Note: we talk about Viewing Angles directly sitting in front of the display while moving the head a bit in every direction.

Viewing angles on dark image content on the Samsung are poor. You have to find perfect height and tilt adjustments on your individual unit, otherwise, you will be able to observe much more VA Glow.

Note: Correct height and tilt adjustments are very important for VA panels in dark image content, especially in a pitch black room. This can drastically change the perception of VA Glow. The further away, the more freedom you will have in viewing angles while gaming.

AG (Anti-Glare) Coating: Half matte

A half matte panel coating is used in this Quantum Dot gaming monitor.  Unfortunately, reflections are disturbing more than usual because of the curve. The curve on this monitor takes up its reflections on the whole panel. Personally, I would wish a glare panel so that the VA glow would be less visible, the image would be sharper, the subjective contrast enhanced and colors more pop. Compared to current 144hz 1440p gaming monitors Samsung coating is a tiny bit more matte.

Notice:
With a less aggressive matte panel coating, you have subjectively a better image quality (contrast, colors, sharpness) whereas a very aggressive matte panel coating is visible on bright & uniform image content in form of dirt or a glitter effect.

Sharpness settings on the CFG73 are very good, but not perfect. We can change the sharpness always in 4 steps and not as usual in 1 steps (0-100)

You can find the test pattern to test your monitor in terms of sharpness here: Lagom

Currently, I do not have any professionally good enough software. Since I hardly make any money with Lim's Cave, I depend on donations for this expensive software.

Calman Enthusiast: 399$

You can donate here. I'm thankful for any donations! As soon as the money is reached, I will produce a special thanks video, where each donation will be mentioned in the video

Currently, I do not have any professionally good enough software. Since I hardly make any money with Lim's Cave, I depend on donations for this expensive software.

Calman Enthusiast: 399$

You can donate here. I'm thankful for any donations! As soon as the money is reached, I will produce a special thanks video, where each donation will be mentioned in the video

sRGB: 99.5%
Adobe RGB: 83.8%

DCI-P3: 91.9%

Note: The color gamut coverage is showing a coverage in a specific gamut (sRGB, Adobe RGB, DCI-P 3..). It's most important for those who need a full spectrum for image editing, post-production, and so on, depending on what they plan to "edit" or "produce" - whereas for games it isn't necessarily needed to fill a full spectrum of a specific gamut. The DCI-P3 gamut coverage for example otherwise is very good if you plan to watch movies in HDR (wide color gamut).

sRGB: 131.5%
Adobe RGB: 90.6%
DCI-P3: 93.2%

The overall impression of Samsung CFG70's colors is very good. Compared to an IPS panel it's not necessarily better, it's just "different". Colors are very intense, pop, and vibrant. You should consider these Quantum Dots warmer red tint. Sometimes colors or the overall color temperature can be too saturated in games with many reds and orange colors like Firewatch for example. Skin tones also can be sometimes too saturated (reddish) compared to an IPS panel. Sometimes (depending on the image content) color also can look washed out because of the VA Glow. So how to describe colors of a Quantum Dot gaming monitor? "NEON" probably is the keyword. For Sci-Fi game genres the Samsung CFG and CHG series is perfect.

Colors: Very good (9.5)

Overall: Because of the viewing angles a bit washed out around the center of the screen (8.2)

The pixel structure will be added in future reviews while I'm currently saving money for a macro lens.

Here we mostly already can observer color banding and harsh steps in the gradient. The Samsung handles color banding very good but not perfect. Color banding isn't an issue on this monitor (Gaming monitor typical) but still present as same as on "higher end" gaming monitors (1440p IPS).

Note: Points are given without using the black equalizer, on gamma set to 2.2 and on 120 cd/m2. Even on compressed content, you will observe a bit color banding while on with the black equalizer and gamma 2.0 for example, you will observer pretty clear and much more noticeable color banding issues.

Color Depth: 8-Bit

Within color gradients, the AOC otherwise performs great, without any issues.

Bezels are very stiff on the Samsung CHG73 and CHG70 but since this is a VA panel, it's much less important than on IPS panels. However, I think with less pressure against the panel (while the curve also adds some pressure) we would have fewer uniformity issues near the bezels.

Note: The panel frame construction is VERY IMPORTANT on a display, especially within an IPS panel. A well-constructed panel frame can drastically improve the IPS Glow quality and cause less Backlight Bleed issues.

My CFG73 has more clouding than my CFG70. On the CFG73 on the left side, we can spot two clouding spots (on 120 cd/m2). Against current VA panels from other manufacturers (Acer, Lenovo, MSI...) The Samsung still is much superior, but far away from perfect.

Important: The "amount" of clouding depends on your brightness settings. I've tested this monitor mostly on 120 cd/m2. For dark image content and movies, I wouldn't recommend using brighter settings than 150 cd/m2, especially because clouding then is more visible.

No "typical" backlight bleed issues on this monitor. 

Note: This can differentiate within each individual unit. You also can take a look at the gaming monitor list to check if there are ratings from other users available.

The VA Glow is very obvious and the biggest weakness of the Samsung CFG73. It is easily visible, especially in dark image content and darker colors. Compared to IPS, the Glow is also more visible in bright image content. However, the HP omen X35, for example, has more glow issues and the Samsung C32HG70 less.

Note: The prescription of glow can differentiate within each individual person and even a little bit within each individual unit. You also can take a look at the gaming monitor list to check if there are ratings from other users available.

Native: 144Hz

Factory Overclock: -

The Samsung's refresh rate is perfect for those who want a high refresh rate monitor. Of course, there are already 240Hz or even 480Hz panels on the market, the difference in games between 144hz and 240hz still is slight. The difference from 144Hz to 165Hz is mostly just a gimmick.

Adaptive-Sync: Freesync

G-Sync Range: 70-144Hz

Freesync works without flickering issues in the CFG73. No frame skipping, no stuttering issues. Unfortunately, the Freesync range is lower compared to current 144Hz 1080p TN gaming monitor models (48-144Hz).  So depending on the games you play, it comes up to you if the Freesync range is enough for you.

Best Overdrive Settings: -

For a VA panel, the Samsung still is a good pc monitor. Unfortunately, Samsung isn't offering overdrive settings and I really would wish they would so, so they also could avoid purple artifact issues in the past.

The Samsung CFG70 also has smearing (VA typical) and a worse pixel responsiveness compared to TN and IPS. You can observe smearing even in the ufo test (the black outer lines from the ufo). The darker the background the more smearing you will observe on a VA panel at dark objects.

I could notice some fine horizontal scan lines on the lower left. On BlurBusters test pattern there are like 0% artifacts, which is a very solid result.

Currently, I'm working on own test-pattern and test-tools which will be shared on Lim's Cave in near future. With these tools you will be able to check your monitor for:

Judder-Free 24p: Tool in developement
Judder-Free 24p via 60p: Tool in developement

A 24p playback without judder only matters if you watch movies on your monitor.

60Hz: No
120Hz: No
144Hz: No
165Hz: No

No frame skipping issues. This means you will not have trouble with stuttering.

The Samsung also has only a tiny bit issues with green color temperature artifacts, mostly only visible at text scrolling.

Samsungs backlight strobing feature, in general, is good. Before the purple fix, we could observer less strobe crosstalk, ghosting, and inverse ghosting. For me personally, after the fix, it now isn't something I would use in the Samsung. The CHG70, for example, does its job much better than the CFG70.

Downsides of MBR (Motion Blur Reduction)

- Less vibrant color

- The display gets darker

- Crosstalk / Ghosting

- Only Freesync OR Strobing (MBR) at the same time

The Samsung offers a maximum brightness of 280 cd/m2 while on "Fast" and 234 cd/m2 on "Faster".  Unfortunately, we cannot change the brightness when using the Motion Blur Reduction. In the end, it depends on your personal brightness settings so that I don't rate the brightness. For me personally, this is much too bright.

Currently, I cannot measure the Input-Lag because I don't own specific Input-Lag hardware. Since I hardly make any money with Lim's Cave, I depend on donations for this expensive camera.

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You can donate here. I'm thankful for any donations! As soon as the money is reached, I will produce a special thanks video, where each donation will be mentioned in the video.

Native Resolution (165Hz): 3-4 Ms
Native Resolution @60Hz: ??
With Adaptive Sync (G-Sync): ??
With ULMB: ??

2x HDMI 1.4
1x DisplayPort 1.2
1x 3.5mm Audio Out
1x 3.5mm Audio In

We are currently only missing USB ports on the Samsung. The positioning of the connections is easy to reach.