Samsung CHG70 Review: 1440p 144Hz HDR Gaming Monitor with Freesync 2, Quantum Dot Colors, And a VA Panel

by Lim, August 7, 2017 10:00 pm

Samsung CHG70 Review Introduction

Pretty much a big part of the gaming community will have been waiting for the Samsung CHG70. This is the first gaming monitor of a 144Hz high refresh rate LED LCD panel, a WQHD (2560x1440) resolution, quantum dot technology, Freesync 2, and High Dynamic Range (HDR). The best gaming monitor? At least a great hope, and finally I was able to review the Samsung CHG70 full of anticipation. HDR sounds quite tempting, but I was never convinced that HDR will work properly on a display with a brightness of 500 cd / m2 and a contrast ratio of around 2500:1. But maybe this looks different in monitors? No matter what, with 144 Hz you have a flawlessly smooth gaming experience. Most of the people probably will miss a G-Sync feature on this pc monitor but for those who prefer a backlight strobing feature (equal to ULMB) let me tell you something: On the Samsung CHG70, this works pretty well. The curve of the Samsung works great to avoid color shift limitations on a VA panel. Otherwise, it also generates a bit more issues within the overall homogeneity.

The first HDR gaming monitor was born: Samsung CHG70

You shouldn't expect too much from the Samsung CHG70s HDR feature simply because of two reasons. First, we cannot compare a VA TV with a VA monitor, simply because you have harsher viewing angles on a pc monitor compared to a tv display. The result out from this is, that the perception of the contrast will decrease the harsher the viewing angles and combined with this the VA glow because blacks, in this case, brighten up and measurements do not include the VA glow in viewing angles. Second, for a really good HDR image on your screen, not only the contrast and brightness is important. As soon as your monitor receives an HDR signal, your blacks usually also brighten up and this only can be compensated with a well-working build in local dimming technology (a direct LED solution would work best for a VA panel type gaming monitor). The Samsung CHG70 unfortunately only does support 8 local dimming zones, which are by far not enough for a gaming monitor with more VA glow than on a TV. I own a Sony XE9305 where HDR works by FAR better (but still not perfect with blooming effects) than on the Samsung CHG70 and when I disable its local dimming feature (64 dimming zones) the HDR image quality instantly drops to around 10 times worse.

Check the Price for the Samsung C32HG70 or the C27HG70 here: Buy 27" or 31.5" on Amazon

In-depth details and measurements like the OSD, black equalizer etc, you will find in the video and in the article. Is the Samsung CHG70 really worth it? It depends on your personal needs and the games you play - Let's find out and take a closer look. #

Important Updates:

The Samsung CHG70 gaming monitor now supports a Freesync range of (48-144 Hz). All other updates and new information can be found on the forum (click here).

Specifications

Panel Type	SVA
Backlight	EDGE LED / W-LED
Display size and format	31.5" and 27" Inch
Maximum Resolution	2560x1440 (Full HD)
Pixel density	93,25 (Pixels per inch)
Refresh rate	144 Hz native
Native color depth and color space	8-bit + FRC, 125% sRGB
Response time (MPRT)	1 ms
Brightness	500cd/m2
Integrated speakers	No
Video inputs	2x HDMI 2.0, 1x DP 1.4
Audio	3.5mm headphone (In and out)
USB Hub	Yes 2x
power consumption	not specified
Frame width	12 mm
Warranty	3 years
Ergonomics	Tilt, Height, Pivot, Swivel
Adaptive-Sync	Freesync 2
Free-Sync Range	48-144 Hz (80-140 with CRU)
Contrast (Native)	3000:1
Vesa	Yes 100mm adapter
Curved	1800R

Difference between the CHG70 in 27 Inch (C27HG70) and 32 Inch (31.5) (C32HG70) Version

The first difference is of course that the C27HG70 compared to the C32HG70 has a higher PPI (pixels per inch) and combined with this a sharper overall image while the C32HG70 has nearly the same sharpness as a 24" monitor with a Full HD (1080p) resolution. But there are two minor differences between both models.

First difference

The C27HG70 (CHG70 in 27") Inch version doesn't suffer from flickering issues while the C32HG70 (CHG70 in 31.5") has built-in PWM. This means, that on lower brightness settings the CHG70 in 32" Inch has flickering issues (as you can see in the video review)

Second difference

The C27HG70 has a much higher lottery in terms of DSE (Dirty Screen Effect) issues and "banding". This means (depending on your individual unit - while you can also get one without or only with a tiny bit banding/DSE issues) that you will observe banding strips on a uniform and mostly darker backgrounds (grey, dark blue, dark green etc.). The bigger problem, however, is, that you will be able to notice something like "shadow strips" or rather called "dirty screen" in moving content. Depending on how much DSE issues your unit has, you can even notice these banding strips on mostly all kind of image content/games when moving in a game or even when watching a movie. However, it's mostly visible in uniform colors or image content without many structures like skies for example. There are several videos according to the DSE, banding, and homogeneity issues on YouTube.

How does it look like? While I don't have tested the 27" Inch version of the Samsung CHG70 you can find photos on the CFG70 in 27" (Full HD 144Hz version) Inch of my review, which also has a bigger lottery in terms of DSE and homogeneity. You should consider that the amount can vary and from what I saw currently in the C27HG70 it has even more issues than the CFG70 in 27".

Photos: Samsung CFG70" Banding Strips, DSE, Homogeneity Issues

(You also can find all photos in the Samsung CFG70 Review)

You should note that this is most visible in moving content and especially in content with low contrast filters like Vikings (where blacks are highlighted to reach a higher dynamic range)

Homogeneity 1

Homogeneity 2

Homogeneity 3

Homogeneity Series Vikings

Samsung CHG70 Alternatives

Alternative 144Hz WQHD (2560x1440) VA monitor to the Samsung CHG70:
(All other alternatives are listed in the Gaming-Monitor-List. Future releases can be found here)

Find the Samsung C32HG70 or the C27HG70 here: Buy 27" or 31.5" on Amazon

WithFreesync:

AOC Agon AG322QCX Review / Buy on Amazon

Philips 328m6fjmb (31.5") Not released yet

Asus ROG Strix XG32VQ (31.5") No Review yet / Buy

With G-Sync:

LG 32GK850G (32") Review / Buy

YouTube Video Unboxing

HDR vs SDR: YouTube CFG70 HDR video update

Samsung CHG70 measurement data

Contrast, Brightness, and Black Point:

Second measurement with local dimming under PERFECT conditions, which will never occur in games. A panel with native 3000: 1 will be better here:

Presets and Measurements:

Measurements with optimal settings (without calibration):

Measurements after calibration:

Backlight - Strobing / Scanning measurement data

Ufo-Testpictures / Backlight-Scanning / Text-Scrolling / Chase-Square Test / Eiffeltower-Test / sRGB

For the Freesync overclocking you need the program "ToastyX Custom Resolution Utility" (CRU) which you can download here.

Homogeneity

Samsung CHG70 HDR Manuals

Comparison charts

Maximum brightness in cd/m2 with activated ULMB or strobe backlight

Asus PG258Q

275

Samsung CHG70

237

Samsung CFG70

212

Eizo Foris FS2735

197

Dell S2716DG

153

Acer XB271HUA

148

Asus PG278QR

147

Viewsonic XG2703-GS

140

Asus PG279Q

129

Maximum brightness in cd/m2

Asus PG258Q

488

Samsung CHG70

473

Dell S2716DG

424

Acer XB271HUA

419

Asus PG278QR

399

Asus PG279Q

369

Viewsonic XG2703-GS

367

Samsung CFG70

361

Eizo Foris FS2735

333

Maximum contrast x:1

Samsung CFG70

2654

Samsung CHG70

2102

Asus PG279Q

1181

Viewsonic XG2703-GS

1174

Eizo Foris FS2735

1084

Asus PG258Q

995

Asus PG278QR

964

Acer XB271HUA

784

Dell S2716DG

686

Black point with optimal settings (120 cd/m2 , 6500K)

Samsung CFG70

0,05

Samsung CHG70

0,06

Eizo Foris FS2735

0,1

Viewsonic XG2703-GS

0,1

Asus PG279Q

0,12

Asus PG278QR

0,13

Asus PG258Q

0,13

Acer XB271HUA

0,16

Dell S2716DG

0,17

Samsung CHG70 Review

Overall Rating: 7.7/10 (77%)

The rating strongly depends on the price of a monitor in a specific region or country. Consider, an overall rating is only a guide value and my personal overall impression. It does not mean that a monitor with a 95% monitor suits better for your needs than a monitor with a 70% rating(!).

Conclusion

Overall the Samsung C32HG70 is a good monitor with its own disadvantages as almost all monitors on the market. It has wonderful Quantum Dot colors, a very good response time for a VA panel, very good blacks, a good homogeneity, and a very good structured OSD with an easy and simple navigation. This is definitely a good gaming monitor. Still, the C32HG70 also has its issues like the low Freesync 2 range, text inversion issues, horizontal scan lines, and huge high dynamic range issues on the PC. While on a console, in theory, it works very good. The problem, however, is, that 8 dimming zones and a brightness of around 500 cd/m2 are not enough for HDR in my opinion. Take a look at the forum for the C32HG70 review and firmware updates, optimal settings & more.

Pros & Cons

Pro:

- Backlight strobing feature (worse to Nvidia G-Sync's ULMB, better than the Eizo's/LG's solution)
- Better VA viewing angles and less VA glow compared to the HP Omen X35 and even the Samsung CFG70
- Good contrast (2022:1), but not the stated 3000:1 from Samsung
- Easy OSD overview & 3 own profiles with macro buttons
- Very good blacks (consider the VA glow)
- Very good colors
- Good homogeneity (no clouding or backlight bleed)
- Good build quality
- Very good response time, especially for a VA panel monitor
- Low input lag
- USB Hub, 2 x USB 3.0

Neutral:

- Half matte panel coating
- Freesync has a very low range of 80-120 Hz on Ultimate Engine and 90-120 Hz on Standard Engine. With the Custom Resolution Utility from ToastyX, you can improve the max. Freesync Range to 80-120 Hz) (after newest Updates 48-144Hz)

Contra:

- Not really flicker-free (PWM)
- Footstand takes a lot(!) of space on your desk
- Clearly visible horizontal scan lines (on my unit more at the left quarter of the monitor)
- Text Inversion (Text sharpness)
- HDR currently is useless on the PC. On the PS4 it works fine. Dark image content still does not look as good and we miss many details in blacks at brighter image content. Even if you brighten your gamma, your colors and the image quality will suffer
- Local dimming is pretty useless (only 8 dimming zones)
- pretty pricey for a monitor without G-Sync

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10 comments

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1 Matt May 11, 2018 6:48 pm

In your article the specifications list that this is an 8-bit monitor. I have this connected to my Xbox one x, should I have the Xbox set to 8-bit,10-bit or 12-bit color?

Answer from Lim's Cave - May 12, 2018 10:24 am

Just pick the max bit you can use. Everyone is wondering why 12 bit actually is working but the NATIVE color depth of the Samsung CHG70 is 8 Bit and 10 Bit with FRC. So simply pick 12 Bit if you cannot see a downside

2 Josh April 21, 2019 5:38 am

Hi, great review! I recently purchased the 32" version of this monitor and have been noticing an issue that I can't find any answers for. I use the monitor with an Xbox X and PS4 Pro and the HDR games are mostly okay but I notice when I go to adjust HDR brightness/gamma settings that often times the image they ask to make "barely visible" doesn't even show. This mostly happens on content up in the high white areas. For example on Final Fantasy XV in HDR mode, there are two cactus pictures (one dark and one light) and the settings tell you move the slider until both are visible. The lighter one on the right is completely invisible on the monitor no matter where I move the slider or adjust settings on the monitor. I checked the same thing on my Samsung TV and the image shows up fine on there. Any idea what could be causing this? Do you think it's worth returning or contacting samsung? Any information at all would be much appreciated, thank you!!

Answer from Lim's Cave - April 25, 2019 9:34 pm

Yes, the brightness and contrast are probably not high enough to display HDR at its highest potential (detail). Never heard about that problem but I assume that this will be the "issue"

3 holybtn November 15, 2019 8:03 pm

I actually have a rog pg278qr and i mostly play driving simulator so i do think a curved 32 would be an improvement
But 3 things:
1. actually when i plug my ps4pro on my rog it takes 2 minutes before the screen adapts to the resolution, it's not good. Is it good with this one?
2. for a pc user does the 1444p on 32' not to little pixel density? Is it a working window monitor too i mean or do i need to go for a 4K?
3. a have a 1080gtx, does it works with gsync manually?

Thank you in advance for you answers.

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