Whether you are looking for one of the best G-Sync monitors or AMD FreeSync models, the monitor below is worth a detailed look. The words “Samsung” and “affordability” have rarely been found in the same sentence over the past few years, but now the company is looking to change that stigma with its latest 28″ UE590 4K gaming monitor.
The Samsung UE590 comes with all the features that gamers want at a price that won’t bust your budget – earning it the number two spot on our best computer monitors list – but will that low cost alone be enough to forgive its stagnant stand and smaller display size?
Read on in my Samsung UE590 4K gaming monitor review to find out!
Overview
Price: $363.09 on Amazon
Available: Now
Model: Samsung LU28E590DS/ZA
WHY IT’S A TOP PICK: With a great resolution and options for boosting the response time, this model is top-tier when it comes to image, which is similar to the Samsung 27 inch CRG5 240Hz curved gaming monitor.
Summary: The Samsung UE590 is a stellar 4K gaming monitor in every category it competes in, whether it’s the performance, color accuracy, or its almost suspiciously-low cost of entry.
What We Liked
- Great price for a 4K gaming display
- AMD FreeSync compatibility
- Exception gaming performance
What We Didn’t
- Needs more position adjustment options
Samsung UE590 4K Gaming Monitor Specs
 | |
| Size | 28″ |
| Resolution | 3840 x 2160 |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 |
| Contrast Ratio (Static) | 1,000:1 |
| Refresh Rate | 60Hz |
| FreeSync/G-Sync? |  |
| Response Time | 1ms GTG |
| Weight | 11.6lbs |
| Device Dimensions | 7.36 x 26.01 x 18.44 in |
| Technology | TN |
| Ports | 1 HDMI 2.0, 1 DP 1.2, 3.5mm passthrough |
| Onboard Speakers |  |
| Price | $363.09 |
| Buy Now |
Design
For a company that’s known for pushing the boundaries when it comes to the design of its 4K TVs and smartphones – as seen in our Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge review – I was actually a little disappointed by the overall look of the UE590. It’s by no means bad, per se, it’s just not necessarily as sleek or sexy of a product. For more sexy products, check out our review of the LG UltraFine 24MD4KL monitor.
Unlike the Samsung 27-inch curved monitor LC27JG56QQNXZA, the front of the Samsung UE590 display features about 1″ thick bezels (a little wide for this display class) with the quintessential silver-on-black color scheme the company loves so much, while the back is slightly rounded by black brushed plastic. The stand is the only standout feature (pun somewhat intended) that could clue you into its Samsung roots, featuring a smooth brushed silver along the base and an altogether unique sloped way of propping up the monitor so it sits low to the ground, and right up front of wherever you place it on your desk.
Related: See our Samsung U28E590D review for comparison.
Unfortunately, the stand also only has one way to adjust its position: vertical by 170°/160° (forward/back). Given that the monitor sits low (we only measured around 5″ of clearance at max), this means that unless the height of your desk is up to your chest, you’re going to be craning your neck downwards during most of the day to get a good view of what’s happening on screen.
Hardware
The Samsung UE590 is a 28″ TN panel-based LED monitor that runs at a resolution of 3840 x 2160, has a 1,000:1 static contrast ratio. It also sports a 1ms GTG response time with a 60Hz max refresh rate and AMD FreeSync anti-screen tearing compatibility.
Related: Also check out our Sceptre 24 curved 75Hz gaming LED monitor review.
On the back of the UE590 we found a relatively slim number of available ports, limited to a lean two HDMI 2.0 ports, one DP 1.2, and a single 3.5mm audio passthrough. Although, having a display with more ports and multi-device compatibility, like you’ll read in our review of the ViewSonic VX2776 4K MDH monitor, you’ll easily take your gaming experience to the next level.
Settings
To all the monitor manufacturers out there who put joysticks on your screens to navigate through the settings menu instead of making us do it with four linear buttons, I can not thank you enough for this small, but oh-so-important innovation in menu navigation technology. Although Samsung’s settings menu is pretty basic when it comes to overall customization, you almost don’t even notice thanks to how simple navigation is with the help of the 4-way stick on the back of the unit that doubles as its power button.
Read More: Best computer monitors 2018
For this alone, the Samsung UE590 would already get my love, but it also backs it up with a few unique features like Picture-in-Picture and Samsung’s own “Magic Angle” setting, which alters the lighting of the screen depending on how the display itself is positioned. This is so you always get the best picture quality possible if you have this monitor off to the side of your main display, or the aforementioned low profile on your desk becomes too much of an issue. In other words, better viewing angles. The right viewing angle gives you the best image. All you need to do is set the Magic Angle, and any color distortion you might see is automatically corrected.
Color Accuracy
In our tests using Datacolor’s Spyder5Elite Pro calibration tool on the Samsung UE590, we achieved results that were just about in line with what you’d want out of a 4K gaming display, though they might be ever so slightly underwhelming for those who need a monitor that can swap between a round of Battlefield and a day working in Photoshop on the fly.
After three runs both in sRGB and stock color settings, the UE590 scored an average of 97% sRGB, and 77% of AdobeRGB in color gamut evaluations.
Performance
As a 4K gaming monitor with 1ms response time and AMD FreeSync capability, the Samsung UE590 honestly has no business being priced as low as it is while performing this well under the stresses of the various games we tried out.
In multiple fast-paced titles including Heroes of the Storm, Overwatch, and the recently released Battlefield 1 open beta test, the UE590 exceeded expectations for what 4K gaming can achieve when all the various pieces are working together perfectly in sync. Admittedly though with only 28″ of available real estate, some details were a bit harder to see than they would be on a larger screen, but thanks to the addition of FreeSync this was only a minor nuisance compared to the problem you’d normally have when pixels are lagging behind or the screen is jutting around while the display tries to catch up to the action.
Wrap Up
If you’re in the market for a fairly priced, high-performance 4K monitor that can keep up with the latest games and run FreeSync with your onboard AMD graphics card, there simply isn’t a better option out there that hits all those buttons than the Samsung UE590.
The position adjustment options are admittedly pretty limited and we’d like to have seen a pair of onboard speakers, but those small gripes aside the Samsung UE590 is an undeniably good choice. Getting a 4K display to run at a 1ms response time isn’t an easy feat for monitors twice this cost, so for Samsung to make it happen at half the price of its competitors really does say everything you need to know about what makes this screen shine so bright.
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