Samsung’s S34E790C makes a barnstorming first impression, thanks to its arcing screen and slick metallic stand. The 34in panel’s 3,440 x 1,440 native resolution isn’t as high as the 3,840 x 2,160 of most 4K monitors, and its pixel density of 110ppi can’t match the sharpness of 30in 4K panels, which sit at 145ppi. As such, its image in games won’t be quite as crisp, but it also means there’s slightly less strain on your graphics hardware when it comes to gaming.
The Samsung isn’t as tall as most 4K panels, but it’s wider, with an aspect ratio of 21:9. This ratio opens up some full widescreen movies to their native aspect ratio, and the screen’s large diagonal means this resolution is comfortable to use every day – there’s no need to deploy Windows’ scaling options to make text and icons readable.
It compares well with other widescreen panels too. The LG 34UM95 had the same resolution and diagonal, but wasn’t curved. The curve doesn’t make a huge change, but it makes Samsung’s screen a little more comfortable to view head-on, which is exactly where a desktop monitor will be positioned. And when stacked up against dual-screen setups, the Samsung continues to look strong, having more vertical pixels than 1080p screens, and its horizontal pixel count is very close to that of two 1,920 x 1,080 screens, without any irritating bezels.
Meanwhile, the sturdy stand not only looks good, but it’s also versatile, featuring tilt and height adjustment alongside VESA 100mm support, which is more than the LG offers. The Samsung also sports four USB 3 ports, which is twice as many as the LG, and all the ports face backwards, rather than downwards – a simple touch that makes this screen easier to handle. The LG does have Thunderbolt, though, for folks with Apple hardware, and both screens have HDMI 1.4 and DisplayPort 1.2 interfaces.
The Samsung’s menu system deserves praise too – it’s controlled using a small joystick, and while this control method initially feels awkward, you soon get used to it, and Samsung’s menu is fast and sensibly laid out.
Perhaps most importantly, the Samsung impressed in our screen tests, thanks in part to its use of a VA (vertical alignment) panel. Its first result, a 2,133:1 contrast ratio, trounced the LG’s 1,047:1. The S34E790C’s 320cd/m2 brightness is great too, and it has better blacks than the LG too – the Samsung’s 0.15cd/m2 rating means its dark shades are inkier than the LG’s 0.21cd/m2.
Likewise, the Samsung’s delta E of 1.65 sneaks ahead of the LG’s 1.74. On colour temperature, though, the Samsung faltered with a chilly 7,032K – further away from the 6,500K ideal than the LG’s 6,710K. Both screens displayed more than 95 per cent of the sRGB colour gamut, with little to choose between the two.
Viewing angles are good too; there’s no sign of banding, and subtle dark shades are easy to pick apart. The Samsung screen’s uniformity isn’t bad either – it lost around 15 per cent of its brightness in its worst spots, but the LG was a little better in this respect, with top backlight deviations of around 10 per cent. We have no quibbles about the Samsung’s input lag either, which we measured at 10.9ms – any figure below 20ms in this test is fine for most people; only professional gamers might notice the very slight lag.
The Samsung has few weaknesses, offering great image quality, plus the width and resolution to compete with larger panels and multi-screen setups. What’s more, it has that attractive curve for comfortable viewing, and it’s well made too. Its only downside is that its £750 inc VAT price tag pushes it into the luxury category, and most gamers will be sated by the Asus PB287Q, a 27in TN-based 4K panel available for around £450 inc VAT. If you want a premiumquality widescreen panel and don’t mind spending the cash, though, the Samsung S34E790C is fantastic. MIKE JENNINGS
VERDICT
Great image quality and a versatile design, but its high price means it’s only for the privileged few.