Samsung is rolling out the world's first displays to feature Radeon FreeSync 2 technology, though that's not the only newsworthy bit here. Among the trio of new displays is a 49-inch ultra (ultra-) wide monitor (C49HG90) with a curved panel, HDR support, and Samsung's Quantum Dot composition. Lest there be any doubt, Samsung is setting gamers in its sights with a large display that ups the immersion factor.
"Gamers want to feel completely immersed when they play, and our new monitors provide the most stunning visuals to deliver the ultimate gaming experience," said Andrew Sivori, VP Product Marketing at Samsung Electronics America. "These QLED gaming monitors represent the future of gaming for both casual and dedicated players alike, and we’re confident that our innovative design and state-of-the-art features will enhance the entire gaming arena."
The 49-inch monitor uses a VA panel with a 3840x1080 double full HD resolution (32:9 aspect ratio) and 144Hz refresh rate. It also features a 1ms response time, four-channel scanning technology to ward off motion blur through the entire screen, and supposedly excellent color reproduction with an advertised 125 percent coverage of the sRGB color space, and 95 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 color space.
AMD and Nvidia have a bit of standards war going with G-Sync and FreeSync, two competing specs designed to eliminate image tears and choppiness for smoother game play. FreeSync 2 ups the ante over FreeSync by making some optional features mandatory, such as Low Framerate Compensation, which requires that the maximum supported variable refresh be at least 2.5 times the minimum supported refresh rate. FreeSync 2 displays must also be capable of HDR visuals. Here is a rundown of FreeSync 2:
- Uses DisplayPort adaptive refresh open standard.
- Low Framerate Compensation is required.
- Some form of HDR must be present (but not necessarily HDR10).
- Scalers and processing must meet latency requirements (with HDR).
- AMD charges no royalties or other fees.
- AMD certifies all FreeSync 2 products (unclear if this is 'free').
- Currently only supported by AMD GPUs.
As such, there is a DisplayPort on the C49HG90. It also has a mini DisplayPort, two HDMI ports, an audio input, a headphone jack, and a built-in USB 3.0 hub with three downstream ports.
You can preorder Samsung's 49-inch monitor now for $1,500 on Amazon and at local Micro Center stores. It wil lbe available June 30.
Samsung's other two FreeSync 2 monitors include a 27-inch display (C27HG70) and a 31.5-inch model (C32HG70). Both also use a curved VA panel with the same color reproduction claims and 144Hz refresh rate, but they have a 2560x1440 resolution (16:9 aspect ratio).
The two monitors share the same connectivity options—DisplayPort, two HDMI ports, an audio input, a headphone jack, and three USB 3.0 ports.
You can preorder the 31.5-inch model exclusively on Newegg for $700 with availability listed for June 26, and the 27-inch version later today on Samsung for $600.
