Samsung U28E590D Review - 28-Inch 4K UHD LED Gaming Monitor  

For years now, Samsung has been a common name among gamers looking for budget-friendly gaming monitors. With the entry of 4K monitors a couple of years ago, their prices continue to be slashed which means it is the right time to get yourself the perfect gaming monitor on a budget.

Today we look at the Samsung U28E590D which is a solid pick for immersive viewing. It brings a redefined viewing experience with a fast response time and AMD FreeSync to deliver stunning gaming performance.

Pros

• 4K graphics at 60Hz
• Excellent color gamut performance
• Fast 1ms response time
• Slim bezels
• Eliminates screen stutter and tearing

Cons

• Not calibrated out of the box
• FreeSync works over Displayport only

Design Features

There’s nothing dramatic about the Samsung U28E590D monitor. Being a budget monitor, much has been done under the hood rather than on the exterior of the monitor. First, this model comes in a 28-inch screen size which is pretty basic. It weighs around 11 pounds with the stand, and it can be wall-mounted.

It offers a VESA mounting point at the back so you can have a sleek setup if you have a small gaming station. However, this screen does not offer height adjustments with the stand. All you get is screen tilting to 15 degrees backward and 1 degree forward, and that’s it.

When it comes to the housing, Samsung U28E590D is in a black cabinet which is mostly plastic. It has glossy black 0.7-inch bezels which makes it look sleek and elegant by itself. But we don’t encourage a dual monitor setup because it is not slim enough to close the gap that comes with two monitors side by side.

More on its build quality is that you’ll like its textured finish which completes the budget-friendly looks.

Image Quality 

Panel technology usually influences the image quality of any particular monitor. With this model, you are dealing with a TN panel which is the cheapest and fastest among other types like VA and IPS. The only drawback is that it has narrow viewing angles.

Samsung U28E590D gives stunning color reproduction thanks to its 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels) resolution. It is four times better than 1080 HD monitors which means it can provide sharp and crisp images. It integrates AMD FreeSync technology which eliminates tearing and motion blur. FreeSync matches your GPU and the monitor’s refresh rates so that you can enjoy fast-paced action games without being followed by streaks move after move.

Besides, it has a 1ms response time making it one of the fastest monitors for gaming. It allows for quick load up times which makes it easy to move fast and also watch action movies without motion blur. The refresh rate could be better because it offers 60Hz but since it combines a fast response time, it should offer a nice time for casual gamers.

The Samsung display boasts 10-bit color depth and peak luminance of 370 nits. It is not the brightest in dark areas but does great in well-lit rooms. It does not produce glare. However, with a native contrast of 688:1, it is not going to produce black blacks in low-lit rooms.

As we touched on the narrow viewing angles in TN models, Samsung is not immune to this flaw. The monitor has 170-degree horizontal and 160-degree vertical viewing angles. When viewing the monitor from the top, you will notice that the contrast and color will shift.

What’s great about the display is that it is quite stable in most viewing environments. The brightness rarely fluctuates meaning it is dependable in the long run. Other display features include picture-in-picture and game modes to alter the gamma curvature and produce bright images in dark rooms.

Performance 

Samsung U28E590D promises punchy colors and delivers on the promise. It does not offer great out of the box experience as you have to calibrate everything from the color to contrast, luminance, color temperature, RGB controls, gamma, etc. Calibration is done on the custom picture mode to improve its accuracy.

After that, you can experience sharp shadow and highlight detail. Although it experiences some minor color shifting, the monitor is a lot nicer to game on than most TN panel monitors that we have seen. When it comes to color accuracy, Samsung U28E590D does well with blues and reds. Greens seem a bit misaligned, but it never results in tinting.

This monitor is also capable of delivering on its 1ms response rate since it runs games ghost-free. It renders color quite well on both AdobeRGB and sRGB which is another reason why it is excellent for gaming. Since this monitor does not support HDCP 2.2, it will only run games and apps at 4K, but HDCP 2.2 protected content will run at 1080p max because it supports HDCP 1.4.

Connectivity 

The rear of the cabinet is where all the magic happens. Samsung U28E590D comes with two HDMI ports (HDMI 2.0 and HDMI 1.4), a DisplayPort (DP 1.2), and a 3.5mm Analog Audio Out jack. Both the HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort support 4K resolution at 60Hz. The HDMI 1.4 runs 4K at 30Hz.

This monitor’s FreeSync technology only works over the DisplayPort. For those who have Xbox One, you will not be able to utilize FreeSync with your console. But you can easily navigate the onscreen display using its joystick also located at the back of the monitor. It does not offer any buttons, but it remains pretty intuitive to control using the joystick.

Another thoughtful feature is that it comes with all the cables including the power, HDMI, and DisplayPort Cables. It also comes with the drivers and power brick which makes set up fast and easy.

Flaws of Samsung U28E590D Monitor 

Apart from the narrow viewing angles and low brightness for dark rooms, you will notice that this monitor lacks any USB ports. It is not a significant flaw, but it’s something you want to remember if you wish to your gaming monitor to also include USB ports.

Conclusion

Samsung U28E590D is a reasonably priced monitor that performs decently in gaming. It can run 4K games without motion blur which has long affected budget monitors. It delivers low input lag, which makes gaming enjoyable with most titles. Its stability is to die for because it proves long term reliability though it has a TN panel that has less than remarkable viewing angles.