Brad C.
*** 2nd Update *** This second monitor is now showing 8 dead pixels and counting. Something is obviously wrong with this second panel as well. And, judging by some of the other reviews, it would appear that Samsung has some serious QA issues with this model! Definitely will be returning this but now Im doubting I will request a replacement but instead just ask for a refund and look elsewhere. Really disappointed as I love the design/aesthetics of this monitor along with many of its features. *** Update *** The second monitor I received is now showing 5 dead pixels which were not there originally. As I have done with any new monitor I have purchased in the past, upon first setting it up, I test it for dead pixels using software that checks for that sort of thing. Unlike the first monitor I received, I was not able to find a single dead pixel with this second one. Unfortunately, a day or so later while coding a website, I noticed a dead pixel. That dead pixel wasnt obvious so I figured I could probably live with it; however, a few days since noticing the first dead pixel, I now keep seeing more dead pixels popping up that were not there just days before. This has me questioning whether or not I have received another defective monitor and/or if I will continue to experience more dead pixels over time. And because I am a web/mobile developer, I stare at lines of code on my monitor for hours each day, so dead pixels are perhaps more obvious and irritating to me than most users, who are not analyzing different areas of the screen they are looking at. Looks like I am going to have to once again exchange another of these monitors which is a real pain as they are not easy to pack up and haul over to UPS. Ill once again exchange it for another of this same Samsung model and keep my fingers crossed that the third time is the charm. If I dont get lucky with the third one, then Ill sadly have to get a refund and move on to another brand other than Samsung, which is too bad as I really like the features, aesthetics, and picture quality of this model. Not to mention, I am a fan of Samsung as several other devices I own are Samsung including two other monitors, my mobile phone, and a 65-inch TV. If I can simply receive one of these monitors that works the way it is supposed to with zero dead pixels, then Ill be a happy customer. I dont believe thats too much to ask for when paying this much for a monitor. Never before have I had such poor luck with purchasing a new monitor. I have never had two monitors in a row both turn out to be lemons like this. Hopefully, the third time will be different. Im curious to know if any others out there that have purchased this model have noticed pixels failing over time? Please comment on this review if you have. Thanks. --- *** Initial Review *** The first monitor I received was a Christmas gift and unfortunately is definitely defective; however, there appears to be a panel lottery with these monitors as well. The first monitor I received had 1 dead pixel and appeared ever so slightly darker on the right edge of the panel -- although most people less OCD than me might not have noticed. More importantly and worst of all, this monitor made a loud, annoying popping noise every so often that would literally scare the $#!% out of me! I was well within my 30-day return window, so I put in for a replacement via the Amazon website. I was then told Id receive an e-mail once my replacement monitor had been sent out. Unfortunately, later that night, I received an email telling me that Amazon could not send me a replacement, only give me a refund. Immediately, I questioned why as I had purchased the monitor directly from Amazon (rather than a 3rd party seller) and as I stated before, was well within my 30-day return window. Furthermore, I did not want to have to re-purchase the monitor as the monitor was originally purchased on Black Friday at a significant savings of more than $100 off the current price. So, the next day I called Amazon customer service and spoke with a rep regarding this. She was definitely from an office located overseas as English was clearly not her native language and I had difficulty understanding her. Im not sure she clearly understood what I was requesting as she seemed confused and then put me on hold without even telling me. After patiently waiting on hold for a few minutes, not sure if she was coming back, I decided to end the call. I then immediately called back and this time was connected to another rep who, once again, seemed to be from an office located in another country as her English was hard to understand. As in the email that I received, this rep told me that she could not exchange the monitor for me but did offer me a refund. She explained that if I wanted the same monitor, shed have to fill out a return for the current monitor and then Id have to place another, new, separate order. I then explained to the rep that I did not want to do this as the original monitor was purchased during Black Friday at significant savings and if I re-purchased, would have to pay an additional $100 plus dollars. She then told me that she would be willing to give me an Amazon gift card to make up the difference. Which I quickly replied that this was not acceptable and then asked to speak to a manager. She apologized but agreed to my request and re-directed my call. A few minutes later, thankfully, a manager named Valerie that was either American or Canadian (and Im assuming located in the states or Canada) took my call. She spoke perfect English and we could understand each other...hooray! I explained the situation to her and she replied that she did not understand why the previous person I spoke with could not simply send out a replacement as I was still within my 30-day return window and had purchased directly from Amazon rather than a 3rd party (which was why I was confused, to begin with). Within a matter of a few minutes, Valerie had a replacement ready to go and even offered to 1-day ship it for my inconvenience. One day later, I have my replacement monitor, there are no dead pixels, the screen seems equally bright throughout and thankfully, there are no loud annoying popping noises! Now, onto the lottery panel comment... 1. The second monitor seems far crisper looking than the first monitor I received. I noticed right out of the box and even after fidgeting with the Sharpness control and bringing both monitors to a Sharpness setting of 0. Not sure why this is. 2. The first monitor I received may have a slightly thicker anti-reflective coating on it than the second monitor. I noticed this in the graininess of the image as the first monitor had a "screen door" effect to it that this second monitor does not have. While the second monitor does appear to also have an anti-reflective coating, it has next to no screen door effect. This may also be what is contributing to the second monitor appearing to have a much clearer image. 3. Finally, what youve all been waiting for, the Calibration Report! Each of these monitors includes a short calibration report inside the monitors menu settings, showing you what the monitor measured at as far as Gamma Response and Grayscale calibration (color accuracy). Based on each report, the first monitor I received scored a 2.21 for gamma, while the second scored a 2.18 (acceptable standard is listed at 2.2 +- 10%. For grayscale, the second monitor scored a max of 1.7 while the first monitor was close to 3 (lower is better)! Acceptable max is listed at a rating of 5. As you can see, while both monitors passed each test, the second monitor is clearly the more accurate out of the box, before any calibration on the consumer end. --- TL;DR --- If you receive a defective monitor that was purchased directly from Amazon and customer service tells you that you cant exchange it even though you are within your 30-day return window, ask to speak to a manager. The first monitor I received is defective, which may play a slight role in things; however, based on the two examples I received, there appears to be a noticeable difference in the quality of these panels from 1 monitor to the next. The second monitor I received has an image that is noticeably crisper than the first monitor. In addition, the calibration report found in the monitors menu settings (for this model) shows how each monitor scores in both Gamma Response and Grayscale Rating. So have a look to see how the monitor you receive scored. Finally, if you receive a monitor with a picture that looks less than satisfactory, you could have received a lesser panel. The first monitor I received had a picture quality that was "meh" while the second monitor looks great! Perhaps there is a "panel lottery" with this model, but need more consumers to confirm this. Pros: - Ultrawide...duh! - Fantastic VA panel contrast level, far better than IPS displays - 100 Hz refresh rate - Freesync - 1440p resolution rather than 1080p - Thunderbolt 3 - QLED - Fantastic color range with sRGBcoverage of 125% - VA panel has deep inky blacks - Zero light bleed! - No flashlighting or blooming that I can see - The curve encompasses you and helps immersion when playing games Cons: - Not 4K - Monitor wobbles slightly if you bump your desk or have a desk that isnt very sturdy - No 144 Hz refresh rate - No G-Sync for Nvidia owners - Not a lot of media supports ultrawide resolutions (which means youll have black bars on the left and right side of most of the movie/tv show content you watch) - Possible panel lottery (but need more consumers to help confirm this)