[bhr166]

And what is your opinion about Samsung U28R550UQM VS Philips 288E2E/UAE/A

[PCM2]

The preferred designation for the monitor is simply Samsung U28R550. I’ve covered it in some other threads, but it uses the same panel as the Philips yet isn’t as well-calibrated nor as well tuned in terms of pixel responsiveness. I haven’t received absolute confirmation, but it may use PWM if you set the brightness quite low (below ’30’ in the OSD) so is only flicker-free if set above that. You’ll most likely not set the brightness that low so it probably isn’t something to worry about. It should hopefully still your needs fine, it isn’t a bad monitor by any means.

[Loredek]

Hi everyone, I’m going to buy a 27 ” 4k monitor, obviously not too expensive and IPS not OLED, and among the various proposals I have come to decide between these two:
–Dell S2721QS (369 Euro)
-Samsung Monitor HRM UR55 (U28R552) (269 euros)
What would you advise me?
PS: On amazon (Italian) for the Samsung he gives me two versions 2020 and 2021 and I don’t understand if there are differences with a price increase, in 2020, of about 90 euros. Does the design change?
Thanks!

[PCM2]

Loredek,

I’ve merged your thread with this one as it’s a suitable place. It makes my recommendation clear, as does the dedicated recommendations section. And that would be the Philips 288E2UAE/288E2E/288E2A. I’ve also received some positive but admittedly limited feedback on the Dell S2722QC which seems to offer a nice design and feature-set for the price. It’s one I’d like to review if Dell can provide a sample, but either way it’s another model worth considering.

[r108]

I’ve been thinking from a long time to move to a 4k display. I currently still use the i2369vm which was recommended to me here back in 2014. It’s good, though the gradient handling is not good and I guess the brightness feels low in some vids. I’ve never seen a VA or an OLED so don’t know about black levels. There are too many uncertain things. Not sure if VA would be better (I sit 30in away and don’t game). Also there might be scaling issues since I watch old content (480p) and play old games (2d 800×600 and 640×480 games) . For media, I don’t use FS even now because it’s too big. I usually watch at around the 720p size. I’m not even sure if the upgrade would be worth it. I’ll probably not buy but just want to consider before I upgrade some parts of my PC.

[PCM2]

I’d say go for it and give it a try. The upgrade in terms of size, clarity and desktop real-estate will be very enjoyable no doubt just for general consumption. It will take some getting used to, naturally. You shouldn’t find the lower resolution content dramatically different, the monitor is going to be using interpolation either way or it’s going to be displayed with a similar GPU scaling process. The softening when viewing 480p media content should theoretically be similar. It’s up to you whether you wanted to go the IPS or VA route – you’re used to IPS so if it isn’t causing you issues perhaps stick to that. Although if you were eyeing up a 32″ model there is more choice at the affordable end if you go VA and you can throw in a curve if you want to try that as well.

[r108]

Thanks. I wanted to put it in another thread but didn’t know which one. There’s this thing called ‘magpie’ which seems interesting too for older programs. BTW my budget is around $300-400 and I’m kind of hesistant to get a curved screen. Which monitor would you recommend?

[PCM2]

As covered in relevant reviews and reinforced in other posts, a curve (as long as it’s not too steep) is really just a subtle addition most people will readily adapt to. My current recommendations can be found in the appropriate section of the site. But if you’re open to flat 27″ models, I’d also suggest considering the S2722QC – review will be published next week but it should suit your usage profile well and fits the budget. It might also be worked into relevant recommendations pages eventually. 🙂

[r108]

Unfortunately, it seems only Philips 276E8VJSB and BenQ EW3270U are available here in my price range. Don’t understand why. Both seem to be pretty old monitors.

[PCM2]

The 276E8VJSB remains a decent monitor and its panel is used in various newer models as well. The design is pretty basic and it doesn’t offer good ergonomics or a wide gamut which some might enjoy. But you’re used to both of those things with your i2369Vm anyway. The image quality and responsiveness is perfectly decent, that’s the main thing – plus it can go pretty bright if you want it to. 🙂

[romanes]

I am still on the monitor hunt to replace my Dell P2415Q with MAC OS. I am looking for a monitor with the following characteristics:

– 4K resolution
– 27-32 inch
– very light matte screen surface / good text readability
– USB C
– height adjustable stand

My number one priority is the readability/clarity of the text. Somehow reading text on my P2415Q is exhausting. I already tried out the LG 32UN880 which has helped in this matter a bit but it is still far from perfect. I have no issues reading text on paper, on my kindle, or glossy devices like Macbooks or Ipads.
I guess I am sensitive to these heavier matte screen surfaces? Thus a light screen surface would be preferable.

Anything else would be nice to have, like USB C and a height-adjustable stand but I can live without it as long as reading text on appears to be comfortable for me.

So far I am interested in the EW3280U. The only things I don’t like about this monitor is the design and the non height adjustable stand. However, if the viewing comfort is vastly superior then I would definitely consider it.

@ PCM2 Do you have any other recommendations for me?

[PCM2]

The P2415Q has a particularly grainy screen surface. The ~32″ options would be the best bet for distancing yourself from that sort of experience (~27″ models are some way between – much better than the P2415Q, still). The EW3280U would be my main recommendation, but really anything that’s the same sort of size would be a good bet. At least, if they don’t use the BOE panel of models like the 32UN880 you tried. I cover that in this thread. Whilst the included stand of the EW3280U is limited, you can attach it via 100 x 100mm VESA to a monitor arm or alternative stand. I know that’s not ideal. The BenQ PD3200U and PA329CV are worth considering as more ergonomically flexible alternatives. They’re discussed in that other thread I linked to, but as I note there I only have limited feedback on the ASUS. I’m quite sure it uses an AUO panel and I expect the screen surface to be similar to the BenQ’s, but I haven’t seen this myself.

[romanes]

Thank you for the quick reply.

How is the screen surface on the PD3200U compared to the EW3280U? Based on your review of both monitors it seems like to me it is very similar. Or is one even lighter than the other?

[PCM2]

I reviewed them nearly 3 years apart and didn’t have the luxury of a side by side comparison. But when reviewing the EW3280U I was certainly drawing that comparison in my mind and I felt they were similar.

[romanes]

Ok, understood. I think I am gonna go with the EW3280U as it has a USB-C Port.

I also realized there is a 27-inch version of this monitor (EW2780U). Do you have an idea what panel is used here, especially considering its screen surface?

[PCM2]

I believe the EW2780U uses an LG Display panel. As with any of the 27-28″ models, it’s not equivalent to the EW3280U when it comes to screen surface.

[ram02]

Philips 288E2UAE or Dell S2722QC?

Dell S2722QC is newer and brighter, but Philips 288E2UAE is slighter bigger and cheaper.

[PCM2]

This comparison is drawn in the conclusion of the S2722QC review, nothing more I can really add to that:

“We can’t help but compare it to the Philips 288E2UAE (288E2E/288E2A) which is another model in the segment we recommend. The Dell offers USB-C support, superior ergonomics, a better brightness adjustment range and basic HDR support. It has the more solid stand of the two and some may prefer the styling – though that is always going to remain subjective. The Philips offers better gamma calibration with adjustable gamma settings, better pixel response time tuning (though not a huge difference there) and is the cheaper offering. Ultimately, most people in the market for this sort of model would be perfectly happy with either offering.”

[bratic]

Hi, which model would you suggest as my number one priority is the clarity of the text?

I am thinking Philips 288E2UAE or Dell S2722QC.

One big turn off from Dell S2722QC is that it has very blurry edges.

Does Philips suffer from the same?

Also i prefer 27″ or 28″, 32″ is too big for my space.

Furthermore i read that 4k 27″ scaled 150% has nicer looking text than 1440p 27″ native, is that correct?

Thanks!

[PCM2]

Hi bratic,

When you say the S2722QC has “very blurry edges”, you must be referring to the ‘shadowy border’ pointed out in the review? I was reluctant to include that at all in the review because the image is specifically taken in a way that exaggerates the effect. As noted there: “It’s not something we found obtrusive or generally noticeable during normal use from our preferred viewing distance (~70cm or a bit further back) but we tried to capture it from a steeper angle… to emphasise the effect.” It certainly doesn’t affect enough of the screen to affect text clarity from a normal viewing position. The 288E2UAE does have this – but to a lesser degree, with less of a steep inset. The somewhat steeper than average perceived inset on the Dell is why I mentioned it in that review – but again, it’s not something I’d really worry about too much. But if you still are, then perhaps that’s a reason to go for the Philips.

As covered in the reviews in the ‘4K’ UHD experience sections: “Text and other elements which scale properly – and most content now does this – also appeared with a crispness that’s simply lacking from models with a lower pixel density. Even if you end up using a higher level of scaling or application-specific zoom, the pixel density remains important and this edge in clarity can be appreciated.” So yes, you’d still have an edge in text clarity compared to a 27″ WQHD model even if you’re using scaling on the ‘4K’ model.

[Author]

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