Samsung - Samsung U28E590D

Samsung

Samsung U28E590D: an affordable 28-inch Ultra HD screen

Aprox. 239€

See specifications

The Samsung U28E590D succeeds the Samsung U28D590D that we tested in 2014. The Korean manufacturer uses the same recipe with a 28-inch Ultra HD TN panel without making any particular effort. It remains to be seen if it still pays in 2019 ...

Positive points

Ultra HD definition.

FreeSync compatible.

Reactivity.

Good calibration with some manual adjustments.

Bad points

Limited contrast.

Narrow viewing angles.

No height adjustment.

No USB hub.

FreeSync not compatible with Xbox One S / X.

Our review

Presentation

The Samsung U28E590D monitor has a 28-inch TN panel (≈71 cm) displaying an Ultra HD resolution of 3 840 x 2 160 px. The manufacturer announces a contrast ratio of 1000: 1, a maximum brightness of 370 cd / m², viewing angles of 170 ° / 160 ° and a response time of 1 ms. This model is content with a refresh rate of 60 Hz, but it is FreeSync compatible over a fairly reduced range (between 40 and 60 Hz). It also has no flicker (Free) and offers a blue light filter.

The major argument of the Samsung U28E590D is its price: this model is sold for less than 300 €, which makes it an interesting model for office automation, but also a good companion for Ultra HD compatible game consoles, like the PS4 Pro and the Xbox One X. Be careful though, the FreeSync does not work with HDMI inputs and therefore with the Xbox One S and One X.


Presentation

Ergonomics

The Samsung U28E590D adopts a fairly classic design. The Samsung design is recognizable by its fairly wide, but not very deep T-shaped foot. The screen edges are black. The coating of the slab is semi-gloss and avoids some of the reflections.

The foot displays a depth of 18.7 cm rather classic for a 28 inch model. In comparison, the foot depth of the 32-inch AOC Q3279VWF is 15 cm. Power is supplied by an external unit, which is practical for after-sales service, a little less for integration.

Ergonomics is the weak point of this monitor. The Samsung U28E590D is content with adjusting the tilt between -2 ° and + 20 °. The stand is not rotatable and, above all, it is impossible to adjust the height of the screen, a feature that is far from anecdotal.

The back of the monitor is very classic. The striated black plastic gives this model a premium look. We can also notice the VESA 100 x 100 mm fixing on the upper part of the monitor. The connection, directly visible, is oriented perpendicular to the slab.

The cable management system is simple, but very effective. It allows you to bundle the cables that come out perpendicular to the monitor at the back of the stand for more cleanliness.

The connection consists of two HDMI inputs, a DisplayPort input and a headphone output. The latter is essential to enjoy the sound of HDMI devices since this monitor does not have built-in speakers.

To control the different monitor settings, Samsung chose a clickable joystick. For us, it's simply the most efficient way to access all settings very quickly. One click gives access to the change of source, mode (presets) and settings (brightness, contrast, sharpness, overdrive, gamma, etc.). The menus are readable and the navigation is fluid.

On our standard desk 140 cm wide and 60 cm deep, the 28-inch Samsung U28E590D is perfectly at ease, far from the bulk of a 34-inch monitor like the Alienware AW3418DW or the Philips 349X7F.

Windows in native definition (3,840 x 2,160 px) with a 100% scale.

The native definition of 3 840 x 2 160 px is difficult to use without a magnifying scaling of Windows 10. We chose a scaling to 150% in order to be able to operate it with a normal recoil distance (60 at 70 cm).

By lowering the brightness to 25 to obtain a white at 150 cd / m², the Samsung U28E590D consumes 21 W, or a relative consumption of only 97 W / m². It consumes more than a 27-inch Full HD monitor, but it remains within the average consumption of the monitors tested (100 W / m² on average). This monitor consumes at least 13 W of brightness (13 cd / m²) and 32 W at 401 cd / m².


Ergonomics

Colors and contrast

Default: average gray temperature: 7,510 K.

Default: gamma curve at 2.1.

Default: Delta E average at 3.6.

Out of the box, the rendering is not flawless, but it is law to be fanciful. The temperature curve is stable, but the average measured at 7,510 K is too far from the 6,500 K reference. This results in a too cold blue image. The gamma curve lacks stability, but the average of 2.1 is quite close to the reference 2.2. Finally, the average delta E stands at 3.6 - as a reminder, it is considered excellent below 3. The colors cannot be considered to be fair, but they are far from being completely false.

Manual adjustment: average gray temperature: 6,020 K.

Manual adjustment: gamma curve at 2.1.

Manual adjustment: delta E medium to 2.

To improve the rendering, we lowered the brightness to 25 in order to obtain a white close to 150 cd / m². We then set the temperature to "hot 1" to get closer to the reference (6,500 K). The temperature thus retains its stability and drops to 6,020 K. The average gamma remains the same (2.1), but the curve rises slightly. Finally, the colors can now be considered as faithful with an average Delta E of 2. All the shades also display a Delta E less than 3, except green and blue.

Calibrated: average gray temperature: 6,600 K.

Calibrated: gamma curve at 2.2.

Calibrated: average delta E at 1.8.

The calibration of the screen using a probe makes it possible to smooth the gamma and temperature curves and very slightly improve the color fidelity. You can download this color profile by following this link.

The contrast ratio measured at 730: 1 is fairly standard for a TN panel, but remains lower than the contrast ratio noted on monitors equipped with an IPS panel (1000: 1) and far behind the monitors equipped with a panel. VA, like the Textorm TX32 or the AOC Q3279VWF which exceed a rate of 4,000: 1. In the picture, this results in faded blacks. This is not problematic for office use and more generally in broad daylight; it's only really annoying in the dark and watching movies.

The average difference in lighting uniformity is 9% across the entire panel, an average value for a 28-inch screen. We found slight light leaks in the corners, but no clouding on our test model. Unfortunately, this good homogeneity is sealed by the reduced angles of the TN panel, in particular the vertical angles which reveal a gradient when a circle of a single color is displayed.


Colors and contrast

Reactivity

The Samsung U28E590D does not use Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) to adjust the brightness. It therefore does not flicker and does not cause headaches in the most sensitive people. It also offers a blue light filter.

This monitor manages FreeSync between 40 and 60 Hz and therefore works optimally when the graphics card sends between 40 and 60 images per second; a very small range, but which is suitable for the Ultra HD definition of the screen which in any case requires a very powerful graphics card. In the operating range, fluidity is at the rendezvous and the image does not suffer from tearing problems or jerks (micro-stuttering). Please note, the FreeSync only works with the DisplayPort input and is therefore not compatible with Xbox One S and One X which use an HDMI output.

We measured the remanence time at 6 ms with the overdrive set to "Fast". This value limits ghosting. Beyond ("Accelerated" setting), a reverse ghosting effect appears. Finally, we measured the delay in the display (input lag) at 10.3 ms (60 Hz). There is thus no offset between the source and the display on the monitor.


Reactivity

Conclusion

The Samsung U28E590D is a good Ultra HD monitor. It displays a relatively well calibrated image after a few adjustments, but still suffers from TN technology faults (low contrast and limited viewing angles). We regret the lack of FreeSync compatibility with consoles, but it remains a good playmate.


Conclusion

Specifications