Samsung C34H890 100Hz VA UltraWide with 1800R curve
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases made using the “Buy” button at the bottom of this post. Where possible, you'll be redirected to your nearest store. Further information on supporting our work.Update: We had originally planned to review this monitor, although the sample was not made available. Other reviews will take priority. News piece below initially published 28th June 2017.
Samsung first released the S34E790C, with a relatively gentle 3000R curve and 60Hz refresh rate. It then introduced the C34F791, bringing with it some fairly radical design changes; a much steeper 1500R curve, 100Hz refresh rate, ‘Quantum Dot’ backlight and an entirely new colour (to name but a few). The C34H890 (C34H890WJ with various additional suffixes and prefixes) dials things back a bit, forming something of a mid-way model between these two. The curve is relatively steep although not quite as steep as on the C34F791, at 1800R. There are no Quantum Dots to speak of on the backlight and the design is a ‘smart’ titanium-coloured plastic and matte grey plastic affair. Dual-stage bezels are used with a hard outer bezel component and a slim panel border that blends in seamlessly when the monitor is off. The JOG button (joystick) to control the menu system has been retained, whilst the included stand offers height, swivel and tilt adjustment.
The panel used is a 34” SVA (‘Super’ Vertical Alignment) model with 3440 x 1440 resolution (21:9 UltraWide) and 100Hz refresh rate. AMD FreeSync is also supported on compatible AMD GPUs via Adaptive-Sync on the monitor. The variable refresh rate range is currently unknown, although likely 48 – 100Hz plus LFC as with CF791. A light matte anti-glare screen surface is employed to retain a good degree of vibrancy and clarity whilst providing good glare-handing characteristics. True 8-bit colour is supported (16.7 million colours) and a 3000:1 static contrast is specified, alongside 178°/178° viewing angles. A flicker-free WLED backlight is used, with enhanced phosphors. This offers comprehensive coverage of the sRGB colour space with a bit of extension beyond for extra vibrancy – although not to the extent of the Quantum Dot solution used on the CF791. A 4ms grey to grey response time is specified, but as we’ve shown with our reviews of similar models and have explored elsewhere on the site, you really shouldn’t pay too much attention to this figure.
The monitor includes the ‘Eve Saver Mode’ Low Blue Light (LBL) mode, designed to aid a restful night’s sleep or provide more relaxing viewing generally by cutting out blue light and massively reducing contrast. The alternative ‘Warm2’ preset also features, retaining much stronger contrast but cutting out blue light significantly. There also the ‘Game Mode’ – which is great if you like an artificial, oversaturated image to be presented instead of an accurate image. The included stand can be removed and replaced with an alternative 100 x 100mm VESA compatible solution. The ports of the monitor are concealed under a removable cover and include; HDMI 2.0, DP 1.2a (supports Adaptive-Sync), 2 USB 2.0 ports, 1 USB 3.0 port, USB-C (includes DP, data and charging capability) and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Further details on the CH890 can be found on this product page. The monitor is listed for ~$600 USD.