Samsung CRG9 49″ Gaming Monitor with 5120 x 1440 Res, 120Hz and HDR
Samsung have gotten ahead of the CES 2019 news rush by releasing their press release already for some new monitors they have planned. Of most interest is the new CRG9 display, a massive 49″ curved (1800R) ultrawide, 32:9 aspect ratio screen aimed at gamers. Unlike previous Samsung 49″ models like the C49HG90, this new model has a boosted resolution to go along with the high refresh rate.
The CRG9 has a 5120 x 1440 resolution, equivalent to 2x 27″ 1440p displays side by side. This is an upgrade from the older 3840 x 1080 resolution of previous models. This is combined with a high 120Hz refresh rate and 4ms G2G response time for reduced motion blur and great gaming experience. We’ve seen a few competing 49″ models from other manufacturers announced in recent times with this new 5120 x 1440 resolution (e.g. Dell U4919DW, LG 49WL95, Philips 499P9H) but this is the first model we’ve seen with a refresh rate >60Hz. The 120Hz refresh rate is combined with AMD FreeSync 2 support as well for variable refresh rates, and to help handle the high demands on your system and graphics card that this resolution will have in gaming.
Samsung also talk in the press release about HDR support, but rather than specifically talk about any VESA DisplayHDR certification, they simply talk about HDR10 here. Normally this would be a red flag that a monitor is just accepting an HDR source input, but doesn’t actually produce any meaningful HDR effect from the display. However, on the CRG9 they specifically talk about 1000 cd/m2 peak brightness, “outstanding local dimming” and high contrast. So it does look like this display will offer some decent HDR experience, likely with edge-lit local dimming as opposed to any FALD backlight. The CRG9 also uses Quantum Dot technology to offer a wider colour gamut (again needed for HDR) which is expected to be >90% DCI-P3 coverage.
Picture by Picture is supported for split screen working on this massive display and resolution. There are 2x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x HDMI v2.0, 4x USB 3.0 and headphone connections available.
The CRG9 is based on a Samsung SVA panel, the LSM490YP02 in fact that we believe went in to production around Nov 2018. With that in mind, it could be that we will see this screen within Q1/Q2 of 2019. The screen will be showcased at CES between 8 – 11th January so we may see more information emerge next week. Pricing is currently unknown.
Update 15/3/19 – We have some additional information about this display, it’s full model name is the C49RG90. It will support AMD FreeSync 2, including LFC for lower frame rates. The colour space spec has now been listed at 95% DCI-P3 coverage (125% sRGB, 92% Adobe RGB coverage) thanks to the use of Quantum Dot coating (Samsung QLED technology). Relating to our assumptions about HDR we can now report that the display has a typical brightness spec of 600 cd/m2, but is certified to the VESA DisplayHDR 1000 level and can therefore produce peak brightness of 1000 cd/m2 for HDR content. It uses an edge-lit local dimming solution but we do not have confirmation of the number of zones yet. A 4ms G2G response time spec is listed, and the screen has a low input lag mode setting for gaming. Tilt, swivel and height adjustments are offered by the stand. The back of the stand also features a ring of cool-blue ‘Sound Interactive LED Lighting’ LED’s which can be set be on, off or pulse to audio passed through the monitor.
The C49RG90 is expected to be available around May in the US at a retail price of around $1500 USD.
Source: Samsung(and spec page)
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