Our Verdict
This is a good monitor for a mixed usage. The better than average picture quality and great gaming-related features make it a decently versatile monitor that should prove suitable for most applications. While its exceptionally wide format might be unwieldy, it produces a very immersive experience and can be useful for multitasking as well.
- Saturated colors makes HDR content pop
- High 144 Hz refresh rate
- High contrast ratio for deep blacks
- Viewing angles aren't great
- Not free of flicker
This is an average monitor for using in an office. The Samsung CHG90 can get bright enough to be usable even in brighter office environments. Its stand offers acceptable flexibility for a monitor of its size, but its narrow viewing angles mean sharing your screen can't be done easily. The short aspect ratio and relatively low resolution can also be a bit limiting productivity-wise.
This is a great choice for a gaming monitor. Its low input lag and high refresh rate covers the essentials, but it also supports both Freesync and BFI for better motion. Its strange ratio means you will have vertical black bars surrounding 16:9 sources such as an Xbox One, but the monitor also comes with a picture-in-picture mode which allows you to separate it in half, allowing you to keep the leftover space productive.
This is a good monitor for consuming most types of media. While its aspect ratio will cause even cinemascope content to have vertical black bars, its high contrast ratio gives it better picture quality than average, making movies quite enjoyable. It also supports both HDR and wide gamuts like DCI-P3, making it relatively up-to-date with technologies used in current releases.
This Samsung CHG90 monitor is a good choice for media creation. Its HDR support and good coverage of DCI-P3 gives it a set of attributes rarely available. While its resolution isn't impressive, its very wide form gives the user the ability to separate it into two distinct monitors, making it quite useful for production. Unfortunately, its narrow viewing angles mean absolute accuracy might be compromised with slight shifts in viewing positions, making less suitable for more professional use.
This is a decent monitor for HDR gaming. The Samsung CHG90's input lag is low, and it comes with support for FreeSync 2 which might be useful for upcoming PC games. However, its peak brightness in HDR isn't exceptional, and its local dimming system is a bit rudimentary.
Changelog
- Updated Dec 14, 2020: We've retested the input lag @ 60Hz with the latest firmware version 1021.0.
- Updated Aug 17, 2020: We've retested the SDR and HDR peak brightness, as well as the HDR color gamut and HDR color volume with local dimming enabled.
- Updated Jan 17, 2019: We tested the monitor's compatibility with NVIDIA's new FreeSync driver. See our full investigation into NVIDIA's FreeSync Drivers here.
- Updated Dec 18, 2017: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
There is a single variant of the Samsung CHG90, the 49 inch C49HG90.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their Samsung CHG90 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review. Note that some tests such as the gray uniformity may vary between individual units.
| Size | Model | Name | Full Product code |
| 49" | C49HG90 | CHG90 | LC49HG90DMNXZA |
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The Samsung CHG90 is, in general, a good monitor. However, its oddly large size and high price will be a deterrent to most users. Unless you are looking for this specific form factor, you are likely to find better value in other models. See our recommendations for the best ultrawide gaming monitors, the best gaming monitor size, the best curved gaming monitors, and the best 34-49 inch monitors.
The Samsung Odyssey G9 C49G95T is a bit better than the Samsung C49HG90/CHG90. The G9 has a higher resolution, a higher refresh rate, and gets a lot brighter in SDR and HDR. However, the CHG90 has a higher contrast ratio to produce deeper blacks.
The Samsung C49HG90/CHG90 is slightly better than the Dell U3417W, unless you need wider viewing angles. The Samsung CHG90 supports HDR and has much better dark room performance thanks to the higher native contrast. The CHG90 is better for gamers than the U3417W, as it has much less input lag and a faster refresh rate, so motion looks smoother with less blur. The picture quality of the Dell U3417W doesn't degrade when viewed at an angle.
The Acer Predator XB271HU Bmiprz is better than the Samsung C49HG90/CHG90. The Acer is equipped with an IPS panel and thus has better viewing angles, which is great for collaborative work. The Acer is also flicker-free and has a faster pixel response time which leaves only a small blur trail. The Samsung CHG90, on the other hand, has a local dimming feature and better contrast ratio and black uniformity, so it performs much better in dark environments. The Samsung CHG90 also has a wide color gamut and supports HDR to enhance your viewing experience.
The Samsung CHG70 is better than the Samsung C49HG90/CHG90. The CHG90 has a much larger screen but with lower pixel density. Also, the CHG90 has a better native contrast ratio and black uniformity, so it can display better blacks in a dark room. The CHG70 has better ergonomics to help you position it to your preferences and is flicker-free. In almost all other aspects, the monitors behave very similarly.
We buy and test more than 30 monitors each year, all of which we purchase ourselves, without cherry-picked units or samples. We put a lot into each unbiased, straight-to-the-point review, and there's a whole process from purchasing to publishing, involving multiple teams and people. We do more than just use the monitor for a week; we use specialized, custom tools to measure various aspects and deliver objective, data-driven results. We also consider multiple factors before making any recommendations, including the monitor's cost, its performance compared to the competition, and whether it's easy to find.
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