- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Design
- Picture Quality
- Motion
- Inputs
- Features
- Sizes and Variants
- Compared
- Conclusion
- Discussions
The Samsung CRG9 is a good ultrawide monitor with an impressive amount of screen real estate, great for multitasking. It has outstanding peak brightness, even with HDR content, and it has great reflection handling, making it a good choice for a bright room. The CRG9 is also a great choice for PC gaming, as it has outstanding motion handling, excellent low input lag, and it supports FreeSync. Unfortunately, like most VA monitors, the image degrades when viewed at an angle, and due to the size of the monitor, it has somewhat limited ergonomics.
- Excellent peak brightness.
- Outstanding screen real estate for multitasking.
- Image degrades when viewed at an angle.
- Limited ergonomics due to the monitor's size.
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Design
The Samsung CRG9 has a great design. It looks almost identical to the previous model, the Samsung CHG90, but it has a smaller stand. There are a few neat design features, including an LED ring on the back and a headphone hook on the back of the stand, which is rare. The wide, curved screen is very thick, and even though the stand is small, it requires a large table to work on.
The stand is quite a bit smaller than the CHG90. It supports the monitor well but doesn't completely prevent it from wobbling.
Update 08/09/2019: There was a mistake in our swivel range scoring. The ergonomics score has increased slightly.
The stand has a decent height adjustment range, but a very limited swivel range and disappointing tilt range. Given the size of this monitor, it obviously can't rotate to portrait orientation.
The back of the monitor is quite plain but looks good. There is a ring around the back of the stand mount that can light up, as shown here. Cable management is handled by a hole in the stand, and there's a headphone hook that can fold down from the back of the stand, which is a nice touch that is fairly uncommon.
There is no quick release on the stand, but it can be VESA mounted. VESA mounting requires a special adapter (included).
Due to the curvature of the screen and the extreme width of this monitor, it's quite thick, even when VESA mounted.
The overall build quality is great. Not much has changed from the CHG90; it's still a solid, well-built monitor that should last for years.
Picture Quality
The Samsung CRG9 delivers decent overall picture quality. It has excellent peak brightness, and is one of the brightest monitors on the market, even in HDR. Combined with the great reflection handling, there shouldn't be any issues using this monitor in a bright room. It has a decent contrast ratio, but it's a bit low for a VA monitor and quite a bit lower than the CHG90. There is a local dimming feature, but it has very few zones and can't effectively dim darker areas of the screen. Unfortunately, like most VA monitors, the image degrades when viewed at an angle.
The Samsung CRG9 has a decent contrast ratio. It's quite a bit lower than last year's model, which is a bit disappointing. The local dimming feature improves the contrast a bit, but not enough to make a noticeable difference.
The local dimming feature is very similar to the CHG90 and CHG70. It's edge-lit, with only 10 dimming zones, so it doesn't have very tight control over the dimming areas. In some HDR scenes, though, it does help to boost the peak brightness of the display. There is an automatic mode for the local dimming, and it automatically engages local dimming with HDR content and disengages in it SDR.
The CRG90 has excellent peak brightness and is one of the brightest monitors we've tested. It's significantly brighter than the CHG90 and the Dell U4919DW. There is some variation in brightness with different content, which may be distracting in some cases. With local dimming disabled, the peak brightness in SDR is limited to about 620 cd/m².
Great HDR peak brightness; again, one of the brightest on the market, and significantly brighter than the CHG90. Small specular highlights in some scenes are extremely bright. With local dimming disabled, the CRG90 isn't able to boost the backlight as high, and the peak brightness is 640 cd/m² with any content.
Like most displays with VA panels, the CRG9 has bad horizontal viewing angles. The CRG9 performs almost identically to the C49HG90. Viewing off-axis, the black levels raise and the brightness decreases, causing the image to appear washed out, and colors lose accuracy.
The vertical viewing angle of the CRG9 is disappointing, but this is expected from a VA panel. When viewing from either above or below, the black levels increase rapidly and brightness drops off, causing the image to wash out. At wider angles, colors lose accuracy and shift.
Outstanding gray uniformity. There is some minor vignetting, but this isn't very noticeable with most content.
The CRG9 has bad black uniformity. There is noticeable clouding across the entire image. With local dimming enabled, the areas far from the test cross are dimmed and look good, but due to the limited number of dimming zones the area around the cross remains lit.
Out of the box, the CRG9 has decent accuracy. Gamma doesn't follow the sRGB target curve at all. The strange dip at the top of the curve is unusual, but isn't unheard of, as we saw something similar with the Acer XF251Q. The color temperature is a bit warm, and there are noticeable inaccuracies in almost all colors.
These results were obtained with the default settings of the 'RTS' Picture Mode, but with the gamma set to 'Mode 3', which was the most accurate setting out of the box.
After calibration, the CRG9 has excellent accuracy. Gamma follows the target curve almost perfectly, and most color and white balance errors are corrected. The only remaining inaccuracy that some people might notice is with bright blues.
You can download our ICC profile calibration here. This is provided for reference only and should not be used, as the calibration values vary per individual unit even for the same model due to manufacturing tolerances.
sRGB Picture Mode: RTS (calibrated)Adobe RGB Picture Mode: RTS
Excellent SDR color gamut, with essentially perfect coverage of the sRGB color space and great coverage of the wider Adobe RGB color space.
sRGB Picture Mode: RTS Adobe RGB Picture Mode: RTS
Excellent SDR color volume. It can't produce dark, saturated colors as well as the CHG90, due to the lower contrast ratio.
DCI P3 Picture Mode: RTS Rec. 2020 Picture Mode: RTS
Decent HDR color gamut. It has great coverage of the DCI P3 color space, which is used by most HDR movies, but it's slightly worse than the CHG90.
DCI P3 Picture Mode: RTS Rec. 2020 Picture Mode: RTS
Decent HDR color volume. It's mostly limited by the monitor's color gamut, but it also can't produce dark saturated colors as well, due to the lower contrast ratio.
There are no signs of temporary image retention on this monitor, even immediately after displaying our high-contrast static test image for 10 minutes.
Excellent gradient handling. There is very little banding in areas of similar color, but some banding is still noticeable in darker shades of gray and green.
There are no noticeable signs of color bleed on the CRG9, which is great.
This monitor has great reflection handling, slightly better than the CHG90, but not quite as good as the Dell U4919DW. There shouldn't be any issues using it in a bright room.
Motion
The Samsung CRG9 has outstanding motion handling. It has an extremely fast response time, resulting in very little blur behind fast-moving objects, and there is almost no overshoot. The backlight is flicker-free, great for longer play sessions, and it supports FreeSync, but only over DisplayPort.
| Mode | Response Time Chart | Motion Blur Photo |
| Standard | Chart | Photo |
| Faster | Chart | Photo |
| Fastest | Chart | Photo |
The Samsung C49RG9 has an outstanding response time, much better than the Dell U4919DW and the CHG90. With the recommended 'Faster' overdrive setting, there is almost no noticeable overshoot in any transition. The 'Fastest' setting has a slightly faster 80% transition time, but there is more overshoot, resulting in a slower overall transition time.
The backlight is completely flicker-free, which is great. The flicker seen in the 0% measurement is noise and is not actually visible. This is a welcome change over the CHG90, which had noticeable flicker at all brightness levels. Unfortunately, there is no optional black frame insertion feature.
The CRG9 has an excellent 120Hz refresh rate, and it supports FreeSync 2. There are two FreeSync modes, and we recommend the 'Ultimate Engine' mode, which has the widest FreeSync range and supports low framerate compensation (LFC). This might not work with all games, though, in which case the 'Standard Engine' should work, but it has a worse FreeSync range of 70 to 120 fps. Unfortunately, this monitor only supports FreeSync over DisplayPort.
Inputs
The CRG9 has outstanding low latency mode at its native refresh rate, but it's a bit higher at lower refresh rates. The 32:9 ultrawide aspect ratio and high-resolution display delivers an incredible amount of screen real estate, and is great for multitasking.
The CRG9 has excellent low input lag at the native refresh rate, or in FreeSync mode. Unfortunately, when it isn't at 120Hz the input lag is noticeably higher, including in HDR, which was tested at 100Hz, as we were only able to send HDR at 100Hz. Due to the bandwidth limitations of DisplayPort 1.4, with the high native resolution it isn't possible to send 10-bit colors at 120Hz, so HDR is only supported at 100Hz or a lower resolution.
The ultrawide 32:9 aspect ratio and 5120x1440 resolution deliver an outstanding amount of screen real estate to work with. This is an outstanding monitor for multitasking or a more immersive gaming experience. The higher resolution of the CRG9 makes a noticeable difference compared to the CHG90.
Unlike the CHG90, there is no Mini DisplayPort connection. Instead, there is an additional DisplayPort 1.4 port. There is a 3.5mm Microphone In port, which acts as a passthrough, and the Microphone Out port must be connected to a PC for it to work. There is also a headphone jack, and the volume can be controlled through the monitor's OSD.
Features
The Samsung CRG9 has very few additional features. It supports HDR10 but has no internal speakers. It supports Picture-by-Picture, allowing you to display two sources at once, but you'll need a separate keyboard and mouse or a switch to control both at once, as there is only one upstream USB port.
There are very few additional features on this monitor. It doesn't have internal speakers, but it does support HDR10. It supports Picture-by-Picture (PBP), allowing you to work with two sources on the screen at once, but unlike the Dell U4919DW, there is only one upstream USB connection, so you'll have to either buy a separate keyboard and mouse switch or have two sets. For gaming, there is an option to add a virtual crosshair to any game.
The controls are identical to those found on the CHG90. There is a joystick control that is used to navigate the OSD, and it works very well. There are also three buttons that allow you to switch between different settings presets.
- Quick Setup Guide
- Power Cable
- USB-B Cable
- HDMI Cable
- DisplayPort Cable
- VESA Mount Adapter
Differences between Sizes and Variants
We tested the 49" CRG9, model code LC49RG90SSNXZA, which is the only size available.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their CRG9 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.
| Model | Size | Resolution | Refresh Rate | Notes |
| C49RG9 | 49" | 5120x1440 | 120Hz |
The C49RG9 we reviewed was manufactured in May 2019.
Compared to other Monitors
The Samsung CRG9 is an impressive ultrawide monitor, but unless you're specifically looking for a monitor with this aspect ratio, there are better options out there. See our recommendations for the best ultrawide gaming monitors, the best gaming monitor size, the best curved gaming monitors, and the best large monitors.
The Samsung CRG9 is a bit better than the Samsung C49HG90/CHG90. The CRG9 has a higher resolution screen, flicker-free backlight, and a faster response time. The CHG90 has a slightly higher refresh rate, but this doesn't add much.
The Samsung CRG9 is a bit better than the Dell U4919DW, depending on your needs. The CRG9 has much better gaming performance, with a faster refresh rate, better response time, and support for FreeSync variable refresh rate, and the CRG9 supports HDR. The U4919DW has better viewing angles and might be a bit better for office use for some people, as it can connect to two displays at once with a single keyboard and mouse.
Although they use different panel technologies, the Samsung C49RG9/CRG9 is slightly better than the LG 49WL95C-W for most uses, and is much better for gaming. The LG has better viewing angles, which might be better in some cases, but the Samsung is significantly brighter, especially in HDR, and it has a better contrast ratio. The CRG9 is also much better than the LG for gaming, as it has a faster refresh rate, much faster response time, lower input lag, and it supports FreeSync.
The Samsung CRG9 is better than the Philips Momentum 436M6VBPAB. The CRG9 has better ergonomics, better gray uniformity, and better reflection handling. The CRG9 is also much better for gaming, as it has a faster refresh rate, lower input lag, and slightly better motion handling. Although both monitors use VA panels, the Philips Momentum 436M6VBPAB looks better in a dark room, as it has much better contrast and better black uniformity.
The Dell U3818DW and the Samsung CRG9 are similar, but due to the differences in panel technology, they each have their advantages and disadvantages. The U3818DW uses an IPS panel, which delivers wider viewing angles, and the Dell has better ergonomics. The CRG9 has a much larger, higher resolution screen, and is a much better gaming monitor. The CRG9 supports HDR, has a faster refresh rate, and much better motion handling.
Conclusion
Overall, the Samsung CRG9 is a good monitor for most uses. It delivers a great gaming experience, even in HDR, with excellent low input lag and outstanding motion handling. For office use or media creation, the large, high-resolution screen is excellent for multitasking. Unfortunately, the image degrades at an angle, and due to the large size of the display, it has limited ergonomics.
Overall, the Samsung CRG9 is a decent office monitor. The wide, high-resolution screen is great for multitasking, and it supports picture-by-picture. It also has excellent peak brightness and great reflection handling, so glare shouldn't be an issue. Unfortunately, the image degrades when viewed at an angle, and due to the large display, it has limited ergonomics.
This is a great monitor for gaming. It has outstanding motion handling with an impressive response time, resulting in very clear motion. It also has excellent low input lag at its native refresh rate, and it supports FreeSync, but only over DisplayPort. Unfortunately, the image degrades at an angle, so it isn't as good for co-op gaming.
Good monitor for multimedia. The huge screen delivers an impressive movie experience, but it has only a decent contrast ratio and bad black uniformity, so it isn't great in a dark room. It has great reflection handling, though, and excellent peak brightness, so glare isn't an issue in a bright room. Unfortunately, the image degrades at an angle, so it isn't as well-suited for watching with a group of friends.
The CRG9 is a good monitor for media creation. It has a huge amount of screen real estate, so you can spend more time creating, and less time scrolling and zooming. Unfortunately, the image degrades at an angle, and due to the large size it has limited ergonomics, so it isn't a good choice for sharing the screen with clients or coworkers.
Decent monitor for HDR gaming. It has excellent low input lag, great peak brightness in HDR, and the impressive resolution and size deliver a more immersive gaming experience. Unfortunately, it has only decent contrast, an ineffective local dimming feature, and bad black uniformity, so it doesn't look great in a dark room.
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