Handling and Features
Performance
Verdict
Specification
Quick Verdict
Whilst the Samsung CJ890 is an impressively large monitor, at 43.3inches, it's difficult to recommend this to photographers, due to the lack of 4K and better colour support.
+ Pros
|
- Cons
|
The Samsung C43J89 or CJ89, is a large 43.3inch* super-wide curved monitor. Designed to offer a vivid gaming experience, with 120hz refresh rate. For those that want the biggest, there's even a 49inch version!
*43.3inch according to Amazon, 43.4inch according to Samsung specifications.
Samsung CJ890 Handling and Features
The Samsung CJ890 (also known as the LC43J890, or "LC43J890DKUXEN" just to keep you on your toes) gives you an impressively large 32:10 (16:5) aspect ratio, which is equal to having two FullHD 24inch (16:10) monitors, but without a gap between the screens. There are numerous inputs, including DisplayPort, HDMI, USB-C, and USB connections.
Picture-by-Picture - lets you display two PCs at the same time, side by side.
There's a built-in KVM - plug in your mouse and keyboard into the monitor and you can switch between computers.
The monitor recommends the use of Samsung's "Easy Setting Box" which helps you arrange your programs (apps) into different areas of the screen. However, it doesn't seem to work correctly with some programs and didn't like the idea of working with Google Chrome.
The monitor will display 16.7 million colours. There is no support for sRGB / AdobeRGB / NTSC / DCI colours, and there's no mention of HDR support. Instead, you have a monitor with a standard dynamic range (SDR), and a bit depth of 8-bit. The maximum resolution on offer is 3840x1200, unfortunately not enough to give a 4K display with 4K (UHD) resolution 3840x2160. The refresh rate available is up to 120Hz.
Samsung CJ890 Rear - a cover is provided to cover the cables for neatness (not shown here).
Key Features
- 43.3inch ultra-widescreen (32:10 aspect)
- 3840 x 1200 pixel resolution
- 3x USB 3.0 ports
- 1x HDMI port
- 1x DisplayPort
- USB Type-C ports
- 3000:1 contrast ratio, 300cd/m2 brightness (typical)
- 16.7m colour support
- 120Hz refresh rate
- Eye-saver mode
- 5ms response time
- 2x 5w speakers
- Weight: 28.66lbs (with stand) / 12.99kg
Samsung CJ890 - You can comfortably use three windows side-by-side if you have the patience to neatly arrange them.
"Curved for comfort" however, the monitor is so wide (compared to a standard 16:9/16:10 monitor) you'll find yourself regularly moving your head from one side to the other. Although this would be the same with two monitors, so if you're used to using two monitors then this may not be an issue for you.
It's big - really big - 106cm x 52cm x 31cm with the stand - easily taking up a whole desk by itself.
The resolution looks fairly standard with a 1200 high resolution, it isn't as high as say a 27inch monitor with a 2560x1440 resolution or a 27inch monitor with a 4K resolution (3840x2160). This means text is large enough for you to comfortably sit quite a distance away from the monitor without straining.
You can swivel the monitor (left and right), although not much. You can adjust the tilt a small amount. There's a good amount of height adjustment. The monitor is VESA compatible so you can use standard VESA mountings if required.
The "Eye Saver Mode" gives you muted view, with lower contrast and a yellow / brown image, with less blue light.
The monitor has a matte finish, to reduce reflections.
The speaker quality doesn't seem to be very good, although they can be turned up quite loud (they don't sound particularly good if you do).
Samsung CJ890 Controls - Under screen controls. The joystick under the screen also operates as the on/off switch.
Using Samsung's "Easy Settings Box" app - we ran into a few problems, as it doesn't work with a number of apps. Annoyingly, our most used app, Google Chrome, didn't like the idea of co-operating so we had to manually arrange the windows. DisplayFusion could be a useful alternative, even if just for the Window snapping feature, letting you line up windows next to each other.
Connecting cables is fairly straightforward, however, due to the deep recess, you'll need to use the provided Samsung L-shaped power cable, as normal kettle power leads will not easily bend into place.
We used an NVidia GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card and it had no problems delivering the resolution required by the monitor.
Samsung CJ890 Menus
It can take a while to get used to the menu operation, with the joystick control under the screen. You can find the calibration report for the monitor in the menus, and they are quite clear and easy to read. Colour settings let you adjust Red, Green, and Blue.
Switching between the standard mode and Picture-By-Picture can be a little slow at times, and the monitor also seems to have the habit of prioritising the USB-C connection, even though there is nothing plugged into this.
The stand for the monitor is quite large, although no doubt this is necessary for such a large monitor.
Samsung CJ890 Product Shots 2 with Keyboard And Mouse For Scale
Samsung CJ890 Performance
The performance section is where we look at the performance of the monitor. Additional photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.
Samsung CJ890 - Bezels remain quiet small.
The monitor comes pre-calibrated from the factory but appeared a little bit blue in colour tone before calibrating the monitor. However, after calibration, the image was a little warmer.
We used the Spyder 5 Elite to evaluate the performance of the monitor.
Colour Gamut - There is no information on the Samsung website as to what colour standards it conforms to, simply stating "N/A" against all the colour standards. Other companies and monitors will, for example, say they offer 100% sRGB, or 97% AdobeRGB. The Samsung CJ890 does not say it offers this, so let's find out what it can actually offer, by using Spyder 5 Elite.
We measures 97% sRGB, 76% NTSC, and 78% AdobeRGB. This will most likely be why there is "N/A" on the website, as 97% of sRGB isn't particularly anything to boast about. However, if you're simply looking for an sRGB monitor, then this is reasonable, being close to 100%.
Colour accuracy performance - Colour accuracy is very good, with a maximum deviation of 3.19 (Delta-E), which means the majority of colours are accurately displayed on screen. There was only a slight difference between colour reproduction straight out of the box compared to when the monitor was calibrated. The monitor was calibrated by Samsung, and the results from this show 2.23 Gamma, and max deviation of 2.66.
Colour Uniformity - Uniformity is good, with the maximum difference 1.3. When sitting in the middle of the screen, and turning your head to view the left and right edges of the screen, it's easy to see a slightly darkened area towards the last 1.5inches of the screen. However, this changes slightly depending on how far away you are from the screen. The brightness level measured at 100% is 335cd/m2, with a contrast ratio of 1400:1.
Samsung CJ890 43inch Colour Uniformity
Backlight bleed was minimal, and the black levels we measured were between 0.05 and 0.24. Greyscales were sometimes displayed with a slight pink or green hue, so if true black and white is what you're looking for, then you may be better off with an alternative display.
Value For Money
The Samsung CJ890 is available for around £749 - it's a unique monitor offering an ultra-wide 32:10 aspect ratio, making it difficult to find direct alternatives for value-for-money comparisons, particularly around this size. There's the Dell UltraSharp U3818W 38inch (3840x1600) curved widescreen monitor for around £1049. Other large monitors rarely offer such a wide aspect ratio, so here are some large 16:9 alternatives:
Philips BDM4037UW/00 40-Inch 4K UHD Curved LED, 16:9, £511
Acer ET430K 43inch 4K UHD Monitor, 16:9, £449
There's also a larger 49inch version, the Samsung C49HG90 (32:9), for around £949.
Samsung CJ890 Verdict
Whilst this monitor may not be the perfect choice for photographers, it could make an excellent option for those looking to use a device with plenty of real-estate for multi-tasking, or multiple windows. The monitor makes it possible to use Photoshop, email, and the web all at the same time. The large size should make it an appealing choice for gaming - however, the standard video aspect is 16:9 so this means that there will be black borders on the sides of the picture if watching movies full-screen. Gaming fans, with the right high-specification computer, will most likely enjoy the immersive gaming experience.
As a new monitor it's a shame there's no support or mention of HDR support, or different colour support, with the monitor only covering 97% sRGB. For future proofing the lack of HDR and 4K resolution is disappointing.
Whilst an impressively large monitor it's difficult to recommend this to photographers.