G’day guys, x2ko here and this is the 24” Samsung S24F350FHE monitor, also available
in a 27” versions known as the S27F350FH. This is an affordable PLS screen that may
make a great monitor especially for budget conscious users. So lets take a closer look
Going over the specs we have a 23.5” viewable PLS panel, with a 16:9 ratio and a 1080p full
HD resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. It has a 4ms pixel response time, 60Hz refresh rate,
178deg viewing angles, 1000:1 contrast ratio, and 250cd/m2 of brightness. Connectivity is
limited to just one HDMI and one VGA input. There is also an eye saver mode and a dedicated
game mode, which Samsung claims will optimize color and contrast.
Now these are all fairly standard specs seen on other Samsung PLS monitor’s from the
past couple of years, but what is not so standard is the price, remarkably its price point is
in the same territory as monitors that have cheaper TN panels, which shows that this offers
good value for money. Now PLS technology is very similar to IPS technology and offers
superior image quality with wider viewing angles, better contrast and more saturation
when compared with a TN panel. But even though it is cheap for a PLS monitor
it still delivers that same great image quality typical of this type of screen technology.
And as an added bonus Samsung has also opted to include something not typically found on
budget friendly monitors, which is FreeSync compatibility– now bear in mind this only
benefits PC Gamers with AMD graphics, but if you are one of those people then this monitor
should be of special interest to you. Essentially what it does is synchronizes the monitor and
graphics card so as to eliminate issues like screen tearing and stuttering, making for
a smoother gaming experience. Now don’t be put off if you are an NVidia user as this
monitor still offers good value for money even though you don’t get the benefit of
adaptive refresh, and if you are on a fixed budget, you won’t find a Gsync compatible
monitor at this price.
Styling wise it is pretty generic looking with a glossy bezel that loves finger prints
and an interesting textured back that loves dust and lint
It has a thin tapered top edge but side on you can see it isn't fully slim
and the menu is controlled by the same toggle found on other Samsung monitors
and is, I think still one of the best controls around
Performance wise, movies and games are punchy with saturated colors, good contrast and decent
black levels. Samsung monitors from the last couple years have had very low input lag,
so it shouldn’t be an issue here either, especially as this monitor is aimed at gamers,
and the 4ms pixel response will mean that there won’t be any significant ghosting
or blurring.
The monitor is rated with a color gamut of 72% NTSC, which is about 100% sRGB, so could
suit non professional video and graphics work but bear in mind the default colors tend to
be over saturated so may need some adjusting in the settings.
Being a PLS monitor it is also ideal for general and office use such as web browsing word processing
and spreadsheets, and enabling the eye saver mode will help reduce eye strain for prolonged
use.
So so far this monitor seems pretty great, but, being so cheap there must be some negatives,
and there are:
The stand is very basic; with only backwards tilt adjustability, and not a lot of stability.
But thankfully, there are VESA mounting holes so you can mount it to an after market stand.
If you hate the sight of cables, well, you might find the positioning of the inputs and
lack of any cable management a bit annoying as it means you are going to see them hanging
out the back.
The monitor also does not have any built in speakers, but more surprisingly it doesn’t
have a 3.5mm audio out jack, so take note especially you Xbox and PlayStation users,
you can still get sound but it wont be directly through the monitor so make sure you know
of an alternate method of getting sound from your console.
And lastly, and this goes for all Samsung PLS panels, is the issue of back light bleeding.
Now Samsung PLS screens are known for having higher levels of glow compared with IPS screens.
Have a look here at an IPS panel manufactured by LG on the left and compare that to the
Samsung PLS panel on the right, note that this is in the dark and is much less pronounced
in good lighting and that not everyone even notices the extra glow, I for one am not affected
by high levels of backlight bleed but if you are, then perhaps this monitor is not for
you.
Overall though, I think this monitor, in terms of value for money is one of the best options
currently available, especially if you are a gamer with an AMD graphics card. The F350
series does offer good value for money and brings much better image quality over similar
priced TN panels. It does have some drawbacks but considering the price you pay, these can be forgiven.
Anyway that’s the end of my review, if you found this video useful, please leave me a
thumbs up or a comment, as it helps me to bring more content like this to you guys,
hey thanks for watching, and take care.