Samsung U32J590 Monitor Review

Here is the user manual of the Samsung U32J590 (PDF).

The Samsung U32J590 embraces the brand’s current design trend with a minimalist aesthetic in a matte grayish-blue finish.

• Despite its large size, the monitor looks and feels thinner than comparable models from other brands like LG.
• Despite its position as a budget mixed-use variant, the high-end feel is not lacking in the U32J590 series.
• One drawback of using VA panels is the need to be thicker than most frames on every side.
• VA displays have noticeably wider panel edges than TN or IPS displays, forcing manufacturers to add these plastic strips despite many customers’ dismay.
• However, the Samsung U32J590 frame is not that inconvenient because of the viewable area’s size.
• The Samsung U32J590 is a 32-inch slim monitor suitable for wall mounting or desktops with limited space.
• It comes with a broader stand than the standard square variants, but the Y-shaped base does not take up much space.
• The overall depth of the monitor is less than 10-inches, so we believe that placement should not be a problem for most.
• The stand, as beautiful as it is, is painfully limited to tilting from an ergonomics perspective.
• The I/O panel of the Samsung U32J590 is flush with the rear panel and offers space to hide cables when rolled up and tied.

Although Samsung promotes this monitor as “QLED“, stating that it may have a quantum dot layer for extended color space, the Samsung U32J590 only covers the base color space at 99 percent sRGB.

• Conversely, QLED screens cover up to 125 percent of the sRGB color space (or more than 90 percent DCI-P3).
• Still, the Samsung U32J590 monitor delivers excellent picture quality for the price thanks to 10-bit color support, 270-bit peak brightness, high-contrast, and 4K UHD resolution.
• As if that wasn’t enough, it also offers 178-degree horizontal and vertical viewing angles, but expect slight changes in saturation and gamma if you view the screen from an oblique angle.
• Furthermore, the Samsung U32J590 boasts excellent expandability.
• So when you are up-scaling a 1080p resolution device like the original PS4 to 4K UHD, the picture quality is crisp and clear!

The input lag performance of the Samsung U32J590 is brilliant, with just 10 ms of imperceptible lag at 60 Hz.

• Turns out, the pixel transition speed (response time) isn’t that great.
• There is a visible trail behind fast-paced objects in fast-moving games, which is especially noticeable in low-lit scenes.
• While not revolutionary, we recommend you consider a TN or IPS screen instead if you primarily play competitive FPS games.
• If you’re not a competitive gamer, the Samsung U32J590 32-inch monitor’s VA panel has the best contrast ratio compared to TN and IPS panels, giving you better graphics and more visible detail in highlights and shadows.
• Note that the display of the Samsung U32J590 uses Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) to modulate the brightness at lower backlight settings.
• Therefore, if you are sensitive to screen flickering, reducing the screen brightness too much can cause eyestrain or headaches.
• Besides standard changes like input selection, color temperature, contrast/brightness, etc., the Samsung U32J590 offers picture-by-picture and picture-in-picture and game mode, which changes the gamma curvature for improved visibility in low-lit areas of the games.
• It also supports AMD FreeSync, so by connecting a supported AMD GPU or Xbox console to the monitor, you can achieve VRR (Variable Refresh Rate).
• This will remove all stuttering and tearing from the screen as long as the Frames Per Second (FPS) stay within the 40 to 60Hz/FPS range if you choose “Ulitmate Engine” or 50 to 60Hz if you choose “Standard Engine“.
• AMD FreeSync works through HDMI and DisplayPort on this monitor.
• Note that FreeSync works as an “Ultimate Engine” on the Samsung U32J590 with supported NVIDIA cards. Still, you must limit the FPS to 59 as tearing will occur at 60 FPS.

The connectivity options include a 3.5 mm audio jack, HDMI 1.4, HDMI 2.0, and DisplayPort 1.2.

• The only problem we see is that if you wall-mount the screen, it would be almost impossible to access the ports, but this can be easily fixed with a bit of effort.
• The Samsung U32J590 managed to squeeze a pair of built-in speakers into the slim and affordable monitor.
• It is an excellent addition to basic audio playback. Still, it’s too small for entertainment applications like watching movies and playing games.

The Samsung U32J590 delivers decent performance, but some similar options outperform it.For example, the S3221QS from Dell is better than Samsung U32J590.

• Dell is noticeably brighter, supports HDR, and enables height adjustment. However, the U32J590 has a faster response time and wider viewing angles. The BenQ EW3270U is also better than the Samsung U32J590.
• The EW3270U supports HDR and boasts a flicker-free backlight. The BenQ is also relatively brighter than the Samsung U32J590 and sports two (2) full-bandwidth HDMI 2.0 ports that can easily display 4K at 60Hz.
• The Samsung U32J590 is better than the Samsung UJ590.Thanks to its VA panel, the newer Samsung UJ590 has a significantly better native contrast ratio. Also, it has a much better RGB color volume and viewing angles.

A: The Samsung U32J59 is a decent gaming monitor. It has a great response time and decent motion handling and support for FreeSync, which is good for gaming. Also, it has an excellent low input lag. Unfortunately, PWM flicker occurs in low light conditions, and the maximum refresh rate of 60Hz can disappoint even more serious gamers.

A: No, the Samsung U32J590 does not support HDR.