Samsung may be best known for its TVs and smartphones, but the company’s line of monitors is as good as those from Acer, HP, Lenovo, and other monitor brands. The 32-inch Samsung UR59C 4K monitor proves that packing heavy-hitting features into an elegant curved 4K display that boasts superior color quality, excellent response times and premium touches such as superior HDR support and SMD FreeSync.
As with all Samsung devices, this monitor features a beautiful display, a fantastic design, and an easy way to navigate the menus. It’s also simple to set up and plays well with PCs and consoles, and the 1500R curvature delivers an immersive and comfortable viewing experience.
All that is thanks to an active area of 31.5 inches and 3840 x 2160 resolution with a pixel density of 139 pixels per inch. And, being a VA panel, you get high contrast, and the UR59C impresses with a dynamic range of 2,500:1 and an sRGB realm of around 103%. Today, it’s not difficult to score a 32-inch 4K resolution monitor for under $1,000; our favorite for all-around use is the BenQ EW3280U which boasts a 3830 x 2160 resolution, and IPS screen technology.
The BenQ is a good deal for an under $700 monitor, but what if you put a 32-inch UHD curved monitor on your desk for under $500? Well, you can with the Samsung 32R590C, let’s see how it stacks up against the competition.
About the Samsung UR59C
The Samsung UR59C (you may see it listed as the UR59, U32R590C, U32R59C, or LU32R590CWNXZA) is a curved, 16:9 VA monitor with an active area of 31.5 inches and 4K UHD (3840 X 2160) resolution and 4ms (GTG) response time. The response rate unfortunately maxes out at 60 Hz, and it doesn’t support adaptive sync, (like FreeSync and G-Sync). That’s not good news for gamers, but to be fair, Samsung doesn’t market the UR59C as a gaming monitor, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use it for gaming.
To its credit, the 4ms response time, 60Hz refresh rate, and low input lag are still great if you have a strong graphics card, maybe an RTX 3060 or above.
- Screen: 32 inches / 16:9, Curve radius: 1500mm
- Max Resolution & Refresh Rate: 3840 x 2160 @ 60Hz, Pixel Density: 139ppi
- Native Color Depth & Gamut: 10-bit / sRGB
- Response Time (GTG): 4ms
- Brightness: 250 nits
- Contrast: 2,500:1
- Speakers: No
- Video Inputs: 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x HDMI 2.0
- Audio: 1x 3.5mm output
- USB: No
- Dimensions: 28.1 x 20.3 x 9.4 inches
- Weight: 12.3 pounds
Depending on your viewing distance, a 4K UHD resolution makes lots of sense on a 32-inch panel. In one sense, being 4K capable makes the U32R590CWNXZA fairly future-proof. While this may not be the best 4K monitor we’ve reviewed or available in the market today, it packs lots of value for the buy, especially at the under $500 price point.
What we like
Stunning picture quality
At 32 inches and curved, the Samsung UR59 4K UHD monitor splits the difference between a traditional gaming monitor and a small TV. If you haven’t used a 32-inch monitor before, it’s worth noting that it can be a bit intimidating at first, especially the part about adjusting from a smaller model. On a small desk, you might not even be able to fit the whole field of view, but the 1500R curve makes things better.
However, on a bigger desk, you can push it back, maybe 3 feet away for a better viewing experience. At the same time, the Samsung LU32R590CWNXZA is not big enough – like the Samsung Odyssey G9 – to live in an entertainment center, particularly since it doesn’t come with a remote control. If you know your setup can accommodate a 32-inch screen, though, the UR59C delivers, both as a productivity and gaming monitor.
A 32-inch monitor is huge, hands down, and at typical desktop viewing distances, a flat panel will have users placing the most important windows in the center, and the less-important elements relegated to the sides. I’m writing this article on a flat 32-inch BenQ PD3220U screen, and though I have several windows open, only the center one (Microsoft Word) has my full attention. With the UR59C’s curve, I can get a better view of all windows, a subtle effect but a palpable one nonetheless.
The UR59C has impressive clarity, thanks to high pixel density and high contrast. The benefits of a wide dynamic range cannot be emphasized more – everything looks crisp. Colour is bolder, photos pop and videos are clearer and black text on a white background is easier to read. If your projects require high color accuracy, this monitor is one of the best at this price point. Image fidelity is among the best we’ve seen this year, in a monitor costing under $500.
The picture is rich and clear, thanks to a superb anti-glare layer keeping reflections away. The screen is surrounded by thin bezels on the top and sides, with a wider band across the bottom. There’s a joystick on the back-right side for controlling the monitor, it toggles the power and navigates the on-screen display (OSD) easily and intuitively.
A good enough gamer for the price
On games like Tomb Raider, with V-Sync set to its triple buffer mode, you easily get the best result, with no discernible input lag, and screen tearing is eliminated. Turning it off produced the expected tears, but it maintains a 60 frames per second (fps) rate that easily keeps the action from bogging down or stuttering. The monitor comes with Game Mode and the overdrive options work well on its fastest setting. It keeps motion blur to the minimum, and you won’t see any ghosting or object trails.
For games like Call of Duty, the high contrast rate on the Samsung UR59 makes everything a real pleasure, and the cut scenes look like they’re straight from a live-action movie, no doubt because of the 4K resolution and fantastic color. No IPS or TN screen can duplicate this kind of image quality and realism. You’ll not miss adaptive sync, and if the signal from your video card is fast enough, it’s not necessary. Well, this isn’t strictly a gaming monitor, but we think most players will be satisfied with the experience it delivers.
Solid build and aesthetic
You might not be aware of this, but Samsung is the manufacturer behind most panels used by several brands. Even when buying a monitor from major brands like Acer or Asus, there’s a possibility the panel was constructed by Samsung. That simply goes to emphasize the quality and reliability of the UR59C monitor.
The Samsung UR59C looks simple and understated but looks Samsung from every angle. It gets a smooth 1500R curve that sounds a bit tight on paper (we’re used to the 1800R curve on most monitors), but since it’s not ultra-wide, the curve seems less extreme in person. It doesn’t suffer from image distortion when viewed from even extreme angles, and the curve feels quite natural, bringing in the sides of the screen naturally and keeping everything within your peripheral vision when sitting about 3 feet away.
What we don’t like
No G-Sync or FreeSync
Used as a gaming monitor, you might approach it with some skepticism. At a time when we’ve played on many high-speed FreeSync and G-Sync monitors with up to 360Hz refresh rates and 1ms response time, going back to a plain ol’60 Hz screen might feel like too much of a hassle.
That comes down to the lack of G-Sync or FreeSync support on this monitor, making it less impressive for pro gamers looking for something that can run modern AAA titles at high frame rates, and drive productivity tasks on the side. However, with a PC powered by, let’s say, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics card like the Acer Nitro 5, the UR59C will still deliver decent gameplay.
No USB ports
To make the UR59C this affordable, Samsung had to cut some costs, and that goes beyond the stand. While extremely solid, it comes out as very light and thin. It lacks vertical or swivel movements, you just have 17 degrees back tilt and 2 degrees forward, and the stand is down low, so tilting the panel moves the top further back. Also, it lacks a VESA mount, meaning you can’t hook it to a monitor stand, especially when you need a dual setup for multi-tasking.
The input panel is concealed behind a circular snap-on cover at the back, and you can sneak the cables down the hollow upright for a super-clean look. There’s neither a USB port nor built-in speakers, rather you have a standard-size HDMI port, DisplayPort, and a headphone jack alongside volume control in the OSD.
Should you buy the Samsung UR59C?
The 32-inch Samsung UR59C 4K Curved Monitor demonstrates that a great multi-purpose monitor doesn’t need a whole lot of bells and whistles, or even a particularly striking physical design, to excel. All it has to do is make images and color look great, and the LU32R590CWNXZA succeeds at that.
Granted, it’s not the cheapest 32-inch 4K monitors around considering that you could get models such as the Samsung Odyssey G5 or the LG 32UN500-W for a good deal less, but you’ll be lucky to find one with a 4K UHD resolution, a superb 1500R curve, great color quality and looks this beautiful. Again, this Samsung has a solid build quality that’s hard to argue with, to say nothing of its excellent performance.
In this size range, it’s worth looking into the Asus ROG Swift PG32UQ if you have lots of money to splurge on a monitor and need one dedicated for gaming or the BenQ EW3280U for professional productivity, but qualitatively, I think the Samsung UR59C looks the best and is the most affordable of the three. Just be sure you have a big enough desk.
Recommended Configuration
SAMSUNG 32" UR59 Series ViewFinity 4K UHD (3840x2160) Computer Monitor, Curved, HDMI, Display Port, 3-sided border-less, Eye Saver Mode LU32R590CWNXZA, Black
$378.00 in stock
11 used from $241.11
The Review
Samsung UR59C
The Samsung UR59C 4K Curved Monitor (LU32R590CWNXZA) is a great do-ot-all monitor that delivers a stellar picture and a nice curve.
PROS
- Stunning picture
- Quality build
- Effective curvature
CONS
- No USB ports
Review Breakdown
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ARS RATING
