Samsung S27B971D 27-Inch QHD Monitor, Reviewed

Results: Color Gamut And Performance

Color gamut is measured using a saturation sweep that samples the six main colors (red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, and yellow) at five saturation levels (20, 40, 60, 80, and 100%), providing a realistic view of color accuracy.

What the S27B971D lacks in the contrast department, it more than makes up for in accuracy. Its chroma numbers are just as good as its grayscale and gamma ones. And it does improve upon the S27970D a little.

Looking at the CIE chart, we see slight oversaturation in red, magenta, and blue, while cyan, green, and yellow are right on target. As you can see on the almost-flawless luminance graph, the oversaturated colors are compensated by slightly lower brightness levels. The end result is vanishingly low errors well below three Delta E.

The S27B971D sets another record by finishing first among the monitors we tested in 2013. Only Pioneer's PRO-111FD plasma has better measured color accuracy at .83 Delta E. The Samsung may be expensive, but that last degree of performance is never cheap.

Gamut Volume: Adobe RGB 1998

There are basically two categories of displays in use today: those that conform to the sRGB/Rec 709 standard like HDTVs, and wide-gamut panels that show as much as 100 percent of the Adobe RGB 1998 spec. We use Gamutvision to calculate the gamut volume, based on an ICC profile created from actual measurements. The chart shows the percentage of both sRGB and Adobe RGB 1998 gamuts.

Samsung claims full coverage of the sRGB color gamut, and our results support that specification with an almost-perfect 100.7-percent result. That .7-percent excess comes from the slight oversaturation we recorded for red, magenta, and blue. If you require precise color accuracy, the S27B971D is a great choice, so long as sRGB is all you need. Unfortunately, there is no provision for the wider Adobe RGB 1998 gamut used in digital photography. It’s hard to ignore the fact that Asus offers both gamuts in its PA279Q, along with a similar level of accuracy, for $150 less.

Christian Eberle
Contributing Editor

Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.

  • cats_Paw
    1000 dollars for a monitor 27 inch... nah.For that you can get a huge plasma TV if its for single player or a 300 dollar 27 inch monitor and use the 700 on something else.I still cant understand how companies expect to sell those expensive monitors to anyone but art/graphics/textures developers who actually need that picture quality.
    Reply
  • damianrobertjones
    @cats_Paw: Did you read the article? It's FOR art professionals etc
    Reply
  • c123456
    @damianrobertjones: Do you know what comparable products cost? Apparently not. Look up a Dell U2713HM.
    Reply
  • blackmagnum
    Gamers... move along. Nothing to see here.
    Reply
  • Ceee9
    u2713h can be get around 500$usd...
    Reply
  • ubercake
    Contrast (even post-calibration) blows for that price. But you get a cool partially metal stand (?).
    Reply
  • BoC_Gryphon
    To my knowledge, Toms has never done a review of the Korean 27" QHD monitors that can be had for ~$300-400. Please do.
    Reply
  • Bolts Romano
    is it better than Apple Cinema Display in terms of color gamut and contrast?I wish i can find this monitor here in Canada so i can compare myselfSamsung Canada is very weird, it has its own flag stores here but it does not carry all the products
    Reply
  • Bondfc11
    You know this a pay to play for a review right? Of course Tom's doesn't do the korean models - or heck the Overlord Tempest lineup. What people don't get with QHD, and this includes Tom's staff, is LG has strict Tier 1 requirements for companies buying their panels that include minimum price points.
    Reply
  • ceberle
    http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/auria-eq276w-review-ips,3465.html

    We covered the Auria EQ276W last April.

    -Christian-
    Reply