Bottom Line
The Samsung S27R750 is a 27″ 1440p 144Hz flat-screen VA panel gaming monitor with an interesting space-saving design.
The Samsung SR75 series consists of three monitors featuring an innovative design with a hinge mechanism that clamps onto the back of your desk in order to save space.
All three Samsung Space monitors use flat-screen VA panels:
- Samsung S27R750Q – 27″ 1440p 144Hz FreeSync
- Samsung S32R750Q – 32″ 1440p 144Hz FreeSync
- Samsung S32R750U – 32″ 4K 60Hz
Image Quality
Thanks to the VA (Vertical Alignment) panel technology, the Samsung S27R750 offers a high 3,000:1 static contrast ratio, which results in deep and inky blacks, bright whites, and an overall vivid relation between the darkest and the brightest tones.
In comparison, IPS and TN panel displays have a significantly lower 1,000:1 contrast ratio and, therefore, not nearly as deep blacks.
Further, the 2560×1440 Quad HD resolution results in a high pixel density of 108 PPI (pixels per inch). This means that you’ll have plenty of screen real estate available as well as sharp text and details, without any scaling necessary.
The peak brightness of the monitor amounts to 250-nits, which is the minimum as far as modern monitors go, but under normal lighting conditions, the Samsung S27R750 gets more than bright enough.
You’ll most likely want to reduce the brightness setting down from the maximum unless you plan on keeping the monitor next to a big window without any blinders/curtains.
Moving on, the Samsung S27R750 supports 10-bit color depth via dithering for 1.07 billion colors and it covers the basic sRGB color space.
The colors are accurate and vivid, but they lack the vibrancy of some wide gamut gaming monitors available at this price range. Regardless, some people still prefer the more precise color output for sRGB content to over-saturation.
You can use the monitor for basic content creation, but for serious color-critical work, you’ll need an IPS panel display with a more strict factory-calibration and more consistent color reproduction without the gamma/saturation shifts associated with VA panels.
Performance
The Samsung S27R750 monitor has 178° wide viewing angles, however, there are some minor shifts in color and contrast when looking at the screen from skewed angles, nothing extreme though.
As for the gaming experience, you’ll be able to enjoy responsive gameplay with a low measured input lag of only 4ms, as well as smooth motion clarity thanks to the high 144Hz refresh rate.
There are three response time overdrive modes available: Standard, Faster, and Fastest.
The overdrive modes push the pixels to change color faster, however, the Fastest mode is too aggressive and causes inverse ghosting (pixel overshoot). So, we recommend sticking with the Faster mode for the optimal performance.
As expected from a VA panel display at this price range, some smearing behind fast-moving objects will be noticeable, but mostly in darker scenes as dark pixels take longer to change into brighter shades.
Overall, the amount of visible ghosting is negligible, or tolerable at worst.
If you mostly play competitive FPS games though, you can get a much faster gaming display at this price range, such as the ASUS VG259QM (1080p 240Hz 1ms IPS) or the LG 27GL83A (1440p 144Hz 1ms IPS).
Finally, keep in mind that the Samsung S27R750 uses PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation) to regulate brightness. However, it flickers at a very high 1000Hz+ frequency, so it shouldn’t bother most users unless they’re extremely sensitive to flickering.
Features
For navigation through the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu, there’s a directional joystick at the rear of the monitor.
Apart from the standard image adjustment tools such as contrast, brightness, sharpness, and color temperature, you also get three gamma presets and Picture in Picture/Picture by Picture support.
Next, the Samsung S27R750 supports AMD FreeSync with a 48-144Hz variable refresh rate (VRR) range. This technology allows you to dynamically synchronize the monitor’s refresh rate with GPU’s frame rate thereby eliminating screen tearing up to 144Hz/FPS.
Note that FreeSync support was added to the monitor via the 1006.3 firmware update, so if your monitor has an older firmware, you’ll have to manually update it via USB.
You can use FreeSync over both HDMI and DisplayPort with AMD cards, and over DisplayPort with compatible NVIDIA cards (GTX 10-series, or newer).
VRR works without issues, and currently, there are no reports of the infamous brightness flickering problem associated with certain units of VA panel displays.
Design & Connectivity
The monitor’s design is obviously its main selling point. You simply clamp the stand onto your desk, but make sure that the edge of your desk isn’t wider than 90mm.
Note that the stand itself is not height-adjustable, apart from being able to move from its straight position to the position where it’s touching the floor of the desk.
You also cannot swivel or pivot into the portrait position, and the screen is not VESA mount compatible, but you can tilt it by -5°/20°. For precise measurements in different positions, consult the user manual.
The screen has ultra-thin bezels at the sides and the top of the screen, as well as a matte anti-glare coating that prevents reflections.
Connectivity options include mini-DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 2.0, and a USB port for firmware updates. A Y-shaped cable is provided with both HDMI and power for easy cable management.
For 10-bit color, you’ll need to lower the refresh rate to 120Hz at 1440p over DisplayPort.
Price & Similar Monitors
The Samsung S27R750 price amounts to ~$330.
Now, for ~$250, you can get the AOC CQ27G2. It’s another 27″ 1440p 144Hz FreeSync gaming monitor, but with a curved VA panel. It has an ergonomic and VESA mount compatible stand, and it supports a wide color gamut (~120% sRGB).
So, you could pair it with a ~$30 third-party monitor desk-clamp stand, and get similar results at a lower price. Plus, you could use that stand for other monitors in the future.
However, if you really want a flat-screen VA display, the Samsung SR75 is probably your best choice as the alternatives here aren’t as cheap as the CQ27G2. In fact, there are only four:
- Viotek GFV27DAB – Similarly priced, similar image quality and performance
- MSI MAG272QR – Similarly priced, wide color gamut, USB hub, HDR, USB-C
- AOC Q27G2U – Similarly priced, wide color gamut, USB hub; not available in the US
- AOC AG273QX – More expensive, DisplayHDR 400; not available in the US
Additionally, if you don’t want to deal with slow response time and VRR brightness flickering associated with VA panels, you should consider a 27″ 1440p 144Hz IPS gaming monitor, such as the MSI G273QF.
Visit our comprehensive and always up-to-date best gaming monitor buyer’s guide for more information and the best deals available.
Conclusion
All in all, if you want a space-saving monitor that’s great for both gaming and everyday use, the Samsung S27R750 is solid choice, even though there are more cost-effective options.
Specifications
Screen Size | 27-inch |
Resolution | 2560×1440 (QHD) |
Panel Type | VA |
Aspect Ratio | 16:9 (Widescreen) |
Refresh Rate | 144Hz |
Response Time | 4ms (GtG) |
Adaptive-Sync | FreeSync (48-144Hz) *Firmware update required |
Ports | DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 2.0 |
Other Ports | USB (service-only) |
Brightness | 250 cd/m² |
Contrast Ratio | 3000:1 (static) |
Colors | 1.07 billion (8-bit + FRC) |
The Pros:
- Innovative design
- Plenty of useful features including FreeSync up to 144Hz
- High contrast ratio for deep blacks
- High pixel density resulting in plenty of screen space and sharp details
The Cons:
- No headphones jack
- No USB-C
- Not VESA mount compatible
- Not completely flicker-free
- Minor ghosting in fast-paced games, mostly in darker scenes