Samsung ViewFinity S50GC Review: 3440×1440 100Hz VA UltraWide Monitor

The Samsung ViewFinity S5 / S50GC is a 34″ 3440×1440 ultrawide monitor with a flat-screen VA panel and a 100Hz refresh rate.

Thanks to its affordable price, a lot of users might find it ideal for mixed-use (a bit of gaming, content consumption and non-color-critical work).

Here’s what you need to know about it.

Image Quality

Unlike most ultrawide monitors with curved screens, the Samsung ViewFinity S50GC has a flat screen, which most users might not like.

While curved screens are mostly gimmicky on standard 16:9 widescreen displays, they are actually quite beneficial on 21:9 and 32:9 ultrawide monitors as the curvature brings the edges of the screen closer to you for extra depth.

However, at a regular viewing distance, a flat 34″ ultrawide monitor still offers an immersive viewing experience since the display is not that big (in comparison to larger 38″+ 21:9 and 49″+ 32:9 displays, all of which are curved).

Next, the Samsung S50GC uses a VA (Vertical Alignment) panel with a high 3,000:1 static contrast ratio, resulting in deep blacks. IPS panels usually have a contrast ratio of 1,000:1, which makes for almost grayish blacks in comparison.

In addition, VA monitors don’t suffer from IPS glow, so the overall viewing experience is more immersive, especially when viewing dark content in a dark room.

Now, the main downside of the Samsung ViewFinity S50GC monitor are the 178° viewing angles that cause VA gamma and saturation shift. The fact that the screen is flat also contributes to this issue.

Basically, there are minor shifts in gamma and saturation throughout the screen even at a normal viewing distance, but for most users, these will be unnoticeable or negligible.

When it comes to color-critical work though, you should definitely get an IPS panel display instead for its superior consistency. For basic content creation, the ViewFinity S5 will do just fine.

The monitor has a 99% sRGB color gamut coverage, which results in vivid and accurate colors without over-saturation. However, around this price range, you can also find ultrawide displays with a bit wider ~125% sRGB color gamut volume for a bit of extra color vibrance (albeit with some over-saturation), which is what most users prefer.

Further, the S50GC has a peak brightness of 300-nits meaning that it can get bright enough under normal lighting conditions to mitigate glare.

The 21:9 ultrawide format provides you with extra horizontal screen space that’s ideal for productivity work and audio/video editing. You also get a wider field of view in compatible games for more immersive gameplay.

On a 34″ sized screen, the 3440×1440 UltraWide QHD resolution results in a high pixel density of 109.68 PPI (pixels per inch). This means that you get plenty of screen space with sharp details and text, and there’s no scaling necessary.

The Samsung S50GC also supports HDR (High Dynamic Range), but it lacks proper display hardware (full-array local dimming or an OLED panel) for a proper HDR image, so you can just ignore it. If you want an HDR display in this price range, check out the AOC Q27G3XMN.

Performance

Moving on, the Samsung ViewFinity S50GC has a 100Hz refresh rate, which provides you with a noticeable boost in motion clarity in comparison to the standard 60-75Hz displays. In fact, we find that the difference between 75Hz and 100Hz is more noticeable than between 100Hz and 144Hz.

Not only will video games run more smoothly, but just scrolling through web pages and moving windows around will feel a lot more fluent as well.

Variable refresh rate (VRR) is also supported with a 48-100Hz dynamic range for tear-free gameplay up to 100FPS via Adaptive-Sync. VRR works with NVIDIA GPUs over DisplayPort and with AMD GPUs over both DP and HDMI.

Note that LFC (Low Framerate Compensation) is supported as well, so if your frame rate drops to 47 FPS, for instance, the refresh rate will double to 94Hz in order to prevent screen tearing.

Next, the monitor has a quoted 5ms GtG pixel response time speed, but since it’s using a slower VA panel, some dark to bright pixel transitions are slower and will cause noticeable ghosting behind fast-moving objects in dark scenes.

Some gamers are especially sensitive to this, while others will find it tolerable or even negligible. If you play a lot of FPS games, you should definitely consider a monitor with a faster panel instead.

Input lag performance, on the other hand, is excellent at around 6ms of delay, which is imperceptible.

Features

Beneath the bottom bezel of the screen, there’s a directional joystick for effortless navigation through the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu.

Besides the standard image adjustment tools (brightness, contrast, color temperature, etc.), you’ll find some advanced settings, such as sharpness, gamma, saturation, aspect ratio control (4:3, 16:9, 21:9 and Screen Fit) and automatic input source detection.

For optimal image quality, we recommend ensuring that the following features are disabled: ECO Saving Plus, Contrast Enhance and Dynamic Contrast.

The Samsung ViewFinity S50GC also supports Picture in Picture and Picture by Picture, allowing you to connect two devices to the monitor and display both sources simultaneously.

Next, there’s an integrated light sensor that can automatically adjust screen brightness according to ambient lighting.

Finally, the monitor has a flicker-free backlight and a low-blue light picture preset (Eye Saver Mode).

Design & Connectivity

The stand of the monitor is tilt-only by -4°/24°, but the screen is VESA mount compatible via the 100x100mm pattern.

The screen has a light matte anti-glare coating that prevents reflections without making the image too grainy.

Connectivity options include DisplayPort 1.2, two HDMI 2.0 ports, a headphone jack and a USB port (service use only).

Price & Similar Monitors

The Samsung ViewFinity S50GC price ranges from $250 to $380.

We only recommend considering it at its lowest $250 price and if you really want a flat-screen ultrawide monitor with a VA panel.

You can sometimes find 34″ 3440×1440 144Hz+ curved VA ultrawide gaming monitors with better design and wider color gamut for $250 – $300, such as the KTC H34S18S, the MSI MPG342CQR and the LG 34WP60C.

Further, you can find a 34″ 3440×1440 144Hz ultrawide monitor with a flat IPS panel for $300 – the Sceptre E345B-QUN168W with faster response time, wider color gamut, wide viewing angles and an ergonomic stand, whereas curved IPS models start at $500.

For more options and information, visit our dedicated best gaming monitor buyer’s guide.

Conclusion

The Samsung ViewFinity S50GC is an overall decent ultrawide monitor, but there are better alternatives available in this price range.

Specifications

Screen Size	34-inch
Resolution	3440×1440 (UWQHD)
Panel Type	VA
Aspect Ratio	21:9 (UltraWide)
Refresh Rate	100Hz
Response Time	5ms (GtG)
Adaptive-Sync	Adaptive-Sync (48-100Hz)
Ports	DisplayPort 1.2, 2x HDMI 2.0
Other Ports	Headphone Jack
Brightness	300 cd/m²
Contrast Ratio	3000:1 (static)
Colors	1.07 billion (8-bit + FRC)
HDR	HDR10
VESA	Yes (100x100mm)