When we’ve never thought that curved TVs were that great an investment, a curved monitor does have its advantages. Samsung has been pushing that same narrative for some time now, so much so that it’s managed to sell more than a handful. Much more than a handful in practice — the firm just announced that more than a million of its curved monitors have been taken home by consumers.
The first curved LED monitor was introduced in September 2014. It was the 27-inch, 4000R SD590C, which we quite liked — although it did have a few apparent flaws. None of them were with the display though, and Samsung has built on its strengths over the past few years, helping to sell so many similar models.
With extra-wide viewing angles and enhanced contrast ratios, Samsung’s displays have been sufficiently eye-catching to grab the attention of consumers — something that has been increasingly difficult to do in recent years.
Following the boom of the HD TV market, where consumers saw a tangible difference in upgrading from SD quality and cathode ray tube (CRT) televisions, technological improvements for displays in recent years haven’t been quite so noticeable.
4K is nice, whereas is not a dramatic improvement from SD-HD and the content still isn’t really there. Size is mostly limited currently by people’s physical spaces rather than their wallets, and aside from niche applications, 3D has remained a bust overall. So, curved displays represent an attempt to create an upgrade path for consumers looking for something new.
When it isn’t something that is likely to benefit everyone, gamers have found some enjoyment from the curved displays, particularly larger ones, which can aid in immersion. While it doesn’t seem destined to be a technology that is remembered as revolutionary, it’s proved a nice evolution for enough people to leave Samsung pleased with the results.
