Samsung 49” Business Curved Ultrawide Dual QHD Computer Monitor, USB-C, DisplayPort, HDMI, 120Hz, VESA DisplayHDR 400, Built-in Speakers, Height Adjustable Stand, Eye Care, LS49C954UANXZA, 2024

Love it, not perfect
For my use, this is a 5/5 monitor. I use this for work, not gaming. Checked all my boxes.Picture Quality:First of all, picture quality will exceed your expectations for work purposes (unless you’re in graphic design, please go find an OLED), especially with HDR mode turned on. That said, it is no OLED or NEO QLED and the blacks and contrast ratio will just not be up to that standard. If that is your priority then skip right over this and go to the NEO QLED 1000R version of this monitor (that however does not have USBC hub features in it’s current iteration). Which brings me to my next two points…Radius:This being a 1800R radius monitor, you cannot sit that close to it, the curvature is not high enough. If you have a very deep desk or will be mounting this back towards a wall or something, great this may be for you. You need at least an arms length between you and this screen or else you will need to be looking left and right a lot, and the viewing angle any closer will not be great and color saturation/quality will be poor because again, this is not an OLED screen and extreme viewing angles are not great. If you sit close to your screen, skip this and go to the 1000R version of this display, but just know that you will still need to look left and right (it is huge). I don’t mind that cause I had to do that anyways with a multi-monitor set up but for fast paced gaming this may introduce fatigue.USB-C HUB:This was a huge factor in my purchase for this version of this monitor because I don’t want a thousand plugs in my laptop – I just want to plug into my desk set up and go – and it works great as expected. You do not need dedicated graphics cards to support this – my work computer just has the Intel UHD 620 integrated graphics and it is able to support the full 5120×1440 at 60hz without any bogging down of my computer or lag and all peripherals plugged in work just fine with minimal lag.HOWEVER a couple cons to note for USB-C HUB users:-Yes it has built in speakers but they are pretty poor in the low frequency department, and actually pretty poor in general. Most macbook pros have better bass than these. However, the monitor does have the audio output plug (another plus for my set up needs) so you can plug in something nicer it will integrate over the USB-C as well. So this is not really a factor in my rating since I have external speakers plugged in but wanted you all to know that these speakers kind of suck and I bet your laptop can outperform them.-USB outlets: there are only 3 A types and another C (which I haven’t tested daisy chaining yet). Depending on your needs this may not be enough which is a bummer because buying another hub would sorta defeat the whole purpose of this being a dual monitor/HUB/power all over one cable solution. That said, the space inside the back port cover is fairly large so you COULD fit one of those small UBC stick hubs in the back and expand your ports, though I can’t say how much latency that will add.-The 2xHDMI and display port are inputs… such a bummer that you cannot daisy chain additional monitors to this one because that would be awesome. I don’t know where you would put them because this one is so huge, but still, if I ever wanted additional monitors they would have to be plugged into my laptop or some other hub. Hopefully Samsung iterates on that.Stand:Not bad, looks good and doesn’t take up too much space. The “legs” that spread out towards you are a bit long (it is a large heavy monitor) but they are also narrow in width, so they really don’t take up much space. The arm in back also has a cable channel which makes everything have a nice clean organized feel. I will likely replace with a mounting arm at some point but the built in one does look nice and has a decent amount of adjust-ability.HOWEVER it does not raise that high (6inch clearance between the desk and bottom of the monitor at it’s maximum height). Depending on your sitting position, it could be too low sitting directly on your desk. I am 6’1″ tall and so it’s a bit low, not too bad, but that is the reason I will be mounting it to an arm to increase the height.Value:This is ok value. I got mine on sale so I would say good for me, but full price it really depends on your needs. Two similar quality 27inch monitors from Samsung to replicate the same resolution and real-estate would probably run you $300 each ($600 total) then to add in a quality (not a cheap stick type) USB-C docking hub with similar ports could be anywhere between $150-$300, so you would be running around $750-$900 for a similar solution with 2 monitors and a dock. But this is one monitor (no bezels or space between like a multiscreen setup) and the integrated hub solution through a single cable to your computer really adds a lot of value and it just looks way better than two monitors – you walk into your office and see the thing and it’s beautiful to look at. Plus what used to be 3 or 4 different power cables into a power strip is now just 1. It really does clean up your desk a lot and looks professional.Summary:Great productivity monitor for those who need more screen real-estate and want a USB-C hub solution and worth it when on sale. I think if I needed something with better image quality or was using for gaming I would definitely think about upgrading to the Odyssey Neo G9, but that is a pricey monitor and is really overkill if you don’t have the graphics card or purpose to back up those specs.I’m already day-dreaming of buying a second one to put on top of my current one (why? I don’t know but who cares because it would look awesome)

Day1 Review- Read. Updated
I have updated this a few times in hopes I can help someone looking at this monitor: I have had one day with this monitor and can update later. I have experienced a bunch of what is in the comments, so I will bullet point as I think it will be helpful:-Took about 2 hours to mount to the wall with a VIVO Vesa mount. The mount is awesome and highly recommended. Thank you to whomever posted the review that you borrow the screws from the stand. That part had me stumped-The monitor is big, bigger in person that I expected. That said, it looks great!-The directions are absolute trash-Once I installed, I was thrilled to see that I did not need a laptop dock for USB C, nor did I need a switch (so I thought). That saved a TON of cords-Turned on and was SO happy the USB-c did everything it was supposed to. So far so good-The picture on this thing is okay when it is not stretched.-The interface is not great. It is a pain to have to touch under the monitor to adjust. Really would like a remote. The main control button is quite temperamental.-The PC link via HDMI showed both monitors on the screen…. that is about when things turned-The USB dongle would only work for the USB C computer. Even when I pressed the button that shows it should go to the PC, it would control the USB C for my mouse, keyboard and camera. I need to plug the dongle into the PC direct to make it work, though then I cannot control the USB C laptop.I tried everything and eventually called customer service. Customer service is about as bad as possible. First lady had a party in the background and couldnt hear me.Next call. 45 minutes and the ONLY solution the lady gave was to press the USB button. Seriously? Like that wasnt the first thing I did. She then said to hangup and try someone else because she cant transfer.Third call, 1 hour and 39 minutes. In that time I unplugged and plugged in everything. Can I say how MADDENING it is to not get an expert, rather someone just googling answers? I am good with tech, I know to “unplug for 30 seconds” and switch connections. I also had to explain the issue 800 times to her. Then, she wanted me to try the one cord I do not have. Although, if the HDMI and the display port arent working, even if the third worked, something is clearly wrong here. They also wanted me to take it in for repair, which is not happening. This took forever to hangup and is a beast to lug to the store.So, ultimately they are going to send someone over to test it. My thinking it is probably some sort of setting that needs to be changed. I could be wrong but I bet it takes 10 mins and could have been solved by someone who actually is a tech person.-Every few minutes the screen does quickly go black-Sometimes when the screen goes black, there is a pop sound-Speakers are not good but at least it has them-Waking it up or switching computers does take a long time. 10-15 sec sounds not bad, until you are sitting in front of a black screen wondering if it is ever going to work.It has a TON of potential IF the KVM can work, it stops cutting out and I can switch and wake the monitor faster. Though now that I have typed all of this, it actually doesnt sound that great given the issues I faced. There should also be a good video showing set up and how everything works. I read the manual, and while better than the paper one, it also is confusing.So the verdict is still out. I will update whenever I get this all figured out.Update 1:I have now had this a few days and have to say, this thing is absolutely horrible. I have spent no less than 15 hours trying to get it sorted out. I even have round about ways to somewhat get it to work and it’s just not usable. When I use the display port, it makes loud pop sounds literally every second (I unplugged it because it sounds like it would start a fire).I’ve watched a ton of videos on set up and used so many different cables. I’ve bought different switches, converters and gadgets off amazon to try and at least get this to work until the tech support comes and it’s infuriating. That said, even if the tech can get it to work, it’s just not well thought out. Like if it can’t find the source, it shuts off in literally 2 seconds. Not enough time to even press the button. Then it takes a while to turn back on. And I spent another 5 hours trying to update the drivers with no luck. I watched videos and tried absolutely everything (both usb ports, hold the toggle down 5 seconds, use the update option in the menu, pull out the power, put on 4gb usb, etc). Man, I don’t remember a tech device giving me this many issues. And I’m tech savvy. Literally went to school for this stuff. And as mentioned, their customer support is one of the worst I have dealt with. I’m not buying another Samsung product because of this. It has been that bad. I researched the heck out of ultrawides for 6 months and boy did I mess up with this one. So after this, I am back to searching.Update 2:Tech support came out and he said he has never worked on this monitor. Calls tech support. He speaks little english (that is being generous) so I have to talk to tech support and do all the stuff I did before. Unplug everything and explain 20+ times (seriously) that it is the KVM that isn’t working right. Also the loud pops and flashing EVERY second. Tells me the tech can install a new main board. Tech tells him he has it. Hangs up. IMMEDIATELY turns to me and says he doesn’t have it. It will be a week or so until he can come back.Why do I feel like I will have to thoroughly explain this all again in detail, then it wont work again?This has completely screwed up my work and personal productivity. I really have no desire to even have this thing. I just can’t find another ultrawide without a ton of similar bad reviews.Update 3: It is now Tuesday and I hadnt heard from Samsung. I call, leave a message. They call me back and say that there are not notes on my account aside from the tech writing that I cancelled the appointments including last week and refused service. Well, he was here last week so obviously I didn’t cancel that. This is a nightmare man. Still searching for a new monitor that will work better than this.Update 4: Tech support is supposed to come today (a week between each apt). I havent got a text so I reach out to the service company. 30 mins and 2 hungup calls later, I speak with someone who says they are not coming out (they “were just about to call and tell me”) today and maybe they can in another week. I’m done with this. This is absolutely maddening.

There are few little things that bug me. 1- instructions are terrible, 2-the DP port not working. 3- when it goes asleep I lose internet.Otherwise it is a stunning screen and I am in love with the consept. I love the seamless transition between screens with no gap. Worth the $$