Samsung's latest addition to its desktop monitor line, the Series 7 S27C750P, offers style and comfort in a streamlined 27-inch cabinet. It uses an MVA (Multi-domain Vertical Alignment) panel that delivers robust colors, dark blacks, and wide viewing angles, but its grayscale performance could be better and it's not exactly feature-rich. However, it does have a stand that lets you pivot the panel to portrait mode and its two HDMI ports make it easy to stay connected to multiple sources without having to swap out cables.
Design and Features
The S27C750P is a sharp-looking monitor. The 1,920-by-1,080 MVA panel sits inside a slender 1.3-inch black cabinet and is framed by thin glossy black bezels. The metallic silver stand has a square base and a 13.5-inch mounting arm that has a hinge that pivots the panel 90 degrees and provides tilt adjustability. You can't swivel the cabinet or adjust its height but if you install the MagicRotation utility the image with automatically rotate when you pivot the screen, which means you don't have to go into the graphics control panel to change the image orientation every time you switch back and forth.
You don't get a lot of I/O connectivity with the S27C750P other than two HDMI ports, a VGA port, and an audio output, all of which are positioned towards the top of the rear of cabinet. Speakers, a webcam, and USB ports are not included on this model. There are six buttons, including the power switch, located beneath the lower bezel on the right side. Pressing any button brings up on-screen labels so there's no fumbling around trying to figure out which button to press while making adjustments.
Settings include five MagicBright picture modes (custom, standard, game, cinema, dynamic contrast) as well as brightness, contrast, sharpness, black level, and response time. You can also adjust RGB tint, gamma, and color tone (temperature) and use the MagicUpscale option to enhance low-res images.
The C750P ships with an HDMI cable and a resource CD containing a user manual, drivers, MagicRotation, and MagicTune, which allows you to make adjustments using a keyboard and mouse instead of the function buttons. It also comes with a three year parts, labor, and backlight warranty.
Performance
MVA panels are known for their deep black levels and lush colors, which is exactly what we saw with the S27C750P. Although the inky blacks make colors stand out and appear more vibrant, the downside is that shadow detail takes a hit as the panel has trouble producing the darkest shades of gray (they appear black instead of transitioning through the grayscale).
Color accuracy was good but not perfect. The chromaticity chart below shows where each color (represented by a dot) is in relation to the CIE standard (represented by a box). Reds are spot-on but greens and blues are slightly out of alignment. However, they are still within an acceptable range that doesn't cause tinting or oversaturation. Image quality was very good while watching scenes from the Blu-ray version of 2012; skin tones were natural looking and the picture was crisp and well illuminated.
Viewing angle performance was also quite good. There was no obvious color shifting and the screen remained bright when viewed from the top, bottom, and extreme side angles. Game play was relatively smooth with no noticeable lag thanks to the panel's five-millisecond (gray-to-gray) pixel response.
The S27C750P used 20 watts of power during testing while operating in standard mode (Eco disabled). Switching over to 50-percent Eco mode reduced power consumption to 13 watts but made the picture a bit too dim. Even with Eco mode disabled, the C750P is more energy efficient than most other 27-inch monitors, such as the HP Envy 27 (30 watts) and the Viewsonic VG2732m-LED (26 watts).
The Samsung S27C750P is a good choice for consumers who care more about aesthetics and bold color reproduction than grayscale accuracy and connectivity features. Its 27-inch MVA panel is bright, energy efficient, and looks great from any angle. The inclusion of a pivoting hinge and auto-rotation capabilities are a nice touch, as are the dual HDMI ports, but a few more features such as a USB hub, speakers, or a webcam would help justify the $380 price. If you need a 27-inch monitor that delivers solid performance and better-than-average audio output, the HP Envy 27 is a better choice, but it'll set you back an extra $100 or so. For now, the AOC i2757fh remains our Editors' Choice for big-screen mainstream monitors.
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