Customer Ratings & Reviews

I'm a web developer who spends 18-hour days on the computer mostly everyday of the week. I was using 2 side-by-side 17" monitors, and was hoping my new monitor purchase would be the 30". I couldn't justify to myself why I would spend $1,800 (Apple) or $1,400 (Dell) over $600 for a 4.5" size difference. With all my research and waiting (just waiting for the right time my budget can handle an expense like this), I went to Best Buy and bought this Samsung on an impulse. Maybe it was my blessing in disguise, because it turned out to be.... no pun intended... the best buy for me. Aside from the obvious, the perk for me is that it came with built-in speakers. That's one less device on my desk. I was about to purchase the Westinghouse sitting next to it -- same exact specs as Samsung for $100 less. But Westinghouse failed the input requirements I had; it only had 1 VGA input while this Samsung has 1 VGA, 1 HDMI, 1 DVI, 1 audio. If ever I have to upgrade again in the future, I can use this as my TV. One consequence to this machine is its settings buttons. At the store, I thought it was "cool" that this Samsung had a touch feature for its power and adjustment buttons (brightness, contrast, etc) -- making it look seamless. But when I took it home, I realized it was difficult for me to see which button is what because it's so so subtle. It may be me since I work in a slightly dark room. It's not a big deal since I don't really ever have the need to access those buttons anyway. In summary, I'm a happy Samsung 2693 user. Quality is crisp, contrast ratio is high; and the size is magnificent! Less neck ache, more view space; more windows open at the same time, side-by-side. Video and graphics editing is up to par of what I could have only imagined. (Oh, and Google maps works like wonder on this monitor!)

All in all, I think this is a good monitor, but I was ultimately disappointed. I was torn between this and the LG 26" monitor, which was $50 more at the time. Both had essentially the same feature set, but I had heard that Samsung generally was known for higher quality. I have some real doubts about that statement now. The first one I purchased had a couple of dead pixels and a buzzing noise in the speakers. I returned it to Best Buy and they quickly exchanged it for me. The second monitor once again had some dead pixels, and also had problems with one of the touch-sensitive controls on the front panel. That did it for me, and I went ahead and purchased the LG instead. I am very happy with that choice. The image quality appears identical, and the LG had much more user-friendly controls, as well as a USB hub (no speakers, but who really uses monitor speakers anyway?) Also, no dead pixels on the LG. If I didn't have two experiences with dead pixels, I would definitely recommend this monitor, but I'm a little skittish on the quality of Samsung now. The image quality is otherwise fantastic, though, and this is a very attractive monitor. It also includes the DVI cable, audio cable, and D-sub cable, which is great. One last thing about the touch controls on this screen. It might seem stupid to complain about them, but they really are practically invisible and extremely hard to find. I have 20/20 vision and found myself shifting the monitor around to get it in the right light just so I could see the controls. It sounds silly, but it really is an annoyance.

The setup on this LCD went really well, not heavy for lifting. Remember to remove the back pin for the up/down level slider to work. There are two on/off switches to be aware of: one physical switch next to the port on the back where you plug the pwer cord in and another on the touch-sensitive bezel panel along the lower-right edge/front. The monitor is quite bright, I am using it on a daily basis at 50% brightness and with contrast reduced to 65%. At this setting it registers my photographs and personal videos correctly and is just a shade brighter than the expensive/large DELL LCDs (22 & 24 inch) I've been using (and still use) on my workbench. No dead pixels, sharp screen. Fits two pages at a time easily and magnified at 1920 x 1200. Those of you who would like to see more image but at a larger size of print than a 22/24 inch monitor will love this! Very little motion blur on video (equal to my HD TV screen). The fat black bezel bothers me only slightly, I am used to narrow bezels on my other LCDs.

First off, I got this monitor brand new at my local Best Buy and got a killer deal on it. (They may be phasing it out for the new designs?) Anyway... I'd looked at a Westinghouse (read some reviews and gladly thought otherwise), and was about to settle on a 24" LG (which I've had good success with in the past). Then, in the corner I spotted this monitor. It wasn't hooked up, but it was cheaper than the LG (to give you an idea)... so I bought it all the same. Once unpacked and hooked up to my Alienware laptop (who's 17" screen's native resolution is also 1920x1200), this was an AMAZING contrast! The colors are bright, the images are just as sharp... only now I kick back in my chair without any straining to see things! Works great with Warhammer, WoW, Spore... pretty much everything I throw at it! I have almost nothing but praise for this monitor.

I agree about the controls being a pain to use. In day light they are moderately visible but in a dark room with just a normal light turned on I had to use a flash light to look at the controls on the front side of the monitor. I was looking at a few monitors such as Dell's 27" and this seemed like a better deal for the price. The inclusion of HDMI made me take notice to this over the current 2007 27" Dell that does not incude HDMI and that monitor was $400 more than this one for the extra 1.5". I have had 0 issues with this Samsung monitor so far and 0 dead pixels.

First I bought the I-Inc 28" LCD monitor. Wasn't happy at all with the colors and the performance. Returned for the 26" LG, it was a little better than the I-Inc but still the colors were totally wrong even after calibration. Returned LG and got the Samsung. What a dream! this is what I was looking for. Everything is perfect. It looks amazin after calibration. No dead pixels at all (knock on wood) Will recomend this LCD in a heart-beat

This monitor has great colors after adjusting the brightness down and also the color on my nvidia 8800gt card. I used the spyder express2 to calibrate. Previous samsung 226cw was a mess and overly saturated color drive. Love the matte screen since reflection is a killer when photo-editing. The buttons are very hard to see during the adjustments, they are not lit up but are touch sensitive. Get this on sale now!

I am a professional photographer and was waiting on the "new" LCD's to come out. It's hard to find some of various brands as the LCD market is having difficulty with their panel factories overseas. This one showed up on the shelf at Best Buy so I grabbed it for the brand name and features it boasted. I could double it as a TV plugging in the DVR box to it through HDMI and using the DVI for the computer. The HDMI does NOT work with a DVR box! Also, my main qualm is that it's actually TOO bright and contrasty for accurate photography editing and graphic work. If you're looking for a large screen to primarily use as a TV replacement and to watch videos, it's a good choice. Steer Clear, though if you're looking for a big screen accurate for photography and graphic editing. If that's your purpose, look at NEC, EIZO, and LaCie.

This monitor delivers, great value and is a good investment. Am using Nividia 8800 video card, seems to be a perfect match. Office work or on line game playing is crisp, clear and bright. Into digital photography or video production, "This monitor will smoke your socks". Thomas

I dont really use them anyway though. I almost bought an HDTV for gaming. What a mistake that would have been! Saved over $1000 by choosing this monitor instead.