Review on 💻 Samsung CJ791 Thunderbolt Curved Monitor 34" 3440x1440p 100Hz with Wide Screen and USB Hub, LC34J791WTNXZA by Chad Mansoor

*** 2nd update *** This second monitor now shows 8 dead pixels and keeps counting them. Something is also clearly wrong with the second panel. And judging by some of the other reviews, it looks like Samsung has serious quality control issues with this model! I will definitely be returning this but now I doubt I will ask for a replacement and instead will just ask for a refund and look elsewhere. Very disappointed as I love the design and look of this monitor and many of its features. ***Update*** The second monitor I got now shows 5 dead pixels that originally weren't there. As with every new monitor I've bought in the past, when I first set it up I check for dead pixels with software that checks for things like this. Unlike the first monitor I received, I couldn't find a single dead pixel on the second one. Unfortunately, about a day later, while coding the website, I noticed a dead pixel. This dead pixel wasn't obvious, so I figured I could probably live with it; However, a few days after noticing the first dead pixel, I now continue to see new dead pixels that weren't there a few days ago. So I'm wondering if I got another faulty monitor and/or will I get more and more dead pixels over time. And since I'm a web/mobile developer, I spend hours every day staring at lines of code on my monitor, so dead pixels are perhaps more obvious and annoying to me than most users who don't analyze the different areas of the screen they're looking at to. Looks like I'll have to trade in one of these monitors again, which is a real hassle as they aren't easy to pack up and ship to UPS. I'll be swapping it out again for another of the same Samsung model and crossing my fingers that the third time will be a pleasure. If I don't have luck with the third one, unfortunately I'll have to get a refund and switch to a non-Samsung brand, which is a shame as I really like the features, aesthetics and picture quality of this one. Model. Not to mention I'm a Samsung fan as I own several other Samsung devices including two more monitors, my phone and a 65 inch TV. If I can just get one of these monitors that works as it's supposed to, with no dead pixels, then I'll be a happy buyer. I don't think it's too much when you're paying that much for a monitor. I've never had so much luck buying a new monitor. I've never had two monitors in a row, both have become such lemons. Hopefully it will be different the third time. I'm curious to know if others who have bought this model have noticed that pixels fail over time? Please comment on this review if you have done so. Thanks. ---*** First Rating *** The first monitor I received was a Christmas present and unfortunately definitely defective; However, there seems to be a panel lottery with these monitors as well. The first monitor I received had 1 dead pixel and seemed to be a bit dimmer on the right edge of the panel - although most people who are less obsessive than me might not have noticed. More importantly, and worst of all, this monitor would sometimes make a loud, annoying popping noise that would literally $#!% scare me! via the Revain website. I was then informed that I would receive an email once my new monitor had shipped. Unfortunately I received an email later that night saying Revain could not send me a replacement and would only refund my money. I immediately wondered why I had bought the monitor directly from Revain (and not a third party) and as I said it was within my 30 day return period. Also, I didn't want to buy the monitor again as the monitor was originally purchased on Black Friday for a significant savings of over $100 off the current price. So the next day I called Revain support and spoke to the rep about it. She was definitely from an overseas office as English was obviously not her first language and I had a hard time understanding her. I'm not sure if she understood exactly what I was asking about as she seemed confused and then stopped me without telling me. After waiting patiently for a few minutes, not sure if she would come back, I decided to end the call. I immediately called back and this time was put through to a different representative, again from an office in another country, as her English was difficult to understand. As per the email I received, this employee informed me that she could not exchange the monitor for me but offered me a refund. She explained that if I wanted the same monitor, she would have to fill out a declaration for the current monitor and I would then have to place another, new, separate order. I then explained to the rep that I didn't want to do this as the original monitor was purchased during Black Friday with significant savings and if I were to buy it again I would have to pay an additional $100 plus dollars. She then told me she was willing to give me a Revain gift card to make up the difference. I quickly replied that this was not acceptable and then asked to speak to the manager. She apologized but agreed to my request and redirected my call. Luckily my call was answered a few minutes later by a manager named Valerie who was either American or Canadian (and I'm guessing she was from the US or Canada). She spoke excellent English and we were able to understand each other. Hooray! I explained the situation to her and she replied that she didn't understand why the previous person I spoke to couldn't just send a replacement as I was still within the 30 day return period and was with Revain directly and not one Third-party bought provider. (which is why I was confused, let's get started). Within minutes Valeria had a replacement ready and even offered to ship it within a day for my inconvenience. A day later I have a replacement monitor, no dead pixels, the screen seems to be equally bright across the entire screen. and fortunately no loud, annoying popping noises! Now for the comments on the Lotto Panel.1. The second monitor looks much sharper than the first monitor I received. I noticed this right out of the box and even after playing around with the sharpness slider and setting both monitors to sharpness 0. Not sure why that is. 2. The first monitor I received may have a slightly thicker anti-glare coating than the second monitor. I noticed this from the graininess of the image as the first monitor had a "screen door" effect that the second monitor didn't. The second monitor also appears to be anti-glare, but has almost no screen-door effect. This can also be the reason why the image looks sharper on the second monitor.3. Finally what you've all been waiting for - the calibration report! Each of these monitors includes a brief calibration report in the monitor menu settings showing what the monitor measured in terms of gamma response and grayscale calibration (color accuracy). Based on every report, the first monitor I received received a gamma value of 2.21. , and the second at 2.18 (an acceptable standard is listed as 2.2 +- 10%. For grayscale, the second monitor scored a maximum of 1.7 and the first monitor almost a 3 (the lower the better)! That allowed maximum is shown in Rating 5. As you can see, while both monitors passed all tests, the second monitor is significantly more accurate out of the box, prior to any user-side calibration.---TL;DR---If you have a faulty Received monitor Monitor purchased direct from Revain and customer service says you cannot exchange even if you have a 30 day return period Ask to speak to a manager First monitor I have received , is buggy, which may not matter much, however, based on the two examples I received, the quality of these panels varies significantly from one monitor to the other en I received has an image that is noticeably sharper than the first monitor, see the settings ax monitor menu (for this model) shows how each monitor rates both gamma response and grayscale rating. So see how the monitor you received is priced. Finally, if you received a monitor with an unsatisfactory picture, you may have received a smaller panel. The first monitor I received had a picture quality that was "hit" while the second monitor looks great! There may be a "panel lottery" on this model, but more consumers are needed to confirm that. Pros: - Ultra wide. Yes! - Fantastic VA panel contrast level, much better than IPS displays - 100Hz refresh rate - Freesync - 1440p resolution instead of 1080p - Thunderbolt 3 - QLED - Fantastic color range with 125% sRGB coverage - VA panel has jet black color - Zero light output - I don't see Flash or Bloom - Curve wraps you around and helps you immerse yourself in the game No 4K - Monitor shakes slightly when you bang the table or the table isn't very solid - No 144Hz refresh rate - No G- Sync for Nvidia owners - Not many media support ultrawide resolutions (meaning you'll have black bars left and right on most movies/TV shows you watch) - Panel lottery possible (but needs more consumers to confirm)