Looks like Eva really did. The crowd-created gaming monitor Eve Spectrum is an exclusive 4K display with a high refresh rate, which finally brought HDMI 2.1 connections to our desktops. Who would have thought? Or rather, the question you may have is: Who the hell is Eve?
This is a potentially charged question depending on how you feel about the company’s first venture, Eve V. It was a 2-in-1 tablet that was supposed to crush Microsoft’s Surface, but ran into production delays and eventually problems with its distribution partner which resulted in some people never getting the device they paid for. In some cases, they even tried to get their money back. Not a good look for anyone.
So there is a certain amount of resentment towards the company because of this, but that has not stopped it from creating what it hopes to be. the best game monitor. And it’s not just based on her own theories on the subject Yves Spectrum was designed by a committee, with the company requesting feature requests and feedback on potential prototype designs throughout the process.
Spectrum ES07D03
Screen size: 27-inch
Ratio: 16: 9
Native resolution: 3840 x 2160 (4K)
Pixel density: 163ppi
Brightness: 450cd / m2 typical, 750cd / m2 peak
HDR: HDR10 | VESAHDR600 display
Color depth: 8-bit + A-FRC
Reaction time: 5ms GtG typically
Update speed: 144Hz
Adaptive sync: Certified for NVIDIA G-SYNC compatibility AMD FreeSync Premium Pro certified
Backlight: Illuminated from below 16-zone dimming (HDR mode)
Ports: 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x USB Type-C (video, power 100W, USB hub), 1x USB Type-B (USB hub), 1x USB Type-C, 2x USB Type-A, 3.5 mm audio jack
Do you speak: No
Price: $ 799 (+ $ 99 per stand)
And the result is a $ 498 4K gaming monitor with one of the best panels in the business and a list of specs that should annoy you. The LG nano-IPS oxide display is the heart of the Spectrum and is the key to the stellar visual experience that the monitor itself provides. There are many expensive panel manufacturers on the planet and LG is undoubtedly one of the best. This latest nano-IPS display is an 8-bit + A-FRC screen and one that can deliver 4K resolutions at 144Hz. For professionals there, it is ranked with a color gamut that covers 98% DCI-P3 and 100% sRGB color space.
As an IPS panel you get 5ms response time, but if you want to go hard to the overdrive settings, you can press this down to the 1ms point. With the “normal” overdrive setting, there are no visible ghosts or reverse ghosts that I can see.
Another symptom of using an IPS panel, over something like VA, is that black levels are not something to write about. They are probably some of the best I’ve seen on an IPS display without activated specific setup effects, but not as OLED better.
However, the contrast is excellent, providing a clear distinction between different shades of colors throughout the range, and the white saturation of the panel is also great. Of course, a lot of this is due to the panel itself, but I have to say that the factory calibration that Eve did on this screen definitely looks good to me.
Then there are viewing angles. I mean, you’ll spend most of your time looking directly at the face of the screen, but I have to say that Eva’s spectrum looks flawless from any angle. The colors remain consistent throughout the panel and are also constantly vivid.
The 144Hz refresh rate looks great at 4K. This isn’t the first high-frequency refresh screen with Ultra HD resolution, but with a pair of HDMI 2.1 ports on the back, it’s one of the first to deliver this happily via an HDMI cable. It also works with adaptive synchronization to be able to maintain a smooth and smooth image in your games.
Oddly enough, the claimed Nvidia G-Sync certificate was not recognized at first glance by GeForce RTX 3080 I had embarked on it. We were informed that it will appear in the next driver update at the end of the month and it is already listed in Nvidia’s own G-Sync compatible screens. However, it is still fully functional in terms of the basic principles of G-Sync, so I’m not sure this is necessarily an urgent issue.
Honestly, the lack of local dimming is preferable to a handful of areas
One thing the panel is absolutely no good for HDR. Although the Eve Spectrum is rated DisplayHDR 600 and can reach a peak brightness level of 750cd / m2, this is not a monitor you want to use for HDR games. In SDR mode, the panel uses a standard global backlight system, which is illuminated from the bottom of the screen. This is great and leads to a great image.
With the monitor in HDR mode, however, it switches to a local dimming backlight with 16 zones. Unfortunately, this is still powered by the backlit backlight, and leads to a strange effect of bleeding from a column in high-contrast images. It’s ugly and can really mask the details of a dark scene where you want HDR content to shine.
Running around a camp in Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, dimly lit by flickering torches and campfires, it was almost impossible to see what the hell was going on. Valhalla actually also highlighted the problem again with the animated saving logo crossing a black screen, leading to an even more noticeable bleeding effect.
Honestly, the lack of local dimming is far more preferable than just a few zones. If you don’t speak in the hundreds, then there isn’t enough detail to make the local eclipse worth it.
Unfortunately, there is currently no way to disable it when HDR is enabled.
I say “right now” because since I have the monitor, Eve has already launched a firmware update to improve compatibility with the Xbox Series X. So there’s a good chance that if the community wants and has a way, Eva can update the OSD to enabled you to deactivate this local line dimming.
In standard SDR mode, however, the Eve Spectrum is a fantastic monitor. It’s already brighter than most, and the impressive way it handles contrast means that games can really appear on it. The sharp 4K resolution, especially at 27 inches, is superbly detailed – and with a refresh rate of 144Hz, it flies with hardware capable of taking it to these extremes.
Is the hardware inside the Xbox Series X I don’t think I’m 100% sure yet, although this is one of the first gaming monitors to actually allow a high-end Microsoft console to peak at 4K / 120Hz. But it looks great paired with a high-end computer.
Putting HDR aside, Eve Spectrum offers a visual feast for the eyeballs, but the actual design of the monitor itself is just as good. There is barely a frame around the screen, and the frame around it is wonderfully clean, with only one LED under the bottom frame indicating that it is on.
At the back of the screen, just behind the center LED, is the power button and joystick that controls the on-screen menu. My main monitor still uses a set of buttons stacked next to each other and I find them an absolute nightmare to use when navigating the submenus. The joystick is much more intuitive.
Then there is an additional stand that can separate. This is not standard and means that you need to add another $ 99 to the price of your order, unless you have already invested in a VESA stand. The downside and the reason it is placed by 46% of the community in the first place is that for those who already s VESAs are mounted on the desktop, which means they don’t have to pay for a piece of metal that they will throw away anyway.
And that would be a great shame, because it’s a stylish stand.
The base is relatively narrow, but the depth makes it perfectly stable, and the thin stand itself is wonderfully minimal, curved outwards to provide a cutout for cable management and a height adjustment mechanism. The spectrum can also tilt and rotate.
The naivety surrounding the first overly ambitious product is something the company has learned from
The last feature worth shouting about, and another thing that the community regularly requires, is its USB hub. This is not an unusual thing for a gaming monitor, but Eve Spectrum has options for a USB Type-B and Type-C hub. And with the Alternate DisplayPort feature, you can plug in your laptop with a single Type C USB cable and feel the feel of a single cable to control them all.
The single wire will carry a 60Hz output at 4K, power the monitor hub (with another type-C available and a pair of type-A USB ports), and charge your laptop to 100W. That’s enough to save Razer Blade Stealth 13 charged, output and working all three USB ports simultaneously. That’s not enough to keep a rugged gaming laptop at full power on load, but there’s still plenty of time to charge when you’re not gaming.
I’m really a big fan of the Eve Spectrum gaming monitor. I enjoyed watching it come to life as a product created by a crowd, I was disappointed by the delays, worried about Eva’s story, and finally happy to try to use it. Understandably, there will be people who are so exhausted from their battles for the Eve V tablet that they will never give the company another chance, but she showed the naivety around her first overly ambitious product, something the company has learned from.
The product there is is done, sent to customers, and the company enters into contracts for the supply of its screens to real retail stores. This should give you confidence that it has banished its nightmarish past into the annals of history.
And if we focus on the product itself, Eve Spectrum is an exclusive gaming monitor. My only real problem is the price. Now at $ 898 for the full package, that’s a lot of money. But it’s not like that significantly different from the competition in terms of 4K screens with high performance and high refresh rate. The LG panel makes a great base – providing typically juicy visual precision – factory calibration is efficient, and the overall design makes it one of the most adaptable, easy-to-use gaming monitors around.
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