Hands On With Eve's Spectrum 4K Display

Eve Spectrum bills itself as the first crowd-developed monitor, and it was in the works for quite some time ahead of launch. The Eve Spectrum is now shipping out and available, so we thought we'd test it out to see if it's worth picking up.


There are three versions of the 27-inch Spectrum display. For $459, you can get a Spectrum QHD with a 144Hz refresh rate, while a 240Hz version is available for $609. A 4K version is also available with a 144Hz refresh rate, and this top-of-the-line version costs $799. The Spectrum stand for those who aren't using a VESA mount is an additional $99.

MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera has been testing the 4K 144Hz version, and he found the design to be minimal, clean, and subtle, and for video editing work, it performed well.

Colors were accurate and natural and viewing angles were solid, but there is some light bleed with blacks and contrast doesn't quite measure up to some other displays at this price point.

Gameplay was smooth thanks to the high refresh rate, and the high contrast and peak brightness made games look great. There were times, however, that the video feed would die, and it's unclear if the issue was a cable or a port.

The Eve Spectrum comes equipped with a single DisplayPort port, two HDMI 2.1 ports, two USB-C ports, and one USB-A port, along with an audio port. There's no Thunderbolt support, but with a 100W USB-C port, it can charge even the 16-inch MacBook Pro.

There are few gaming monitors with these specs and HDMI 2.1, so for those who need these features, the Spectrum may be worth checking out. Make sure to watch the full video up above to see it in action.

Update:Those interested in purchasing the Eve Spectrum monitor should know that Eve previously launched preorders for a V laptop and did not deliver the product. There are also complaints on Reddit from users who preordered a Spectrum display and have not yet received it.

Top Rated Comments

Christopher Kim Avatar
30 months ago

4k @ 27" is in an odd spot, in my opinion. Pixel-doubling would put you at an effective resolution of 1920x1080 which makes things very large at that scale. If you run it at an effective resolution of 2560x1440, you end up with blurry text.
The last sentence isn't really true, particularly on macOS. I'm currently running my 2016 13" MBP in closed clamshell mode into an older 4K 27" LG monitor (UD68). I run it at "Looks like 2560 x 1440".

macOS HiDPI scaling basically doubles the effective resolution from 2560 x 1440 to 5120 x 2880, and then downscales it to fit the 3840 x 2160 4K resolution of the monitor. It doesn't look blurry at all - in fact, it looks almost as good as it would running on a true 5K monitor. And still better than it would just running 2560 x 1440 resolution on a standard QHD 2560 x 1440 monitor (with no pixel doubling). The only downside to doing it this way is the non-integer scaling reduces GPU performance.

There are very few 5K monitors out there at the 27" size, and so from a budget standpoint, 4K @ 27" can be nice bang-for-buck.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
30 months ago
Dan Barbera! Let's do a giveaway tomorrow of this bad boy :)
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Eightarmedpet Avatar
30 months ago
I think you need to mention Eve's bad past they have currently not fully escaped from.
They are still up to a few naughty things too, such as declaring these monitors at 1/4 value to get them through customs cheaper.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
andrewxgx Avatar
30 months ago
so you have decent 4k display at the price of pro xdr display stand?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ghanwani Avatar
30 months ago
Maybe crowd spec’d it from available options at an ODM. For sure, crowd didn’t develop anything.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Joe_ Avatar
30 months ago
Not sure about this company since they don’t have the greatest track record.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 16 4 Web Push

Apple Confirms Governments Using Push Notifications to Surveil Users

Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:06 am PST by
Unidentified governments are surveilling smartphone users by tracking push notifications that move through Google's and Apple's servers, a US senator warned on Wednesday (via Reuters). In a letter to the Department of Justice, Senator Ron Wyden said foreign officials were demanding the data from the tech giants to track smartphones. The traffic flowing from apps that send push notifications...
iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
airpods pro 2 pink

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 2 Firmware

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware update for both the Lightning and USB-C versions of the AirPods Pro 2. The new firmware is version 6B34, up from the 6B32 firmware introduced in November. Apple does not provide details on what features might be included in the refreshed firmware beyond "bug fixes and other improvements," so it is unclear what's new in the update, but prior software releases ...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

'All-Screen' iPhone Under-Display Camera Enters Development

Wednesday December 6, 2023 2:03 am PST by
Apple's Korean suppliers have begun developing smartphone under-display cameras (UDC), paving the way for the first iPhone with a true "all-screen" appearance. According to The Elec, LG Innotek has entered the preliminary development of the UDC, which sits under the display and does not result in a visible hole in the panel when the camera is not in use. A UDC differs from a typical front ...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 May Reuse Existing iPhone 14 Battery

Wednesday December 6, 2023 1:17 pm PST by
Recently, MacRumors has received details on the battery currently being tested on the upcoming fourth-generation iPhone SE, and the information corroborates previous findings in relation to the device. The iPhone SE 4, known by its device identifier D59, is expected to use the exact same battery found in the base model iPhone 14. Partially assembled prototypes of the next iPhone SE have been ...
12

Apple to Launch Two iPad Air and Two OLED iPad Pro Models Early Next Year

Wednesday December 6, 2023 9:53 am PST by
To boost falling iPad sales, Apple has a major refresh planned for the iPad lineup in early 2024, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple plans to debut new iPad Air and iPad Pro models, both of which will feature notable changes. The iPad Air will come in two sizes like the iPad Pro for the first time. The smaller model will continue to measure in at 10.9 inches, but the larger version...
New iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Release Notes: All New Features for Your iPhone

Wednesday December 6, 2023 7:17 am PST by
Apple has shared the full release notes for iOS 17.2, which is in the final stage of beta testing and should be released to the public next week. iOS 17.2 includes a long list of new features and changes, including a Journal app, spatial video recording on iPhone 15 Pro models, several improvements to the Messages and Weather apps, a Favorite Songs playlist in Apple Music, and more. iOS...
magsafe blue 2

iOS 17.2 Brings Qi2 Support to iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 Models

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:04 am PST by
The iOS 17.2 update that Apple is set to release to the public in the near future will bring support for the next-generation Qi2 wireless charging standard to the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models. Qi2 was mentioned in the release notes for the RC version of the update that came out today. With the addition of support for the new standard, iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models will work with Qi2...