Which curve suits a 27-inch 16:9 monitor if you want one?

The R number is the radius of the circle the curve would form, in millimeters. Samsung's buying guide defines it the same way.

Each circle's center sits 39.4 inches (1 meter) out from the panel's middle for 1000R, 59.1 inches (1.5 meters) for 1500R and 70.9 inches (1.8 meters) for 1800R.

A An 31.5 in (80 cm) desk seat is closer to the screen than the center of any of the three circles, so the center tells you about the shape, not where to sit.

Measured from a straight line joining the edges, the bow at 27 inches is 1.7 in (44 mm) for 1000R, 1.2 in (30 mm) for 1500R and 1.0 in (25 mm) for 1800R.

The 32-inch panel's edges sit 23.9 degrees off center from the same seat, so a curve has more to do on that panel.

Samsung's buying guide says curved monitors typically reduce the visual distortion often found at the edges of flat screens. At 27 inches the edges already sit close to your line of sight, so a flat panel may show little edge distortion to begin with. The bend can still make straight lines look slightly curved when you sit off to one side, and at this width it's easy to miss.

Desk space matters less at this size. At 1500R the edges come forward by 1.2 in (30 mm), a small amount of extra reach for the arm and the desk.