Samsung M9 Smart Monitor (M90SF)
ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The most recent sensible monitor contains a 120Hz OLED show and prices $1,599.
- It runs on Tizen OS, however could be linked to Mac or Home windows, too.
- Some notable omissions embrace Wi-Fi 6E/7, an SD card slot, and a correct rotating mount.
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There I used to be: logged off of Slack, legs kicked up, and mentally ready for the beginning of one other exhausting however thrilling NBA season. This 12 months’s opening double-header was broadcast on Peacock, so all it took was a number of faucets on the distant to drag up the streaming service and watch the Houston Rockets upset the defending champions, the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder. They did not.
However that is been my life this previous week with Samsung’s newest M9 (M90SF) 32-inch smart monitor, a show that may lengthen any Mac, Home windows, or Linux system whereas doubling as a TV. All it takes is a press of a button, and also you’re taking a look at a client product that my mother and father would floor me for placing on my wishlist as a child.
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To be clear, this is not the primary monitor hybrid available on the market, and it is definitely not the primary for Samsung. However that is one in every of, if not probably the most, succesful.
It calls for a excessive value — $1,600, in the course of the uncommon instances that it isn’t discounted — however for folk who need a monitor that appears simply nearly as good within the workplace for skilled work because it does for after-hours content material consumption, this could be your best choice at the moment.
For a fairly subtle TV, setting it up is pretty easy. There is a pleasant, cool-to-the-touch aluminum hand really feel as you snap the bottom mount to the stand and to the again of the monitor, and the rear USB-C port (alongside an HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, and two USB-A ports) is highly effective sufficient to ship 90W for a single-cable, pass-through expertise.
That is to say, the M9 is likely one of the better-looking sensible displays I’ve examined; it has a definitive industrial look that is refreshing to see in a market stuffed with cut up selections. Sensible displays are likely to have a toy-ish feel and appear that does not induce a lot confidence, however not this one.
Nonetheless, the M9’s design is not excellent. The primary flaw is you could’t bodily rotate the monitor with the default stand, though peak and tilt adjustment are pretty versatile. As an alternative, you will want a taller VESA mount to totally rotate the 32-inch display screen by 90 levels.
Then there’s absolutely the tank of an influence brick that you will wish to keep away from hanging and requires ample area to stow away. My sit-stand desk occurs to have a cable compartment beneath it that has simply sufficient area to tuck the ability brick away, however your setup might not be as versatile.
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The viewing expertise of the M9 is kind of good, because of an inky OLED panel that yields nice distinction ranges and bright-enough colours, whether or not you are in PC mode, Tizen OS (the TV working system), or each on the identical time, because of split-screen viewing.
There isn’t any perceivable shift in shade when staring on the monitor from completely different angles — doing so solely highlights the effectiveness of its anti-glare properties.
When watching streaming providers, together with YouTube, I discovered the image high quality on Tizen OS to be significantly better than once I prolonged or mirrored my Mac. The native apps simply do a extra dependable and faster job at adapting video decision, and navigating the TV with the included solar-powered distant is as responsive as another 2025 TV I’ve examined.
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The place issues fall quick for me is shade accuracy, particularly with the default image settings. When modifying product pictures in Adobe Lightroom, the monitor portrayed uncooked photos with extra saturation and sharpness than my MacBook Professional. Luckily, that was one thing I used to be in a position to calibrate, and I like to recommend anybody planning to make use of the M9 for skilled work to do the identical.
To my shock, the built-in 4K ultrawide webcam and inside audio system have been above common, particularly for a monitor. The video feed has quantity of element, although presumably too large of a subject of view for some, and the audio system did not make me run for a devoted sound system at first hear. As an alternative, it is a pretty balanced audio profile that will get loud sufficient for watching TV.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
Finally, the Samsung M9 is the corporate’s greatest try at a monitor for work and play. It is constructed nicely, the duality of working programs is very versatile, and the few shortcomings, together with the shortage of Wi-Fi 6E (not to mention Wi-Fi 7) and the lack to rotate the display screen with a VESA mount, are manageable.
At a retail value of $1,600, I’d solely advocate the monitor if and when it is discounted; there are just too many competing QD-OLED and OLED displays available on the market with higher specs and cheaper price factors that forestall the Samsung M9 from being the definitive choice.
But when area is restricted and your funds aligns, you are taking a look at a sensible monitor that ought to test all the correct packing containers for you.
