Samsung's New 32-Inch 'M8' Display vs. Apple's Studio Display

[theluggage]

Why are these two even compared to each other?

...because, now that there's no 5k iMac, people looking for a display to pair with a Mac Mini or Studio will be trying to decide whether to stump up $1600 for a Studio Display or settle for a cheaper 4k display like this. Nobody is pretending the picture on this is as good as on the Studio Display (the review is completely upfront about that) - the question is whether the SD is worth the extra $900 (or $1300 if you want a height-adjustable stand).

This Samsung in particular has Apple-ish styling, a bundled webcam (with a center-stage-alike feature) and "smart" features and apps which people thought they would get with the A13 in the Studio Display (but didn't). So it provides much of the same functionality as the Studio Display, just at lower quality levels.

 

[bobbie424242]

I’ll believe that when I see it.

Even if it was true, the price tag will be completely unattainable for the majority of consumers for ‘new tech’ at 6K. I don’t think consumers will start jumping from 4K strictly to 6K. Heck, 5K hasn’t even been fully adopted yet.

I would expect that hypothetical Dell 32" 6K to be way below 2000$ (and that's with a stand and anti-glare coating). If it is in the ballpark price of the Apple Studio Display, it will be truly bargain. The 32" 4K IPS Black (U3223QE) is about 1000$ currently.

 

[Danfango]

32” 4k. No thanks! All sorts of size and scaling problems. And you can’t get a full 4k frame in a window.

 

[skitidetdu]

So with the TV features in this monitor it would make sense if you could run Apple TVos on your A15 Apple monitor.

 

[topmounter]

It's a real shame that Apple couldn't be bothered to include a second input (eg DisplayPort 1.4 and/or HDMI 2.1) on the Studio Display.

 

[EugW]

Was there ever a M1-M6 models.

Yes. I don't know for all of them but here is the M5 for example:

Samsung’s new Smart Monitor is like a TV for your PC

It’s a computer monitor with a bunch of smart TV features

www.theverge.com

Until the M7, AFAIK they were generic-looking black plastic monitors, but after the M1 iMac came out, they changed it to white with a bunch of pastel colours with the M8.

 

[tkaravou]

Samsung's monitor to be the better value here.

Depends what you mean by value. The article states that the Studio display has a much higher resolution (esp per inch), more vibrant colors, better speakers, and a better mic. The Samsung is cheaper. Is that what defines value to you? Cheaper?

 

[jakey rolling]

Depends what you mean by value. The article states that the Studio display has a much higher resolution (esp per inch), more vibrant colors, better speakers, and a better mic. The Samsung is cheaper. Is that what defines value to you? Cheaper?

When your particular use-case only marginally benefits from the higher resolution and more vibrant colours, and you typically don't use the speakers or microphone built into your monitor, and when "cheaper" means "a third of the price", then yes, for many, many people, cheaper = better value.

 

[crsh1976]

This is a very lazy article. More information please.. some pros and cons, what each has that the other doesn’t. I don’t really see the point in this?

Did you expect anything more than "Samsung tries and fails when compared to anything Apple puts on the market"?

I'm no Samsung lover, but in their defence Samsung isn't toting this new monitor as a prosumer model like Apple's - it's a 4k monitor like they're a dime a dozen on the market, it's does color accuracy reasonable well for a non-pro model, has some features like a webcam (who cares, monitor-bound webcams are terrible for positioning), but that's about it. Nothing worth writing home about.

What we should be discussing is how the Studio Display is missing the mark, it's either an overpriced non-pro model, or a poor man's professional display that makes the XDR Display shine despite its price.

 

[EugW]

Depends what you mean by value. The article states that the Studio display has a much higher resolution (esp per inch), more vibrant colors, better speakers, and a better mic. The Samsung is cheaper. Is that what defines value to you? Cheaper?

The Studio Display is expensive as $h!# for what you get (esp. if you want a height adjustable stand), whereas the M8 is just $h!# judging by reviews here. I think I'd choose neither of these options if I were going for a new monitor.

BTW, the crappy camera quality and the bizarre non-adjustable framing of the camera when Center Stage is off doesn't help the Studio Display's case, but hopefully both of these issues can be fixed. On the flip side, everyone says the speakers are great.

 

[chucker23n1]

in their defence Samsung isn't toting this new monitor as a prosumer model like Apple's

They're pricing it at $700. That's more than twice what people typically pay for a monitor. So, yeah, I would call that prosumer.

 

[eclinton]

My main concern here is the same one I have with Samsung TVs, the software. It tends to get laggy over time and often just gets in the way. I wish there was a "dumb" button on these displays and TVs which allows bypassing the "smarts"

 

[jakey rolling]

The Studio Display is expensive as $h!# for what you get (esp. if you want a height adjustable stand), whereas the M8 is just $h!# judging by reviews here. I think I'd choose neither of these options if I were going for a new monitor.

Fair enough - as others have mentioned, there is a metric fork-ton of good 4k monitors available that will fit the needs of >90% of computer users really well. This is just one of them.

BTW, the crappy camera quality and the bizarre non-adjustable framing of the camera when Center Stage is off doesn't help the Studio Display's case, but hopefully both of these issues can be fixed. On the flip side, everyone says the speakers are great.

The webcam and microphone on the Apple Studio display were clearly added as differentiation points, and not much else. Just like good 4k monitors, there are also countless webcams of varying quality available on the market, with many of them far exceeding what the Studio Display's camera can do. As for the speakers - sure, they're great compared to other monitor-integrated speakers. But given its price and supposed target market, I would wager that at least half of the people buying the Studio Display already have a set of speakers sitting on their desk that are far better quality.

 

[EugW]

As for the speakers - sure, they're great compared to other monitor-integrated speakers. But given its price and supposed target market, I would wager that at least half of the people buying the Studio Display already have a set of speakers sitting on their desk that are far better quality.

A friend of mine with the Studio Display does not use external speakers with it, even though he used to be a little bit of a speaker snob for his desktops. I haven't heard it myself, but he says it's that good. (As in not totally awesome, but way better than expected for a monitor, and better than all the 27" iMacs.)

I'd probably be in the same situation. I have a pair of NHT SuperZero 2.1 speakers with a desktop stereo amp mated to my Mac mini with 30" Cinema Display, but those speakers take up a lot of room. I suspect these speakers are better overall (not counting bass) than the Studio Display speakers, but if I were to get the Studio Display and its speakers' quality were close to what people are reporting, I would repurpose those NHT speakers for something else, to save space.

But like I said, I won't be getting the Studio Display anytime soon. It's costly, and I don't like the pixel density either. Its ppi the same as my iMac 5K, which is higher than I prefer (or else not high enough depending on the scenario).

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

Refresh rate? Support for VRR (G-Sync/Freesync)? Supported colorspace(s)? Gray uniformity? Response time?

Edit: Only 60hz, no VRR, 99% sRGB, and it has Bixby for some reason. So this monitor is just as useless as the Studio Display.

Smart Monitor M8 | 32 inch M80D | Samsung US

Explore M8 M80D 32" Smart Monitor 4K UHD with speakers, Streaming TV, USB-C port, Ergonomic Stand, 4K AI Upscaling, & Multicontrol. Buy today!

www.samsung.com

 

[aknabi]

The Samsung is a non-starter for Mac users, because it’s only 4k @ 32 inches, which means it’s not a retina display. Basically useless for the Mac then.

Yes totally useless, any code I write in Xcode won't compile and run unless it's done on a Retina display

 

[jakey rolling]

Refresh rate? Support for VRR (G-Sync/Freesync)? Supported colorspace(s)? Gray uniformity? Response time?

If those things are important to you, this is probably the wrong monitor to buy.

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

If those things are important to you, this is probably the wrong monitor to buy.

Clearly, since I had to look up the product specs myself.

The M8 is pretty… and that’s about it. I’ll take my ”chunky” bezel-ed G7 and G5s.

 

[jakey rolling]

Yes totally useless, any code I write in Xcode won't compile and run unless it's done on a Retina display

Ssh. Don't give Tim any ideas.

 

[CoolSpot]

This^

But I totally agree with the comments saying that a 32-inches at 2160P (3840x2160) is not going to be a "Retina display" and you pretty much confirm this. Who sits 64 cm (25 inches)+ from a monitor? I just measured the distance I sit from my 2x 34-inch ultrawides and it's about 51 cm (20 inches) and that's my normal sitting position, I happen to peak closer at times as well. Apple's notion about desktop monitors having to be around ~210-220 PPI to be Retina feels about correct and if we use your calculator that should mean it's Retina as long as you stay beyond 41 cm (16 inches) and sitting anything closer than that seems unlikely for most scenarios.

Sitting at 20" from your display is sitting very close. At home I sit around 30-34" from my display and at the office I sit around 28-32" away and would have to lean over my desk to get to 20". I'm sitting at a normal cubicle desk thats 30" deep and using dual 1080p 24" monitors.

 

[everlast3434]

The Samsung is 4K 32”, so resolution on the Samsung is only 138 PPI, compared to 218 PPI for the Apple Studio Display. If you want the smooth text, you’ll go from a 1440p workspace on the Studio Display to a comically large 1080p workspace on the Samsung.

Personally, I can’t tell the difference lol.

 

[Puiz]

A Retina 5K monitor vs. a 4K television screen with pixels the size of human eyeballs? And somehow the latter is cheaper? Stop the presses! Next: the iPhone 13 Pro Max vs. the Samsung RS74T5F01B4 Fridge!

 

[everlast3434]

4K simply isn't enough K. I agree with the people who want 5K or 6K. Why not just save some money and go with 1K, if that's your only criteria. If I had my druthers, I would get an 11K.
Oh but as for what you asked about, the Apple webcam and mics are better.

The studio display webcam is horrible and a total joke. I actually have a Logitech camera that I use on the studio display cause the built in is so useless.

 

[mono1980]

Looks like a good option for those who don't care about having retina quality. Really, 32 inches at 4K is pretty low dpi. It's a no for me. I might consider this if it was 27" though.

 

[usagora]

Looks really nice. I doubt most people would be able to notice the difference in resolution/ppi unless they start pixel peeping. I think most people who say they "need" 5k or retina just think they need it. It's mostly marketing hype. For instance, I have a 27" 4k LG display at work and an iMac 27" 5k display at home. It literally makes no difference to me. Even if the LG were 32" I doubt I would notice the difference in ppi.