Samsung's Studio Display Rival Launching in South Korea Next Week for Equivalent of $1,300

[MacRumors]

Samsung today announced that its ViewFinity S9 external monitor is now available to pre-order in South Korea, and will launch in the country on July 3. The monitor is priced at 1.7 million won, which is equivalent to approximately $1,300 USD. Samsung has yet to reveal pricing or availability details for the U.S. market.

Unveiled at CES 2023 in January, the ViewFinity S9 has similar specs as Apple's Studio Display, including the same 27-inch size, 5K resolution, 60Hz refresh rate, 600 nits peak brightness, support for one billion colors, and support for 99% of the DCI-P3 color space. The monitor's metal stand and slim bezels also resemble the Studio Display.

The back of the ViewFinity S9 is equipped with a Thunderbolt 4 port that can provide up to 90W of pass-through charging to a computer, which is enough power to charge any MacBook. The monitor also has three USB-C ports and a Mini DisplayPort.

If the ViewFinity S9 ends up being priced around $1,300 in the U.S., that would be around $300 cheaper than the Studio Display, which starts at $1,599. However, the ViewFinity S9 offers a matte finish and a height-adjustable stand as standard features, whereas the Studio Display costs $2,299 when configured with these options, so the savings could potentially be up to $1,000. Samsung's monitor also comes with an attached 4K webcam that offers higher-resolution video than the Studio Display's built-in webcam.

The monitor has a "Smart Calibration" feature that allows it to be calibrated with the SmartThings app. Users can point a compatible iPhone or Galaxy smartphone's camera at the center of the ViewFinity S9 screen to calibrate the monitor.

Samsung uploaded a ViewFinity S9 introduction video in English on its YouTube channel on Sunday, so U.S. availability may be around the corner. The monitor will provide much-needed competition to the Studio Display, as there are very few 27-inch 5K displays on the market that offer an ideal Retina-quality experience for macOS. The monitor also offers far better value for customers willing to look past the Apple logo.

Article Link: Samsung's Studio Display Rival Launching in South Korea Next Week for Equivalent of $1,300

 

[Populus]

If this monitor offers the same glossy finished glass as the ASD, it can be a worthy competitor. Otherwise, personally I don’t want another matte finished display, thank you.

 

[ignatius345]

My big question is, will it have enough compatibility with MacOS to let you adjust brightness and settings on-screen the way you can with an Apple display? For that kind of money, I don't want to have to be futzing with buttons on the display...

 

[daneoni]

So if you want 5k you need to drop over a grand. No matter where you look.

And you only get 60hz IPS at 500-600nits.

No mini-LED, no OLED, no high refresh rate.

 

[EugW]

Samsung today announced that its ViewFinity S9 external monitor is now available to pre-order in South Korea, and will launch in the country on July 3. The monitor is priced at 1.7 million won, which is equivalent to approximately $1,300 USD. Samsung has yet to reveal pricing or availability details for the U.S. market.

At least one person has reported that this is less than US$1000 street price in Korea for pre-order.

If true, that is a big deal, assuming the monitor doesn't suck.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

One thing is certain… Samsung makes the best screen display monitors.

 

[icanhazmac]

Will wait for the reviews but if everything checks out I will probably take 2. Very interested in a review of sharing between a PC and Mac making sure both look good and switch easily. Hopefully switching inputs isn't tucked 7 layers deep in the menu.

 

[Zachari]

Competition is great for everyone!

 

[Kubiq1]

Found a review:

To be honest, I expected it to be a bit cheaper. For $1300, i'd rather pay a few hundred bucks more for Studio Display with better build quality, speakers, no connection issues etc.

 

[EugW]

BTW, there appears to be some firmware issue with this monitor with Intel Macs. In the YouTube review linked in the other thread, there are horrible display issues when used with the review's Intel Mac Pro and 2017 MacBook Pro. Works fine with his Apple Silicon MacBook Pro M1 Pro.

To be honest, I expected it to be a bit cheaper. For $1300, i'd rather pay a few hundred bucks more for Studio Display with better build quality, speakers, no connection issues etc.

See my previous post. Some Korean dude pre-ordered it for under US$1000.

 

[Apple Fan 2008]

How many times do they have to talk about stupid monitors from Samsung!!! it’s like every other day

 

[mushy peas]

I'd suggest anyone interested in this monitor go and check out the threads in the Mac Accessories forum. There's heaps of info there, including follow-ups to Joe's video review linked above.

 

[The Barron]

Competition is great for everyone!

Competition is especially good for Apple to keep it on its "A Game."

 

[jurmous]

How many times do they have to talk about stupid monitors from Samsung!!! it’s like every other day

It is not every day that a true 5K monitor is released. It competes directly with the Apple Studio Display at a way more affordable price. And Samsung prices are often well discounted after some months. I am looking forward to this monitor!

 

[Mr. Dee]

But it doesn't have an Apple logo.

 

[andrewxgx]

is it really that hard to make a display with symmetrically thin borders?
#KillTheChin

 

[StellarVixen]

Color depth? Don’t tell me they ask $1300 for 8bit.

 

[iBluetooth]

One thing is certain… Samsung makes the best screen display monitors.

That would be LG

 

[4087258]

SmartThings is total crap.

 

[EugW]

Color depth? Don’t tell me they ask $1300 for 8bit.

Apple Studio Display is 8-bit.

 

[DotCom2]

So glad I got my ASD when it was on sale for $1200!

 

[jurmous]

But it doesn't have an Apple logo.

Thats why you get Apple stickers with Apple products. Finally a way to use them 😁

 

[Klapper.cz]

Why 60hz? Why no miniLED? And why matte finish??? The glossy LCD is like the number 1 thing obvious from Apple world when making the competitor..

 

[itsboi]

One thing is certain… Samsung makes the best screen display monitors.

Doubt it with the amount of quality control complaints I hear about.

 

[dlondon]

I have an ultra wide at work (38") and a smaller one at home (34"), but I would settle for a 32" widescreen display. I hope Apple will release a 32" Studio Display soon.