Samsung's ViewFinity S9 5K Display Launches in the U.S.

[MacRumors]

After briefly going up for pre-order on Amazon last week, Samsung's new ViewFinity S9 5K Display is now officially available to order from Samsung and Amazon in the United States.

The Samsung ViewFinity S9 is one of the few 27-inch 5K displays on the market, going head-to-head with the Apple Studio Display in offering ideal pixel density for full Retina quality.

The ViewFinity S9 is priced at $1,599.99, essentially the same as the ‌Apple Studio Display‌, although Samsung includes a tilt- and height-adjustable stand while Apple charges $400 for that upgrade. The ViewFinity S9 can also be pivoted to a portrait orientation using the included stand.

The ViewFinity S9 features a Thunderbolt 4 port, three USB-C ports, and a Mini DisplayPort, and it includes 90 watts of power for machines connected through the Thunderbolt 4 port. A removable 4K SlimFit webcam supports tilt adjustments, as well as Auto Framing of subjects in the shot, similar to Apple's Center Stage feature. Built-in speakers with an Adaptive Sound+ option to automatically adjust noise levels are also included.

Built-in Smart TV apps and a remote control allow the display to function as a TV without being connected to a computer, with support for popular streaming apps and the Samsung Gaming Hub for playing cloud-based games from Xbox, NVIDIA, and more.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Samsung and Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Article Link: Samsung's ViewFinity S9 5K Display Launches in the U.S.

 

[Killerbob]

I don't understand how the market continues to sell so many 27" monitors. I upgraded to 32" a few years ago, and I will never look back. The ACD 30" was the big thing in 2011, and let's face it, 4K and 5K really shines at 30"+

 

[Onelifenofear]

Pfft 27". You could get TWO - LG OLED C2 55" with 6 year Warranty for the same price. OK it's 4K... but those blacks are incredible.

 

[antibolo]

Samsung had one job (sell a more affordable 5K display) and failed. Too bad.

 

[luccalabs]

Agreed, I still wonder what their motivation behind putting out a same priced very similar specced monitor was aside from targeting non-Apple users. Put it at 30" or 32" and you give Apple users a reason to buy it as well.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Welcome more competition at the oddball 5K resolution. Hopefully, it motivates Apple to include some features that cost extra and sharpen the pencil for ASD Version 2 pricing. Competition is always good for us consumers.

 

[klasma]

I don't understand how the market continues to sell so many 27" monitors. I upgraded to 32" a few years ago, and I will never look back. The ACD 30" was the big thing in 2011, and let's face it, 4K and 5K really shines at 30"+

I went from 32” to 27” because I needed the display to be closer. Different preferences.

Wishing for a 27” 4K+ OLED.

 

[Ron21]

Why would anyone pay the same price for a plastic build monitor, am I missing something?

 

[nvmls]

This product is DOA. For the price I'd take Apple's any day.

 

[CalMin]

I don’t see why any Mac user would buy this over the excellent Apple Studio Display.

My ASD has been superb, but for some reason it attracts a lot of negative comments in this forum. It works perfectly with my Mac, it integrates beautifully with MacOS, it sounds good, it’s more HDR than some HDR displays I’ve tested, it’s 600 nits, and its webcam is adequate for work meetings. Oh and it’s perfectly color calibrated to my MacBook right out of the box. Yet, people who don’t have one tells me it sucks!!

My only reservation with it was that it was expensive, however, the release of Samsungs display, seems to show that quality 5K displays are not cheap to make or sell.

And, please no more complaints that it’s only 60hz not 120hz or 144hz. Existing cables cannot carry 120hz at 5K. The tech doesn’t exist!!

Corrected statement. The current tech on MacBooks can't even drive 5K at higher than 60hz. (I only have TB4 and HDMI 2.0 on my current MacBook Pro (14" 2021 M1 Pro). At the time the ASD came out, I don't think there were many Macs that could use a 5K panel beyond 60hz.

***

EDIT

Since the thread has gotten so long, and I keep getting quoted on this, I see that no-one sees the later post where I corrected what I meant to say! I have lined through my original poorly worded statement. And have restated what I meant to say in italics. It's not that the tech doesn't exist, it's that it doesn't exist on MacBooks.

 

[lewchenko]

Why would anyone pay the same price for a plastic build monitor, am I missing something?

Better stand that allows height change and rotation and more connectivity by the look of it for the same price.

I still think it’s too expensive.

Every monitor stand I’ve ever had has been plastic and been absolutely fine.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Samsung makes great monitors but I think Apple Studio Display is much better.

 

[redmac]

So much coverage for a product from a second tier brand.

 

[redmac]

Better stand that allows height change and rotation and more connectivity by the look of it for the same price.

I still think it’s too expensive.

Every monitor stand I’ve ever had has been plastic and been absolutely fine.

I think that’s why you don’t know the difference. For Apple users “fine” is usually not enough.

 

[mrr]

This is a good alternative especially if it’s discounted.

 

[klasma]

Why would anyone pay the same price for a plastic build monitor, am I missing something?

Street price will likely go down significantly, different from Apple. It is matte, which means you don’t have to pay the nano-texture premium if you don’t like glossy. It supports HDR which the ASD doesn’t. It supports AirPlay which the ASD doesn’t. And you can switch between stand and VESA mount out-of-the-box.

 

[icanhazmac]

Why would anyone pay the same price for a plastic build monitor, am I missing something?

This product is DOA. For the price I'd take Apple's any day.

My guess is this monitor will see regular discounts in the 1299 range. If they hit 999 in the next year or two I might need to have 2 that will replace my Dell 27" 1440s.

 

[Zest28]

Going to sell the Apple Studio Display and buy this Samsung monitor. Because according to MacRumors, the Apple Studio Display is trash.

 

[zach-coleman]

It's so disappointing that it's the same price as the Apple one. Imo it's worse because it doesn't have symmetrical bezels... So much for Apple overcharging for old tech, huh?

 

[Mark.g4]

if I had to buy a monitor in this price range, I would go straight to an apple studio display!
no chance of snagging mac users at this price point.

 

[lotones]

Totally agree. Got mine refurbed, $250 less than MSRP, part of which went toward the VESA mount. Still a bargain.

Also, pro-tip: turn off Centerstage and the web-cam gets a lot better. I think the wide-angle camera gathers too much light to keep the centerstaged image sharp at 5K. With Centerstage off it's still a bit washed out, but sharper.

 

[munpip214]

Smart TV functions=Ads on my monitor? 😠

 

[zach-coleman]

Smart TV functions=Ads on my monitor? 😠

Yup. I completely forgot about that. Awful. I hate smart TVs, keep that trash off my desk, please! What ever happened to the ads from that subsidizing the price? I remember people making such arguments all the time...

 

[avkills]

My biggest complaint against Apple monitors is that they do truly suck if you want to hook them to anything but Apple computers. They are a waste of a purchase for those with multiple computers.

 

[danny1305]

I don't understand how the market continues to sell so many 27" monitors. I upgraded to 32" a few years ago, and I will never look back. The ACD 30" was the big thing in 2011, and let's face it, 4K and 5K really shines at 30"+

“I like 30” better than 27”, so everybody else should too” Lol…different use cases, different spaces, etc. Everyone isn’t using the exact setup you are