Samsung's ViewFinity S9 5K Monitor Is Coming To Take On Apple's Studio Display
Samsung is getting ready to release its high-end ViewFinity S9 monitor for graphics designers and photography buffs in the US for a price that, on the surface, is virtually identical to Apple's Studio Pro—$1,599.99 MSRP (versus $1,599.00). However, Samsung's value proposition is that the ViewFinity S9 comes with a couple of standard features that would cost several hundred dollars more to tack onto the Studio Pro.
One of those features is a matte screen that "limits light reflection and glare." According to Apple, the standard glass option on the Studio Pro is engineered for extremely low reflectivity, but you'll need to pony up an additional $300 for a nano-texture glass option that scatters light to further minimize glare.
Samsung's display also sports a stand with height, tilt, and pivot adjustments. The Studio Pro, meanwhile, comes with a stand that supports tilt adjustments, but its costs $400 to upgrade the stand to one that is also height adjustable. So you're looking at grand total of $2,299 for the nano-texture glass and ergonomically enhanced stand.
Price comparison aside, the ViewFinity S9 (S90PC) is a 27-inch monitor with a 5K (5120x2880) resolution, 60Hz refresh rate, and 5ms gray-to-gray (GtG) response time. There's no mention of FreeSync or G-Sync support as found on other Samsung monitors and TVs (like the big and bold S90C 83-inch OLED), which is not surprising given that the ViewFinity S9 is primarily meant for professional work, not gaming.
To that end, it's equipped with an IPS panel that Samsung says covers 99 percent of the DCI-P3 color space. Other specs include a 600 nits typical brightness rating, 1,000:1 static contrast ratio, 4K SlimFit webcam that connects via pogo pin, built-in speakers with Adaptive Sound+, and factory calibration for Delta E <2 accuracy out of the box. There's also a Smart Calibration feature that works with smartphones to dial things in even further, if needed.
"Using the SmartThings app, users can choose to calibrate in Basic mode for a quick and easy adjustment of white balance and gamma settings, or they can use Professional mode for complete control of color temperature, luminance, color space and gamma settings. Users can start this process simply by pointing their smartphone camera at the ViewFinity S9, and after calibration, they can view a report detailing the adjustments made and the Delta E color accuracy," Samsung explains.
Inputs include a Thunderbolt 4 port with up to 90W of power for charging devices and up to a 40Gbps data transfer speed, a mini DisplayPort connector, three USB-C ports, and a DC 20V port for the power supply. Samsung sames the ViewFinity S9 plays nice with both PCs and Macs.
Finally, the ViewFinity S9 comes with Samsung's usual assortment of smart TV apps, as well as its Gaming Hub that works with Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass, NVIDIA's GeForce NOW, and other cloud gaming services.
Samsung says the ViewFinity S9 will be available to buy in August.
