Samsung Good Monitor M9 assessment: This OLED doubles as a TV

Finest Costs Immediately: Samsung Good Monitor M9

$1599.99

Desire a 32-inch good tv with good picture high quality? Or a 32-inch OLED monitor that you should use for Netflix and cloud gaming even when your PC is turned off? The Samsung Good Monitor M9 is likely to be your answer. This good monitor has Samsung’s Tizen OS and helps all of the options and performance you’d count on of a Samsung tv—for higher, and generally, for worse.

Learn on to study extra, then see our roundup of one of the best displays for comparability.

Samsung Good Monitor M9 specs and options

The Samsung Good Monitor M9’s primary specs are typical for a 32-inch OLED, although only a tad underwhelming. It provides 4K decision, however the most decision is 165Hz (some rivals attain 240Hz). The monitor helps HDR10+, however not Dolby Imaginative and prescient. And whereas it helps USB-C upstream enter with 90 watts of energy, it has restricted downstream USB connectivity.

• Show measurement: 31.5-inch 16:9 facet ratio
• Native decision: 3840×2160
• Panel sort: QD-OLED (matte)
• Refresh fee: 165Hz
• Adaptive sync: Sure, AMD FreeSync Premium Professional and Nvidia G-Sync Suitable
• HDR: Sure, HDR10+
• Ports: 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x USB-C with 90 watts of Energy Supply, 2x USB-A 2.0 downstream
• Audio: 2x 10-watt audio system
• Further options: Tizen OS, distant management, 4K webcam and dual-microphone array, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.2
• Worth: $1599.99 MSRP, $1,299.99 typical retail

Nonetheless, the Good Monitor M9 has what most 32-inch OLED displays lack—a sensible TV working system. Particularly, it ships with Samsung’s Tizen OS. To help that, it additionally has a distant management, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. A webcam with microphone is thrown in for good measure.

The Good Monitor M9 has a retail MSRP of $1,599.99, but it surely doesn’t seem to retail at that worth usually. It’s ceaselessly discounted to $1,299.99. That’s a bit costly for a 32-inch OLED monitor, however in keeping with premium rivals just like the HP Omen Transcend 32 and LG Ultragear 32GS95UE-B (neither of which have good TV options).

Samsung Good Monitor M9 design

The Samsung Good Monitor M9 leans on a conservative, elegant design that doesn’t take dangers however ought to look good in any scenario. From the entrance it’s virtually all display, except for the highest bezel, the place a webcam lurks.

Round again it’s an expanse of gunmetal supplies, largely plastic, that are understated however look costly. The panel is sort of skinny, too, and whereas it does have a bump-out that accommodates the ports, it’s small and unobtrusive.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

The monitor ships with an L-shaped stand that has a compact, flat base that gained’t take up a lot house on a desk. Annoyingly, although, the stand requires a screwdriver to assemble (most monitor stands use a thumb screw).

Whereas the stand supplies ergonomic adjustment, it’s not nice. It adjusts 120mm for top and also can pivot 90 levels. Nonetheless, it will probably’t truly be utilized in portrait mode as a result of the quantity of top adjustment out there doesn’t maintain the show excessive sufficient off a desk to help portrait mode. As a substitute, the sting of the show will run into your desk at round 60 levels of rotation. The stand permits tilt however doesn’t swivel, which most 32-inch monitor stands help.

The monitor can also be appropriate with 100x100mm VESA mounts to be used with third-party monitor arms and stands.

Samsung Good Monitor M9 connectivity

The again of the Samsung Good Monitor M9 supplies three video inputs. One HDMI 2.1, one DisplayPort 1.4, and one USB-C with DisplayPort. All three help the monitor’s most refresh fee and determination, although solely in Sport Mode (the utmost outdoors Sport Mode is 120Hz). Three video inputs are typical for the class, although some, just like the HP Omen Transcend 32, present 4.

Connecting to the USB-C port additionally supplies 90 watts of USB Energy Supply, which is sufficient to energy many mid-range Home windows laptops, and most MacBooks. The USB-C port supplies downstream entry to a pair of USB-A ports. They’re solely USB-A 2.0, although, in order that they’re largely there for a wired keyboard and mouse.

That makes the Good Monitor M9’s connectivity a little bit of a combination. On the one hand, it supplies number of inputs and USB-C with Energy Supply, which is a must have on a monitor on this worth vary. Nevertheless it’s outclassed by displays just like the HP Omen Transcend 32, which not solely has extra video inputs, but in addition has USB-C with 140 watts of energy. The LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B additionally has a slight benefit, as its USB-A ports are no less than USB 3.0, and it has a 3.5mm audio-out, which the Good Monitor M9 lacks.

Samsung Good Monitor M9 Good TV options

The “Good” within the Samsung Good Monitor M9’s title means it ships with Samsung’s Tizen OS, the identical working system discovered on the corporate’s good televisions.

And very similar to on good televisions, Tizen supplies entry to an enormous vary of apps and companies. You may watch Netflix or play cloud gaming companies like Amazon Luna, amongst different issues. Put merely: The Good Monitor M9 is a great TV. The truth is, it’s arguably greater than that. It could even entry some productiveness apps, like Microsoft 365, so you may sorta-kinda use the monitor like a pc. You should utilize the Good Monitor M9 to regulate Samsung SmartThings gadgets, too.

Keep in mind, although, that as a result of it lacks a TV tuner, the Good Monitor M9 can’t natively deal with an over-the-air or coaxial cable TV sign.

I trip on how Samsung’s Tizen OS compares to LG’s WebOS, discovered on displays just like the LG MyView Good Monitor 32SR85U, and Google TV OS, discovered on displays just like the MSI Trendy MD272UPSW. Tizen OS is definitely the busiest of the three, in no small half because of the vary of Samsung options which might be built-in (you should use some Samsung telephones to calibrate the monitor, for instance, although you may as well use some iPhones). That’s useful in the event you’re all-in on the Samsung ecosystem. If not, it will probably show distracting.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Sadly, the good monitor options imply that setup is far more difficult than most displays. It’s a multi-step course of that includes Wi-Fi, Samsung accounts, phrases of service, and extra. I completed setup in about 5 minutes, but it surely’s certain to bother those that simply need a monitor to be plug-and-play.

Oh—and what in regards to the 4K webcam? It’s an odd inclusion but in addition a pleasant bonus. The webcam is obtainable as a plug-and-play digital camera for any PC related to the monitor’s USB-C port. That’s useful and, higher nonetheless, each the digital camera and microphone array present higher high quality than a run-of-the-mill webcam. It’s not good; the webcam lacks a bodily privateness shutter, and the default field-of-view is surprisingly extensive. Nonetheless, it’s good to have in the event you recurrently use a webcam to take video calls at your desk.

Samsung Good Monitor M9 menus and settings

Good TV options apart, the Samsung Good Monitor M9 supplies a good vary of picture high quality adjustment. There are alternatives for gamma, colour temperature, colour calibration, and a number of other preset modes that focus on particular colour house.

The menu system is complicated, nonetheless. Samsung inexplicably constrains the menu to a small portion of the show, so there’s not sufficient house to checklist the complete textual content of some menu gadgets (they as an alternative scroll). I additionally observed that many menu choices, like fine-grain colour temperature changes, are locked behind particular modes, whereas others are listed but didn’t appear accessible. The monitor’s handbook wasn’t useful, both.

Samsung, like LG, additionally makes the unusual choice to summon another menu when Sport Mode is turned on. The menu is organized in a different way and highlights completely different choices, including to the confusion. Sport Mode can also be required to entry the 165Hz refresh fee.

In abstract: The menu system is a little bit of a large number. The identical can also be true of LG webOS good displays, however I believe Samsung’s menu system is likely to be even worse. Each Samsung and LG would do nicely to re-think their menu methods. On the very least, can we get a menu massive sufficient to checklist the complete textual content of the choices on-screen and ditch the bizarre alternate menu system for Sport Mode?

Samsung Good Monitor M9 audio

The Samsung Good Monitor M9 ships with 10-watt audio system that present sufficient audio. They’re clear, crisp, and fulfilling at decrease ranges of quantity, however shortly change into muddy and harsh as quantity ranges ramp up. I’m actually a bit perplexed as to why Samsung even permits the audio system to change into as loud as they’ll, as they’re clearly less than the duty of delivering high quality audio at something above roughly half the speaker’s most quantity.

Regardless of that, it’s value point out that many rivals don’t even have built-in audio system, and people who do have them are sometimes worse. The HP Omen Transcend 32 has a pair of 3-watt audio system and the Alienware AW3225QF doesn’t have audio system in any respect. The Good Monitor M9’s audio is okay for much less demanding conditions. For instance, they have been fulfilling when taking part in Rimworld and listening to podcasts on YouTube.

LG’s Ultragear 32GS95UE-B, which has an revolutionary “Pixel Sound” system, is the one competitor that places the Good Monitor M9’s audio to disgrace. The LG 32GS95UE-B shouldn’t be a sensible monitor, although, and it’s normally $100 costlier than the Samsung.  

Samsung Good Monitor M9 SDR picture high quality

The Samsung Good Monitor M9 after all has a Samsung QD-OLED panel. QD-OLED is a recognized amount at this level. It constantly supplies nice efficiency, a lot in order that I’ve argued it doesn’t actually matter which OLED monitor you purchase—no less than, not in relation to SDR picture high quality.

The Good Monitor M9 does little to disprove that time, but it surely appears nice. It additionally has a matte show end, which is uncommon for an OLED and can make or break the show for some.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

The Samsung Good Monitor M9 produced a sustained SDR brightness of 252 nits. Because the graph exhibits, that’s typical and mid-pack for an OLED monitor, with most falling between 240 and 260 nits. That degree of brightness is okay for indoor use in a room with gentle management, but it surely might sound dim in a really brightly lit room, or reverse a sunlit window.

With that mentioned, the Good Monitor M9 has a matte coat, which is uncommon. The coat successfully diffuses reflections, which makes it simpler to see the monitor in vivid rooms, or when a vivid gentle supply is reverse the show. On the draw back, although, it would make the monitor appear a bit much less contrast-rich than a shiny different.

I want a matte coat over shiny, however your opinion could fluctuate, and it’s a key level. The matte show end is likely to be the rationale you select the Good Monitor M9, or keep away from it, relying in your desire.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Whereas the matte coat can cut back obvious distinction attributable to the way it diffuses gentle throughout the show, the Good Monitor M9 nonetheless supplies the identical infinite distinction ratio as different OLED shows. That’s true as a result of it reached an ideal minimal luminance of zero nits. Consequently, it supplies a wealthy and immersive picture with sense of dimensionality.

The identical is true of all trendy OLED displays, nonetheless. The distinction ratio, although clearly glorious, doesn’t set the Good Monitor M9 other than the pack.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

QD-OLED displays are glorious in colour gamut, offering a large colour gamut that shows many colours. Consequently, the Good Monitor M9 can show 100% of the sRGB colour gamut, 98 % of DCI-P3, and 94 % of AdobeRGB. The monitor appears vivid and saturated.

Nonetheless, as soon as once more, the Good Monitor M9’s glorious efficiency doesn’t separate it from the pack. All QD-OLED displays have related colour gamut. Displays with an LG WOLED panel fall a bit behind QD-OLED, although their colour gamut remains to be strong general.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

The Good Monitor M9 additionally has glorious colour accuracy straight out of the field. Whereas eager customers with particular wants could wish to calibrate it to succeed in sure requirements, the default picture is exceptionally correct for basic use.

The monitor’s colour error is extra distinguished in grayscale than it’s in colour, which contributes to a default gamma curve worth of two.3. Which means the picture is a bit darker than supposed. It’s a small distinction however may end in some slight lack of shadow element in uniformly darkish scenes. Coloration temperature, then again, was spot on the goal worth of 6500K. Which means the picture doesn’t look too heat or too cool.

Sharpness is a perk. The native decision of 3840×2160 works out to about 140 pixels per inch throughout the 31.5-inch OLED panel. Although clearly not as sharp as a 27-inch 4K show, it’s nonetheless a superb pixel density that appears sharp in every part from video games to Microsoft Phrase.

In abstract, the Samsung Good Monitor M9’s SDR picture is precisely as glorious as anticipated. It performs identically to different QD-OLED displays. The one main distinction is subjective: the matte show end. Whether or not you want that, or not, will rely by yourself desire.

Samsung Good Monitor M9 HDR picture high quality

The Samsung Good Monitor M9 is VESA DisplayHDR 400 True Black licensed. That’s typical for a QD-OLED monitor. Nonetheless, it seems that HDR brightness is a draw back for the Good Monitor M9.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

I attempted the Good Monitor M9 in all out there HDR modes, but it surely by no means crept a lot greater than 450 nits even in peak highlights. Lighting a bigger space of the show led to even decrease HDR brightness, which is typical for an OLED monitor.

That’s to not say the Good Monitor M9 appears unhealthy in HDR. It nonetheless has the distinction and colour efficiency wanted to ship a vibrant, saturated, correct picture.

Nonetheless, the shortage of brightness might be noticeable in vivid HDR highlights. Within the Gargantua scene from Interstellar, for instance, I observed much less element within the vivid swirling gasses closest to the black gap. Delicate variations in brightness which might be seen on another OLED displays weren’t seen on the Good Monitor M9.

On one remaining notice, the Samsung Good Monitor M9 does permit brightness adjustment in HDR mode. Whereas more and more widespread, not all displays permit this, as HDR usually controls brightness primarily based on content material. For a monitor, nonetheless, full brightness management is preferable, and I’m glad to see the Good Monitor M9 supplies it.

Samsung Good Monitor M9 movement efficiency

The Samsung Good Monitor M9 isn’t a gaming monitor, but it surely nonetheless supplies a decent most refresh fee of 165Hz.

That’s not so good as 32-inch OLED gaming displays, which are likely to hit 240Hz, but it surely nonetheless supplies a serious enhance in movement readability over a 60Hz show. Quick-moving objects look crisp and quick digital camera pans in 3D video games present respectable element.

The distinction between the Good Monitor M9’s 165Hz refresh fee and a superior 240Hz monitor is most noticeable when viewing small textual content or UI parts. For those who’re attempting to trace the HP bar or standing icons above an enemy, for instance, it may be a bit harder on the Good Monitor M9 than on a 240Hz different, just like the HP Omen Transcend 32 or Alienware AW3225QF.

After all, these options aren’t good displays, so that you’ll have to select between movement readability and good options.

Adaptive Sync is supported on the Good Monitor M9, and it even lists official help for AMD FreeSync Premium Professional and Nvidia G-Sync Suitable. That’s nice to see in a monitor that doesn’t invoice itself as a gaming show.

Must you purchase the Samsung Good Monitor M9?

Samsung’s Good Monitor M9 is a bundle of perks and disadvantages that make for a complicated suggestion.

The monitor has a complicated menu system, restricted downstream connectivity, and mediocre HDR brightness. Nonetheless, it additionally packs helpful good TV options, full with distant management, and has a uncommon (for OLED) matte show end that reduces glare and makes the monitor extra viewable in brighter room.

Deciding whether or not the Good Monitor M9 works for you requires cautious consideration of those perks and issues. It could work as a TV different in small areas, has the colour efficiency for artistic work, and a matte coat that appears nice when writing in Phrase or shopping the online. However if you’d like an OLED monitor largely for PC gaming, or HDR leisure, you’ll discover higher efficiency elsewhere.