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Review & Unboxing: Samsung Viewfinity S9 5K 27″ Monitor.. Is this an Apple Studio Display killer?

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Hello from Thailand! Today, I am reviewing the Samsung Viewfinity S9 5K Smart monitor. After being closely observed by various media outlets, is it truly a contender to replace the Apple Studio Display? Does its screen quality match that of a top-tier monitor? Is it worth purchasing this monitor instead of one from Apple? Let’s find out.

Timecodes
0:00 Intro
0:35 Unboxing the Samsung Viewfinity S9
1:35 First look at the Samsung Viewfinity S9
2:32 Issues with Older Macs with Intel Processor
3:16 Specification
4:14 Pros
5:27 Cons
6:51 Samsung Viewfinity S9 VS Apple Studio Display
8:29 Conclusion

This review is from the perspective of an actual user, and I have not received any sponsorship or monitor support from Samsung. If there are any inaccuracies or if anyone has additional questions, please feel free to comment, and let’s discuss.

This is my first English review, and I’m using ChatGPT to translate my Thai script into English. If there are any mistakes or missing information, I sincerely apologize!

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20 Comments

  1. Hi Joe, thanks for review. Do you see big difference in a matter of image quality of your LG Ultrafine 5K vs Apple Display?
    In my location prices are as follows 100% Apple, 70% Samsung, 50% LG and if screen matrix is the same or nearly the same then price makes the difference.

    I am having 4K monitor (27inches Eizo) and what I can say is that it subjectively makes no sense with Apple. Fonts are little blurred , images as well, despite my eyes are not eagle ones. Windows and Linux are making scaling very good (especially Windows), but Apple looks like cannot or is not willing to.

  5. Hey! Can you please help me? I purchased this monitor in my region, and there is no mDP-DP cable inside the box, only Thunderbolt 4.

    Can you please tell me the part number of the original DP cable that came with yours? It is on the white tag on the cable.

    Thank you!

  6. I’ve heard that a matte display doesn’t look as good as a regular glossy display. It looks to me that your apple studio has the glossy display. Can you give your impression as to whether one looks better than the other?

    Also, I believe with the apple studio I’m limited to one input without using something like a usb c kvm – my use case would require 2 devices connecte (windows + mac), but I’m not sure how the webcam and microphones would switch between devices as I switch between inputs, since it only has one thunderbolt, unless I again use a usb c switch or some kind… Is that correct?

    Thanks for a great review!

  7. The anti-glare matte coating is horrible, the 5k resolution is useless on a washed up fuzzy display like this. There's a reason Apple doesn't put matte coatings on their displays

  13. Great review Joe, objective and honest!
    I have one question – as a long-time Dell UltraSharp user, want to ask what is the reflection situation?
    I see in the review, the display is matte instead of glossy, but do you can make this test – wave your hand on the front of the monitor, let's say at 20 cm of it, and tell me do you see the reflection of your hand?
    I'm with DELL U2415 and this monitor is Ideal for programming with Real Zero Reflections – when I wave no matter if the monitor is on or off no reflections at all!
    My main problem with modern displays – Apple for example is one Black Mirror, where I cannot focus on my work, but look at my reflection!
    Of course, this has a cost – the colors are not so bright and vibrant and my display cannot reproduce Full Void Black, but for my workflow, it is absolutely fine.

  15. Thanks for this review! Im super impressed by the production quality. I found your video bc you're the only one with actually the monitor in it, not just talking about specs. But I will be sticking around for future videos!

  16. which 4K alternatives would you recomend for Video editing after effects and color correction withmy m1 studio ultra? color precision and OOB calibration in mind?