SAMSUNG27" ViewFinity S9 Series 5K Computer Monitor, Thunderbolt 4, DisplayPort, Matte Display, 4K Slimfit-Camera, Slim Metal Design, AirPlay, Smart-TV Apps, Gaming Hub, LS27C900PANXZA, 2023

I got this monitor to bolster my home office setup. I am running a MacBook Pro with a Sonnet Echo 20 docking station. I wanted a monitor that would support daisy chaining in the future however, so that meant thunderbolt compatibility or USB connectivity. I found this monitor with Thunderbolt 4 support and 5k resolution instead of "just" 4k. I've always had good experiences with Samsung displays, TV's and monitors. Anyway, the closest competition I could find really were the Apple displays themselves, which, while VERY nice are just hugely more expensive. I didn't want to spend that kind of $$ right now. The monitor arrived and literally took 5 minutes to fully assemble. I set it up and it went thru an initial configuration process that was easy and step by step. The included remote feels nice and not cheap as well. Bottome line, this display is fantastic. Everything is easy on the eyes and the picture is so sharp and detailed. I was also impressed with and surprised by the built in speakers the monitor has. I feed my computer audit through some Apple HomePod speakers so won't be using the built in speakers but during the initial setup, audit played thru those speakers and was nice and clear, with surprising range and bass for "built in" speakers on a monitor. Overall, I'm very happy with this monitor and if I do add the second monitor soon, I'm pretty much certain I'll be getting another of these to link up!

Overall, the monitor worked poorly with Mac. I had an M3 MacBook Pro, and M1 Mac mini that I connected it to. Neither of them worked well with the connections. It would wake up randomly and go to a count down screen for one minute that was very bright. Also, there is an issue with connecting devices with the USB-C in the back and I had to send it back for warranty. I should’ve just returned it. The warranty takes Forever with Samsung. I don’t think I’ll buy a Samsung again for any product line if I can help it. The money saved was not worth it. They’ve had it for a month, finally said they couldn’t fix it, and they were gonna procure a new one, and then after a few weeks they said they didn’t have one. I will never use Samsung warranty again. I did like how the monitor looked while I was actively using it so I thought I would try and go through the warranty. Big mistake.If you’re buying a 5K monitor, this one is really not worth the money that you save. It’s also filled with Samsung‘s bloatware that their smart TVs are filled with, so it makes no sense to the user that they would install that junk on a work oriented monitor. Switching inputs is difficult as well if you have multiple devices connected. Sometimes the other devices inputs disappear from the UI. So you have to completely power off and power on the monitor to switch devices sometimes.Overall, a big mistake ordering this, if you’re looking to save some money from the Apple studio monitor I would look at some of the other alternative such as Ben Q now has a 5K, or Asus has one as well.

This is the best monitor to match Mac OS' 218 PPI debacle of engineering, at around $800.After reading all the negative reviews, I hesitantly ordered this monitor based on specification and was very happy with it.Pros:1- It connected and worked out of the box, no playing with settings was needed, the colors match my Mac and the image is fantastic. (It does try to get you to signup with Samsung account etc, but you don't have to, I never created an account nor used any of the Tizen upsell)2- Separate power brick, to keep the monitor cooler which will help with longevity.3- It comes with mic, speaker and cam, though not the highest quality, it does the job for Zoom, and Teams.4- Thunderbolt 4 at 90W keeps the computer charged and it is the best match to M3 Max Mac (which has issues with most other types of connections)5- The remote control, I can't imagine reaching behind another monitor to make adjustments at inches away, ever again.Cons:1- Tizen OS, which doesn't play well with Mac OS (no ability to control the monitor from the Mac)2 - Quality control, I had to return mine because of some dead pixels and some backlight issues (darker on the corners). I am ordering another one and keeping my fingers crossed. (Amazon didn't offer exchange)In general if you are stuck with Apple's inferior product, for example for software development, and are trapped into buying monitors that are very specific, this monitor is a decent option which by specifications offers more than Apple's monitor for at least 40% lower price and even includes a stand!!!

I was half expecting to have to return it after reading all the horror stories but went for it anyway due to the value of it being at least half as expensive as other 5k monitors. For people who are just using this as a computer monitor you will need to waste some time with the setup. When plugged into a mac the 'allow display' option pops up for a split second before disappearing. If you can quickly click enter it will pair. That took a good half hour to figure out. Once connected you'll want to calibrate the colors. This is very straightforward if you have a samsung phone (and the smartthings app). The screen looks much better after calibration. From there you can fiddle with the settings to have the monitor automatically wake when an input is plugged in and automatically detect the input.Once it's all setup it actually works flawlessly. All the people complaining about the difficult (or impossibility) of setup are the reason you get it at a steep discount. I have exactly one stuck pixel and that part is not ideal but it's only visible on an all black screen and I half expect / hope it will get unstuck with time.Considering the price, the screen is very nice. I have an Apple Studio as well and they are close enough in quality to call them comparable.