Samsung ViewFinity S9 5K vs Apple Studio Display

Samsung has a new ViewFinity 5K Thunderbolt 4 display that competes head to head with the Apple Studio Display. Can a smart display with a pop on camera compete with the design and integration that Apple offers?

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[stevenqirkle]

I actually bought the Studio Display once the Samsung was announced. Suddenly the Studio Display started to look like a great value once the Viewfinity was announced.

[bryans]

Samsung is making a mistake charging the same as the Apple display considering the inferior build quality.

[ftlbaby]

My favorite Samsung feature is the automatic unplugging of the power cable whenever I adjust the height.

[DominicFrohlof]

Note: the much better choice for the Studio Display is a 3rd party VESA mount arm. I have the $100 Amazon Basics (which is a licensed Ergotron) and it's fantastic.

It gives the Studio Display rotation capability and unveils a hidden feature: The monitor will automatically and instantly recognize that it has been rotated and rotate the video data.
It ALSO will rotate the webcam picture.

Also I'd mention the microphones. They're fantastic and let you have video meetings without headsets and echos. The integration in iOS is just unmatched.

[substance]

Don't get me wrong, I love my Studio Display but these are similar in price only on paper, not in the real world. The Studio Display is € 2200 in Germany with the height adjustable stand and close to € 2500 if you add the matte finish. The S9 5K is around € 1350-1450, depending on the shop. And at the end of the day with the Studio Display you're still missing 90 degree rotation for programmers...

[NDakota]

The Studio Display is pure elegance. The build in power adapter, which seems not so easy to copy looking at Samsungs gigantic external adapter. The sleek design with powerful build in speakers and a passable webcam. The premiere hight adjustable stand which is an engineering marvel. The perfectly symmetric bezels. The overall build quality. This package is not easily copied.

[PixlPath]

The Studio Display is a work of art, no doubt about it. If only it would accept HDMI sources, but alas, Apple has never really played nice in the playground of cross-compatibility (Apple Display Connector, anyone?). Hoping that will change in the future.

[IgorDeoliMD]

I recently bought the Studio Display and it's a work of art. It's truly beautiful and the best-looking monitor I've ever seen. And of course the compatibility with the Macbook is astonishing. The downsides, no HDR and the camera. For those reasons I think it's an overpriced monitor. The height adjustment is also overpriced but I don't mind using a monitor desk shelf on top of my desk. I actually like it. Image is amazing, speakers are VERY impressive. On my main PC I have studio monitors and studio headsets. The studio display does not come close to those, obviously. But it's so good if you don't want to be to meticulous about analyzing the sound, that I don't feel the need to get extra speakers at all when I'm using the display.

[UltraKryptonian]

In your video, I heard you mention the S9 monitor having HDR support, but you zipped past Apple not having it. Then on 8:46 you said, "Apple does do a much better job on High Dynamic Range", which implies the Studio Monitor has HDR support (which it does not). Also, you sort of skimmed through the price difference between the two monitors. Your Studio Display costs more than the S9, because you purchased the optional up/down mount - but you show both costing $1600.

[thecollectordaily]

This thing makes the Studio Display look like a great value honestly. I have loved my Studio Display. Great review Jerry.

[kasparssilins]

I completely agree with you! If the price of s9 was under 1000, then it could be a good option! 👍

[frankwalder]

I'm saving my money for a Studio display.

[matthewTobrien]

Ugh. I was really excited to have a lower cost option to replace my aging 27" Thunderbolt Displays to better match my main display - the Studio Display... but not seeing anything with the S9 that makes it worth the $1600 price tag for me. I'd rather just buy two more Studio Displays (if I could afford it). Honestly, I'm shocked Samsung priced it at $1600. I was thinking $799. Great breakdown, Jerry!

[callejondorado]

The Apple height-adjustable stand option is $500 dollars more, while that feature is already included in the Samsung monitor. So, it is not true Samsung is selling it for the same price. Same for the matt option, you pay about $400 more to get it in the Apple display, but it is already included in the Samsung. Go and compare yourself.

[abdullahdeshmukh]

Got the Studio Display almost 3 months ago. Didn't wait for this as I prefer the sharpness of the glossy screens. Don't regret it one bit.

[ufoncz-techie]

I have S9 and the only reason I have acquired it over Studio Display is much better compatibility with Windows. I can confirm, speakers are average, camera as well, on top, if you use BENQ LED light on top of monitor then forget S9 camera or LED, not compatible (you can put it on side as workaround). Another small issue is that sometimes does not reconnect picture when re-connect to CalDigit4 dock (M2ProMax), remote ctrl switch helps. On the other hand, I am happy user because it is what I have expected, as long as Windows is the gaming platform and S9 works with it great, you can switch between them easily, Windows supports like Mac HiDPI resolution, you can control monitor and everything from remote if needed. If you have like me external studio speakers, I could recommend it as Mac/Win setup. I liked BENQ Pro 32" monitor more (KVM, dial), but they do not offer 5K/6K, alternative might be new Dell 32"6K, but camera there is also bulky in the middle (see LED lamp issue).

[Bmarker]

Helpful. You saved me remorse. I am going to order the Apple SD

[dbinbama]

Thank you for your evaluations of the S9 versus the Studio Display. I’ve been planning a major computer upgrade since last fall. When the S9 was announced (nine months ago), I was excited, because it sounded as if Samsung had come out with a Studio Display killer. And there was all the speculation I saw that Samsung would sock it to Apple by pricing the S9 far below the SD, making it a no-brainer. Well, we see now how valid those predictions were. Not! I had thought early on of going with the S9 for cost, even though I’ve heard so much good about the SD. I’m close to ordering a Mac Studio but will probably go with the SD over the S9. I think that, from a price perspective, Samsung got greedy and has shot themselves in the foot, letting a good opportunity to get the S9 out the door slip away. Samsung’s decision to price the S9 so close to the SD leaves me thinking that I might as well just go ahead and get the SD and be done with it.

[cazcusumano]

Hi great review!! i’ve recently seen it for £984 now would you say it’s worth it over the studio display at this price?

[RyanRampersad]

I was really hopeful when this was shown at CES. I use 1440p monitors right now and they're fine but was looking to upgrade now that I have an mbp that can drive more pixels. I'll see if Apple is refreshing the studio display this fall and then decide.

Thanks for the awesome video!