The Samsung ViewFinity is their flagship monitor series designed for professional computer users. The S8 series feature 4K UHD resolution while the S6 series is QHD resolution (the bigger the number, the higher the resolution). The 32-inch S80UD retails at S$706 and the S80D is at S$498. A 27-inch model is also available.
The difference between S80D and S80UD is that the S80UD supports USB-C data and video connectivity which also charges the laptop up to 90W and extends as a USB hub through a single cable. More importantly, the S80UD allows sharing of keyboard and mouse across two devices, commonly known as KVM. Is it worth paying S$200 more for this? Absolutely yes.
Monitors are functional tools that displays graphics from the computer. The display panel is probably the only differentiator between one product and the other. But Samsung has added some nifty features that make their monitors a bit more special. The Smart Monitor series which I reviewed last week has built-in smart TV apps so that your computer monitor can also be used as a smart TV. Here, the Viewfinity designed the product to offer user convenience in many ways.
There is a LAN port, USB Type B port, Display Port, HDMI Port, three USB-A ports, and USB-C port. You can practically use the monitor with any digital display connects (VGA is analog so it’s not available). The stand supports height adjustments, pivot, tilt, rotate. The 5-way joystick is intuitive to use instead of separate buttons in a row which drives me mad when I try to navigate in other monitors. There are no built-in speakers, but there is 3.5mm audio port, and it is more convenient for me to connect to a USB speaker like Creative Pebble X.
With multiple display connectors, it is possible to share two inputs onto the ViewFinity monitor, either Picture-by-Picture or Picture-in-Picture. In this mode, it is even possible to adjust display separately.
How To Enable KVM on Samsung ViewFinity Monitor
It took me a long time to figure it out. There are no clear instructions found on the Samsung website or product manual. I even thought I had to install the Samsung Easy Setting Box, but that was not required. Finally, I figured it out on my own, and I was glad I do not need to install any software. The built-in KVM function on the Viewfinity S80UD or S60UD allows you to share your keyboard and mouse controls with two computers connected to the same monitor. Of course, you need to connect the keyboard and mouse directly to the USB ports behind the monitor. If you have the 2-in-1 transmitter like Logitech, then you will only need to use one USB port.
Next, connect one computer to USB-C and another to USB Type-B. The computer connected to USB-C just need one cable because the USB-C doubles both as display and data. For the other computer, connect the USB Type-B to an available USB port, as well as a display port (HDMI or Display Port), then associate these two together in the monitor menu, so that the monitor will switch USB controls whenever you change the display source. To switch inputs (keyboard, video and mouse), click the 5-way joystick behind the bottom of the monitor. Once you switch, all the USB Type-A devices on the monitor will also switch connection to the other computer, including USB audio devices.
The display quality on the ViewFinity is good enough to provide sharp and well-defined text output even against high-contrast settings. There are eco options to provide a more comfortable vision. The UHD resolution over a huge display size is an absolute luxury, but a word of caution: the monitor has to be rather close in order to really see small text. It would kind of defeat the purpose if you choose to scale the content from Windows settings, which means you will not use the 4K resolution to the fullest.
Verdict
Owning a ViewFinity monitor offers flexible connectivity options, and you will never be caught in a situation where you cannot find the right connector to your computer. I really appreciate the convenience of the USB-C which connects to the monitor and extends to all other USB ports in the monitor. Plus, it also charges the computer. In order words, just one cable from the computer to the monitor, and all other connections can go to the back of the monitor.
The 32-inch S80UD model retails at S$706, which to me is beyond my budget. I would be more inclined to get the S60UD model which is at a lower QHD resolution but has all the same features, plus offering two DisplayPorts that can do daisy-chain. The S60UD starts at S$348 (24-inch) to S$508 (32-inch).
1 comment
I bought one of these recently, some comments:
The display is good but there are some usability issues.
I like the joystick control but the position is quite awkward to reach, especially with a keyboard in front of the monitor. It makes switching between devices in PBP mode for example quite inconvenient.
The KVM feature has a couple of flaws.
1. When powering the monitor off it seems to stop outputting power to my laptop over the USB-C. When I power the monitor back on it fails to start delivering power. I don’t know if this is because of the monitor or the laptop but it makes the USB-C power feature less useful.
2. There is only one Ethernet device and it gets switched between sources by the KVM and also disabled when turning off the monitor. This makes the Ethernet feature unusable in KVM mode because you lose the network connection on the inactive source when switching. It also means that you can’t turn off the monitor while waiting for a long running download because it’ll kill the network connection.
So overall, nice display, but I think the implementation of the extra features on the UD model make them much less useful that they should be.