When Samsung introduced the Space Monitor, I knew right away that it was going to be one thing I needed to check out in individual. Now that I’ve had time to take action, I’m completely satisfied to say it’s a lot as marketed, a streamlined and strong monitor with a wise new design — however not essentially one for everyone.
Samsung Space Monitor
Pros:
- Clever space-saving design
- Quiet, engaging look
- Solid colour out of the field
Cons:
- Doesn’t rotate and top relies on distance from wall
- Sub-par viewing angles
- Doesn’t work with each desk
Price: $400 (27-inch); $500 (32-inch)
We don’t evaluation lots of displays at TechCrunch — none, actually. This was extra of a curiosity to me. I’m fascinated by design and displays are often ugly at greatest. But I used to be impressed with Samsung’s method right here and wished to see if it labored in actual life.
The massive advance of the Space Monitor is its very low-profile mount, which grips the sting of your desk on the wall aspect and might be folded up flat towards it. It can rotate up and down, the monitor tilting to style — not as far as the Surface Studio however with that very same basic vary of movement.
The monitor itself is available in two varieties: a bigger 32-inch 4K one and a smaller 27-inch one at 2560×1440. I reviewed the smaller one, as the big one has a decrease refresh charge and I actually don’t have any use for 4K in my workflow.
The superb state of affairs for this factor is a comparatively small work area the place having the monitor truly sitting in your desk type of invalidates all of the area round it. With the Space Monitor, the stand is flush with the wall, clearing up the realm under and in entrance of it even when it’s folded outwards. It’s simpler than piercing the wall for a free-floating show
The efficiency of the monitor, so far as I’m able to inform, is nice however not nice. The colours are vibrant and the default settings are strong, if maybe a little bit heat (simply adjusted, after all). The refresh charge goes as much as 144 Hz, which is greater than sufficient for gaming, and may simply be tweaked to 120 for these of us who’re very choosy about video pulldown and different deep body charge stuff.
One factor that isn’t spectacular is the viewing angle. I really feel just like the candy spot for this monitor is much narrower than on the Dell Ultrasharp IPS panel I’ve used for years. If you’re not sitting instantly in entrance of it, you’re going to get colour and brightness falloff on the edge you’re farthest from.
The bezel is slim, a bit greater than 1 / 4 inch, a little bit thicker on the underside aspect. It’s additionally almost flush on the highest and sides so that you don’t really feel just like the bezels protrude in direction of you. All in all it’s a really good-looking and understated design, as this stuff go. It’s price noting that Samsung seems to have fudged the press imagery a bit and the microscopic bezel you see in official photos isn’t truly what you get.
Installation isn’t fairly as straightforward as simply setting one thing down in your desk, however if in case you have a appropriate desk, it’s actually as straightforward as sliding the clamp on and tightening it. A customized cable (non-compulsory, however handy) combines HDMI and energy into one, and suits right into a groove on the again of the stand, eliminating muddle.
But you’ll need to take have a look at your desk to verify it’s appropriate. I didn’t, and needed to jury-rig an answer.
Basically, except your desk is kind of strong and has a ledge that the clamp can shut down on, you might need an issue. My desk is strong and about an inch and a half thick, however has a type of wall that juts down about two extra inches. I eliminated and reattached the underside a part of the clamp so it may simply barely be slipped across the wall, however then the screw wouldn’t attain the underside floor of the desk, so I needed to fill the hole with a e book. (It’s okay, I’ve received tons.)
The stand is loads stiff and the monitor stays precisely the place you’ve put it, however it’s a little wobbly — comprehensible on condition that it sits on the very tip of a 14-inch-long…
