Samsung Viewfinity S9

Looking for a monitor that can provide the highly detailed and colour accuracy needed for your digital content creation and professional work? But it should also be versatile so that you can use it for entertainment in your personal time. The Samsung ViewFinity S9 offers itself as the monitor solution for work and play. Here’s a look at the S9 and its features.

Samsung ViewFinity S9 set up and design

Assembling the Samsung ViewFinity S9 was a simple process. The stand can be adjusted for height and for viewing angle, so you can make sure it is in the optimal position for your individual line of sight. You can also rotate the screen 90 degrees. And the stand has a pass through to allow for better cable management.

Slim metal design

The metal design of the Samsung ViewFinity S9 bezel is esthetically pleasing. I love a shiny metal finish. You’ll find the appearance of the S9 will improve the overall look of your office space, which may make it a bit easier to convince your prospective clients that you’re the right one for the job. The bezel is as thin as possible, and the footprint of the stand is also minimal.

VESA compatible

For anyone looking to minimize the amount of desk space used for their workstation, the Samsung ViewFinity S9 is VESA compatible. So instead of having the monitor on its stand, you can mount it to a wall mount or articulated arm.

Samsung ViewFinity S9 display features

5K resolution

Your monitor’s resolution is the number of pixels it has available. A 5K monitor means over 5000 pixels horizontally. The Samsung ViewFinity S9 has a resolution of 5120 pixels horizontally and 2880 pixels vertically. And that gives you an astounding 14745600 pixels, which is about 7 times more than 1080p high definition. And what will you use all of those pixels for? Well, the fantastically detailed image quality is the first noticeable benefit. And an additional benefit is the ability to edit 4K video at full resolution. With a lower resolution monitor, your 4K video content is scaled down, so that there is room to display the editing software.

60Hz refresh rate

If you’re a serious gamer, there is one slight drawback to the Samsung ViewFinity S9. It has a screen refresh rate of 60Hz, which is perfectly acceptable, but lower than the preferred gaming standard of 120Hz. A higher refresh rate means smoother motion and fewer visual irregularities. Don’t get me wrong: I fully enjoyed gaming on the Samsung ViewFinity S9.   

Pantone colours

Colour plays an important part in digital content creation. No one wants to create an ad for a client and realize that the colour you thought you were using is different than the client’s established branding colours. The Samsung ViewFinity S9 display colours have been verified by the colour authority Pantone to be completely accurate. And that means the colour you see on screen is exactly the same as the one your client requested.

Matte display

Ah, glare. The perennial enemy of every computer user. You can try to reduce the amount of environmental light that interacts with your monitor, but unless you like sitting in complete darkness, you can’t eliminate it. So the matte finish of the Samsung ViewFinity S9 is a welcome feature. It reduces the amount of reflected light from the screen, which reduces the glare. And that improves both the quality of the viewing experience, and lessens the strain on your eyes. I could clearly see the reduced glare from the matte finish, and it’s a feature I’ve added to my must-have list.

Intelligent Eye Care

I am happy to see eye care taken into consideration by a monitor manufacturer. For the casual user, eye strain from computer use is a minor issue. But if you spend your work day staring at a screen, eye strain can impact your health. The Samsung ViewFinity S9 has Intelligent Eye Care, which automatically adjusts the various settings to minimize the amount of blue light you’re exposed to. I’ve found a noticeable decrease in headaches caused by eye strain since I started exclusively using monitors with eye care features.

Smart calibration

The Samsung ViewFinity S9’s Smart Calibration feature allows you to easily adjust various elements of colour display for different uses. Your smartphone will do most of the work, running the Samsung SmartThings app to make the changes for specific scenarios. The basic mode adjusts the settings for optimal movie watching, while the pro mode gives you more detailed calibration situations. The calibration was easy to set up and adjust.

Wireless display

Your workstation will most likely have a wired connection to the S9 via Thunderbolt or DisplayPort. But you may want instead to connect a laptop or other device to the S9. Lucky for you, that’s easy to do. The Samsung ViewFinity S9 supports wireless display connectivity options like Apple AirPlay, or Windows Wireless display. This is a great solution for the on the go digital professional, and I was impressed at how simple and seamless the process was.

Samsung ViewFinity S9 functionality features

Connectivity options

The Samsung ViewFinity S9 has a Thunderbolt 4 port, a display port, and 3 USB ports. It also has Bluetooth connectivity to use with additional devices like game controllers or additional remote controls. I would have liked an HDMI port just to have all the options.

4K slim fit camera

You won’t need to purchase a separate webcam for the Samsung ViewFinity S9. It comes with a 4K slim fit camera that connects directly to the monitor through a dedicated port on the back. When installed, the camera sits discretely on the top of the monitor, and you can easily remove it and re-install it if needed. The camera produced a very good quality image during the video call tests I did with it.

Embedded streaming apps

The Samsung ViewFinity S9 has several streaming service apps installed, so you can directly watch Netflix or Disney+ without needing your PC. With the included remote control, its very easy to let the S9 serve as your primary television if your work space is also your living space.

Samsung gaming hub

I was happy to see this feature on the Samsung ViewFinity S9. The gaming hub gives you access to several game streaming apps, so you can play games without needing to install them or run them on a separate device. Notably, it has Xbox Game Pass functionality, which gives you access to an impressive library of games. I took the opportunity to sign up for Xbox Game Pass and give Starfield a try. You should keep in mind that streamed games won’t have the same graphic quality that a game running on your PC will, but it’s an affordable way to try out a wide variety of games.

Final thoughts

I love the versatility of the S9. It has the high detail and visual quality that it promises, and a surprising amount of additional entertainment features. And that’s what makes the Samsung ViewFinity S9 perfectly suited for the home office. You can do the work you need to, and then relax afterwards with the smart TV streaming and gaming hub features.

Shop the Samsung ViewFinity S9 5K monitor at Best Buy Canada.

Chris Loblaw
Chris Loblaw
Chris is a novelist, avid gamer, tech enthusiast, and proud dad of a 13-year-old video game master.
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487 COMMENTS

  1. Really what is there not to love about this monitor!!! I really like the 5k resolution, the Samsung Gaming Hub (my son would LOVE this aspect), and the Intelligent Eye Care is such a great feature. There are just so many amazing features… Wireless display, 4K Video Resolution, Embedded Streaming Apps, USB Connectivity.. all around great monitor!!

  2. Three of the monitor’s features that I find the most useful for my needs are: 5K resolution; verified Pantone display colours; and the smart calibration feature.

  3. Great review! I agree that an HDMI port would have made this monitor perfect, but it is still very impressive. The 3 features I would find most useful are: 5K resolution, wireless display, and the Samsung Gaming Hub.

  4. Three of my favourite features of this monitor are the 5K resolution, the 60Hz refresh rate and the embedded streaming apps!

  5. I will decently watch movies and sporting events on this awesome TV.
    I like Samsung 27″ IPS LED monitor.
    4kslim
    Smart tv

  7. As someone with severe dry eye, Intelligent Eye Care is intriguing — as are the Pantone colours for graphic design and embedded streaming apps for when I need a break.

  8. My favorite features are # 1 camera is removable.
    # 2 Adjustable height of the monitor and tilt and portrait settings.
    #3 Smart TV feature for amazon games and tv for kids, plus the eye care with reduced blue light

  9. Three of the monitor’s features I find most useful would be the intelligent eye care, the 4K slim fit camera and several streaming service apps installed.

  10. My favourite features are the 5K resolution will be great for gaming, the Intelligent Eye Care is a must when working all day on the monitor and the embedded streaming apps to be able watch movies with ease.

  11. Cool features are matt display, Intelligent Eye Care for those long gaming sessions, and connectivity looks awesome nice to have bluetooth.

  12. This would change my days and nights with its intelligent eye care, 4K slim fit camera and matte display. Good bye separate camera and blue-light glasses!

  14. The three features of the monitor I like are: Smart calibration, intelligent eye care and the 4K slim camera

  16. The three features I find the most interesting are the intelligent eye care, the wireless display connectivity, and the 4k camera for crisp zoom calls.

  18. Matte finish-reduces the glare.
    Intelligent Eye Care,
    supports wireless display connectivity options like Apple AirPlay, or Windows Wireless display.

  24. I like how the monitor can be wall mounted with an articulating arm, has intelligent eye care, and has the embedded streaming apps.

  27. I have impaired vision, so intelligent eye care is great. Connectivity options and embedded streaming apps are 2 and three.

  30. Definitely the matte display, Intelligent Eye Care, and of course the 4K resolution would make looking at the monitor much easier.

  36. My favourite features are Matte display, Intelligent Eye Care, and 4K resolution would make looking at the monitor much easier.

  37. The slim design would be really convenient to take minimal space on my desk. I also love the concept of intelligent eye care as I’m staring at screens all day everyday, as well as the wireless display so I don’t have to worry about having MORE cords around to use it as a second monitor when I work!

  41. The three features this monitor has that would be most useful and interesting to me are the 4K slim fit camera, 5K resolution and the Bluetooth connectivity.
    The 4k camera comes with an easy privacy attachment and it will allow working from home in terms of engaging with colleagues at a higher degree of quality.
    I would like to in the very near future get into digital content creation and video editing, so with a 5k resolution, making edits to videos and movies would be done at a higher and finer detail.
    Lastly, Bluetooth connectivity is always a plus, this is useful to me because i can connect speakers, phones and a laptop to this monitor.

  42. 4K slim fit camera is very unique, the Connectivity options with so many ports are interesting, 5K resolution is useful to see the quality of the resolution being displayed.

  43. Intelligent Eye Care, converting to a vertical display, and that wireless capability are the three things I find the most useful.

  44. The most interesting and useful features for my needs are the Intelligent Eye Care, Embedded Streaming Apps and wireless display connectivity.

  45. one-Matte finish-reduces the glare.
    two-Intelligent Eye Care,
    three-supports wireless display connectivity options like Apple AirPlay, or Windows Wireless display.

  47. Three of the monitor’s features that I find the most interesting and useful for my needs are the Intelligent Eye Care, Embedded Streaming Apps and wireless display connectivity.

  49. The three features I find the most useful and interesting are:
    1. The Wireless Display
    2. The Samsung Gaming Hub
    3. Intelligent Eye Care

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