Samsung M7 Smart Monitor Review

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Covid has made working from home the de facto state for quite a few of us. So that tiny 14 inch laptop screen simply will not cut it. And it also means we will be spending a considerable amount of time in front of our monitor and when we close that laptop or desktop, we may want to chill and get some light entertain in the form of some Netflix or other digital platforms. Yet we may not want to turn on the laptop or computer just to watch some streaming platforms.

However if we have limited desktop space, we may not want to have too many things in front of us, so if only we have a single display that allows us to use it as a TV, a monitor and even as a processor too?

That was pretty much a piped dream until Samsung's M7 monitor came along. This is a fine jack of all trades and fulfils those needs and even more. But does it do it well or is it merely a master of none?

Firstly a link to the official site:
https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/monitors/smart-monitors/32-smart-monitor-with-mobile-connectivity-ls32am702unxza/


Some important tech features:
- it comes in 32" and 43" sizes, and a smaller M5 is available but that's not 4k
- UHD 4k with HDR
- type C port and HDMI port with ARC
- three USB 2.0 ports 
- 5W X 2 speakers in built
- tilt but no height adjustment
- remote control
- Tizen OS
- supports phone casting of images on both Andriod and Apple platforms


 



First, let's look at the build quality. It's made from plastic as you would expect at this price range, but the stand has a metal base. The bezel is thin and the monitor looks decent. The USB C and HDMI ports face the bottom, whilst the USB ports are at the centre of the back panel, facing backwards. This may mean your USB cables will stick out. Do note that these are USB 2.0, I forgot about this and took about 10 hours to copy 700 Gb of data, but at least once you use the USB C cable that it comes with, you will be able to use those USB ports as a hub. I use the other port for my Bluetooth dongle for my keyboard and mouse.

The interface is familiar if you have used Samsung TVs. It's fast enough too and switching between functions is not too slow either. There are direct buttons for Netflix, accessing the web, and home office work, but none for the HDMI or USB C port. 

This is a VA panel, rated to around 250 nits of brightness, and around 3000 contrast ratio. The latter number is not too shabby, but this panel is not that bright, and it's best for your eyes if you avoid direct light sources shining on the screen. Coverage of the desktop is good and the response time is decent enough. 

So it works fine, and is also decent for SDR viewing, but it does not get bright enough for HDR to make it shine. Even so watching a movie on it is no hardship and it does have decent blacks. The Filmmaker Mode is my default choice for movie watching. 

As for the speakers, they won't beat a soundbar, but in nearfield listening, I found them more than adequate. In fact I used the monitor in a living room whilst my TV was being repaired and it sounded fine too. Bass is not great but I would say it was better than some larger TVs I have used. Music reproduction was decent enough for me to use the monitor to play background music off Youtube.


So can a jack of all trades impress? Well, it does not excel in any area, but it does not do anything badly and in fact, the versatility offered here is more than enough for me to recommend it to many users who want something that does more than expand their workspace. The integration of a TV function and streaming capabilities plus the presence of a USB C port at this price is very impressive. And the built in speakers are more than enough to hold their own in a desktop setting.

Launch SRP prices were a bit high, but the street price on these are quite competitive and will not cost more than some other simply monitors. 






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