Samsung Brings Back Massive $700 Discount on ViewFinity S9 5K Display, Plus More Monitor and TV Deals

[HobeSoundDarryl]

But for whatever reason people aren’t buying it. These are giveaway prices. It doesn’t sound like this will be available much longer.

HaHa! I suspect people are buying it and these are competitive prices for a 5K monitor: see the long-term pricing of the LG 5K model which can often be found around this level too. Only that other option puts that enormous margin on top to make it seem like this is "giveaway" pricing. After all, that other one used to come with the same 27" screen + cam + speakers AND an entire Mac computer inside of it too for about that same pricing.

If only a few years ago, one could get the same screen, etc + built-in Mac for a little under $2K, I would think stripping out the entire computer would make it possible to get only the screen, etc for around this pricing. Else, that was some dirt cheap Mac guts in this kind of screen, etc back as recently as 2020.

 

[Arsenikdote]

Well, this should fill with a bunch of "ASD or bust" bashes but for those who can look beyond one favorite brand, this:

• is 5K "Retina" at the same screen size as ASD,
• has a far superior camera that is removable,
• offers TWO video inputs instead of only 1 (very handy for hooking anything else to it, including- say- a Mac Mini-like PC for "old fashioned bootcamp" that will be 100% compatible, unlike the ARM Windows alternative),
• includes apps + remote to make it double as a little TV and
• comes with most of the $200 each "stand options" available from the exalted one.

If you want 5K and don't want to pay a LOT more for it, it's this one vs. the LG one that Apple stocked in their stores until they opted to roll out ASD. Now crank up your terrific Spotify music... er, I mean Apple Music app and use Google Maps... er, I mean Apple Maps to get you to whatever store will let you try one of these out and evaluate with your own eyes. And note: there's always Apple stickers if you can't bear to see a different brand.

I suppose everyone has their reasons for spending money on the things that they do, and I am not trying to judge anyone for that. What I don't understand is that Apple's display is a good enough quality that unless you are doing extremely high level video editing, it will work very well for color grading/HDR/etc...so basically a "cheap man's" video editing display. Basically if you are a youtuber and not someone who works in the cinema industry than Apple's display is a great upgrade from your $400-$500 display.

What is Samsung's display for? Is it the "cheap man's cheap man's" video editing display? At that point it just seems like a super expensive "nice display" but what is the justification over just using a $400 display?

I guess if people want to spend the money for that, as I said, I am not here to judge. I just think the reason why this display keeps seeing massive discounts applied at a more frequent pace is because it just doesn't have much of a market it is targeting.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I want one of those ultrawides, but I'm scared about the reliability of those products (burn-in, cracks...).
I'm hesitant between a the Odyssey G9 OLED 49-inch, and the Odyssey G9 57-inch with higher resolution.
Mainly for productivity (Teams, Office, Xcode)

Suggestion (do what I did): 40" Dell 5K2K Ultrawide. An updated model was just released last month that should make it even better than mine. Like this Samsung, it has more than one video input, has a rich hub with many useful ports built in, comes with the bulk of the Apple "stand options" and long-story short: is the best Mac monitor I've ever owned. Basically, it's as if I replaced an iMac 27" monitor with one a LOT wider... not quite those super-wide ones you are considering but considerably wider than the Apple norm in ASD, this Samsung or iMac 27"

I've had it for TWO years and would instantly replace it with another if it conked. The new one is currently retail priced from Dell for about the same as ASD with one stand option... which means a little shopping around might find it from other retailers for less. Also note that that one is often stocked by various retailers with display models on the floor, so locate it somewhere, take your Mac, hook it up to the demo unit and judge with your own eyes.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I guess if people want to spend the money for that, as I said, I am not here to judge. I just think the reason why this display keeps seeing massive discounts applied at a more frequent pace is because it just doesn't have much of a market it is targeting.

Or Samsung is just doing what Samsung does: roll out at a high price competitive with pricing established by others (ASD) then discounting over time down towards about 40%-50% of MSRP... unlike- say- the alternative that will expect full MSRP price right up to the last day they sell it even as the tech inside ages and conceptually becomes cheaper to acquire.

My Samsung television MSRP'd at a little over $6K and I bought it at the model change, closeout for about $3K. This seems perfectly normal to me... as normal as the very same ASD still retailing for the very same price as it was when it launched 2 years ago... and the 6K monitor still at its very same price since it launched in 2019. Even the $999 stand for that one is still $999.

 

[trip1ex]

If I'm going to spend way too much on a 27" monitor for my needs then I might as well pony up the extra $$$ to get an ASD (on sale.).

Instead I have cheap 24" monitors.

Also when you get a 55" LG C2 OLED from Costco for $500 for my office like I did last year....hard to spend more than that on a 27" monitor. Something in my brain won't let me.

But it is nice to have an option for a 27" 5k monitor should one desire one.

 

[Arsenikdote]

Or Samsung is just doing what Samsung does: roll out at a high price competitive with pricing established by others (ASD) then discounting over time down towards about 40%-50% of MSRP... unlike- say- the alternative that will expect full MSRP price right up to the last day they sell it even as the tech inside ages and conceptually becomes cheaper to acquire.

My Samsung television MSRP'd at a little over $6K and I bought it at the model change, closeout for about $3K. This seems perfectly normal to me... as normal as the very same ASD still retailing for the very same price as it was when it launched 2 years ago... and the 6K monitor still at it's very same price since it's launch in 2019. Even the $999 stand for that one is still $999.

That very well could be, it might just be "standard reduction in pricing" for sure. But I think that unlike displays in other segments such as their TV's or even their sub $1K computer displays, this display has never really had a home. But you could be right and you are most certainly right about Apple's pricing strategy! 🤣

 

[gugy]

Damn, if this monitor was 32"+, I'll jump and get one. My dream is the XDR but that price is not justifiable for me even as a professional. If it was in the $2.5k range, I would buy maybe two but not at $7k+ (stand/nano).

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

If you are able to consider anything other than Apple-branded stuff, here's Dell's newer 6K 32" monitor for your price (probably a few hundred cheaper if you shop around) and comes with other benefits like a pretty loaded hub built in too.

The "$1000 bonus": it comes with a "how can they possibly do it" free stand: height, pivot, swivel, tilt!

 

[6749974]

Normally, I'd completely agree. But I think a 120hz screen would make it really expensive... but 75hz could be doable without upping the price too much. More importantly, the monitors not really aimed at gamers but rather creatives and office work.. and 75hz for that kind of work, is GREAT. My office at work has all 75hz screens and even that small difference over 60hz is really noticeable.

Not disagreeing, just simply pointing out that 72Hz would be optimal for 24fps which is pretty much most content these days.

Regarding 120Hz, that benefits creatives and office work also.

• Creatives deal with motion and video; and panning and scrolling in creative apps is clearer
• General office work has people quickly scanning text as one scrolls web pages and spread sheets, or page flipping PDFs and ebooks, which is enhanced the faster the response of the display.

Not arguing, just pointing out the benefits to look for once we move to 120Hz and 240Hz standards. OLED is already doing 4K @ 240Hz via HDMI 2.1. Apple's next displays should be OLED at 5K @ 120Hz and 6K @ 120Hz but not sooner than Thunderbolt 5 which is coming this year or next on Macs.

 

[jlnr]

If you are able to consider anything other than Apple-branded stuff, here's Dell's newer 6K 32" monitor for your price and comes with other benefits like a pretty loaded hub built in too.

The forehead ruined it for me.

What is Samsung's display for? Is it the "cheap man's cheap man's" video editing display? At that point it just seems like a super expensive "nice display" but what is the justification over just using a $400 display?

Developers can afford it, look at text all day and want it to be crisp, might appreciate having more than one input, and don't need color accuracy or high refresh rates.

 

[Kaptajn Haddock]

Best Buy is selling last gen 24" Apple displays for as low as $799. Get them while they last.

I live in Europe 😞

 

[ignatius345]

If you are able to consider anything other than Apple-branded stuff, here's Dell's newer 6K 32" monitor for your price (probably a few hundred cheaper if you shop around) and comes with other benefits like a pretty loaded hub built in too.

The "$1000 bonus": it comes with a free stand: height, pivot, swivel, tilt!

That's really not a bad price for a huge and very high-res monitor. Only downside I see is it's only 450 nits brightness -- whereas the ASD and the Samsung S9 both put out 600.

 

[ronno]

I picked one up during the last steep sale, overall very happy with it as a 5k display under $1k despite some flaws after using it for a few weeks.

pros:
- Very impressed with the accuracy of the out of the box P3 color mode as a graphic designer
- Resolution is crisp and have had zero issues with terms of image quality or mac / windows OS running into any scaling problems with the resolution
- The brightness is a huge step up over my 5 year old LG monitor for my home office ( I have a window directly behind me)
- I also go back and forth between being plugged into my MacBook to my gaming PC so having the dual input was a necessity for me (the monitor comes with both a thunderbolt cable and a DisplayPort to mini DisplayPort cable)
- Display is adjustable + can rotate into portrait orientation
- Matte display does a great job at eliminating reflections

Cons:
- speakers are abysmal, i personally don't care because I'm always using headphones but worth noting
- The included webcam has decent quality, but mine tends to glitch (image cuts out for less than a second) and doesn't do the best in low light situations. I haven't seen this issue talked about at all anywhere on forums so i think it might just be mine but haven't had the chance to remedy it with Samsung yet as I already had a logitech brio webcam that I preferred and have just been using anyway. The magnetic tech for how the camera comes on and off the monitor though is very cool

Middle of the road:
- I don't use the Smart TV features, wasn't interested in them, they seem functional.
- Controlling the monitor settings is tied to the TV OS which means using the included remote to navigate menus, this was weird to me at first but after a few weeks I almost prefer just using the remote to change my settings rather than fiddling with the knob on the back of the monitor.
- Its an IPS panel so you will notice some backlight bleeding in the corners if you're displaying an all black screen, but it's nothing that's ever bothered me in my day to day flow

Overall, it's not and never will be an Apple Studio Display, but for it's sale price it offers you a great display with similar features to Apple's most expensive variant of the studio display for less than $1k and that's nice. I enjoy it and recommend it to any

Thanks!
Would love to hear from anyone else who *actually has this monitor,* rather than all the complaints. sight unseen.

 

[Arsenikdote]

Developers can afford it, look at text all day and want it to be crisp, might appreciate having more than one input, and don't need color accuracy or high refresh rates.

You can get a better monitor for coding for a lot less, plus refresh rate is important if you scroll you code....which I would assume you would...lol

 

[boomspot]

Considered the S9 but went dual vega studio displays. They relegated my 49” Odyssey 1440p 240hz to the garage.

 

[jlnr]

You can get a better monitor for coding for a lot less, plus refresh rate is important if you scroll you code....which I would assume you would...lol

This might be like audiophiles buying super expensive cables for no good reason, but I like knowing that my text is rendered at a perfect 200%, not rendered then downscaled. I also want more than 24". I think the S9 is actually the cheapest screen that fulfills this.

I like ProMotion on my phone but never really cared much on my MBP, I doubt I'd notice a higher refresh rate on my desk.

 

[Dark-Signature]

Sadly the Samsung 5k Monitor has a matte coating. So, it is out of scope!

 

[deevey]

Suggestion (do what I did): 40" Dell 5K2K Ultrawide. An updated model was just released last month that should make it even better than mine. Like this Samsung, it has more than one video input, has a rich hub with many useful ports built in, comes with the bulk of the Apple "stand options" and long-story short: is the best Mac monitor I've ever owned. Basically, it's as if I replaced an iMac 27" monitor with one a LOT wider... not quite those super-wide ones you are considering but considerably wider than the Apple norm in ASD, this Samsung or iMac 27"

I've had it for TWO years and would instantly replace it with another if it conked. The new one is currently retail priced from Dell for about the same as ASD with one stand option... which means a little shopping around might find it from other retailers for less. Also note that that one is often stocked by various retailers with display models on the floor, so locate it somewhere, take your Mac, hook it up to the demo unit and judge with your own eyes.

Sure, if you don't need a super crisp image or the extra pixels that the ASD or Samsung S9 provide.

140 ppi vs 218ppi would be a noticeable step-down in resolution to many of the folk who are considering buying a (real) 5k display in the first place.

 

[gugy]

If you are able to consider anything other than Apple-branded stuff, here's Dell's newer 6K 32" monitor for your price (probably a few hundred cheaper if you shop around) and comes with other benefits like a pretty loaded hub built in too.

The "$1000 bonus": it comes with a "how can they possibly do it" free stand: height, pivot, swivel, tilt!

I'm aware of that model. Looks great on paper but that awful design (forehead with webcam) gives me a headache looking at it. LMAO

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

OK, $1500 OVER your price (but still much less than the Apple Pro monitor + Stand), here's their thin forehead, 32" 8K monitor: https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/del...18k/apd/210-alez/monitors-monitor-accessories Again, shop around and it can probably be found for less.

 

[andrew8404]

60hz is pitiful for 2024. Even it had just a minimum upgrade of 75hz over 65hz it'd be a huge difference. Once you go to a higher refresh rate, you'll never want to go back.

Excellent monitor and value otherwise, much better than Apple's offering.

I disagree. I notice no difference in 60 or 120hz. Most overrated feature for monitors when not using them for gaming. I don't need 120hz for work.

 

[theorist9]

Well, this should fill with a bunch of "ASD or bust" bashes. But for those who can look beyond one favorite brand, this:

• is 5K "Retina" at the same screen size as ASD,
• has a far superior camera that is removable,
• offers TWO video inputs instead of only 1 (very handy for hooking anything else to it, including- say- a Mac Mini-like PC for "old fashioned bootcamp" that will be 100% compatible, unlike the ARM Windows alternative),
• includes apps + remote to make it double as a little TV and
• comes with most of the $200 each "stand options" available from the exalted one.

If you want 5K and don't want to pay a LOT more for it, it's this one vs. the LG one that Apple stocked in their stores until they opted to roll out ASD. Now crank up your terrific Spotify music... er, I mean Apple Music app and use Google Maps... er, I mean Apple Maps to get you to whatever store will let you try one of these out and evaluate with your own eyes. And note: there's always Apple stickers if you can't bear to see a different brand.

It's not about the brand, at least for me. It's that I (and many others who focus on text work, and thus want maximum sharpness) strongly prefer a glossy display. And, in particular, a glossy display with Apple's superb anti-reflective coating (which is on the 2019 27" iMac I'm using right now).*

*Those who've used both the LG UltraFine 5k, and the Dell 8k, both of which are glossy, say they have far more reflection issues than an Apple glossy display.

Frankly, given the obvious market among Mac users for Retina-class displays, I don't know why neither Samsung nor Dell offered glossy versions, with great AR coatings, of their recently-released 5k and 6k displays, respectively.

Though for the Dell 6k to sell to Mac users, they might also want to get rid of the huge camera (which is reportedly not very good, in spite of its size), and the cloth-covered sound bar. Dell has in the past offered monitor-only versions of some of its higher-end displays.

 

[Lynxpoint]

Well, this should fill with a bunch of "ASD or bust" bashes. But for those who can look beyond one favorite brand, this:

• is 5K "Retina" at the same screen size as ASD,
• has a far superior camera that is removable,
• offers TWO video inputs instead of only 1 (very handy for hooking anything else to it, including- say- a Mac Mini-like PC for "old fashioned bootcamp" that will be 100% compatible, unlike the ARM Windows alternative),
• includes apps + remote to make it double as a little TV and
• comes with most of the $200 each "stand options" available from the exalted one.

If you want 5K and don't want to pay a LOT more for it, it's this one vs. the LG one that Apple stocked in their stores until they opted to roll out ASD. Now crank up your terrific Spotify music... er, I mean Apple Music app and use Google Maps... er, I mean Apple Maps to get you to whatever store will let you try one of these out and evaluate with your own eyes. And note: there's always Apple stickers if you can't bear to see a different brand.

You might be right... if only this pricing was available in Canada, where samsung.ca has it for $2000. In comparison, an Apple refurb ASD is$1700.

Any thoughts on which is the better option given that pricing?

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

You might be right... if only this pricing was available in Canada, where samsung.ca has it for $2000. In comparison, an Apple refurb ASD is$1700.

Any thoughts on which is the better option given that pricing?

I assume that's rhetorical since $1700 < $2000 and Apple fans automatically favor Apple stuff. If not, refurb is generally just as good as new, so I wouldn't let that tag influence my comparison. After that, it's a matter of looking at features & benefits and choosing which is best for you.

No one choice is best for everyone. For me, I landed on a Dell Ultra-wide 5K2K as my ideal Mac monitor. Others can only see the ASD as sole choice or it plus the Pro one with $1000 stand as the only choices anyone should consider at all (because everything else is obviously inferior, "wobbly" junk). Still others can be quite happy with a much lower priced 4K monitor... and just ignoring the "retina or bust" spin.

Read reviews, go see any that you can and let your own eyes & mind make the best decision. If you have an easily transportable Mac like a laptop or Mini, haul it to some monitor stores and hook it up to some demo units to see how macOS looks on them.

 

[Apple2GS]

Don't they make any high quality 4k 24" displays than can also power my MacBook? My desk is too small for a 27" :-(

LG made a decent 24" 4k Thunderbolt Display. Even that isn't considered Retina, the 24" iMac is 4.5k. A Retina 4k would have to be 21".