Samsung M8 Smart Monitor Review: A TVstreaming PC Display

$499.99

Samsung describes the 32-inch M8 monitor tested here (full name: Samsung M80B) as a "smart display". It's a 4K hybrid monitor (with detachable webcam) that you can connect to your computer. However, thanks to Samsung's Tizen smart TV operating system, you can stream movies, TV shows, and other entertainment for free while connected to the Internet.

However, it's missing a few things you might expect from a smart TV: a wired Ethernet connection (wired connections are more secure and only support Wi-Fi); no TV tuner (more on that in a bit); And if you want to boost audio performance with external speakers, you have to rely on Bluetooth: there's no wired audio output. It's limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, and won't be of much interest to console or PC gamers. Perhaps less important, there's no VESA-compatible mount, so you can't mount it on a wall. There is also no way to switch the screen to portrait mode.

This review is part of Techhive's in-depth coverage of the best smart TVs.

Samsung M8 Smart Display Design and Features

Even the height-adjustable stand Samsung M8 is somewhat reminiscent of Apple's new colorful iMacs. It comes in similar shades. My review unit had a pale green color, but it's also available in blue, pink, and silver. I also love the squiggly lines on all the back faces.

If you want to use the M8 with a computer, Blu-ray player, or other video source, Samsung has carefully included the cable you need: a micro-HDMI connector on one end (for connecting to a monitor) and for connecting on HDMI is a full-sized device port and probably not in your cable drawer. The M8 is also equipped with a USB-C hub and a second USB-C port.

Samsung includes a 1080p webcam (shown below) with an 85-degree field of view. Adheres magnetically to the back of the top screen. A magnetic lens cover is provided for privacy, but it didn't fit securely and came off the camera a few times when I moved the £15 screen from one place to another. Tizen has had security issues in the past, so I recommend leaving this cover open when not using the camera.

There is a power button/joystick on the back for resetting and navigating the interface if the remote is lost or forgotten to charge. On the bottom right of the front, you'll find a small control panel with a microphone, a microphone on/off switch, and a remote control sensor.

The Samsung M8 has a Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) adapter and a Bluetooth 4.2 radio for networking. Both are perfectly suited to the M8's streaming function and don't take up as much bandwidth as you might think. However, Wi-Fi 6e (802.11ax) and Bluetooth 5.3 are the latest versions of these standards.

Then there's the elephant in the room: the lack of an over-the-air TV tuner. Samsung media insiders are quick to point out that the M8 isn't a TV, but I have to ask: why skip this feature? There is a lot of free content on the airwaves, especially sports. The company probably doesn't want the M8 to interfere with its TV business, but your guess is as good as mine.

Samsung M8 Smart Monitor remote control and user interface

First, the good news: The remote control's user interface and screen are very responsive. After persistent lag with cheap TCL Roku TVs, the immediate response has been exhilarating. I also love that the remote is USB-C rechargeable. Plus, the volume and channel/switch controls are smart when everyone else is out and about. (Press to mute, press up to increase volume, press down to decrease.)

Another feature I like is the operating system that detects when a new device (in this case, a PC and Blu-ray player) is connected and automatically switches the screen to that source. You can then add these detected devices to the app/device network, which somewhat improves the lack of a subscribe button.

Now for the bad news: Samsung's Tizen OS UI, while attractive, is less efficient than it was last year; Now you have to explore two main menus to get to the settings.

As I'm tired of complaining about Tizen, it takes time, and that's what Samsung should do.

Add settings and input buttons to the remote control.
Settings and input menus shouldn't interfere with playing content, now it's unexpected.
For other functions, use the channel change control and instead use the circular up and down rockers.
Offer one main menu, not the other menus.
Do not use submenus for settings that can be changed directly.
Bottom line: focus on efficiency rather than fragmentation.

Besides efficiency, Tizen's user interface finally lets you get your work done. It also offers all the video/audio tweaks and settings you need and integrates all kinds of content on the home screen nicely.

Samsung's remote is surprisingly simple: Save for free shortcuts to Disney, Netflix, and Amazon, and select Samsung content (the first three are useless unless you subscribe to those services and can't be programmed to be more useful). The remote control supports voice commands for Bixby from Samsung and Alexa from Amazon. This allows you to avoid multiple clicks.

Picture and sound quality of the Samsung M8 Smart TV

The Samsung M8 Smart Display supports HDR10+, an enhanced version of the HDR10 high dynamic range protocol with Dolby Vision dynamic metadata. Dynamic means that HDR10 data is sent once before each scene, up to each frame, while content is sent once at the beginning of the content. This eliminates the need to compromise between dark and light scenes.

As a TV, sorry, the Smart Monitor M8 presents a very good picture for the price. Contrast is good, maximum brightness works, and color is reasonably accurate. However, since I'm used to Samsung's QLED TVs, I miss the color accuracy that Quantum Dot offers. The surface of the screen cover is matte, so there is no problem with glare.

Screen uniformity is also good, though you'll notice some skew in the corners due to the close focus distances, just like computer monitors. The backlighting isn't huge, so there are no area artifacts and a bit of glare (light on the edges of bright objects against a dark background). Glow and moiré were minimal on fine detail, and the M8 generally performed well on spurs. and Munsil Test Suite.

I had to dial in some of Samsung's wider contrast settings. By default, the video sometimes takes on the snapshot appearance of an old video, such as the "serial effect". Affects most factory Samsung TVs After painting, I had no complaints about the M8's picture when streaming movies from a NAS device or through services.

Viewing angles are very wide, but at 32 inches, your best viewing distance is only four feet. Considering most people's furniture fixtures, this is pretty close to a TV. On the other hand, it can be suitable for bedrooms, kitchens and workshops.

There's another problem with 60Hz refresh rate displays in action scenes: Motion smoothing is lower than Samsung's best. It's not terrible, but the extra fps really helps with things like this.

Using Samsung M8 as a computer monitor

Full disclosure here: I'm a HiDPI fan, which means I like screens with lots of DPI. Anything less than the Retina displays that come with Macs or the ultra-slim LG equivalents, which deliver around 200-220 ppi, wouldn't impress me.

While the M8 falls short of those standards and offers 140 ppi, it's one of the best displays I've seen. The low dot spacing wasn't the issue I thought it would be, and the very small pixelation/bleeding didn't bother me. Apple's Retina displays and LG's Ultrafine squeeze more pixels into smaller form factors, but the M8's 3840 x 2160 pixels at 32 inches worked just fine for me.

My biggest problem with using the Samsung M8 Smart Display with a computer is its relatively large physical size. I had to move my head back and forth to capture the entire screen at normal viewing distance. If you like larger screens, you'll love it, but they take up a lot of desk space and you'll probably have to move them beyond 24 inches.

As you might suspect from the ultra-slim profile, the sound from the M8's speakers is passable. The midrange is well defined enough to produce clear dialogue, but it lacks any significant bass response. There is no actual flash on top. I've already complained about being limited to Bluetooth for external audio, but the Samsung BT does a good job with lag and (and for the most part) makes up for the lag. In my experience with company TVs, you'll need to reboot at least once after connecting new headphones or speakers before the delay drops to acceptable levels.

The bottom line of the Samsung M8 Smart Screen

The M8 Smart Display is a very good large computer monitor that doubles as a streaming platform. I think Samsung's omission of VESA mounting points, a wired Ethernet connection, OTA TV tuner, and audio outputs is a particularly smart choice, but users with a streaming-only lifestyle probably won't appreciate it. If it fits your usage scenario, then it's a good product at a good price, at least when it's on sale.