Samsung today announced that its ViewFinity S9 external monitor is now available to pre-order in South Korea, and will launch in the country on July 3. The monitor is priced at 1.7 million won, which is equivalent to approximately $1,300 USD. Samsung has yet to reveal pricing or availability details for the U.S. market.
Unveiled at CES 2023 in January, the ViewFinity S9 has similar specs as Apple's Studio Display, including the same 27-inch size, 5K resolution, 60Hz refresh rate, 600 nits peak brightness, support for one billion colors, and support for 99% of the DCI-P3 color space. The monitor's metal stand and slim bezels also resemble the Studio Display.
The back of the ViewFinity S9 is equipped with a Thunderbolt 4 port that can provide up to 90W of pass-through charging to a computer, which is enough power to charge any MacBook. The monitor also has three USB-C ports and a Mini DisplayPort.
If the ViewFinity S9 ends up being priced around $1,300 in the U.S., that would be around $300 cheaper than the Studio Display, which starts at $1,599. However, the ViewFinity S9 offers a matte finish and a height-adjustable stand as standard features, whereas the Studio Display costs $2,299 when configured with these options, so the savings could potentially be up to $1,000. Samsung's monitor also comes with an attached 4K webcam that offers higher-resolution video than the Studio Display's built-in webcam.
The monitor has a "Smart Calibration" feature that allows it to be calibrated with the SmartThings app. Users can point a compatible iPhone or Galaxy smartphone's camera at the center of the ViewFinity S9 screen to calibrate the monitor.
Samsung uploaded a ViewFinity S9 introduction video in English on its YouTube channel on Sunday, so U.S. availability may be around the corner. The monitor will provide much-needed competition to the Studio Display, as there are very few 27-inch 5K displays on the market that offer an ideal Retina-quality experience for macOS. The monitor also offers far better value for customers willing to look past the Apple logo.
