The Samsung ViewFinity S80 is a premium 4K business monitor that promises superb clarity and satisfying functionality. It’s expensive for a 27-inch 4K monitor, but it is reasonable if its performance catches up to something like the Dell U2723QE. Let’s take a closer look to see if it should be your next office upgrade this summer.
Samsung ViewFinity S80 Specifications
- Screen Size: 27 Inches
- Resolution:3840 x 2160 4K UHD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Panel Technology: In-Plane Switching (IPS Black)
- Refresh Rate: 60Hz
- Response Time: 5ms
- Contrast Ratio: 1000:1 (Static)
- Brightness: 400 cd/m²
- Built-in Speakers: No
- Stand: Height – Yes
- Stand: Tilt – Yes
- Stand: Swivel – Yes
- Stand: Pivot – Yes
- VESA Compatibility: Yes 100 x 100
- Connectivity: DisplayPort 1.4 x 1, HDMI 2.0 x 1, USB-C PD90W x 1, USB 3.0 x 3, 3.5mm Audio Jack
- Dimensions with Stand(WxHxD): 24.24” x 21.73” x 7.73″
- Weight: 14.77 lbs
Design and Features
The Samsung ViewFinity S80 features a clean, all-business appeal that’s sleeker than its predecessor. It has a matte discrete matte black finish, so it is easy to clean and it will fit right in with any setup. The display has a bezel-free design, so the screen looks free even if it still has inner borders.
Samsung, like many top brands, has been reducing its product’s footprint on desks and the environment. This model has smaller dimensions than its predecessor, so it only needs 7.73 inches of depth from your desk. It weighs less than 15 pounds, so it should be easy to move around when you need to rearrange your setup.
Its build quality is great and comparable with the brand’s other premium offerings. The plastic panels are thick and durable, and there were no cosmetic defects on any of its parts. The included stand is firm and stable, so the screen won’t sag or shake while it’s in use.
The Samsung ViewFinity S80 doesn’t have an OSD joystick but has a D-pad style control layout under the brand logo on the bottom bezel. It’s easier to use since it has arrow keys, but it is still not as agile or user-friendly as the former. The mushy buttons are also unpleasant compared to a clicky set which feels more tactile.
The included stand offers tilt, swivel, pivot, and height adjustments for your convenience. Ergonomics is essential for business or professional use since it will allow the user to get a comfortable view while using the screen for an extended period. You can also use VESA mounts, but it’s only going to be necessary for more complex workstations with more than one display.
The Samsung ViewFinity S80’s connectivity includes a slot each for DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 and a 90-watt USB-C slot with DP Alt Mode. That’s plenty for a workstation, especially for those with a USB-C laptop like the MacBook Pro. We think it’s a bit short for USB-A slots since you will need more than two or three for all the supporting peripherals that are useful for a remote work setup.
It has a 3.5mm jack for headphones, but we wish it had a pair of good speakers to help complete a workstation build. However, most built-ins don’t sound great anyway, and those offering great audio performance often affect pricing.
Display and Performance
The Samsung Viewfinity S80 offers a 27-inch IPS panel with a 3840 x 2160 resolution, a 60Hz refresh rate, and a 5ms response time. The backlight has a 350 cd/m2 output and a 400 cd/m2 peak, while the contrast is listed at 1000:1 like most IPS panels. This model is HDR 400 certified, but that doesn’t mean much when it comes to true HDR performance.
27-inch 4K screens are sharp due to the tighter pixel density, so they are very suitable for imaging or media consumption. It can be a struggle to read text or see small objects, so scaling might be necessary for some users. Its very demanding on the GPU when it comes to gaming, but this model is limited to 60Hz, so you should be fine with a few graphics adjustments.
The Samsung Viewfinity S80 covers 100% sRGB and 95% DCI-P3 which falls a bit short f the company’s claims. Its default accuracy had a delta E average of 2.09, which is great but not excellent for something that’s marketed as an editing display. Using the monitor’s sRGB mode improved the score to 1.41, which is considerably better.
Calibrating it reduced the dE average to 0.8, which is fantastic for editing and content creation. This makes it ideal for designers and creators, but they need to have a colorimeter to achieve a similar output. No amount of copying settings or ICC profiles can guarantee it since every panel has differing color characteristics.
The Samsung Viewfinity S80’s backlight reached 371 cd/m2 at 100%, so it can fight off a lot of glare in a well-lit room. Its contrast reached 991:1 at 30% brightness, so it is not capable of deeper black luminance like the Dell U2723QE. However, that’s a known limitation of the panel tech, so it’s not a deal breaker in our book.
Panel uniformity for the test sample wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t entirely bad either. There were no massive backlight leaks, but there was some variance in the backlight’s spread toward the corners. The flaw is only visible when a full black image is displayed, but it’s not an issue for the most part.
The Samsung Viewfinity S80 isn’t a gaming variant, but its pixel response time was decent for a business model. Adding some overdrive helped reduce the already minimal persistence in contrasting transitions. Its sgreat for any type of game, but E-Sports players might want to look elsewhere.
The Samsung Viewfinity S80 doesn’t have FreeSync or G-Sync compatibility since it wasn’t made for gaming. VRR is essential for playing in 4K, but casual gamers won’t be bothered by it. Input lag sits at 9ms at 60Hz, so it’s snappy and free from delays while n use.
Thoughts on the Samsung Viewfinity S80
The Samsung Viewfinity S80 is a great choice if you want a functional daily driver for home and office setups. It’s got a great IPS panel that offers superb color, and it’s equipped with sufficient features to help it catch up with modern computing. It is built well, so it should last beyond its 3-year warranty from the brand.
However, the Samsung Viewfinity S80 is pricey for a 4K 60Hz monitor, no matter which angle you look at it. Better monitors like the Dell U2723QE or a 4K 144Hz option like the Gigabyte M27U only need a hundred bucks more. That’s a small gap in price but a large leap in performance.
Pros:
- Great Color Quality
- 90w USB-C
- Crisp and Clear
Cons:
- Poor HDR and Contrast
- Pricey
About the Author: Paolo has been a gaming veteran since the golden days of Doom and Warcraft and has been building gaming systems for family, friends, and colleagues since junior high. High-performance monitors are one of his fixations; he believes that every citizen’s right to enjoy one. He has gone through several pieces of hardware in pursuit of every bit of performance gain, much to the dismay of his wallet. He now works with Monitornerds to scrutinize the latest gear to create reviews that accentuate the seldom explained aspects of a PC monitor.
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