A smart monitor is nothing more than a small smart TV. That statement is almost right, but the Samsung M5 has more to offer, making it an exciting product. Imagine working on a very high-quality robust screen, at the end of the day turning everything off and just using the remote, but on the same screen. The idea sounds exciting, but does it have the quality to compensate for this diversified use style?
Key Specification
| $ | CHECK PRICE |
| Brand | Samsung |
| Model | Samsung M5 Smart Monitor |
| Curved | No |
| Weight | 6.4 kg |
| Colour | Black |
| Tilt adjustment | 2 levels |
On the front, the screen is almost 100% usable, leaving us with ultra-thin edges. Only at the bottom do we have a sturdy border with a nice brushed metal finish, with the Samsung logo discreetly in the center. Underneath the logo, there is only one button that turns the monitor on if it is off, and that triggers a quick menu with some options if it is on.
On the back, a pattern of horizontal lines fills and texture the back of the smart monitor up to the shaft, which has a curve to route the cables through and leaves your setup looking cleaner and more organized. Still, we have a USB-A connection on the back — randomly at the top and left —, two HDMI inputs, and an input for the monitor’s power cable.
The Samsung M5 takes the smart of its name for the construction, extremely robust and simple to install yourself. It is made up of just three pieces, the base, the shaft, and the canvas. The rod connects to the base with a simple wrench, making the two basically the same piece, while the screen connects to the rod with a very smooth fit. To take it off the pole or put it in the slanted position is very simple — although the normal position keeps the screen sturdier on the stand.
Also, at 2.9 kg, it’s not a very heavy monitor, so if you want to take it from your living room/office to your bedroom, it’s effortless to do this transport — not to mention the only cable you need is the power cable.
Picture/Display
| Display Type | IPS |
| Size | 24 inch Full HD |
| Webcam | No |
| Colors | Max 16.7M |
| Viewing Angle | 178°(H)/178°(V) |
| Response time | 14ms |
| Resolution | 1,920 x 1,080 |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 |
| Brightness | 250 |
| Contrast ratio | 1,000:1(Typ.) |
| Refresh Rate | 60Hz |
The screen here is Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) in the traditional 16:9 aspect ratio. The panel is IPS type with HDR10 and a maximum refresh rate of 60 Hz. In practice, the screen is beautiful, with a brightness that surprised me, delivering an excellent image. Dark scenes and backgrounds haven’t become much harder to see, even with the smart monitor next to a window — most screens tend to perform significantly less when there’s too much light in the room.
It is possible that for a more demanding gamer audience, the maximum update of 60 Hz is a problem. Still, I confess that using the Samsung M5 to play games, the beautiful image quality, added to the little game practically overflowing the screen, result in an extensive immersion — and it’s not like 60 FPS games aren’t fluid enough.
An exciting screen mode for gamers is the Ultrawide Game View mode, which turns the screen into ultrawide, losing screen enjoyment but gaining a lot of peripheral information that you wouldn’t otherwise have access to if you didn’t turn your character in that direction.
Beyond the gaming world, the Samsung M5 is a great smart monitor for work. While 24 inches is an excellent size for a screen, you’ll be sitting close to, the visual fidelity, polished colors, and good refresh will make life easier for any video or image editor.
And to be a screen for you to use independently of your pc, it’s clear that sound becomes an essential part of the equation. The fact is that the sound we have here has a lot of volumes — more than is necessary for a screen of this size — and the sound quality is not a differential, but it doesn’t disappoint — especially for the category, which hardly brings high-quality sound.
Connectivity
| HDMI | 2 HDMI |
| Audio input | Yes |
| USB | 1 USB-A |
| Box Includes | HDMI Cable Remote Controller Power Cable |
The many smart possibilities make the Samsung M5 interesting. It comes with Tizen platform — an operating system developed by Samsung mainly for smart TVs — and as mentioned at the beginning, it has a remote control that has buttons dedicated to “Netflix,” “Prime Video,” and a curious “www” button, which opens right in the browser.
It also has integrated applications from YouTube, Apple TV+, Disney+, HBO MAX, among others available for download, aggregating everything you would find in a dongle, for example.
Also, the ways you can mirror content in it are vast. It offers AirPlay 2 — native integration with Apple devices and Samsung DeX — that turns your compatible smartphone into a computer, so you can use your smartphone’s features on a big screen.
It even allows you to connect the keyboard and mouse via Bluetooth. Little functional, right? Indeed it would, but this is one of the Samsung M5’s trump cards. This is because it is possible to register a notebook or computer and access it remotely, just with the monitor. Imagine leaving your notebook for professional and personal use at work and accessing it from your home? If you have a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, you’ll be able to use it perfectly.
The only point regarding connectivity that disappoints is the number of entries. The Samsung M5 has a USB-A input, two HDMI inputs, and the input for the power cable. It would be interesting if it had one more USB port — preferably USB-C — one or two DisplayPort ports and a headphone jack, as it’s a screen that, some of the time, will be used at close range. It would be interesting to be able to use Netflix from the monitor itself without having to turn on the computer and enter Netflix just to watch the content using headphones, right?
Conclusion!
The Samsung M5 is $200. The price scares because it comes close to the price of a smart TV and 4K monitors, for example. However, the product focus we have here is a premium experience designed for convenience and versatility. The many possible ways to use it make it very practical.
The screen and sound combination further encourage you to turn off your computer and press the Netflix button to enjoy some program at the end of the day. If it’s a premium experience you’re after, the Samsung M5 Smart Monitor delivers it with flying colors.
