Samsung Smart Monitor M9 review: This OLED doubles as a TV

Price When Reviewed

$1,599.99

Best Prices Today: Samsung Smart Monitor M9

$1,599.99

$1599.99

$1599.99

Want a 32-inch smart television with good image quality? Or a 32-inch OLED monitor that you can use for Netflix and cloud gaming even when your PC is turned off? The Samsung Smart Monitor M9 might be your solution. This smart monitor has Samsung’s Tizen OS and supports all the features and functionality you’d expect of a Samsung television—for better, and sometimes, for worse.

Read on to learn more, then see our roundup of the best monitors for comparison.

Samsung Smart Monitor M9 specs and features

The Samsung Smart Monitor M9’s basic specifications are typical for a 32-inch OLED, though just a tad underwhelming. It offers 4K resolution, but the maximum resolution is 165Hz (some competitors reach 240Hz). The monitor supports HDR10+, but not Dolby Vision. And while it supports USB-C upstream input with 90 watts of power, it has limited downstream USB connectivity.

• Display size: 31.5-inch 16:9 aspect ratio
• Native resolution: 3840×2160
• Panel type: QD-OLED (matte)
• Refresh rate: 165Hz
• Adaptive sync: Yes, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync Compatible
• HDR: Yes, HDR10+
• Ports: 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x USB-C with 90 watts of Power Delivery, 2x USB-A 2.0 downstream
• Audio: 2x 10-watt speakers
• Additional features: Tizen OS, remote control, 4K webcam and dual-microphone array, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.2
• Price: $1599.99 MSRP, $1,299.99 typical retail

However, the Smart Monitor M9 has what most 32-inch OLED monitors lack—a smart TV operating system. Specifically, it ships with Samsung’s Tizen OS. To support that, it also has a remote control, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. A webcam with microphone is thrown in for good measure.

The Smart Monitor M9 has a retail MSRP of $1,599.99, but it doesn’t appear to retail at that price often. It’s frequently discounted to $1,299.99. That’s a bit expensive for a 32-inch OLED monitor, but in line with premium competitors like the HP Omen Transcend 32 and LG Ultragear 32GS95UE-B (neither of which have smart TV features).

Samsung Smart Monitor M9 design

The Samsung Smart Monitor M9 leans on a conservative, classy design that doesn’t take risks but should look good in any situation. From the front it’s almost all screen, aside from the top bezel, where a webcam lurks.

Around back it’s an expanse of gunmetal materials, mostly plastic, which are understated but look expensive. The panel is quite thin, too, and while it does have a bump-out that contains the ports, it’s small and unobtrusive.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

The monitor ships with an L-shaped stand that has a compact, flat base that won’t take up much space on a desk. Annoyingly, though, the stand requires a screwdriver to assemble (most monitor stands use a thumb screw).

While the stand provides ergonomic adjustment, it’s not great. It adjusts 120mm for height and can also pivot 90 degrees. However, it can’t actually be used in portrait mode because the amount of height adjustment available doesn’t hold the display high enough off a desk to support portrait mode. Instead, the edge of the display will run into your desk at around 60 degrees of rotation. The stand allows tilt but doesn’t swivel, which most 32-inch monitor stands support.

The monitor is also compatible with 100x100mm VESA mounts for use with third-party monitor arms and stands.

Samsung Smart Monitor M9 connectivity

The back of the Samsung Smart Monitor M9 provides three video inputs. One HDMI 2.1, one DisplayPort 1.4, and one USB-C with DisplayPort. All three support the monitor’s maximum refresh rate and resolution, though only in Game Mode (the maximum outside Game Mode is 120Hz). Three video inputs are typical for the category, though some, like the HP Omen Transcend 32, provide four.

Connecting to the USB-C port also provides 90 watts of USB Power Delivery, which is enough to power many mid-range Windows laptops, and most MacBooks. The USB-C port provides downstream access to a pair of USB-A ports. They’re only USB-A 2.0, though, so they’re mostly there for a wired keyboard and mouse.

That makes the Smart Monitor M9’s connectivity a bit of a mix. On the one hand, it provides a good variety of inputs and USB-C with Power Delivery, which is a must-have on a monitor in this price range. But it’s outclassed by monitors like the HP Omen Transcend 32, which not only has more video inputs, but also has USB-C with 140 watts of power. The LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B also has a slight advantage, as its USB-A ports are at least USB 3.0, and it has a 3.5mm audio-out, which the Smart Monitor M9 lacks.

Samsung Smart Monitor M9 Smart TV features

The “Smart” in the Samsung Smart Monitor M9’s name means it ships with Samsung’s Tizen OS, the same operating system found on the company’s smart televisions.

And much like on smart televisions, Tizen provides access to a huge range of apps and services. You can watch Netflix or play cloud gaming services like Amazon Luna, among other things. Put simply: The Smart Monitor M9 is a smart TV. In fact, it’s arguably more than that. It can even access some productivity apps, like Microsoft 365, so you can sorta-kinda use the monitor like a computer. You can use the Smart Monitor M9 to control Samsung SmartThings devices, too.

Remember, though, that because it lacks a TV tuner, the Smart Monitor M9 can’t natively handle an over-the-air or coaxial cable TV signal.

I go back and forth on how Samsung’s Tizen OS compares to LG’s WebOS, found on monitors like the LG MyView Smart Monitor 32SR85U, and Google TV OS, found on monitors like the MSI Modern MD272UPSW. Tizen OS is certainly the busiest of the three, in no small part due to the range of Samsung features that are integrated (you can use some Samsung phones to calibrate the monitor, for example, though you can also use some iPhones). That’s handy if you’re all-in on the Samsung ecosystem. If not, it can prove distracting.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Unfortunately, the smart monitor features mean that setup is much more complicated than most monitors. It’s a multi-step process that involves Wi-Fi, Samsung accounts, terms of service, and more. I finished setup in about 5 minutes, but it’s sure to annoy those who just want a monitor to be plug-and-play.

Oh—and what about the 4K webcam? It’s an odd inclusion but also a nice bonus. The webcam is available as a plug-and-play camera for any PC connected to the monitor’s USB-C port. That’s handy and, better still, both the camera and microphone array provide better quality than a run-of-the-mill webcam. It’s not perfect; the webcam lacks a physical privacy shutter, and the default field-of-view is strangely wide. Still, it’s nice to have if you regularly use a webcam to take video calls at your desk.

Samsung Smart Monitor M9 menus and settings

Smart TV features aside, the Samsung Smart Monitor M9 provides a decent range of image quality adjustment. There are options for gamma, color temperature, color calibration, and several preset modes that target specific color space.

The menu system is confusing, however. Samsung inexplicably constrains the menu to a small portion of the display, so there’s not enough space to list the full text of some menu items (they instead scroll). I also noticed that many menu options, like fine-grain color temperature adjustments, are locked behind specific modes, while others are listed yet didn’t seem accessible. The monitor’s manual wasn’t helpful, either.

Samsung, like LG, also makes the strange decision to summon an alternative menu when Game Mode is turned on. The menu is arranged differently and highlights different options, adding to the confusion. Game Mode is also required to access the 165Hz refresh rate.

In summary: The menu system is a bit of a mess. The same is also true of LG webOS smart monitors, but I think Samsung’s menu system might be even worse. Both Samsung and LG would do well to re-think their menu systems. At the very least, can we get a menu large enough to list the full text of the options on-screen and ditch the weird alternate menu system for Game Mode?

Samsung Smart Monitor M9 audio

The Samsung Smart Monitor M9 ships with 10-watt speakers that provide adequate audio. They are clear, crisp, and enjoyable at lower levels of volume, but quickly become muddy and harsh as volume levels ramp up. I’m honestly a bit perplexed as to why Samsung even allows the speakers to become as loud as they can, as they’re obviously not up to the task of delivering quality audio at anything above roughly half the speaker’s maximum volume.

Despite that, it’s worth mention that many competitors don’t even have built-in speakers, and those that do have them are often worse. The HP Omen Transcend 32 has a pair of 3-watt speakers and the Alienware AW3225QF doesn’t have speakers at all. The Smart Monitor M9’s audio is fine for less demanding situations. For example, they were enjoyable when playing Rimworld and listening to podcasts on YouTube.

LG’s Ultragear 32GS95UE-B, which has an innovative “Pixel Sound” system, is the one competitor that puts the Smart Monitor M9’s audio to shame. The LG 32GS95UE-B is not a smart monitor, though, and it’s usually $100 more expensive than the Samsung.  

Samsung Smart Monitor M9 SDR image quality

The Samsung Smart Monitor M9 of course has a Samsung QD-OLED panel. QD-OLED is a known quantity at this point. It consistently provides great performance, so much so that I’ve argued it doesn’t really matter which OLED monitor you buy—at least, not when it comes to SDR image quality.

The Smart Monitor M9 does little to disprove that point, but it looks great. It also has a matte display finish, which is unusual for an OLED and will make or break the display for some.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

The Samsung Smart Monitor M9 produced a sustained SDR brightness of 252 nits. As the graph shows, that’s typical and mid-pack for an OLED monitor, with most falling between 240 and 260 nits. That level of brightness is fine for indoor use in a room with light control, but it might seem dim in a very brightly lit room, or opposite a sunlit window.

With that said, the Smart Monitor M9 has a matte coat, which is unusual. The coat effectively diffuses reflections, which makes it easier to see the monitor in bright rooms, or when a bright light source is opposite the display. On the downside, though, it will make the monitor seem a bit less contrast-rich than a glossy alternative.

I prefer a matte coat over glossy, but your opinion may vary, and it’s a key point. The matte display finish might be the reason you choose the Smart Monitor M9, or avoid it, depending on your preference.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

While the matte coat can reduce apparent contrast due to how it diffuses light across the display, the Smart Monitor M9 still provides the same infinite contrast ratio as other OLED displays. That’s true because it reached a perfect minimum luminance of zero nits. As a result, it provides a rich and immersive image with a good sense of dimensionality.

The same is true of all modern OLED monitors, however. The contrast ratio, though obviously excellent, doesn’t set the Smart Monitor M9 apart from the pack.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

QD-OLED monitors are excellent in color gamut, providing a wide color gamut that displays many colors. As a result, the Smart Monitor M9 can display 100 percent of the sRGB color gamut, 98 percent of DCI-P3, and 94 percent of AdobeRGB. The monitor looks vivid and saturated.

However, once again, the Smart Monitor M9’s excellent performance doesn’t separate it from the pack. All QD-OLED monitors have similar color gamut. Monitors with an LG WOLED panel fall a bit behind QD-OLED, though their color gamut is still solid overall.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

The Smart Monitor M9 also has excellent color accuracy straight out of the box. While keen users with specific needs may want to calibrate it to reach certain standards, the default image is exceptionally accurate for general use.

The monitor’s color error is more prominent in grayscale than it is in color, which contributes to a default gamma curve value of 2.3. That means the image is a bit darker than intended. It’s a small difference but might result in some slight loss of shadow detail in uniformly dark scenes. Color temperature, on the other hand, was spot on the target value of 6500K. That means the image doesn’t look too warm or too cool.

Sharpness is a perk. The native resolution of 3840×2160 works out to about 140 pixels per inch across the 31.5-inch OLED panel. Though obviously not as sharp as a 27-inch 4K display, it’s still an excellent pixel density that looks sharp in everything from games to Microsoft Word.

In summary, the Samsung Smart Monitor M9’s SDR image is exactly as excellent as expected. It performs identically to other QD-OLED monitors. The only major difference is subjective: the matte display finish. Whether you like that, or not, will depend on your own preference.

Samsung Smart Monitor M9 HDR image quality

The Samsung Smart Monitor M9 is VESA DisplayHDR 400 True Black certified. That’s typical for a QD-OLED monitor. However, it turns out that HDR brightness is a downside for the Smart Monitor M9.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

I tried the Smart Monitor M9 in all available HDR modes, but it never crept much higher than 450 nits even in peak highlights. Lighting a larger area of the display led to even lower HDR brightness, which is typical for an OLED monitor.

That’s not to say the Smart Monitor M9 looks bad in HDR. It still has the contrast and color performance needed to deliver a vibrant, saturated, accurate image.

However, the lack of brightness will be noticeable in bright HDR highlights. In the Gargantua scene from Interstellar, for example, I noticed less detail in the bright swirling gasses closest to the black hole. Subtle variations in brightness that are visible on some other OLED monitors weren’t visible on the Smart Monitor M9.

On one final note, the Samsung Smart Monitor M9 does allow brightness adjustment in HDR mode. While increasingly common, not all monitors allow this, as HDR typically controls brightness based on content. For a monitor, however, full brightness control is preferable, and I am glad to see the Smart Monitor M9 provides it.

Samsung Smart Monitor M9 motion performance

The Samsung Smart Monitor M9 isn’t a gaming monitor, but it still provides a respectable maximum refresh rate of 165Hz.

That’s not as good as 32-inch OLED gaming monitors, which tend to hit 240Hz, but it still provides a major boost in motion clarity over a 60Hz display. Fast-moving objects look crisp and fast camera pans in 3D games provide respectable detail.

The difference between the Smart Monitor M9’s 165Hz refresh rate and a superior 240Hz monitor is most noticeable when viewing small text or UI elements. If you’re trying to track the HP bar or status icons above an enemy, for example, it can be a bit more difficult on the Smart Monitor M9 than on a 240Hz alternative, like the HP Omen Transcend 32 or Alienware AW3225QF.

Of course, those alternatives aren’t smart monitors, so you’ll have to make a choice between motion clarity and smart features.

Adaptive Sync is supported on the Smart Monitor M9, and it even lists official support for AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync Compatible. That’s great to see in a monitor that doesn’t bill itself as a gaming display.

Should you buy the Samsung Smart Monitor M9?

Samsung’s Smart Monitor M9 is a bundle of perks and downsides that make for a confusing recommendation.

The monitor has a confusing menu system, limited downstream connectivity, and mediocre HDR brightness. However, it also packs useful smart TV features, complete with remote control, and has a rare (for OLED) matte display finish that reduces glare and makes the monitor more viewable in brighter room.

Deciding whether the Smart Monitor M9 works for you requires careful consideration of these perks and problems. It can work as a TV alternative in small spaces, has the color performance for creative work, and a matte coat that looks great when writing in Word or browsing the web. But if you want an OLED monitor largely for PC gaming, or HDR entertainment, you’ll find better performance elsewhere.