“Samsung ViewFinity S9 first look: a sleek alternative to Apple’s Studio Display”

Chris Welch, at The Verge:

Samsung announced its ViewFinity S9 monitor earlier this week. With a 5K (5120 x 2880) resolution and stylish aluminum enclosure, it seems like Samsung is trying to square off with Apple’s Studio Display — likely for a lower price — and LG’s high-resolution monitors. I had a chance to check out the ViewFinity S9 up close at Samsung’s First Look event here at CES 2023, and my first impressions were quite positive.

I’m happy to see another entrant to the retina display market, even if it does appear to be mostly “me too” to the Apple Studio Display. Especially welcome is the built-in VESA mount and extra ports. If Samsung manages to get this thing closer to $1,000 than $2,000, they’ve got a compelling product on their hands.

But do keep in mind that the ViewFinity will come loaded with the same software that runs on Samsung’s TVs and Smart Monitor, so you’ll get direct access to streaming apps plus productivity software like Google Meet. Some will view that as a bonus; others might have preferred that the ViewFinity was just a standard, dumb monitor.

Count me in the latter group. I’m going to connect this thing to, you know, a computer; I don’t need or want the monitor to have its own operating system or apps. With Samsung (and other manufacturers) watching and monetizing your habits, I especially don’t want one of their systems involved in my computing.

(Yes, I know that the Apple display also has its own OS. Apple’s OS is not for end user apps like a TV, so it’s a different beast altogether. Still, I think that’s overkill, too, and I’d rather that it didn’t have one either. Why can’t we have a nice, dumb monitor to plug our smarts into?)