Samsung Smart Monitor doubles as a Smart TV for home your office

PC monitor has Smart TV software for Netflix, Hulu and Disney+

Samsung announced a new “smart monitor” that doubles as a smart TV.

The company is using the same software platform found in its Smart TVs. Samsung’s smart TV platform is powered by Tizen, and has an embedded app store. 

Apps for Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Hulu, YouTube and others can be downloaded directly to the monitor.

“Consumers’ reliance on monitors has dramatically increased during this time when many are staying-at-home,” Mark Quiroz, a vice president of marketing, said in a statement. “Smart Monitor is Samsung’s response to this new environment. Its flexibility to transform into a display for work, school or streaming content makes it an incredible value, especially to younger consumers and cord-cutters seeking a do-it-all display.”

The Smart Monitor is also the only monitor to support AirPlay2, according to the company. So you can stream or share content directly from your iPhone, iPad or Mac to your monitor. 

Two models of the Samsung Smart Monitor have Full HD picture resolution and went on sale this week. 

A third model has a Ultra High Definition display and goes on sale in December. 

Remote control and 5W speakers 

Aside from the Smart TV software, the monitor comes with a remote control that has dedicated buttons for streaming apps. Inside the monitor, there is a two-channel 5W speaker. Samsung says that the remote can be used to fully control the monitor. 

There is support for voice commands through Bixby 2.0, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. 

Yeah, it’s for work, too … 

The Samsung Smart Monitor can connect wirelessly to a PC or laptop. The monitor has built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Samsung’s Wireless DeX. 

And if you are already using a Samsung smartphone, then you’ll have some extra features at your disposal. 

Wireless DeX is a software hub that connects your Samsung smartphone to a monitor and keyboard so you can use it like a PC.

When I first read about Wireless DeX, I was pretty confused. So I tracked down this how-to video on YouTube that explained it pretty well.

Tap View is a smart TV feature that enables casting by “tapping” your Samsung smartphone to the monitor. 

The Samsung Smart Monitor M5 has a full HD picture resolution. It comes in 27- and 32-inches. 

The Samsung Smart Monitor M5 27” is priced at $229.99 and the 32” at $279.99. 

The Samsung Smart Monitor M7 Ultra HD only comes with a 32-inch display. The M7 is priced at $399.99. It will be available in December. 

I’ll be interested to see how the Samsung Smart Monitor is received.

Let’s do a Scott Galloway-style riff, where I’ll tell you what I think, and you can tell me where or how I’m wrong in the comments below. 

Samsung creating an all-in-one monitor makes a lot of sense and it’s landing at a decent price point if you compare it to other high-end monitors.

I have been using monitors to watch live TV for a number of years now. Watching TV on a smartphone or computer monitor has become commonplace — even well before COVID-19 and the work-from-home era. So in a lot of ways, Samsung is being a first mover with integrating OTT streaming, and work functionality in one display. 

For streaming services to be successful — especially those offering live TV channels — it’s been a prerequesite for them to be compatible with web browsers. And honestly, web browsers aren’t the most optimal way to watch video. 

Whether Samsung can make smart monitors a hit in their hardware lineup remains to be seen. But it feels like it’s on point with how we’re already watching TV and streaming.   

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