External monitors are more popular than ever before, and for good reason: at a time when so many of us spend hours staring at PC screens, extra real estate is a genuine quality-of-life enhancer. A secondary display panel not only allows for much more breathing room, but also enables a nicer multimedia viewing experience.

Samsung when it comes to display technologies, and with its Smart Monitor M8, the company is flexing its engineering muscles. The product’s large 32-inch flat panel not only serves as an external computer display, but also as a full-fledged compact smart TV.

I placed the Smart Monitor M8 on my desk to see how much utility the product could provide — here’s my experience with using it for both productivity and content consumption purposes.

Price, availability, and specs

Considering that the Samsung Smart Monitor M8 houses a rather massive 32-inch display panel within its chassis, it’s a relatively large and weighty product overall. In terms of dimensions, the monitor comes in at 280.9 x 24.3 x 7.9-inches (713.4 x 616.2 x 200.1mm) with its stand attached, or 280.9 x 16.7 x 1 inches (713.4 x 423.8 x 24.5mm) without the stand. Weight wise, the unit clocks in at 15.9lbs (7.2kg) with its stand, or 9.3lbs (4.2kg) without it.

The monitor’s display bezels are slim and symmetrical, which keeps physical dimensions more approachable than would otherwise be the case. The entire unit is encased within a lightweight textured white plastic, and the included stand is constructed of a sturdy metallic material.

Naturally, the 32-inch LCD flat panel is the star of the show here, and it’s a pretty nice display overall. Specs-wise, it offers a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels at a 16:9 widescreen ratio, which is equivalent to 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD). The screen is capable of 300 nits of brightness, and it runs at a refresh rate of 60Hz. Both HDR10 and the more advanced HDR10+ visual standards are supported, which is welcome.

In the box, the monitor ships with a few additional goodies beyond the standard AC adapter. Both USB-C and HDMI cables are provided for quickly plugging into compatible hardware, and there’s even a USB-A extension dongle for added flexibility.

The monitor also ships with a dedicated remote that’s rechargable via USB-C. An external webcam unit rounds out the selection, which magnetically latches to the top of the monitor and interfaces using built-in pogo pins.

The Samsung Smart Monitor M8 is available in a single white colorway at $700. For this price, you get all the aforementioned accessories in the box, including the monitor stand itself.

What I liked about the Samsung Smart Monitor M8

Roomy screen real estate and easy output switching make for a flexible (and practical) user experience

My favorite aspect of the Samsung Smart Monitor M8 is undoubtedly its design — I’m a big fan of its sleek appearance, its slim bezels, and creamy white exterior shell. The subtle textured finish feels premium to the touch, and the metallic stand is both sturdy and substantial.

The entire display is able to pivot 180 degrees and into a vertical (portrait) orientation, which I took advantage of for the purposes of word processing and reading text-heavy web articles. The hinge mechanism is smooth and solid, and I found myself enjoying the versatility more than I initially expected.

I’m also fond of Samsung’s decision to include a variety of cables in the box, which covers most average use cases without worry. The external webcam unit, which magnetically attaches to the top of the monitor, is an ingenious design that I wish was standard across all monitors. The ability to easily pluck it on and off is a win on the privacy front, and modular, magnetic designs are just fun in general.

Plugging my laptop into the unit and extending my desktop onto the external display was an effortless experience. The benefit of a USB-C connection is that my PC remains charged up and ready for action when I need to head out of the house. There’s plenty to love when switching over to TV mode, as well — Samsung TV Plus provides live TV channels and free on-demand content, which is always appreciated.

The panel’s built-in speakers are another highlight. At 10W, they sound full and fairly rich — an important consideration for a product marketed as a part-time smart TV. As for the remote, the fact that it offers USB-C-based charging is convenient and its button placement is easy to memorize.

What I didn’t like about the Samsung Smart Monitor M8

The monitor runs Samsung’s proprietary Tizen operating system, and it’s not my favorite TV OS

If you happened to misplace the included remote control, you can thankfully still interface with the Smart Monitor M8 via its rear-mounted control scheme. Unfortunately, I found these buttons to be mushy and lack the satisfying tactility I seek in physical controls.

While I’m a big fan of how easy it is to switch across PC and smart TV modes, I’m a bit less enthused with Samsung’s propietary Tizen operating system. There’s nothing inherently wrong with it — it offers all the controls, options, and interface elements you’d expect — but I find it to be somewhat clunky and unattractive when compared to the likes of Google’s Android TV and Apple’s tvOS platforms.

I also would’ve loved to have seen a couple of additional side-mounted I/O on the unit, such as a 3.5mm headphone jack, an SD card reader, or even an extra USB-C port. The included selection covers the basics, but from my perspective, the more ports the merrier.

Lastly, I found the external power brick to be on the larger side. I understand that this is a necessary accommodation to keep the unit thin and compact, but it’s worth mentioning nonetheless. Depending on your desk and room setup, this might be a minor visual eyesore, or it might not be a problem in the slightest.

Should you buy the Samsung Smart Monitor M8?

If you want to forgo the cost and space requirements of a traditional TV setup, then the Smart Monitor M8 is an excellent option

In my time testing the Samsung Smart Monitor M8, I used it as my go-to display for both productivity and content consumption purposes. I found the product to be highly convenient overall, with its dead simple output switching being a highlight for me.

The display itself is plenty bright for indoor use, even on days with the sun beaming directly into my office space. Its 4K UHD resolution is sharp enough in my testing, though the mix of a matte display coating and LCD technology make for colors that don’t quite ‘pop’ in the same way as they do in some competing OLED setups.

My biggest gripe with the product comes down to Samsung’s Tizen TV operating system, which is full-featured, but somewhat crowded with interface elements and fairly drab in the design language department.

The ability to dock my laptop into the Smart Monitor M8, and top up its battery while working away at my desk, will always be a valuable use case. When paired with the included TV remote, the smart TV interface, and the built-in Wi-Fi, I found Samsung’s Smart Monitor M8 to hit all the right notes consistently.

This device was provided to Pocket-lint by Samsung.