Samsung S27D850T and S32D850T
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It’s always exciting seeing the intriguing designs Samsung comes up with for their new monitors. What’s even more exciting is when they make use of some new panels that we haven’t seen used in their monitors before. Samsung have ticked both ‘boxes of excitement’ with their S27D850T and S32D850T. The style is somewhat reminiscent of some of their other 2014 models, namely the SD590 series and U590 with their slender ‘photo frame’ style bezels. The bottom lip now has a brushed titanium effect to compliment the gunmetal grey used elsewhere – we assume matte plastics are used here. To ensure this isn’t a case of style over substance Samsung have also implemented some nice little features that will be sure to please some users. The buttons are pressable rather than touch-sensitive, there is an ‘Eco Light Sensor’ (ambient light sensor-based automatic brightness feature) and fully adjustable stand. You can tilt the screen (5° forwards, 20° backwards), swivel it (30° left and right), adjust its height (130mm or just over 5 inches) and pivot it 90° clockwise into portrait.
The monitors may look similar on the outside, apart from the obvious size difference (27” and 32”), but inside they are very different indeed. The S27 uses a 27” PLS panel with 2560 x 1440 (WQHD) resolution, 60Hz refresh rate, 1000:1 static contrast and 350 cd/m2 typical maximum luminance. This plus the bezels being more slender than we’ve seen on a WQHD PLS panel before indicate the use of a brand new panel. The S32 uses a 32” AMVA+ panel with 2560 x 1440 (WQHD) resolution, 60Hz refresh rate, 3000:1 static contrast and 300 cd/m2 typical maximum luminance. This is the AU Optronics M320DVN01.0 as seen on the BenQ BL3200PT. Both models are expected to feature very light matte (‘semi glossy’) screen surfaces and include features such as PiP (Picture in Picture), PbP (Picture by Picture) and Samsung’s ‘Game Mode’.
A WLED backlight with enhanced phosphors gives both models 100% sRGB coverage without straying as far as Adobe RGB – so these are standard gamut models. Interestingly Samsung specifically mentions 8 bit+ FRC colour processing in their initial press release for both models, although there is no mention of FRC in the panel specifics for the 32” version which has caused some confusion as to ‘true 10-bit’ vs. ‘8-bit plus FRC’. For the vast majority of users this will be of no real consequence, however. What will be of consequence is that both models have 178° horizontal and vertical viewing angles, but given the differences in panel type you can expect the 27” model to offer more consistent colours even when viewed from a ‘normal viewing position’ directly in front of the screen. Both models also have a 5ms grey to grey response time quoted (with adjustable pixel overdrive) but if you look at the spread of response times differences between the panels will again become apparent with the 27” model offering faster pixel transitions overall.
But what about the rear of the monitors? Well there is some good news there as well from a functionality standpoint. You’ll find a good range of ports; Dual-Link DVI, DisplayPort 1.2 input and output (for MST daisy chaining), HDMI 1.4, 4 USB 3.0 downstream ports (plus 1 upstream), 3.5mm audio input and audio output. The ports are arranged to make good use of space with the display inputs and outputs facing downwards and the USB ports and audio ports facing backwards – Samsung did away with the aging analogue (VGA) connection to save a bit of space as well. What will come as welcome news to many users is that the titanium-effect plate surrounding the stand can be removed alongside the stand itself to reveal 100 x 100mm and 200 x 200mm VESA holes for alternative mounting.
Further information on the S27D850T and S32D850T can be found on certain regional Samsung websites. The monitors are available in the UK for around £420 (27″) and £480 (32″). In the US the 27″ model is available for under $600 and 32″ for under $700.
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