The Samsung Smart Monitor M7 S43BM70 is a 4k smart monitor, and it's the replacement for the Samsung 43M70A. Unlike most monitors, it has a built-in smart interface, with tons of streaming apps available so you can stream content directly to the display like you would with a TV. Because of this, it's essentially a 43-inch TV without a tuner but with some features that are more typically found on monitors, like ergonomic adjustments on the stand. It has built-in support for the Bixby or Alexa voice assistants, which you can control either with the mic on the included remote or hands-free with the mic on the monitor. There are a few other models available in Samsung's Smart Monitor lineup, including the Samsung Smart Monitor M8 S32BM80, which is available in a smaller 32-inch version and has different inputs.
Our Verdict
The Samsung M7 is a decent monitor for most uses. It's clearly designed for media consumption, with the included Tizen OS smart interface and a huge selection of streaming apps, so you can watch your favorite shows without any external devices like a PC. It's also decent for media creation, with a large, high-resolution screen that makes it easy to see more of your work. It's just okay for office use, as it has limited ergonomics and just decent text clarity. It's not designed for gaming, and as such, it delivers just an alright gaming experience, and finally, although it supports HDR, this adds very little, as it doesn't have a local dimming feature and can't get very bright.
- High native contrast.
- Built-in Tizen smart platform.
- Large screen and high native resolution.
- Bad ergonomics.
- Image degrades at an angle.
- Limited to 60Hz refresh rate.
The Samsung M7 43" is alright for office use. It has a large, high-resolution screen which is great for multitasking, but the relatively low pixel density and suboptimal pixel structure results in just decent text clarity. It has bad ergonomics, so it's hard to place it in an ideal viewing position, and it has narrow viewing angles, so the image looks washed out at the sides when sitting close to the screen. It also has a glossy screen coating that looks great when watching movies, but doesn't do much to reduce direct reflections, so its best to avoid placing it in a bright office.
- Large screen and high native resolution.
- Good peak brightness.
- Bad ergonomics.
- Image degrades at an angle.
- Sub-optimal BGR subpixel layout causes some text clarity issues.
- Distracting glare caused by the glossy finish.
The Samsung Smart Monitor M7 isn't designed for gaming, and it delivers just an alright gaming experience. It has good low input lag, although it has higher than usual input lag for a monitor. It has a passable response time, with some noticeable blur behind fast-moving objects. Sadly, it's limited to a 60Hz refresh rate and doesn't support advanced gaming features like FreeSync. It also can't really take full advantage of the PS5 or Xbox Series X due to the low refresh rate and lack of HDMI 2.1 bandwidth.
- High native contrast.
- Large screen and high native resolution.
- No variable refresh rate support.
- Limited to 60Hz refresh rate.
The Samsung M7 is good for watching videos. Its built-in Tizen OS smart interface has a great selection of streaming apps, so you can watch your favorite content directly on the screen without connecting a PC. It has very good contrast and excellent black uniformity, so it looks great in a dark room. Sadly, although it has good peak brightness, it can't handle much glare due to the glossy screen coating, so it's best to avoid placing it in a bright room.
- High native contrast.
- Built-in Tizen smart platform.
- Fantastic gradient handling.
- Large screen and high native resolution.
- Good peak brightness.
- Image degrades at an angle.
- No local dimming feature.
The Samsung M7 43" is a decent monitor for media creators. The large, high-resolution screen makes it easy to see more of your work at once. It also has a superb SDR color gamut, with full coverage of the sRGB color space used by most content. Unfortunately, it has bad ergonomics, so it's hard to place it in an ideal viewing position, and you can't turn it to share your screen with someone else, and the image degrades when viewed at an angle.
- High native contrast.
- Fantastic gradient handling.
- Large screen and high native resolution.
- Bad ergonomics.
- Image degrades at an angle.
- Sub-optimal BGR subpixel layout causes some text clarity issues.
The Samsung M7 is decent overall for watching HDR content, but HDR really doesn't add very much. It has very good contrast, which allows it to display bright highlights well, but sadly, it can't get very bright in HDR and lacks a local dimming feature, so most HDR content looks flat and dull. It has a great HDR color gamut, meaning it can display a wide range of colors with the latest HDR content, and it has fantastic gradient handling, so there's very little banding in areas of similar color.
- High native contrast.
- Displays wide HDR color gamut.
- Fantastic gradient handling.
- Large screen and high native resolution.
- Low HDR peak brightness.
- No local dimming feature.
Changelog
- Updated Sep 27, 2023: Clarified the differences between this monitor and the newer Samsung Smart Monitor M7/M70C S32CM70 in the Variants section.
- Updated Sep 06, 2023: Added that the new Samsung Smart Monitor M8/M80C S32CM80 has a proper Picture-in-Picture/Picture-by-Picture mode.
- Updated Apr 14, 2023: Confirmed that 1440p works on this monitor with the PS5.
- Updated Aug 19, 2022: Corrected test results in the Ergonomics and PS5 Compatibility sections that weren't consistent with other reviews.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 43-inch Samsung M7, but it's also available in a 32-inch size. There are other variants available in Samsung's Smart Monitor lineup, some of which are listed below. Note that, unlike the M8 model, the M7 isn't compatible with Samsung's SlimFit camera, and it's only available in one color: black. There's also a newer version of this monitor with a 32-inch screen that's also compatible with the SlimFit camera, which is the Samsung Smart Monitor M7/M70C S32CM70.
| Model | Size | Resolution | Refresh Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| S27BM50 | 27" | 1080p | 60Hz |
| S32BM50 | 32" | 1080p | 60Hz |
| S32BM70 | 32" | 4k | 60Hz |
| S43BM70 | 43" | 4k | 60Hz |
| S32BM80 | 32" | 4k | 60Hz |
If you come across a Samsung M7 Monitor with a different panel type, or if it doesn't correspond to our review, let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Our unit was manufactured in April 2022; you can see the label here.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The Samsung M7 43" is a unique 4k monitor with a smart platform built-in, and it's closer to a TV than it is to most typical monitors. It's a unique combination of a TV and a monitor, but it doesn't perform as well as similar TVs or monitors.
See our recommendations for the best 40-42-43 inch TVs, the best 34-49 inch monitors, and the best multimedia monitors.
The BenQ EW3270U is better than the Samsung Smart Monitor M7 S43BM70. The BenQ has a much higher pixel density, resulting in significantly sharper, clearer text. The BenQ also delivers better performance with a faster response time and lower input lag. On the other hand, the Samsung has a built-in fully featured smart interface, so the Samsung is the best choice if you're looking for a simple setup to stream videos without a PC, but it looks worse overall.
The LG C2 42 OLED is much better than the Samsung Smart Monitor M7 S43BM70. The LG is a small TV, so even though both displays have built-in smart interfaces, the LG has a tuner instead of more traditional PC inputs, like USB-C. The LG delivers significantly better picture quality, with a near-infinite contrast ratio that looks incredible in a dark room. The LG also has better reflection handling and gets brighter, so it looks better in a bright room, and HDR content stands out better.
The Samsung Smart Monitor M80B S32BM80 is better than the Samsung Smart Monitor M7 S43BM70. The smaller M8 delivers much better text clarity, and the stand has better ergonomics, so it's easier to place it in an ideal viewing position. The M8 also gets brighter, and it has a flicker-free backlight. Finally, the M8 comes with a detachable webcam, so it's a better choice if you're looking for a standalone setup without a PC and want to make video calls.
The Gigabyte AORUS FV43U is much better than the Samsung Smart Monitor M7 S43BM70. The Gigabyte has much better picture quality, with higher peak brightness, higher contrast, better accuracy out of the box, and a wider color gamut. The Gigabyte also delivers better gaming performance, with a much higher refresh rate and a faster response time, resulting in less blur behind fast-moving objects.
We buy and test more than 30 monitors each year, all of which we purchase ourselves, without cherry-picked units or samples. We put a lot into each unbiased, straight-to-the-point review, and there's a whole process from purchasing to publishing, involving multiple teams and people. We do more than just use the monitor for a week; we use specialized, custom tools to measure various aspects and deliver objective, data-driven results. We also consider multiple factors before making any recommendations, including the monitor's cost, its performance compared to the competition, and whether it's easy to find.
Test Results
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