The Samsung Smart Monitor M8 S32BM80 is a 32-inch, 4k smart monitor. Part of Samsung's Smart Monitor lineup that includes the Samsung Smart Monitor M7 S43BM70, it comes with the Tizen smart platform built-in, which is the same platform that Samsung's TVs use. It has a ton of apps to stream your favorite content if you don't want to use your PC, essentially making it a small TV without a tuner. It has more features than most monitors because of the smart system, and it includes a webcam. It also has a remote with a mic for voice control, and you can choose whether you want to use the Bixby or Alexa voice assistants. It's available in four different colors, but the only thing that changes is the stand and bezel color, as the back remains white no matter which version you get. Samsung released a newer version of this monitor, the Samsung Smart Monitor M8/M80C S32CM80, which has many of the same features, but you can remove the stand to wall-mount it.
Our Verdict
The Samsung M8 is good for most uses. It's best for streaming movies and shows because it has a built-in smart platform, and it's good for dark room viewing thanks to its high native contrast ratio, but it lacks a local dimming feature. The 32-inch screen and 4k resolution make it good for content creators as it has a high pixel density and sharp text clarity, but it doesn't display a wide range of accurate colors. It's also good for office use, but it has limited ergonomics that make it difficult to share your screen with someone else. Sadly, it doesn't have any gaming features like variable refresh rate (VRR) support, and it has a slow response time that results in motion blur.
- Large 32-inch screen.
- Great SDR peak brightness.
- High native contrast for deep blacks.
- Built-in smart platform.
- Limited ergonomics.
- Narrow viewing angles.
- Mediocre accuracy before calibration.
The Samsung M8 Smart Monitor is a good office monitor. The large 32-inch screen makes it easy to open multiple windows at once, and the 4k resolution helps deliver clear text. It also has decent reflection handling and great peak brightness, meaning it's a good choice if you want to use it in a well-lit room. It comes with a webcam if you want to make video calls, but the microphone on it performs terribly. Also, it has narrow viewing angles, and you can't swivel the screen, so it isn't ideal to share the screen with someone else.
- 4k resolution with sharp text.
- Large 32-inch screen.
- Great SDR peak brightness.
- Limited ergonomics.
- Narrow viewing angles.
The Samsung M80B is okay for gaming. It doesn't have any gaming features like VRR support, and it has a basic 60Hz refresh rate. Its input lag is low enough for most gamers, and its response time isn't bad, but fast-moving objects still look blurry. However, it looks great in dark rooms because it displays deep and uniform blacks, but it doesn't have a local dimming feature to further improve the picture quality.
- Low enough input lag.
- High native contrast for deep blacks.
- No VRR support.
- Blurry motion.
- Limited to 60Hz refresh rate.
The Samsung Smart Monitor M8 is good for media consumption. The built-in smart platform makes it easy to stream your favorite shows and movies if you don't want to connect a PC, and the 4k resolution helps deliver sharp images. It's also great for watching content in bright and dark rooms because it gets bright enough to fight glare, and it displays deep blacks too. The 32-inch screen is big enough to share with someone else, but because it has narrow viewing angles, the image looks washed out from the sides.
- Large 32-inch screen.
- Great SDR peak brightness.
- High native contrast for deep blacks.
- Built-in smart platform.
- Limited ergonomics.
- Narrow viewing angles.
The Samsung M8 Smart Monitor is good for content creation, but it isn't ideal for this use. It has a large 32-inch screen that makes it easy to view your entire workspace at once, and its 4k resolution helps deliver sharp images. Sadly, its accuracy before calibration is mediocre as most colors are inaccurate, and it doesn't display the entire sRGB color space used in most web content, meaning images aren't perfectly life-like. On the plus side, it performs well in bright rooms because it has great SDR peak brightness and decent reflection handling.
- 4k resolution with sharp text.
- Large 32-inch screen.
- High native contrast for deep blacks.
- Limited ergonomics.
- Narrow viewing angles.
- Mediocre accuracy before calibration.
The Samsung M80B is decent for watching HDR content. It displays a wide range of colors in HDR, and there isn't any visible banding with shades of similar colors. It displays deep blacks thanks to its high native contrast ratio, and there's minimal blooming around bright objects too. Sadly, it doesn't get bright enough to make highlights pop, and it lacks a local dimming feature to improve the picture quality in HDR.
- High native contrast for deep blacks.
- Built-in smart platform.
- Displays wide HDR color gamut.
- Low HDR peak brightness.
- No local dimming feature.
Changelog
- Updated Sep 27, 2023: Added that the newer Samsung Smart Monitor M7/M70C S32CM70 has two USB-A ports.
- Updated Sep 06, 2023: Clarified that the newer version of this monitor, the Samsung Smart Monitor M8/M80C S32CM80, has a removable stand so you can wall-mount it.
- Updated Apr 28, 2023: Updated text throughout for accuracy and clarity.
- Updated Apr 14, 2023: Confirmed that 1440p works on this monitor with the PS5.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 32-inch Samsung M8, which is only available in the 32-inch size. There are different variants, which you can see listed below, but the only difference between the variants is the color of the stand and the front bezels, and all variants perform the same. Keep in mind that the model code can vary slightly between regions or even retailers. This model is part of Samsung's Smart Monitor lineup that also includes the Samsung Smart Monitor M7 S43BM70 and the Samsung Smart Monitor M5, but those perform differently.
| Color | US Model |
|---|---|
| White | LS32BM801UNXGO |
| Blue | LS32BM80BUNXGO |
| Green | LS32BM80GUNXGO |
| Pink | LS32BM80PUNXGO |
Our unit was manufactured in April 2022; you can see the label here.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The Samsung M8 is a unique 4k monitor with a smart platform built-in. It's convenient if you want a display to watch your favorite shows and movies and don't want to connect a PC, or you can't find a TV small enough for your space. It also has more features than the Samsung Smart Monitor M7 S43BM70, as the included webcam is convenient if you need to use the monitor for video calls. It's well-priced for a 4k monitor that doesn't have any gaming features, but if you're only after the 4k resolution, you can still get cheaper monitors like the Dell S2722QC and use your PC to stream your favorite content.
See our recommendations for the best multimedia monitors, the best 4k monitors, and the best 32-inch monitors.
The Samsung Smart Monitor M80B S32BM80 is an older and higher-end monitor than the Samsung Smart Monitor M7/M70C S32CM70. They share many similarities in their performance, but the differences come down to their features. The M8 comes with Samsung's proprietary webcam, but the M70C still supports it; you just have to buy it separately. Their stands have different stands, and the M70C has better ergonomics, and you can remove it if you want to wall-mount it. The M70C also has a few different inputs, as it has two USB-A ports, which the M8 doesn't have. Besides that, they perform very similarly in terms of picture quality.
The Samsung Smart Monitor M80C S32CM80 is the newer version of the Samsung Smart Monitor M80B S32BM80. They have many of the same features, like the built-in smart platform, access to voice assistants, and webcam, but there are a few differences. The M80C has a more ergonomic stand that you can remove, meaning you can wall-mount the monitor, which you can't do with the M80B. The M80C also has different inputs, as it has two USB-A ports and a standard HDMI port, while the M80B has Micro-HDMI. Besides that, both monitors perform similarly, but the M80B delivers more accurate colors in SDR and HDR.
Although the Apple Studio Display 2022 and the Samsung Smart Monitor M80B S32BM80 look similar in style, they're very different monitors. The Apple is a 5k monitor meant for content creators as it has remarkable out-of-the-box accuracy and displays a wider range of colors in SDR than the Samsung monitor. Also, the Apple model has wider viewing angles that make it a better choice for sharing content with someone next to you. The Apple also gets brighter and has better reflection handling if you want to use it in a well-lit room. On the other hand, the Samsung model has a built-in smart platform, making it easier to stream your favorite movies, and it comes with a remote with voice control. It also supports HDR, which the Apple monitor doesn't, and displays deeper blacks if you want to use it in a dark room.
The Samsung Smart Monitor M80B S32BM80 and the Dell U2723QE are different types of 4k displays. The Samsung has a built-in smart interface that makes it easy to stream your favorite content without a PC. It also performs better in dark rooms thanks to its higher contrast. However, the Dell is an office monitor with many more inputs, including USB-A ports, making it easy to connect multiple devices and your mouse and keyboard. It also has much better accuracy before calibration, and it displays a wider range of colors, making it a better choice for content creators.
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.
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