Samsung has been injecting AI into a lot of its product families lately, starting with the Galaxy S24 smartphone series and continuing with its Galaxy Book4 Edge, the first Copilot Plus AI-powered laptop to hit the market. But Samsung isn't stopping there. In fact, it's just getting started.
Earlier this week the company unveiled its latest Odyssey, ViewFinity, and Smart Monitor products with – you guessed it – AI-powered technology. These are the first monitors in Samsung's lineup to offer 4K AI upscaling for high-resolution quality across the board, bringing lower-resolution content up to near 4K UHD standards.
The new M8 Smart Monitor will no doubt make for an excellent monitor for graphic artists, and I think it's impressive that Samsung is looking for innovative ways to enhance products to suit creative professionals. Although seemingly while incorporating AI wherever possible. Is this a good thing?
Prices for these new displays aren't that extortionate either, with the Samsung Smart Monitor M8 starting at $699 / £529.99, the ViewFinity S8 (S80UD) 32-inch USB-C monitor is just $499.99, and the new Odyssey G8 OLED (G80SD) 4K UHD monitor retails for $1,299 / £1,099.99. Preorders for these are live now directly from Samsung.
Whether you're looking for one of the best gaming monitors or a more feature-rich monitor for working from home, it seems like Samsung has got you covered with its latest gaming and productivity monitors, on sale from June 18, 2024.
Smart Monitor M8
The 32-inch 4K Samsung Smart Monitor M8 (M80D) is not an OLED monitor, however, it does double as a streaming TV with access to apps such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, and Samsung's Gaming Hub – which lets users stream games directly to a monitor with no additional PC or hardware required for a complete multi-device experience in one hub.
This sounds like the perfect solution for creatives if (like me) you enjoy gaming as well as streaming content but only have room for a single monitor setup in your home office. (See our guide to the best monitor arms if you're looking to free up desk space).
The M8 boasts new features powered by AI thanks to the NQM AI processor, including AI upscaling. There's another feature Samsung is calling the Active Voice Amplifier Pro which uses AI to analyze any potential background noises to optimize the sound of the content dialogue being watched for optimal sound quality. Take a look at the promotional video below for more details.
As can be seen above, you can control other Samsung smart devices in your home with this monitor, so the more Samsung devices and accessories you own, the more integrated your experience with this monitor will be.
For example, there's a 360 Audio Mode available that can pair with Galaxy Buds earphones, the SlimFit camera can use Samsung Dex to conduct video calls through mobile applications, and there's another new Workout Tracker feature that pairs with your Galaxy Watch to offer real-time health data on your screen as you work.
Odyssey G8 OLED
The new Odyssey OLED G8 (G80SD) is pretty exciting, and a real game-changer (pardon the pun). It's Samsung's first AI-powered gaming monitor with a gorgeous 32-inch 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) display.
The G8 boasts impressive performance with 4K AI upscaling, possible thanks to the NQ8 AI Gen3 processor, which is the same as those found in Samsung's latest 8K TV models. There's also a new Samsung OLED Safeguard+ feature, proprietary burn-in prevention technology that uses a pulsating heat pipe and dynamic cooling systems to reduce the temperature at the core.
The monitor can also cleverly detect static images such as logos and taskbar, and will automatically reduce brightness in these areas to further reduce any chances of screen burn-in. Samsung's OLED glare-free technology works to preserve colour accuracy and reduces reflections, even in daylight.
As well as the Odyssey G8, there's also the Odyssey OLED G6 (G60SD model) which is a 27-inch QHD (2560 x 1440) display with an impressive 360Hz refresh rate, compared with the 240Hz found on the G8 model. This monitor is not AI-powered like its sibling, but would still make an excellent gaming monitor for PS5.
Interested? Both of these Samsung gaming monitors are available for preorder now. The flagship 32-inch Odyssey G8 retails for $1,299 / £1,099.99, or the smaller QHD 27-inch Odyssey G6 can be had for $899.99 / £799.99.
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