Samsung Space: The perfect monitor for the home office
6.2.2020
Translation: machine translated
Not enough space on the office desk? Samsung wants to remedy this with the Space Monitor. Thanks to its flexible stand, it can be pushed flat against the wall. This works excellently, but the monitor is stingy when it comes to features.
The Samsung Space Monitor is available in two versions: A 27-inch version with 144 Hz and 1440p and a 32-inch version with 60 Hz and 2160p. I am testing the 32-inch model with the designation S32R750U.
Design: simple but ingenious
The Space Monitor is kept plain black. At eight millimetres, it is almost borderless at the top and sides. There is one centimetre more edge at the bottom. The most important design feature is the flexible table mount. The monitor can be attached to the back of the table with a clamp. The bracket gives you a gap of about one centimetre between the wall - in my case an ugly meeting box - and the table.
The Space Monitor is quickly mounted. As it weighs seven kilograms with the bracket, it is recommended that two people mount it. When the monitor is fixed in place, it can be raised upright against the wall. However, I can also lower it so far down that the lower frame kisses the table. It's a real pleasure to adjust the monitor like this. It feels good and the Space stays in the position I want it in. The big downside is that the monitor can't be swivelled to the left or right.
Samsung wants to create space with the Space Monitor and ensure a tidy workplace. The South Korean manufacturer has therefore placed two cable guides on the back of the mount to hide the cables. Another great feature is that the HDMI and power cables supplied are in the same black cable sleeve. This means they only occupy one of the two cable guides.
Features: There's room for improvement
Samsung is stingy when it comes to connections: In addition to the HDMI port, only one Mini DisplayPort and USB-A are available. You will also search in vain for speakers. You'll have to decide for yourself whether this is a shortcoming. I never miss them in PC monitors, as they sound bad anyway due to the limited space. The specifications of the VA panel don't exactly cause cries of joy either:
- Contrast ratio: 2500:1
- Reaction time (grey to grey): 4 ms
- Refresh rate: 60 Hz
- Brightness: 250 cd/m²
- Colour depth: 8 bit
- Colour space coverage: sRGB: 100 per cent, NTSC: 72 per cent
- Viewing angle (H) and (V): 178 degrees
You control the OSD (On Screen Display) via a joystick on the back. It is located at the bottom right when viewed from the front. The menu is simple, clear and offers a few settings. In addition to PIP (Picture in Picture) and PBP (Picture by Picture), you will find the usual suspects such as brightness, contrast and also eye protection mode or game mode.
Image quality
To get a first impression of the picture quality, I do the Eizo monitor test. My test device has no pixel errors, reproduces greyscales homogeneously and has no areas where the colours stand out unnaturally. The colour distances are reproduced well and the gradients are even. The viewing angle stability roughly corresponds to the promised 178 degrees.
Samsung specifies 100 per cent sRGB colour space coverage. I measured the following values with the i1 Display Pro spectrometer from X-Rite:
- 99.5 per cent sRGB
- 78.8 per cent Adobe RGB
- 86.8 per cent DCI P3
These are solid values for an office monitor. But not enough for graphic designers. It is sufficient for occasional photoshopping or video editing. The display is not completely evenly illuminated:
The average brightness of just under 300 nits is better than Samsung's specifications. The panel is brightest in the centre. It is reasonably evenly illuminated on the right. On the left, the values are a lot lower. However, I didn't notice this in everyday use. At 5300:1, the contrast is also better than specified.
The monitor's specifications are clearly designed for office work. Nevertheless, I played with it to get an idea of the gaming performance. My conclusion: don't do it. Screen tearing, streaking and ghosting are the order of the day.
Perfect for the home office
The Samsung Space is a well thought-out product. With it, you can reclaim space on your desk. It's a real pleasure to adjust the screen. Too bad it can't also be swivelled to the left and right.
You'll need to make allowances for connectivity and image quality. However, the connections and colour space coverage should be sufficient for most home offices. However, photographers, graphic designers and gamers will not be happy with the Samsung Space.
It should also be noted that at 400 francs/euros, the Samsung Space is rather expensive for an office monitor.
Kevin Hofer
Senior Editor
kevin.hofer@digitecgalaxus.chFrom big data to big brother, Cyborgs to Sci-Fi. All aspects of technology and society fascinate me.
16 comments
later