Samsung ViewFinity S7 32″ 4K Monitor Review – Real User Insights

I received this monitor via Amazon about three weeks ago. I’ve been planning on a 4K UHD monitor for some time now due to vision issues, with 32″ seeming to be about the right size. I was right on both accounts. The clarity of this monitor, especially compared to my former one, is nothing short of amazing, and the size means that I can get a lot of work done (text, photos, word processing) without eyestrain. For these reasons I am pleased so far with it.

Physical setup consisted of putting the stand together and mounting the monitor on it. They supplied instructions but there were very few parts and how it went together was self-evident. The monitor itself is pretty much plug-and-play: set it on the stand, use the supplied USB cable to hook it up to your computer, and turn it on. Voila! Picture! Only you turn it on the first time with a button mounted on the BACK of the monitor! Odd.

However the monitor is not without its issues. The one rather large fly in the ointment is that there is no software included (or even available, as a chat with a Samsung tech confirmed) to control the monitor from my computer. Instead, all monitor changes (brightness, clarity, modes, etc. etc.) are controlled from a button on the back of the unit. You put your finger up under the bottom middle of the unit, reach up in the back, and your finger contacts a mechanical button on the back of the unit maybe two inches above the bottom of the monitor. Round, with a smaller activation button in the middle. You press up, down, left or right on the outside rim of the button with your finger to access and toggle between the various modes. It works–after numerous attempts to literally feel my way around. But to me it seems to be a solution in search of a problem. It would be MUCH simpler, probably cheaper, and FAR more convenient, to merely have computer software available so that any needed changes to settings can be made from the keyboard rather than by groping around for a button you can’t even see.

Second fly is that the monitor had an annoying habit, just after I turned it on, of staying on for maybe 30 seconds or so, then blacking out for maybe 10 seconds before coming back on. Though not a deal-killer it WAS annoying. I text-chatted with Samsung: the tech had never heard of this issue before but had me unplug the USB cable from both ends (monitor and computer), wait 30 seconds, then plug everything back in again. It seemed to work–so far. No recurrence for the past week.

Third is that whenever the monitor comes on, I get a rather large dialog box (maybe 4″ x 4″) urging me to register the unit. I did, the first day. But the monitor apparently doesn’t know that and there is no way I can find to turn the dialogue box off–and it stays on for maybe 30 seconds, which is time I could use for actually accomplishing something, before shutting off. Again–very annoying.

Finally, there is no height adjustment on the stand. The height seems to be in a good location and I don’t know if I’d use a height adjustment even if it were available, but other users might.

BOTTOM LINE: I was sort of nervous when seeing a 32″ 4K UHD monitor for what seemed a VERY low price ($300), but as Samsung is a good name and I’ve always enjoyed good product support from them, I took the chance. If the only issue were visual performance and clarity, it is a great deal, and as indicated earlier I am perfectly happy with that. But the other things–well, in a nutshell, they seem very Un-Samsung-Like to say the least–almost like this particular line of monitors reflects putting a bunch of leftover parts together that they had no real use for otherwise. The picture is great, and if you can put up with the numerous inconveniences, then this monitor is a good deal. Otherwise…well, you’ll have to decide for yourself if the headaches are worth it.

This was to be my “second” large monitor next to my (much more expensive) LG 32″ that faces me straight.
The image is great. The 2 monitors don’t seem to agree on colors 😀
The Samsung is much too red in HDR mode and I had to play with it until I found the proper color.
I would take a star off for the control button which is not easy to reach in the back and I have trouble with the up direction. Not enough to send back or ask for a replacement, but annoying while trying to find the proper color balance. Hope I don’t need to change things often

I got my new monitor, Samsung 32″ ViewFinity S7Series UHD High Resolution yesterday July 24th. It has an awesome screen that’s vivid to the point of thinking is this real? I think it will work great for what I need, and I hope it will be one of those die hards that never quits. The only beef I have with it, is it doesn’t have internal speakers. The description says nothing about them. I asked AI, and it said it does have speakers. Who thought AI is better than us?????

The Samsung’s S7 is one of their newer series that targets the budget to mid-range segment of the monitor spectrum. The price is very competitive for a 4K 32 inch display. As with any flat screen display it has perfect image geometry, and refresh rate is not important for me, so I will not talk about those. The monitor feels surprisingly solid for a budget model, and its ergonomics is excellent. The bezel is extremely thin, like that of a laptop screen. The main control is a four-way stick, conveniently located on the center-back. This means you can put the monitor it in a narrow niche and still have easy access to adjustment. There are DisplayPort and HDMI connectors, but no USB-C, which could be a drawback for those who like to connect their phones. As with most other monitors there is a selection of presets that supposedly work best for videos or games, etc., but I never use those. My major complaint is the contrast; the blacks are not as deep as what you see on IPS panels (or the OLEDs, but that is an entirely different price segment). Still, given its price, I think this product is worth considering.

This is a great monitor, with the aspect ratio it seems bigger than my 34″ curve display, this has a great picture and I really like the picture in picture feature so I can have both my laptop and my tablet connected to this monitor, I haven’t seen that in a computer monitor before. This was super easy to setup, I do wish it had a USB c port. This is a great monitor to use

It doesn’t have built-in speaker although ai says it does. Everything else is good.

Ordered this on sale for same day delivery yesterday, paid extra because I’m going out of town for a week today. Never delivered, canceled late night by delivery person. I chatted with BB “customer service” twice trying to cancel and they couldn’t help. I went to my local store, and they too couldn’t help.

I’ve spent probably 12K this year at BB, because I want to support local stores instead of Amazon. Zero help and they’re holding this hostage, with a “maybe deliver in a couple of days” message. Seriously BB. Do better. This will get stolen and not my care. BB failed and BB will refund this after it’s stolen. How dare you not enable a cancel after you failed to deliver same day and then lock anyone out of canceling???

Wall mounted in my RV and primarily used for streaming Streaming Video like YouTube, YouTube TV, and Netflix. I do that by using a Chromecast with Google TV and remote.

I power it via an external USB C hub to extend the Chromecast’s internal memory storage and add accessories like a USB camera, and/or hard-wired ethernet connection.

I wouldn’t recommend this monitor. Get one that has more inputs and can handle a splitter. This one flickers on every HDMI splitter. Also, the display port can’t handle a HDMI to Display port cable. Find a better one for this money

I really like the quality and all but it stated that the box contained HDMI, Display port, and USB-c. It only came with HDMI. I need display port for the computer I use so I have to go out and pay more money to get the display port.