Samsung Viewfinity S85TH Super Wide monitor – review
At times here at the Cottage, we get the opportunity to test drive the latest hardware. Sometimes it’s good stuff, sometimes it’s not so flash. This time though…it is certainly VERY good stuff. Samsung sent us the brand new Viewfinity S85TH Super Wide monitor for a general hoon, and wow….just Wow.
At the get go, I will premise this review with the dire consequences of this actual test drive. We used it primarily for gaming for about a week and a bit, and as a result, this screen cost me money!! Meaning after using it, I couldn’t go back to our original setup!
So, the 40 inch Viewfinity S85TH or officially……The “X1 LS40H850TAEXXY” is a monster.
Our very credible and only 12mth old 144hz 27” 16:9 MSI screen was impossible to use after using the beast that is then Viewfinity S85TH. So as a result, when the loan unit went back to Samsung, we were straight onto PB Tech to buy the Samsung baby brother to this new generation of monitors, a G5. Not as good, but at least my eyes felt somewhat appeased.
The important technical details are as follows:
| Model | S85TH | |
| Display | Screen Size | 40” |
| Panel Type | VA Curved | |
| Brightness (Typ.) | 350 cd/㎡ | |
| Refresh Rate | 144Hz | |
| Resolution | 5,120 x 2,160 | |
| Color Gamut | sRGB 99% | |
| Feature | Intelligent Eye Care | Yes |
| One-click assembly structure | Yes | |
| Speaker | Yes (5W*2) | |
| Daisy Chain | Yes | |
| KVM Switch | Yes | |
| Freesync | Freesync premium | |
| Interface | Interface | 1DP 1HDMI 1TBT5(140W) USB Hub(1Up(USB-C) / 5DN(1TBT(15W), 4USB-A)) Easy Connection (2Dn(1USB-A, 1USB-C ) Headphone) LAN |
That’s right – 40”, curved at 5K with 144hz.
Brilliant for productivity, but has the chops for gaming performance too. Sure it isn’t IPS or micro-LED, or boasting the .03ms you would get on a OLED, but its 4ms and dedicated Game Mode is very respectable and I challenge any gamer to pick the difference on any other 144hz display.
How does it look sitting on the desk you ask? Well, massive is a word. But also “premium” or “professional” are other words. It is super well made and feels like it is a $2400 consumer electronics product. This is a top dollar screen, but it looks and feels the part. One gripe is the tucked away monitor control buttons.
Menu, volume, contrast etc… all feel a tad dinky and frankly a pain to use. But this isn’t unique to this screen. It’s an industry trend! Every screen I seem to play with is determined to make the controls to be just a pain to use and I don’t know why!!!
Other than that, setup is a breeze, and for the admin nerds out there who are going to use this screen to do work (yawn) when they are not gaming. They will dig the inbuilt KVM hub, daisy chain capabilities, and Thunderbolt 5. So a single plug for 80GBs data transfer and 140W of power, will run and juice a laptop without separate power bricks. Solid bit of design for a screen. Another HDMI port would have been nice. I don’t know why these big manufactureres are so singy with the HDMI, one is never enough!!
How does it look? Well “impressive” is another word I will chuck around. The curved 40” screen is a sight to behold and with the 1000R curve, it aggrevely bends around your sightlines. It felt like I was in the middle of whatever I was doing. For giggles, I ran Destiny 2 on one side of the screen and then discord Chat on the other half, like a two monitor setup. Simple, smooth and the screen didn’t miss a beat. Messed with my head actually, having such a seamless two screen effect in one bezel.
But who am I kidding!? Why burn up any of that 40” real estate with Discord chatter and memes!
From a gaming perspective, and yes I know it’s primarily a productivity tool. But this monitor looked stunning in all the best games tried. Hooked up to a mid-to-top tier rig with a 5070, the games looked amazing. As a traditional flat screen gamer, this screen completely converted me to what a curved screen can offer. Hence in my intro, as soon as this screen went back to Samsung NZ, we grabbed a 32” G5 curve screen from PB Tech.
The S85TH performed well even with just its stock HDR10+ and 350 nits average. That said, our gaming rig setup has no direct sunlight, so that would need to be considered prior to purchase, as 350nits is a bit low for good brightness and inky blacks if you are contesting with external light sources.
So, a hardcore, top-tier IPS gaming panel this is not. It is actually a rare beast that could be considered an A-class offering for both games and productivity! I loved my time with the S85TH. It changed my perspective on curved screens and sure it’s up there in price, but you get what you pay for. And what you get is an amazing bit of kit for office AND gaming.
