Samsung Smart Monitors support AirPlay 2 and run Office 365 without a PC, pre-order starts from RM899

Samsung Malaysia has announced its new Smart Monitor models for Malaysia. According to the company, these are its first monitors that combines remote PC capabilities, mobile connectivity and the ability to stream media services all into one device. Essentially, this is a monitor that combines the features of a regular PC monitor and a Smart TV.

Pricing and availability

The new Smart Monitor consists of a 32″ 4K monitor called the M7 that has a recommended retail price of RM1,999 and the M5 line up that consists of a 27″ (RM1,299) and 32″ (RM1,099) variant, both of which sport a Full HD resolution. According to Samsung, the monitors use VA panels that offer a 60Hz refresh rate, 16:9 aspect ratio and contrast ratio of 3,000:1.

Samsung has kicked off a pre-order campaign that will run until 19 December. During the period, customers can purchase the M7 or M5 at a special pre-order price and enjoy savings up to RM400. The official price of the monitors, along with the special pre-order price are listed below:

In addition, customers that purchase one unit of the Smart Monitor during the pre-order period will stand a chance to win a Samsung Soundbar HW-T450/XM that’s worth RM799.

You can place your pre-order for the new Smart Monitors at the Samsung Malaysia E-Store or their official stores on Lazada and Shopee.

Smart Monitor Features

Samsung said the Smart Monitor was designed to meet the needs of working professionals that have to work from home as well as students that need to continue their studies via remote learning. It comes with a host of different features for both productivity and entertainment.

The Smart Monitor comes with WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity built in. This enables the monitor’s Remote Access feature that allows it to run Microsoft Office 365 applications such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint without needing to connect a PC to it. All you need is to pair a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse for a working desktop experience.

You can also connect it wirelessly via DeX, which is said to work with Galaxy Note20 and Note20 Ultra, as well as the Galaxy Z Fold 2. If you are not familiar with DeX, it is a desktop-like PC interface by Samsung that runs entirely from a smartphone.

The Smart Monitor comes powered by Samsung’s Tizen software to run Smart Hub which is similar to what you get on a Samsung Smart TV. This enables users to stream HDR10 content from apps like Netflix and YouTube without the need for any additional hardware. For sound, all variants of the Smart Monitor come with two 5-watt speakers.

The only thing stopping the Smart Monitor from functioning like a regular TV is the fact that it doesn’t come with a TV tuner.

In addition, you can mirror your Samsung phone’s display, though it must be running on Android Oreo 8.1 or higher, or their favourite Apple device. Yes, you read that correctly. The Smart Monitor even supports Apple’s AirPlay 2 standard.

The Smart Monitors also come with a remote control is similar to what Samsung offers for its Smart TVs which includes support for the Bixby voice assistant. With it, users can switch between apps, control videos and more with just the sound of their voice.

As for connectivity, the M7 Smart Monitor comes with a generous number of ports including two HDMI 2.0 ports, three USB-A 2.0 ports. Unique to the M7 is the inclusion of a USB-C port that can be used for data transfer, display and delivering power -up to 65W-on just a single connection. Meanwhile, the M5 comes with two HDMI ports and two USB-A 2.0 ports.

All variants of the monitor can be mounted to a wall or be propped up on a monitor arm via a 100 x 100 VESA mount.

For more information on the new Smart Monitors, visit the product page on Samsung’s official website.

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