Apple, Samsung, Alienware and Espresso offer home office monitor solutions

Apple’s 27-inch 5K Studio Display and monitors by Samsung, Alienware and Espresso might adorn your home office.

Espresso Display Version 2 Portable Monitor

Monitors are in vogue with people continuing to work from home. But which one do you need in terms of quality, features and price? Should you opt for Apple or Samsung, another solution or even a portable monitor?

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Apple 27-inch 5K Studio Display (from $2499)

Apple 27-inch 5K Studio Display

Apple’s 27-inch 5K monitor is a quality retina display, audio system and webcam all-in-one. It was released as part of Apple’s replacement for the 27-inch iMac. You buy a Mac mini or Mac Studio computer, and use this screen or the more expensive Pro Display XDR for a full desktop experience.

iMacs used to include microphones, speakers and a web camera. These are integrated into the 5K display – a three-microphone array, a 12 MP ultra wide front facing camera and a six-speaker noise cancelling sound system.

The audio pumping out from the top and bottom edges of the screen is gorgeous. Eric Clapton’s “Change The World” had me gyrating in the chair. Sound was crisp without distortion. The audio system supports Dolby Atmos and spatial audio.

The same can’t be said for the webcam which lacks the clarity and detail of even an iPhone 13 selfie lens, also 12MP.

At 5120 x 2880 pixels resolution, images looks bright and crisp, and the display supports Dolby Video playback. That brightness is however less than the 1600 nits peak brightness of the $8499 Pro Display XDR. There’s no local dimming, variable refresh rate or HDR. The standard 60 Hz refresh rate could bug you if attempting fast action gaming.

Then there’s the optional extras. Nano-textured glass which scatters light to minimise glare costs $500 extra, and a height adjustable stand is $600 more.

The monitor includes three USB-C ports for plugging in accessories; you can even charge a compatible Mac.

Having a pixel perfect display will let you design with more clarity if you are prepared to splash the cash.

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Alienware 34-inch Quantum Dot OLED monitor ($2299 rrp)

Alienware 34-inch curved QD-OLED Monitor

Dell claims this monitor is the world’s first quantum dot OLED screen. It certainly offers image clarity with realistic and subtle colouring.

Technical terms such as quantum dot can be bamboozling. Its value is colour accuracy as a quantum dot emits one colour of a specific bandwidth precisely.

Dell cites colour accuracy and a wide colour range (1.07 billion colours) as reasons you might want this display. Designers using Photoshop and other graphics packages are an obvious market.

The screen is best described as 1400p ultrawide – 3440x1400 pixels.

I can view a myriad of windows and applications on one Alienware screen that would normally need two regular displays. The 1800R curvature means I can view details at both the left and right edges. The display emits 250 nits of standard brightness with 1000 nits peak brightness. It has a one million to one contrast ratio, a 178 degree viewing angle and an anti-reflective coating.

You’d expect a fast refresh rate from a monitor with the Alienware tag and you get 100 Hertz when connected with an HDMI cable, and up to 175 Hz with a Displayport connection.

You get 2 HDMI 2.0 ports, 1 Displayport, 2 USB 3.2 Gen1 and 2 USB 3.2 Gen2 ports and audio out. You can easily adjust the monitor’s height and you can angle it left and right. You can’t tilt it.

I have a couple of beefs. Headphones volume seems a bit low and you have to fossick along the bottom of the display to locate the ports which are below eye level. It’s a quality monitor nonetheless.

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Samsung 32-inch 4K Smart Monitor M8 (about $1000)

Samsung 32-inch 4K Smart Monitor M8

Samsung’s Smart Monitor M8 is a mid range option alongside the Odyssey Neo G8 and S8 displays. It’s an Ultra HD display pitched at everyday users that doubles as an entertainment centre with other smart features.

Apart from connecting to your computer, the M8 has Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Apple TV built-in and accessible via Wi-Fi. You don’t need a PC or TV.

You can plonk it in a public space at home and use it for entertainment when not in use connected to a computer.

The monitor offers Ultra HD resolution – 3840 x 2160 pixels, a 16:9 aspect ratio, HDR10+, a constant 60Hz refresh rate, a 3000:1 contrast ratio, and maximum brightness of 400 nits. Its adaptive picture technology adjusts display brightness and colour temperature to match the surroundings.

You can turn the M8 into a computer with a laptop interface using Samsung DeX on a Samsung phone and the monitor also supports Apple Airplay 2.

Samsung provides a magnetically attachable SlimFit cam that you place on top of the screen for video calls. It has face tracking and auto zoom.

The M8 has an IoT hub for controlling your devices at home, a microphone for summoning voice assistants such as Amazon Alex and Samsung’s Bixby, and 2.2 channel built-in speakers with adaptive sound.

The M8 is expected to be available in April and you have the choice of a white, pink, blue or green stand. You can pre-order from Samsung now. The Australian price is yet to be announced, but based on US pricing, expect a four-figure sum.

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Espresso Display Version 2 portable monitor – 13.3 & 15.6 inches ($529-$749)

Espresso Display Version 2 Portable Monitor

Portable monitors solve the issue of a second display when you’re away from home and want extra screen real estate. You might display your email and social media feeds separately to your current task on screen. You might be a two or three screen user at home and crave the same experience in your hotel room.

Espresso, an Australian firm, offers three models: 13.3-inch non-touch and touchscreen and a 15.6-inch touchscreen.

The screens weigh between 620 and 865 grams and are 5.3mm thick. They’re light and thin enough to fit in a backpack. All offer 1080p full HD screen resolution with a 16:9 aspect ratio, 300 nits of brightness and a standard 60 Hertz screen refresh rate. Screens come with 2 USB-C ports.

The screen’s capability depends on what you connect it to. I linked a MacBook with a USB-C to USB-C cable and the portable display operated as an extended screen. The same applied when linking a Windows laptop.

In some cases you can add two espresso monitors to your laptop to have a 3-screen system. The company has a compatibility guide which details how devices work with its screens.

It was easy to get the screen to mirror an iPad Air or iPad Pro screen, but I needed to download an app called Shiftscreen to have the portable display show separate content.

This was a little messy and involved configuring Shiftscreen as one of three applications running in split screen mode on the iPad. The Shiftscreen content became the content on the espresso display.

I could turn the display into a working computer by linking a recent Samsung phone supporting its DeX system. However I needed to power the display separately using its second USB-C connection.

Espresso sells separate accessories for its monitors: a magnetic stand, a mount, a case that doubles as a protector and stand, and a pen (espressoPen) for sketching and drawing on the display.

The monitors cost $529 (13.3 inches, $669 (13 inches touch) and $749 (15.6 inches touch).