Samsung ViewFinity S8 S80UD vs Dell S2725QS
Both panels land at 68 pixels per degree from a desk distance, so sharpness is not the deciding factor here — the table below is where they actually separate.
Samsung
Samsung ViewFinity S8 S80UD
68ppd · retina-classNo HDR~$450
Cheap 90-watt USB-C is the whole reason to consider this one; everything else about it is a competent, unremarkable 4K office panel.
Best for: A cheap one-cable 4K dock for a work laptop
- HDMI 2.0· full speed at 8-bit
- DisplayPort 1.2· full speed at 8-bit
- USB-C (DP Alt Mode)· full speed
Dell
Dell S2725QS
68ppd · retina-classNo HDR~$300
About $300 buys 4K at 120 Hz here, with a stand that moves every way a $900 monitor's does.
Best for: A cheap sharp desktop for a console and a recent graphics card
- 2×HDMI 2.1· full speed
- DisplayPort 1.4· depends on DSC, which is not published
| Specification | Samsung ViewFinity S8 S80UD | Dell S2725QS |
|---|---|---|
| Approx. price | ~$450 | ~$300 |
| Type | Productivity | Productivity |
| Screen size | 27 in | 27 in |
| Resolution | 3840×2160 | 3840×2160 |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 | 16:9 |
| Pixels per degree | 68 — retina-class | 68 — retina-class |
| Pixels per inch | 163 | 163 |
| Panel | IPS | IPS |
| Finish | matte | matte |
| Curvature | Flat | Flat |
| Max refresh | 60 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Response time | 5 ms GtG | 4 ms GtG |
| VRR | None | FreeSync Premium |
| HDR tier | No HDR | No HDR |
| HDR certification | None | None |
| Peak brightness | 350 nits claimed | 350 nits claimed |
| SDR brightness | 350 nits | 350 nits |
| Local dimming | None | — |
| Static contrast | 1,000:1 | 1,500:1 |
| Colour gamut | 99% sRGB | 99% sRGB |
| Colour depth | 10-bit | — |
| HDMI | 1 × HDMI 2.0 | 2 × HDMI 2.1 |
| DisplayPort | 1 × DisplayPort 1.2 | 1 × DisplayPort 1.4 |
| DSC | Not supported | Not published |
| Port speed | 1 of 3 inputs at full speed | 1 of 2 inputs at full speed |
| USB-C | Video in over USB-C | None |
| USB-C power | 90 W — 14-inch class laptop | — |
| Thunderbolt | No | No |
| KVM | Built in | None |
| USB hub | 3 ports | None |
| Speakers | None | Built in |
| Stand | height, tilt, swivel, pivot | height, tilt, swivel, pivot |
| VESA | 100x100 | 100x100 |
| Weight | 13.4 lb | 14.26 lb |
| $ per inch | $17 | $11 |
| $ per megapixel | $54 | $36 |
Samsung ViewFinity S8 S80UD: what it gives up
- 60 Hz and 5 ms — this is a documents-and-spreadsheets panel
- DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 2.0 are both dated even for 4K at 60 Hz
- Samsung publishes only 99% sRGB coverage and no DCI-P3 figure, so this is not a wide-gamut panel
- No speakers, on a monitor otherwise built to be the one thing a laptop plugs into
Dell S2725QS: what it gives up
- 1500:1 contrast is ordinary even by IPS standards, so dark scenes go grey in a dim room
- No USB ports of any kind — no hub, and no USB-C to bring a laptop in on one cable
- Dell publishes only 99% sRGB coverage and gives the panel as 1.07 billion colours without saying how it reaches them; fine for documents, thin for photo work
- No HDR certification at all, and 350 nits over an edge-lit backlight would not carry HDR if it had one
Full specifications: Samsung ViewFinity S8 S80UD · Dell S2725QS