14 DAY TRIAL // The RGB (red-green-blue) color gamut is extensive, but the displays that actually have the ability to render all possible hues are pretty rare. Samsung has just launched one, called the SD850 Business Monitor.
Equipped with a PLS panel (plane to line switching), the un-priced newcomer has viewing angles of 178° degrees, both horizontally and vertically. It also has a resolution that is twice as good as Full HD.
Full HD means 1920 x 1080 pixels, and is the normal standard for monitors and TVs. It has been for a few years at this point.
Still, even with 4K on the rise, the odds that a great leap will happen directly from Full HD to 3840 x 2160 pixels aren't that great.
Not with 4K panels selling for thousands of dollars. So, Samsung chose the middle ground, as it were, and gave the SD850 a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. That makes for 3.7 million pixels.
The Samsung SD850 business monitor has a diagonal of 27 inches, but according to the spec sheet, there should also be a 32-inch one, with a VA screen (vertical alignment).
Besides the normal modes of operation, the newcomer has picture-in-picture support, meaning that one source of video can be running while a second is shown in a different window at the same time.
And no, it isn't as easy as opening a different application in a second window. What Picture-in-Picture means is that the display can take video input from a second source, besides the PC, and display it at the same time.
So you could, in theory, be working on a spreadsheet, with an Internet browser open in the background or on the side, while a second window runs your favorite TV show or something. Not quite the most work-devoted mode of operation, to be sure, but still.
The PiP can also help hold a video conference with someone while examining a data sheet of some sort from your laptop. Good for collaborative work. And if you don't like picture-in-picture (720p quality), you can go for picture-by-picture instead.
Furthermore, the stand of the Samsung SD850 lets you swivel the screen from side to side, pivot it at 90 degrees (vertical viewing), and adjust the height. Finally, the SD850 has dynamic brightness adjustment thanks to an Eco Light Sensor. Good for saving power.