Samsung S80A Review (LS27A800UNNXZA)

How feature-rich do you want your monitor to be? Just the pixels? Or all the features? The Samsung S80A gives you a lot for less money than competitors, especially if you want to use it as a business monitor.

This monitor (also known as LS27A800UNNXZA) is built around a full 4K 27-inch panel. To that, it adds niceties like USB Type-C, built-in speakers, and supports HDR10. With the S80A, Samsung proves that you no longer have to break the bank to enjoy 4K and even HDR on your monitor, especially with its high-res IPS screen.

If you’re in the market for a monitor that punches above its weight, the S80A is easily one of the most colorful 4K monitors you’re going to buy yet. And if you demand more functionality, the monitor’s easy navigation and extra USB ports (including Type-C) are wins. And you don’t have to do any calibration for a quality image with both DCI-P3 and sRGB color, the gains on this monitor outweigh the potential wins of more expensive business monitors.

About the Samsung S80A

Samsung is renowned for manufacturing some of the best displays for smartphones and big-screen TVs. The brand’s family of S80UA series monitors with Eye Care are made to elevate your overall viewing experience and comfort.

The LS27A800UNNXZA in this review unit debuts with a 27-inch 4K (3840 x 2160) IPS panel at 60Hz with a 5ms response time and 16:9 aspect ratio. It features a built-in USB-C port with charging power, a maximum brightness of 300 nits (250 nits minimum), and HDR10. With VESA mount support as well as tilt, swivel, and pivot capability, the Samsung S80A easily fits any setup.

For connectivity, the S80A comes with an HDMI 2.0 port, 3 USB ports, a display port, and a headphone jack. Unlike other monitors in the market, this monitor features a USB Type-C port with 90W charging to power your laptop and transmit data with just one cable.

With Automatic Source Switch Plus, the monitor will detect any newly connected devices as soon as they’re plugged in, it automatically corrects the signal based on the connected device. If you’ve always wanted a monitor for your laptop or game console, the Samsung S80A is a great choice, especially at this price.

Here are the specs on the Samsung S80A in this review:

Panel Type / Backlight	IPS / W-LED
Screen Size / Aspect Ratio	27 inches / 16:9
Max Resolution & Refresh Rate	3840 x 2160 @ 60 Hz
Native Color Depth / Gamut	DCI-P3 / HDR10
Response Time (GTG)	Standard: 17ms; Fast: 8ms; Fastest: 5ms
Max Brightness	300 nits
Contrast	1,000:1
Speakers	Yes
Connectivity	1x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x USB-C, 3x USB 3.0 Type-A, 1x 3.5mm
Power Consumption	170W max
Dimensions (WxHxD w/base)	24.23 x 21.73 x 7.73 inches
Weight	14.8 pounds

Design and Features

There are monitors with similar image quality to the S80A that can be had for less, but Samsung’s monitor has a few ‘enhanced-viewing’ touches that make it a standout and justify its price. The first one is the choice of USB connections. With an included USB-C cable, you can power a connected laptop, smartphone, or other devices.

It also gets three USB-A ports on the back right side that can charge devices as long as the monitor is connected to power or connect directly to your PC if you also connect the monitor to the PC via USB-C. The USB-A cables will stick out of the panel in a vertically stacked row, but you’ll be able to add 3 USB ports to your PC for the price of 1. It also comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack should you need to boost the built-in speakers.

Like other Samsung monitors, the S80A looks modern but not as beautiful as the Samsung Odyssey Series. The bezels surrounding the screen are thin and accompanied by a black border on the actual panel, making the monitor look like it’s got 3 trim bezels and 1 thick bottom bezel. The bottom bezel measures 0.6 inches with brushstrokes running horizontally across.

The Samsung S80A feels even more modern with its internal power brick, so all you’re having on the outside is a 4.9-foot power cable. There are thick horizontal lines running along the backside that emphasize the idea that Samsung paid attention to the monitor’s overall design.

The screen is supported by a sturdy rectangular stand. Samsung made a point of keeping the stand small, measuring about 6.9 x 9.4 x 0.1 inches. The stand allows you to turn the panel into portrait mode, which is not common among budget screens. It can also pivot left and right, tilt up to 25 degrees, and adjust the height from 2 to 7.3 inches from the base.

If you have a smaller or shorter desk, the S80A may be a little too high by default to view at eye level. If that’s you, a height-adjustable seat will make things a lot better, but if you don’t use the monitor’s stand, you can opt for VESA mounting with one of the best adjustable monitor mounts. There’s some cable management around the back of the monitor – just a wide, rubber-like band that wraps around the stand and keeps your cables strapped vertically against the bottom of the stand.

OSD Features

It’s not often that I get excited about a monitor’s on-screen display (OSD) menu, but the S80A feels different. Many low-priced screens like the Acer SB220Q bi come with a 5-way joystick or array of buttons on the back corner for menu controls. With the LS27A800UNNXZA, Samsung is offering something better altogether. Underneath the center of its bottom bezel are 5 buttons arranged in a circle formation.

Having these keys right under the bezel’s Samsung logo makes them easy to find and easier to reach from the keyboard. More importantly, the buttons make the OSD easier to navigate. They have a rubber-like feel and affirm each press with a soft click. The center button has a slight bump to help you keep you grounded, but I just wish it were slightly larger.

As for the OSD itself, it’s large and legible, and its position is adjustable. It’ll dominate the screen, meaning you’re not going to squint at the OSD with your arm outstretched to make any adjustments. You can opt to press up and bring up the smaller, three-line-tall menu, which lets you conveniently adjust commonly used settings such as brightness.  

Now for what’s available on the OSD, everything here is quite standard across all of Samsung’s latest monitors. The Menu section has 5 submenus: Picture, Eye Care, PIP/PBP, OnScreen, System, and Support.

Those menus adjust respective settings, but there’s also a submenu for game Mode which Samsung claims “optimizes image settings for playing games”; however, this monitor is far from having enough speed to compete with some of the best 4K gaming monitors like the BenQ MOBIUZ EX3210U or be a competitive gaming screen in general.

The OSD also has Eye Saver Mode, which controls the monitor’s low blue light to either its low or high setting. Other finicky features include Eco Saving Plus, where you can pick an auto, low or high power, an off-timer, and the ability to tweak the OSD key’s functions.

Display and Performance

The Samsung S80A boasts a 27-inch panel with a 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution, a 60Hz refresh rate, and a 5ms (fastest) response time. Its brightness maxes at 300 cd/m2 while the contrast ratio is listed at 1000:1, typical of most IPS panels. The LS27A800UNNXZA model offers HDR10 compatibility, but it isn’t equipped for upgraded effects and visuals like other top-tier 4K monitors we’ve reviewed.

With its high pixel density, this monitor delivers crisp and detailed images, making it a perfect choice for business use, casual gaming, and image editing. Since the Samsung S80A renders more than 100% sRGB and around 95% DCI-P3, its overall image quality is impressively vibrant. However, the monitor’s default accuracy isn’t perfect out-of-the-box, but the deltaE average of around 2.88 is already great for daily use. The screen offers punchy colors, so your games and movies will always look great and rich.

Calibrating the Samsung S80A reduced the dE average to around 1.13, which is still not the best we’ve seen, but should be sufficient for content creation purposes. Doing this addresses the issues around oversaturation, but isn’t necessary when used as a business monitor. Colorimeters are never cheap, after all, and the IPS panel on this model is already decently tuned from the factory.

In tests, the backlight on the Samsung S80A reached 328cd/m2 at its highest level which is higher than the 300cd/m2 nits factory quoted brightness. Its contrast peaks at 1086:1 at 60% brightness which is within the required range, but that’s still not high enough to produce deep blacks or low black luminance. We’ve seen dark scenes that look grayish, especially at night, but that’s a known limitation of IPS technology.

Finally, the LS27A800UNNXZA doesn’t have FreeSync or G-Sync – which is fine since this is a business monitor, but it means gamers cannot rely on VRR to keep off-screen tearing and stuttering. For a business monitor, those extras are not necessary and would certainly push the price higher. For business tasks, all you have to do is optimize your graphics settings to get stable framerates. Input lag averages 10ms at 60Hz, so the monitor still feels snappy and responsive even when used for playing games.

Should I buy the Samsung S80A?

The Samsung S80A is an excellent choice if all you want is a 4K monitor with compelling features for home and office use.

When looking at other 27-inch 4K monitors on the market, they are either too expensive with a horde of useful extras, or cheap but lacking in picture quality and features. With the S80A, Samsung delivers a monitor that’s fairly affordable but full of features for business users and pretty everybody else. Whether you prefer sRGB or the more colorful DCI-P3, the S80A delivers an accurate image even without calibration.

It’s a colorful monitor with respectable contrast, leaving you with absolutely nothing to complain about in terms of image quality, especially if you’re interested in a great HDR. That said, there are some cheaper, yet great monitors out there. The Dell S2721QS is one such monitor, that delivers a brighter and still accurate image for less money. On the other hand, the Samsung UR59 costs more than the S80A but delivers a steady 4K image for business users.

But if your movies and web endeavors need more color, the Samsung S80A remains the go-to monitor, thanks to its impressive amount of color. At this price, it’s the most colorful budget 4K screen we’ve reviewed so far. And that full port selection and fully-ergonomic stand make for a premium experience.

Yes, you can save money with the other 4K screen out there. But if you can spend extra for the future-proof features and beautiful design, the Samsung S80A is a worthwhile screen for business and home use; but gamers can find better value elsewhere.  

Last update on 2024-05-17 at 19:14 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API