We’ve seen plenty of Windows 8 laptops with touchscreens, but what if you want to buy a touchscreen monitor for your PC running Windows 8? Until now, the choice has been non-existent, but now Samsung has announced a 24in and 27in 10-point touchscreen that’s certified for Windows 8 and we’ve tested out the bigger model.
The Series 7 SC770 Touch Monitor is one of the first – if not the first – 27in display designed for Windows 8. It has a flush bezel so you can swipe in from the edges to display the Windows 8 Charms bar and use other gestures.
It has a standard 1920x1080 resolution – disappointing for some – but this should mean it isn’t outrageously expensive when in launches in a few months (no prices were announced).
Samsung SC770 Touch Monitor hands-on: image quality
Samsung has chosen an MVA panel for the SC770 and this gives it both wide viewing angles and great contrast (the specifications claim a native figure of 5000:1, which we’ll test when we get a review sample in our labs shortly).
Subjectively, image quality was very good with vibrant colours and good black levels. It isn’t the brightest monitor around but, at a claimed 250cd/m2, it looked perfectly bright enough to us.
Samsung SC770 Touch Monitor hands-on: touchscreen
Playing with various Windows 8 apps confirmed that the screen is nice and responsive – using Fresh Paint, for example, was a lot of fun on a screen this big.
The SC770 supports up to ten fingers at once. Pinching to zoom and using two fingers to rotate images was easy and fast.
Samsung SC770 Touch Monitor hands-on: design
As anyone who’s used a vertical touchscreen will know, it gets uncomfortable almost immediately. The SC770 tilts back from vertical by 60 degrees, providing a much more suitable angle.
The hinge mechanism is excellent: you can adjust the tilt angle with one hand and the base doesn’t move at all. If you put the screen somewhere between vertical and fully pressed down the hinge keeps the screen steady so there was no wobbling when we prodded the screen to scroll around web pages and apps.
Samsung SC770 Touch Monitor hands-on: connectivity
Around the back in the centre is an HDMI input and a pair of USB ports. The SC770 also uses USB to transfer touch information – hence the second cable plugged in here. The power supply is external, requiring a third wire.
Stereo 3W speakers are built into the sides of the monitor, which is quite chunky overall. We couldn’t test the sound, but will update this review when we’ve had a proper chance to audition them.
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