Samsung G70D 32" 4K Review: Great Sale-Price Monitor, Frustrating Smart-TV Baggage

By CSharpner · May 16, 2026

Samsung G70D 32" 4K Monitor Review & Tips

What happens when Samsung puts a great 32" 4K gaming monitor inside a smart TV experience I never wanted?

That is basically the Samsung G70D. The screen is excellent, the size is great for software development, and the built-in speakers solved a real problem in my temporary home office. But the smart TV software, remote-dependent menus, internet nags, and wake-from-sleep response bug make it far more annoying than a PC monitor should be.

I bought the Samsung G70D 32" 4K monitor as a second monitor for software development. I already had a Samsung LU28R55 / UR55 28" 4K monitor, but I was also still using my old Dell P2815Q 28" 4K monitor, which I reviewed years ago. That Dell monitor had become the weak link in my setup, so the G70D replaced the Dell.

The short version?

Great screen. Stupid software.

At the sale price I paid, I’m keeping it. At full retail price, I probably would have returned it.

Why I Bought It

My main use case is software engineering, so I wanted a 32" 4K display with good image quality, DisplayPort, and enough screen space for IDEs, browser windows, terminals, documentation, and all the usual development clutter. I also wanted built-in speakers because I’m currently in a temporary home office setup without my normal 5.1 surround system connected.

I needed something good enough for video calls, phone calls, watching videos, and general computer audio. I also wanted 4K for development, occasional gaming, and video watching. I rarely play games these days, but I still wanted the monitor to be capable.

Price Matters A Lot

I bought this locally at Best Buy while it was on sale for around $350. At that price, it was significantly cheaper than several less capable monitors.

That matters because my recommendation changes dramatically depending on price. At around $350, this monitor is a strong value. At full retail price, I would strongly consider buying a normal 32" 4K monitor that is not loaded with smart TV nonsense.

The Good: The Screen Is Excellent

The screen itself is very good. Compared to my Samsung LU28R55 / UR55 28" 4K monitor, the G70D looks better. The color and contrast are better, and the larger 32" size makes a big difference for development.

The Samsung 28" was already better than my old Dell 28", which had faded over the years. I eventually gave that Dell to my son. The G70D is a clear upgrade. Brightness, contrast, and overall image quality are all very good.

For software development, 32" feels just about right. A 28" 4K monitor is usable, but it feels too small to me now. About 10 years ago, I had a job where I used two 32" monitors, and I never really adjusted to life without that kind of screen space.

Development Use

For coding, the 32" size is one of the biggest wins. Text is readable, and there is enough screen space for IDEs, browser windows, terminals, documentation, and everything else I tend to keep open while working.

I use it as my left and primary monitor. The extra size over 28" is not subtle. It is much more comfortable for daily development work.

Gaming

I have tried gaming on it, and it is fine. Gaming was not the main reason I bought it, but the monitor is capable enough for that use.

The monitor supports high refresh rates, but in my normal Linux desktop setup I currently run both displays at 60Hz. Since I rarely get time to game, I have not spent much time intentionally pushing the high refresh rate features.

Video

Video looks great. For YouTube, general video watching, and fullscreen playback, the screen quality is a clear positive.

Built-In Speakers

The speakers are decent for monitor speakers. There are two speakers, so it is stereo, and they are plenty loud enough.

They are not anywhere close to my 5.1 surround system with a bass booster, but that is not a fair comparison. For normal computer use, they are perfectly fine for video conferencing, phone calls, watching videos, and normal system audio.

They are not great for music. Music is the only time I really notice the lack of audio quality.

Setup and Build Quality

Unboxing and setup were relatively straightforward. I remember having a little confusion about how some of the stand parts were supposed to orient, but I figured it out without much trouble.

The stand feels thick, durable, and stable. It is not wobbly. Cable management built into the stand is reasonable, and the stand supports height adjustment, swivel, and rotation.

Physically, the monitor feels good.

My PC Setup

I am using this with Linux Mint on a machine with an AMD Ryzen 7 5700X, 128GB RAM, an NVIDIA RTX 3090 with 24GB VRAM, and an NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti with 12GB VRAM.

Both monitors are plugged into the RTX 3080 Ti using DisplayPort. I do that so my RTX 3090 VRAM stays free for local Ollama models. That is not a normal setup for most people, but it works well for my development and local AI workflow.

The Bad: It Is Way Too Much Smart TV

This is where the monitor gets annoying. The G70D is not just a monitor. It is also full of smart TV features.

I do not want that.

I bought a computer monitor. I want a simple, fast, straightforward monitor menu. Instead, the UI is full of TV clutter, including Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Samsung TV Plus, and other TV-related junk that I will never use.

The menus feel designed for a smart TV, not for a PC monitor. That makes routine monitor settings more annoying than they should be. The store display and box did not make it obvious enough that I was buying something with this much smart TV baggage.

The Worst Problem: Slow Response After Sleep

The worst issue is the response behavior after power-up, sleep, or power-save recovery. Even though I have the response setting set to maximum, the monitor seems to stop honoring that setting after it powers off or wakes back up.

The settings still say it is set correctly. But the behavior says otherwise.

The most obvious symptom is mouse lag. The mouse lag causes me to overshoot things I am trying to click. It is especially obvious when dragging a window across both monitors because the older 28" Samsung tracks the movement correctly while the G70D lags behind.

If I move a window rapidly up and down while it overlaps both screens, it can look comical. The same window appears to be moving correctly on one monitor while lagging behind on the G70D.

There is no ghosting. This is not a ghosting issue. It is lag.

My Clunky Workaround

I have not found a permanent fix. The only workaround I have found is to use the remote and trigger the menu sequence that makes the monitor start honoring the high response setting again.

The workaround is:

  1. Press Home on the remote.

  2. Press Left.

  3. Press Down.

  4. Press Down again to select Settings.

  5. Press Right.

  6. The screen briefly blanks.

  7. When it comes back, the monitor appears to be back in high response mode.

  8. Press Back to remove the settings menu.

  9. Press Back again to remove another overlay.

That is ridiculous.

It works, but it is clunky and annoying. The worst part is that I have to do this every time the monitor powers up, wakes from sleep, or recovers from power save.

The setting already appears to be enabled. The monitor just stops honoring it.

Too Many Overlays

The monitor has too many unnecessary overlays. Menus, icon bars, TV-style screens, and other UI junk get in the way of what should be a simple monitor settings experience.

There is also a power-off animation that looks like a simulated old picture tube flash.

Why?

It is a monitor. Turn off.

Internet Nagging and Privacy

The monitor complains in the menus that it is not connected to the internet. It does not really block normal use, but it is annoying.

I am not connecting it to Wi-Fi. I am a highly privacy-conscious consumer, and I do not want a monitor connected to the internet.

There is no benefit to me except the possibility that Samsung might have a firmware update that fixes the lag problem. But that is not worth it to me.

Too many modern products use updates to add ads, remove features, change behavior, or turn previously working features into subscription features. I paid for the hardware. I do not want the manufacturer changing the deal after the sale.

So no, I am not connecting my monitor to Wi-Fi.

The Remote Is Okay, But I Do Not Want To Depend On It

The remote itself is okay. It is simple and does not have too many buttons.

Unfortunately, it has dedicated buttons for things like Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, and Samsung TV Plus. Those buttons are useless to me.

The bigger concern is that the monitor depends too much on the remote. If I lose the remote, getting into the menus becomes much harder.

My older Samsung 28" monitor has physical buttons. They are not great, but at least they exist. With the G70D, the lack of physical controls makes the remote feel too important.

Compared To My Samsung 28" 4K Monitor

Compared to my Samsung LU28R55 / UR55, the G70D is better overall. The G70D has better size, better color, better contrast, built-in audio, and better development comfort.

The older 28" Samsung has one advantage: physical buttons. They still go into a menu system, so they are not wonderful, but I do not have to worry about losing a remote.

Tips If You Buy One

If you buy this monitor, here are my tips.

Use DisplayPort

Use DisplayPort if your setup supports it. That is what I am using for both monitors.

Keep The Remote Safe

Do not lose the remote. Too much of the monitor depends on it.

Avoid Wi-Fi If You Do Not Want Smart Features

If you bought this as a PC monitor and do not care about the smart TV features, do not connect it to Wi-Fi unless you have a specific reason.

For me, there is no reason.

Know The Lag Workaround

If you notice mouse lag after sleep, power save, or power-up, the monitor may not be honoring its response setting even though the menu still claims it is set correctly.

The workaround I use is the remote/menu sequence described earlier. It is annoying, but it works.

Buy It On Sale

This monitor makes a lot more sense at a sale price. At full price, I would look hard at non-smart 32" 4K monitors first.

Ratings

Ignoring price:

  • Screen / build quality: 4.5 out of 5

  • Ease of use: 2 out of 5

The screen/build score loses half a star mainly because the audio is only decent, not great.

Including retail price:

  • Quality/value: 3 out of 5

  • Usefulness: 1.5 out of 5

At full price, the smart TV baggage and usability annoyances hurt it badly.

Final Verdict

The Samsung G70D 32" 4K monitor has a great screen, a great size, good build quality, and useful built-in speakers. For software development, the 32" 4K panel is excellent.

At the sale price I paid, I am keeping it.

But the smart TV software is a major negative. The menus are cluttered, the monitor is too dependent on the remote, it nags about internet connectivity, and the slow response bug after sleep or power-up is extremely annoying.

So my verdict is:

Great screen. Stupid software.

Buy it on sale if you can tolerate the annoyances.

At full price, I would look for a normal 32" 4K monitor instead.