1 min readIf you’re not a fan of how more and more desktop monitors are running on the same software powering your Smart TV, I have bad news: they’re probably about to become a lot more common.
This year’s Computex in Taiwan saw monitor-maker MOKA Display show off its first Google TV-powered Smart Monitor. The idea is very much what it sounds like. It’s a desktop monitor that runs the same operating system as Google TV. You get smoother integration with Google apps and Chromecast as well as support for multi-view and reverse control. There's even a TV-style remote control that ships with the unit.
It doesn’t hurt that the monitors involved are more than just modest in spec. The M2030S is available in two sizes (27 inches and 32 inches) and comes with UHD resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate. The M2030FS is available in those same sizes and resolutions but triples the refresh rate to 180Hz.
Since MOKA Display isn’t an OEM, you probably won’t see its brand in a JB Hi-Fi anytime soon. However, since they are an ODM, there’s a good chance you will encounter one of these monitors under a different name sooner or later. Their business model is one built on letting other companies pay to put their name on monitors like the M2030S and M2030FS.
Where the first wave of “smart monitors” was exclusively the domain of TV manufacturers like Samsung and LG, the next one is probably going to be powered by Android TV.
