SWIT K15 and K21 Field Monitors – First Look

by Mascha DeikovaSeptember 24^th, 2024

At IBC 2024 in Amsterdam, Johnnie stopped by SWIT to take a first comprehensive look at the company’s new field monitors that are yet to be released. SWIT K15 and K21 (with 15″ and 21.5“, respectively) are designed for shoots and broadcast applications outdoors. Bright, robust, and affordable – these are the main advantages Nikolaus Yang from SWIT listed in the interview. Below, you will find a brief overview of the main features of these upcoming production monitors.

As some of you know, SWIT is a Chinese electronics company that first specialized in professional video batteries. A lot has happened since then, and nowadays, they also produce wireless systems, LED lights, and – yes – different varieties of monitors. Just this summer, we reviewed their latest FM-215HDR field monitor here. And now it’s time for the company’s newest additions to the field monitor product line – SWIT K15 and K21.  

SWIT K15 and K21 specialty

Among the target groups for these monitors, Nikolaus mentions cinema professionals, broadcasters, and independent content creators. For the company developers, it was important to offer a flexible solution for outdoor shoots while keeping it affordable. That’s why they went for LCD screens instead of, say, OLEDs but made sure they were bright and full of contrast. For instance, the new K15 has 1,500 nits of brightness and a 1650:1 contrast ratio, which ensures rich blacks and visibility even under hard sunlight.

Regarding resolution, on the other side, SWIT decided to keep the new panels at FullHD. As Nikolaus Young explains, their research showed that 90% of users don’t need 4K. By choosing not to include it, the company could keep its competitive pricing.

Other features

Both K15 and K21 use SWIT’s new operating system, which optimizes user LUTs, supports an anamorphic de-squeeze function, and offers a variety of settings. You can add various pages and customize those with film monitoring tools of your choice: false color, focus peaking, color management, and so on.

Apart from that, each of the monitors is built robustly with a plastic protection layer on the front, rubber corners, a light stand adapter, and two cheese plates for mounting accessories.

Connectivity and power

New field monitors from SWIT have both SDI and HDMI In and Out ports, as well as USB-C for calibration.

In terms of power, SWIT K15 and K21 support DC and AC inputs and have an integrated V-mount battery plate. As Nikolaus points out, their monitors are quite energy-efficient. For example, if you use a 290Wh battery for the smaller 15″ option, it will run for 10 hours.

Price and availability

The SWIT K15 and K21 will be released in the next two months. The announced price is set to $1,199 for the 15″ and $1,499 for the 21.5″. Additionally, customers will be able to order supportive cases for each of the options.

What do you think about SWIT K15 and K21? Would you consider one of these as your next field monitor? If so, what do you see as the main advantage of these products? Please let us know in the comments below!