The DS2419+ does indeed seem like a capable and easy to use product.
However, I’m starting to think that Synology hasn’t significantly upgraded the SoC in such models to something like an Intel i3 or Celeron because they are essentially recycling older designs. That and perhaps power consumption concerns.
I agree that these NAS units should have the option of both 10GbE and Dual M.2 SSD cache. Having to choose between the two debases whatever you opt to go with and thus becomes a limiting factor.
Still this product fills a niche. I haven’t seen any 12 bay (3.25”) NAS units from QNAP with x86 / x64 processors in this price range. They are all either more expensive or use ARM SoC, unless something has changed.
Oddly QNAP doesn’t seem to use eSAS or eSATA in this range of product for external expansion so Synology does get a leg up over QNAP in some situations. I agree that it’s about time that Synology added HDMI though.
~$1200 usd does sound about right for this product IMO and ~$1500 does seem to be a bit much for what you get.
I don’t necessarily buy into the idea that you’re paying extra for better support with Synology though. Your mileage will likely vary depending on your country of origin. I’ve used Synology support before (USA) and it seemed just average to me.
