One display screen to rule all of them

Let’s not beat across the bush. The Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 gaming monitor is completely ridiculous. However in the very best form of manner.

A curved, desk-filling, 49-inch ultrawide QD-OLED gaming monitor (full with a 240Hz refresh fee and HDR), it guarantees to unapologetically barrage your retinas with inky blacks, daring colors, and silky easy efficiency, till you are left with no selection however to undergo its visible majesty.

At a wallet-busting $2200/£2000 although, it must dazzle, enthral, and downright blow minds to justify the money. Fortunately, it does simply that, after which some.

Samsung/Pocket-lint

Samsung Odyssey OLED G9

Editor’s Alternative

It is large. It is costly. And for a lot of, it is overkill. However for these in search of absolutely the pinnacle PC gaming/productiveness expertise, there is no denying that the OLED G9 delivers one thing particular that nothing else can match.

Professionals

• Unimaginable OLED picture high quality
• 240Hz refresh fee
• 49in, 32:9 curved show for full immersion
• Stong HDR efficiency
• Slick, easy-to-assemble design

Cons

• Very costly
• Takes up a number of area
• Cannot shake the burn-in worries

Design

• Dimensions: 1194.7 x 365 x 180.8mm
• Weight: 9.2kg
• 1800R display screen curvature

First issues first — this factor is very large. Its 49in, 32:9 ultra-wide display screen is equal to having two 27in 1440p screens aspect by aspect. With a complete size of 120cm, it nearly matches on my comparatively giant desk, with no room for something on both aspect. Should you’ve bought audio system surrounding your present monitor, chances are high you will want to purchase a bigger desk, or get artistic with mounting choices.

Fortunately, the OLEG G9 helps an ordinary 100 x 100 VESA mount, and, due to the skinny, light-weight nature of its OLED panel, ought to make for a relatively slick and straightforward wall-mounted setup. Its light 1800R curvature means it will stick out just a little, thoughts, however nothing too drastic. The curve itself is simply the correct quantity to my eyes, though some customers will favor the extra aggressive 1000R curve of Samsung’s non-OLED 49in Odyssey Neo G9. For us although, the gentler curve of the OLED G9 is right for a mix of gaming and productiveness.

Regardless of its measurement, it is simple to assemble too, due to its manageable 9.2kg weight, which is noticeably lighter than the 14.5kg weight of the Mini-LED Odyssey Neo G9. Merely clip within the height-adjustable stand, safe the sturdy steel base with two toolless screws, and also you’re finished. The stand itself is a single-piece, relatively than a dual-leg affair, which makes for a way more sensible desktop footprint, with out something protruding and encroaching on treasured mouse territory.

Options, sound, and connectivity

• Tizen OS with all main apps
• 10W complete sound output (two channels)
• Rear LEDs for atmosphere

There’s an excellent motive why the OLED G9 comes bundled with the identical USB-C-chargeable distant that you’re going to discover included with Samsung TVs. Working Tizen OS, the OLED G9 has the identical menus and formidable app choice, with every little thing from Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, to Apple TV and Disney+ all current and accounted for.

This additionally implies that customers have entry to apps like Samsung Gaming Hub, letting them join a controller on to the OLED G9 for some cloud gaming goodness from the likes of NVIDIA’s GeForce Now, Xbox Cloud Gaming, or Amazon’s Luna.

In the end although, in the event you’re dropping this a lot cash on a gaming monitor, you will desire a highly effective gaming rig to do it justice.

The power to make use of the OLED G9 as a standalone gadget for movies, TV exhibits, YouTube and extra is a pleasant bonus, letting it pull double responsibility as a TV if you want — although the side ratio will not allow you to take pleasure in its full potential (extra on that in a bit).

As for sound, its twin 5W audio system are surprisingly good, for a monitor at the least. Whereas most monitor audio system have a tendency to provide torturous, tinny outcomes, the OLED G9 is able to standing by itself with regards to watching content material or taking part in video games.

Its max quantity is greater than sufficient for many, and there is a first rate quantity of depth and area to the sound it produces. Naturally, it is missing on the bass entrance, however it’s a decent efficiency nonetheless. Even if most customers will probably be gaming with headphones or devoted audio system, this further auditory consideration remains to be very welcome.

Flip the OLED G9 round, and you will be greeted by a round LED ring. Dubbed Core Lighting, it may be set to a static color, or turned off fully. There’s additionally a CoreSync function which lets it mirror on-screen content material for added immersion. It is fairly refined, and can solely actually be noticeable if the monitor itself is in entrance of a white wall, however it’s a pleasant addition for these in search of just a little further bling.

Beneath, you will discover a conventional miniature toggle for navigating the on-screen menu (although the distant makes this relatively redundant), together with a number of connectivity choices. These embody an HDMI 2.1 port, a Micro-HDMI 2.1 port, and a triple USB hub, together with a DisplayPort 1.4 port.

The latter would possibly appear to be a step again, given that there is a newer DisplayPort 2.1 commonplace (featured on Samsung’s yet-to-be-released 57in Odyssey Neo G9), however it’s nonetheless sufficient to help 240Hz refresh charges on the OLED G9’s 5120×1440 decision. The bigger 57in monitor has a noticeably larger decision, and due to this fact requires the additional bandwidth of DisplayPort 2.1 to push extra pixels on the identical 240Hz refresh fee.

Display screen and efficiency

• 49-inch QD-OLED panel
• 32:9 side ratio
• 240Hz refresh fee

On the danger of sounding like a advertising and marketing hype mouthpiece, utilizing the OLED G9 is a really jaw-dropping expertise. Let’s begin with its attractive QD-OLED panel. Its true blacks and vibrant colors, mixed with the sheer measurement of the show itself, is sufficient to cease even technophobes of their tracks. I misplaced myself in numerous OLED TV demos on YouTube, marvelling on the distinction and efficiency on provide. The expertise is so vivid, in truth, that it nearly seems like you possibly can attain in and seize every little thing you see.

The QD, or Quantum Dot a part of the panel, is necessary, as it is a newer kind of display screen tech that mixes the self-emissive advantages of OLED shows (learn: true blacks and punchy colors), with the brightness and color saturation of Quantum Dots.

Whereas I will skip the in-depth rationalization and refer you to Pocket-lint’s QD-OLED explainer for extra, in brief, by utilizing blue gentle to light up pink and inexperienced Quantum Dots, QD-OLED shows overcome one among OLED panels’ conventional weaknesses — brightness. However what does that imply in the true world?

Effectively, whereas the OLED G9 nonetheless does not attain the eye-searing brightness of Mini-LED screens, it is lots shiny sufficient, and I had no points utilizing it in a shiny room with a window at my rear. The shiny nature of the display screen, coupled with the curve, does, nonetheless, end in noticeable reflections. Whereas I personally discovered myself tuning them out, those that are usually distracted by such issues will wish to bear in mind that, as with most OLED shows, dim or darkish rooms will present probably the most optimum expertise.

All the pieces from video games to Hollywood blockbusters appears merely gorgeous, and it is going to be extraordinarily tough to return to a non-OLED panel as soon as my time with the OLED G9 is over. And whereas you may get different, smaller QD-OLED panels from the likes of Alienware, the 49in, ultra-wide nature of this specific show mercilessly envelops your imaginative and prescient. In aggressive video games like Rocket League and Halo Infinite, it is a large benefit. The bigger area of view helps you to spot enemy gamers far earlier, whereas making it simpler to plan routes and ambushes.

In single-player titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Hogwarts Legacy, the QD-OLED visuals, coupled with the sheer quantity of display screen actual property, make for a really particular expertise. Simulators like Microsoft Flight Simulator attain totally new ranges of realism too.

The crispness of visuals, coupled with virtually zero enter lag and as much as a buttery easy 240Hz refresh fee, make for the very best gaming periods I’ve ever had. In fact, your expertise will probably be totally dependent in your setup, and never even my combo of Intel’s Core i7300K and NVIDIA’s beastly RTX 4090 might attain 240fps in Cyberpunk 2077 or Hogwarts Legacy at their highest settings. Nonetheless, even 120fps is a slick and easy expertise, at the least to my eyes.

And that is all with out mentioning the VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 efficiency, which treats your eyes to fantastically balanced shiny and darkish scenes, which will be tweaked to your liking in-game and/or through Home windows and the monitor itself.

Extra conventional media like TV exhibits and movies nonetheless, is the place the OLED G9 struggles. Type of.

It nonetheless appears superb, however nothing bar a slim number of YouTube movies is filmed in a large 32:9 side ratio, so content material from streaming companies and common TV exhibits will solely occupy a a lot smaller, central portion of the entire show. If you would like a display screen that doubles up as a TV alternative, you may be higher off going for a smaller 42-48in OLED TV as an alternative, although you’ll be restricted to a max 120Hz refresh fee.

Productiveness

Given the sheer quantity of area on provide, it’ll come as no shock to listen to that the OLED G9 is an outstanding monitor for multitaskers. On any given workday, I’ve bought a number of browser home windows, Photoshop, Spotify, and extra, operating on the identical time, and the power to comfortably match every little thing on one show with room to spare is an outstanding productiveness boon.

Not solely do you not need to cope with a number of energy cables for a couple of monitor, however having all of it on one show is a luxurious I by no means beforehand knew I wanted.

Now, in the event you’ve bought a number of text-heavy work, it’s possible you’ll come throughout data on-line stating that OLED panels aren’t your best option as a consequence of their subpixel structure. In brief, you will discover loads of customers on-line who consider that textual content appears garbage on OLED panels — and also you’ll discover simply as many customers saying that it makes no distinction. From my expertise, I can confidently say that I’ve had no points with textual content readability on the OLED G9, although your mileage might after all fluctuate.

The one actual drawback I’ve discovered with regards to productiveness on the OLED G9, is the potential of burn-in — the primary draw back of all OLED shows. Naturally, there are pretty hefty preventative measures in place, corresponding to Samsung’s Pixel Shift function, which often shifts every little thing round by one pixel, to make sure that nothing stays in the very same spot. It sounds intrusive, however I have not observed it in motion as soon as, such is the subtlety of its impact.

In the end although, with static browser tabs, Photoshop toolbars and Spotify buttons on-screen for eight+ hours a day, my overly anxious mind simply cannot shake these burn-in worries off. I’ve taken measures corresponding to minimising the taskbar and shifting round apps from time to time, whereas making certain that the monitor is turned off once I go away my desk. Should you’re of an identical disposition and plan on utilizing the OLED G9 for normal work along with gaming, that is undoubtedly one thing you will need to weigh up.

Verdict

There is not any skirting across the OLED G9’s large footprint or extravagant price ticket. Both one is more likely to be a dealbreaker for most individuals. Then once more, there’s nothing else prefer it, and for people who have the money, area, and PC highly effective sufficient to max out its full potential, there is no denying the unbelievable, immersive expertise it affords.

Whereas MicroLED screens are the last word finish recreation (offering all the advantages of OLED with no danger of burn-in), inexpensive MicroLED screens are years from turning into a actuality. For now, and for the foreseeable future, the OLED G9 will stay one probably the most covetable gaming screens round. And with excellent motive.