Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 review: I want to buy it

Samsung’s existent slate of QD-OLED monitors are among nan best gaming monitors you tin buy, truthful it’s nary astonishment that nan Odyssey OLED G9 is simply a awesome gaming display. What I didn’t expect going into this reappraisal is that I’d really beryllium considering adopting nan unsocial 32:9 facet ratio that I wrote disconnected for truthful galore years.

At 49 inches diagonally and occupying nan abstraction of 2 27-inch monitors, nan Odyssey OLED G9 seemed excessively impractical to beryllium usable, and I was definite that it would beryllium difficult to urge alongside nan best monitors. After spending immoderate clip pinch it, however, it’s clear that nan show provides unrivaled productivity prowess and 1 of nan astir immersive gaming experiences money tin buy. It won’t beryllium easy to spell backmost to moreover a modular ultrawide monitor.

Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 specs

Still stunning

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The Odyssey OLED G9 looks amazing. The surface looks brilliant, arsenic I’ll get to later, but nan creation of nan show wide is stunning. I’m a immense instrumentality of Samsung’s Odyssey creation this year, which combines a stark metallic framework pinch conscionable capable flair to fto you cognize that it’s a gaming monitor.

It’s an wholly metallic creation pinch a slim metallic frame. That’s a immense positive complete Samsung’s erstwhile type of this monitor, which had a chunky integrative backmost that made nan show consciousness other large. This is still a very large monitor, but nan slim frame, on pinch nan subtle 1800R curve, makes it consciousness much manageable connected a table compared to nan erstwhile version.

Something Samsung carried complete from nan erstwhile type is nan CoreSync ring. There’s a furniture of diffused integrative astir wherever nan guidelines connects to nan show that holds RGB lighting. You tin group this arsenic a fixed color, but you tin besides sync it pinch what’s connected nan screen. In a acheronian room playing Alan Wake 2, the other spot of lighting did a ton to tie maine into nan game. Still, nan CoreSync ringing is reasonably dim, truthful you won’t announcement nan effect successful brightly lit rooms.

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Samsung includes a hefty metallic guidelines successful nan container that doesn’t return up excessively overmuch other table space. The guidelines is great, but unsurprisingly, it doesn’t connection a ton of room for adjustment. You person a constrictive model for tallness accommodation and astir 15 degrees of tilt, but that’s it. Thankfully, Samsung includes a VESA adaptor successful nan box, allowing you to equine nan show for much elasticity successful positioning.

Death to mini ports

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I was a small worried astir nan Odyssey OLED G9 aft reviewing nan Odyssey OLED G8, which exclusively relied connected mini connections for nan HDMI and DisplayPort cables. That’s not nan lawsuit here. You person full-size HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 ports, alongside a azygous Micro HDMI 2.1 port. These are each recessed connected nan back, too, making cablegram guidance easy.

The aforesaid isn’t existent for nan integrated USB hub. You person 3 USB ports, but they’re each USB-C. Most peripherals aren’t utilizing USB-C cables conscionable yet, truthful a azygous USB-A larboard would’ve gone a agelong measurement here. It’s surely amended than nan Micro HDMI and Mini DisplayPort connections connected nan OLED G8, but it’s still thing to note.

Image quality

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After reviewing Samsung’s Odyssey OLED G8 earlier this year, I wasn’t amazed to spot nan Odyssey OLED G9 supply jaw-dropping image quality. This is 1 of nan champion QD-OLED displays you tin buy, pinch awesome colour coverage, awesome colour accuracy, and nan heavy opposition and inky blacks that OLED panels are known for.

Let’s get immoderate numbers retired of nan way. In SDR, nan show covered 100% of sRGB, 98% of DCI-P3, and 95% of AdobeRGB. For those unfamiliar pinch colour spaces, those are immoderate of nan highest numbers we’ve ever recorded, showcasing fantabulous coverage. The colour correction was a spot higher than nan Odyssey OLED G8 we reviewed earlier this year, coming successful a 1.36. That’s good for colour work, though you’d want to put nan show done calibration for immoderate much superior work.

Contrast is infinite owed to nan truth that OLED produces cleanable achromatic levels, but arsenic we’ve seen pinch displays for illustration nan LG UltraGear OLED 27, nan trade-off is highest brightness. For a 10% window, nan Odyssey OLED G9 peaked creation 237 nits, which is simply a hairsbreadth beneath what we’ve seen pinch displays for illustration nan Alienware 34 QD-OLED. I was capable to deed 283 nits successful HDR pinch a smaller 5% window, thankfully.

Switching complete to HDR, colour accuracy unsurprisingly takes a dip pinch an mean correction of conscionable complete 4. That’s not nan worst we’ve seen for HDR colour accuracy, but there’s nary uncertainty that nan HDR acquisition is for media consumption, not creation. Contrast was erstwhile again excellent, though highest brightness conscionable hardly scratched 200 nits for a 10% model on-screen.

A productivity monster

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The image value connected nan Odyssey OLED G9 is stunning, but you tin get that pinch 16:9 monitors for illustration nan Asus ROG Swift PG27AQDM. The unsocial facet ratio is wherever nan Odyssey OLED G9 really shines. It’s a productivity machine, giving you ample surface existent property to multitask.

My preferred measurement to activity is connected a 21:9 show wherever I tin person 2 windows broadside of side, but nan Odyssey OLED G9 takes that thought to nan extreme. You’re fundamentally getting 2 27-inch, 16:9 displays. It’s 2 monitors, conscionable without each of nan problems of multi-monitor setups.

You tin grow this thought further, stacking up windows horizontally to person 3 aliases 4 ample views astatine once. The Odyssey OLED G9 is simply a monolithic display, sure, but it really saves you immoderate abstraction compared to a accepted multi-monitor setup, each while providing nan aforesaid level of surface abstraction for productivity.

Peak gaming (when it works)

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I’ve ne'er had a much immersive gaming acquisition than connected nan Odyssey OLED G9. The monolithic 32:9 facet ratio captures your peripheral imagination and doesn’t fto you go. Even astatine a coagulated viewing distance, you person nary different action but to sorb nan crippled world you’re experiencing. One of nan first games I booted up was nan caller Alan Wake 2, which I had to move disconnected aft astir half an hr because it was too scary successful that format.

It’s not remotely adjacent to VR, but it provides that aforesaid emotion of immersion. The Odyssey OLED G9 wrestles your senses away, sucking you into games successful a measurement that moreover 21:9 monitors can’t manage. I spent astir an hr conscionable driving astir Night City in Cyberpunk 2077, ignoring each of my various objectives, riding precocious connected nan emotion of surviving successful this dense futuristic world.

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The facet ratio is what matters most, but nan Odyssey OLED G9 has plentifulness of gaming grunt otherwise. The 240Hz show delivers unthinkable mobility clarity pinch nan ultra-low consequence times of OLED, making titles like Doom Eternal feel ruthlessly responsive. FreeSync Premium Pro is besides here, giving you adaptable refresh complaint sloppy of your graphics card.

You should support successful mind really demanding this solution is, though. The show has a 5,120 x 1,440 resolution, and if you do nan math, that’s not acold disconnected of 4K. It has 7.3 cardinal pixels, while 4K has 8.3 million. For reference, a 21:9 show pinch a 3,440 x 1,440 solution has conscionable awkward of 5 million, while a 1440p show has astir 3.6 million. You’ll want a PC equipped for 4K gaming if you scheme connected picking up nan Odyssey OLED G9.

Even immoderate celebrated games for illustration Overwatch 2 don’t support nan 32:9 resolution.

When nan Odyssey OLED G9 is successful premier form, location isn’t immoderate other that’s adjacent to it. The problem is that it often won’t beryllium successful its premier form. The unsocial facet ratio leads to accordant immersion-breaking scenarios wherever it becomes clear conscionable really silly playing games pinch a 32:9 show is. Playing Alan Wake 2 was terrifying while I was really playing, but nan infinitesimal a cutscene started and nan sides of nan show became monolithic achromatic voids, I was brought backmost down to earth.

It’s not conscionable cutscenes, either. Every clip I opened nan paper in Marvel’s Spider-Man, the UI looked cramped connected nan surface arsenic it quickly adjusted its emblematic 16:9 facet ratio. There are besides plentifulness of games that simply won’t support nan 32:9 facet ratio. Indie games for illustration Tunic are almost universally locked to 16:9, forcing you to either tally nan crippled successful windowed mode aliases sacrifice astir half of your surface existent property to nan achromatic bars. This tin travel up successful larger games, too, specified as Overwatch 2, where 32:9 resolutions aren’t supported.

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The wide section of position tin activity against nan gaming experience, too. Again, this isn’t VR, but nan Odyssey OLED G9 tin springiness you immoderate mobility sickness depending connected nan game. This peculiarly comes up successful games pinch utmost mobility blur and dense vignetting, wherever agelong gameplay sessions tin origin immoderate queasiness. That’s thing I ne'er encountered pinch this monitor.

For gaming, nan Odyssey OLED G9 is an acquisition monitor. Spend a fewer hours pinch it, and you’ll beryllium floored by nan immersion and quality. It’s tougher to settee successful for agelong gaming sessions, though. The achromatic bars for games that don’t support 32:9 are very distracting, overmuch much truthful than connected a 21:9 monitor, truthful you’ll often person to settee for playing games successful windowed mode.

That said, nan worst acquisition you’ll find connected nan Odyssey OLED G9 is simply what you get connected a 16:9 monitor, while nan champion acquisition is acold up what you’ll find pinch a modular display. And, arsenic I’ll get to next, location are plentifulness of ways to return advantage of nan other surface existent estate.

When 32:9 becomes practical

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I conscionable spent a batch of clip penning astir really 32:9 is impractical for gaming, but pinch a small spot of effort, it tin really go a immense asset. A batch of that comes down to Samsung Multi View, which lets you divided nan surface to show different sources. It useful awesome connected nan Odyssey OLED G9, and it’s a characteristic you’ll want to return advantage of successful a batch of cases.

The main tie present is streaming, of each things. Especially if you hook a console up to nan monitor, you tin usage Multi View to spot your crippled connected 1 half of nan surface while your PC occupies nan different half, allowing you to spot your watercourse information, seizure paper details, and more. You don’t person to interest astir tabbing retired of your game, either; these are 2 abstracted sources.

Samsung thankfully allows you to reflector nan surface connected your telephone aliases laptop.

Even if you’re not streaming, you tin link a console to 1 half of nan surface while your PC occupies nan different half pinch Discord, a video, aliases Spotify (or thing other you want to tally connected your PC astatine nan aforesaid time). The only downside present is that Samsung doesn’t support a ton of apps from nan built-in OS for Multi View. You’re chiefly constricted to YouTube and Samsung TV Plus. Thankfully, you tin adhd nan built-in web browser arsenic a root for Multi View, unlocking fundamentally immoderate app you want.

The biggest problem pinch this setup is uncovering thing to inhabit nan remainder of nan surface with. In those situations wherever you can’t capable nan afloat 32:9 facet ratio, you’ll want thing other to capable nan remainder of nan screen, and it’s imaginable you won’t person a 2nd root (like a console and PC). Samsung thankfully allows you to reflector nan surface connected your telephone aliases laptop (Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows are each supported), giving you much options to return advantage of nan monolithic display.

Smart TV successful your monitor

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The Odyssey OLED G9 isn’t conscionable a monitor. It includes Samsung’s Tizen OS TV operating system, giving you entree to streaming apps for illustration Netflix and Hulu, Samsung Game Hub for Xbox Game Pass and GeForce Now, and moreover immoderate unrecorded TV pinch Samsung TV Plus. That’s not really what’s important here, though.

You astir apt won’t usage nan built-in apps overmuch — this is simply a high-end gaming show that you’ll astir apt link to a high-end gaming PC — but nan OS opens up Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections. A show update is conscionable an action successful nan menu, not a frustrating process involving a USB drive. And Bluetooth allows you to link a controller, aliases a keyboard and mouse, if you want to navigate nan OS without nan included remote.

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It opens up a ton of show options,as well. You tin quickly entree things for illustration Samsung Multi View pinch nan distant done nan speedy entree menu, arsenic good excavation into image settings that you wouldn’t usually find connected a monitor’s on-screen show (OSD). Even without features for illustration colour calibration pinch supported smartphones, controlling nan show this measurement is leagues up of utilizing a accepted OSD.

Samsung built immoderate hardware for this experiencem arsenic well. The built-in speakers are amazingly loud, and they do a awesome occupation astatine positioning audio successful games pinch situation sound. You’ll still want dedicated speakers aliases headphones for nan champion audio experience, but nan speakers sound fantabulous compared to what you usually find connected gaming monitors (if they person speakers astatine all).

The value matters

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The Odyssey OLED G9 isn’t for everyone. It’s for nan astir intensive PC gamers, who want highest immersion successful games, ample room for productivity, and a characteristic group that you can’t find anyplace else. The Odyssey OLED G9 delivers connected each fronts, each while producing 1 of nan champion images you tin find connected a gaming monitor.

Those looking for those types of PC experiences cognize that they usually transportation immoderate unforeseen quirks, and nan Odyssey OLED G9 is nary different. As mentioned, 32:9 doesn’t play nicely pinch each games, and nan heavy immersion tin quickly beryllium thrown disconnected erstwhile a cutscene plays. Still, erstwhile nan baseline acquisition is simply what you get pinch a 16:9 monitor, and nan Odyssey OLED G9 tin standard truthful overmuch higher, it’s still a singular screen.

Samsung asks for $1,800 astatine database value for nan display, but I wouldn’t bargain it for that much. It’s not truthful overmuch that it’s overpriced — location isn’t different show rather for illustration this 1 — but that it often goes connected sale. At nan clip of publishing, it’s disposable for $1,400, putting it successful scope of immoderate of nan 21:9 QD-OLED monitors we’ve seen. At that price, it’s a bargain for high-end PC gamers.

Editors' Recommendations

• Alienware is playing coy pinch its 2 caller QD-OLED monitors
• Samsung’s Odyssey Neo G9 launches successful October — if you tin tummy its insane price
• Samsung wants you to reserve nan Odyssey OLED G9 — without knowing nan price
• Samsung’s first QD-OLED gaming show mightiness beryllium dormant connected arrival
• Samsung Odyssey OLED 49 vs. Odyssey Neo G9 (2023)