One of the more promising products on full display at CES 2023 was the refresh of the Odyssey series of premium gaming monitors, the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9. With an impressively wide display, vibrant colors, high resolution, response time, and more, this is truly a monitor made for the most hardcore of gamers.
As someone who hasn’t tested out the previous iteration, the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8, this would be my first real rodeo with one of the best ultrawide monitors on the market, let alone one with a 32:9 aspect ratio. But how does the Odyssey OLED G9 really stack up to the best gaming monitors right now? Read on to find out more.
Once I laid eyes on the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9, I knew I was looking at something special. The 49-inch display size, Dual Quad High Definition (5,120 x 1,440), and 32:9 aspect ratio sounds absolutely ridiculous on paper, but after seeing it in person, I now understand what makes it work so well.
The monitor stretches out and seems a bit oddly elongated at first sight, but once you get accustomed to the proportions, it feels much more natural. As an aside, during my entire hands-on I never felt eye or neck strain, which is miraculous considering the size and how close I was sitting to it.
I loved the white color as well, as it matches the clean and sharp softly curved design. While the monitor itself is a blend of aluminum and plastic, the base itself is pure aluminum – an excellent choice to keep the large display weighed down. The hybrid blend of materials keeps the overall weight low, making it simple to carry and move around while allowing it to be robust – like it could take a tumble or two and will be fine.
And though this is pure aesthetics, I’m a sucker for RGB lighting, and the Odyssey OLED G9 doesn’t disappoint with its CoreSync and Core Lighting+. Simply put, there’s a ring in the back of the monitor that illuminates in multiple colors, and you can switch between different effects using the included remote control. If you have the monitor against the wall, it even projects the colors on it, which is another visually appealing touch.
One of the downsides I would say is that the menu interface being a bit complex. There are so many options to choose from and so many ways to customize your experience that it’s both impressive and overwhelming. It also feels like the settings aren’t intuitive enough to support all of them, which is a bit of a learning curve on the user’s part.
Another is that I wish you could adjust the positioning a bit more. You can raise and lower the display and turn it slightly, but that's it. Due to the size and Multi View feature, having a portrait mode would have been a nice touch as well.
To my surprise, the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9’s performance was just as immaculate as its visuals. I tested out several games including Forza Horizons 5, Planet of Lana, and Doom: Eternal, and they all ran extremely well thanks to the unbelievably high 240Hz refresh rate and speedy 0.03ms response time. Gameplay was butter smooth during testing with absolutely no lag in the slightest. And making it even more immersive were the incredible speakers, enhancing my audio experiences with crystal clear sound quality.
Most impressive was Forza Horizons 5, which really showed off why a monitor like this matters. I could see the full breadth of the environment, thanks to the aspect ratio, and the draw distance of the mountain range in the background was beautifully rendered in layers that felt more immersive than I experienced from any game in years.
But Doom: Eternal and Planet of Lana were no slouches either, with beautiful visuals enhanced by the ultrawide screen. The former took full advantage of the 32:9 display, while the latter carefully hid it with sidebars that blended in the background. But that’s the only real downside, a game not supporting that aspect ratio.
There’s plenty of tech that goes into the Odyssey OLED G9 to make it all work. It boasts built-in AI upscaling via the Neo Quantum Processor Pro, which analyzes images and automatically upscales to adjust brightness while amplifying contrast. It also comes with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, 99.3% color gamut DCI-P3, and DisplayHDR True Black 400 built-in, which gives gameplay that extra pop of color and clarity that most monitors can’t deliver on.
It has 250 nits of brightness that can be adjusted, but I prefer the lower levels as it helps mitigate eye strain that other large monitors would give you. And just like any Smart TV, a wide variety of streaming apps are on hand, as well as programs for productivity work.
You can have a dual monitor setup using Multi View, whether it’s through a single PC or two, and the latter of which can be achieved due to the HDMI 2.1 and Display Port 1.4 support. Keep in mind that if you split the screen, it also cuts the resolution in half for each side, though that still gives it an impressive 2K resolution.
Samsung Odyssey OLED G9: Price & availability
The Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 is a premium 4K curved gaming monitor with powerful specs and equipped with state-of-the-art tech. This means it’s priced as such, with a steep MSRP of $2,199.99 (about £1,750, AU$3,265). There’s a preorder period from June 12 to June 25, 2023 through Samsung’s official online store, with a $250 Samsung gift card that comes with every preorder.
As for availability, it’s set to release on June 26, 2023 once the preorder period ends. The monitor will be primarily a US release with the UK or Australian release date and pricing currently unconfirmed.
Samsung Odyssey OLED G9: Early verdict
The Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 was truly a pleasant surprise of an experience for me. I went in with very few expectations and came out downright excited for its release so I can play around with it even more.
It’s quite an expensive purchase, however, a premium experience that few people can probably afford. But if you can and are looking for a high-quality, high-resolution curved gaming monitor, this is an excellent investment. I truly believe this is a product that could easily be one of the best gaming monitors, as well as one of the best monitors period.
