Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 hands-on review

If you need a 4K curved gaming monitor, the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 is easily one of the best in the market.

Table of Contents

After over six months of waiting, pre-orders are officially open for Samsung’s new flagship gaming monitor: the Odyssey OLED G95SC.

For $2,200, you get a massive 49-inch, 1800R curved display with a resolution of 5,120 x 1440 pixels (or Dual Quad High Definition) and an aspect ratio of 32:9. Powering everything is the company’s own Neo Quantum Processor Pro SOC (system-on-a-chip) ensuring top level performance from a lightning fast response of 0.03ms to a refresh rate of 240 Hz. All this results in velvety smooth gameplay with little to no lag whatsoever.

To top it all off, the Odyssey OLED G95 comes with multiple image-enhancing features from AMD FreeSync Premium Pro to DisplayHDR True Black 400 so players can enjoy vivid colors and deep black.

Suffice it to say, this monitor is packing some serious power.

Hands-on experience

There’s been a lot of hype surrounding the Odyssey OLED G95SC. Given our latest experience with the monitor, that hype could be well warranted.

Recently, TechRadar Computing Staff Writer Alisa James got her hands on the Odyssey OLED G95SC and sufficed it to say, she was impressed. She enjoyed how well the games ran thanks to the high refresh rate and “speedy 0.03ms response time.” All the high-tech hardware was able to create an experience “that felt more immersive than” she had felt “from any game in years.” The on-device speakers pumped out a “crystal clear sound”. And of course, the curved monitor played a significant role in that immersion by giving an ultra-wide view of the in-game environment.

Because people are so used to flat screens, the curvature may worry some who worry about neck strain. However, according to Alisa, she “never felt eye or neck strain” during her time with the Odyssey OLED G95SC, although it did take some getting used to. On-screen proportions are different from a standard monitor.

Early Verdict

The Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 curved gaming monitor impresses thanks to its ultrawide 49-inch 32:9 aspect ratio, vibrant OLED display and smooth 240Hz refresh rate. We think it’s one of Samsung’s best gaming monitors yet.

Pros

+
Immersive 49-inch curved panel
+
Fast and smooth performance
+
Bright, vivid display

Cons

–
Might be too pricey for some

Availability

Pre-orders are currently open on Samsung’s website, but only to those living in the United States. The shipping and launch date is set for June 26. $2,200 may be a tough pill to swallow so the company is offering some payment plans to make the purchase more manageable. If you indeed pre-order, Samsung will give you a $250 gift card to go with it. It’s unknown if and when the monitor will release to countries like the UK or Australia. If it does in the future, we expect to see a price tag of about £1,999 and AU$3,265

Up to this point, we’ve been specifically mentioning the G95SC. That’s because the company will be launching a second model later in 2023. The Odyssey OLED G93SC, as it’s known, will still have the signature 49-inch, 1800R display alongside most of the other features. It’ll, however, lack the Neo Quantum Processor Pro chipset as well as some software tools like the Gaming Hub.

We reached out to Samsung for more information on the launch date of the G93 model (the announcement mentions sometime in Q3 2023) plus when people can expect an international rollout of the G95 model. This story will be updated at a later time.

For other more affordable options, make sure to check out our best ultrawide monitors guide.