Samsung Odyssey G9 OLED (2023) Review
An ultra-wide gaming monitor for remarkable immersion
Verdict
The Samsung Odyssey G9 OLED (2023) is a purpose-built OLED monitor for those seeking deep immersion from PC gaming, and with lots of space to fulfil that vision. A well-built and executed monitor offers deep blacks, vivid colors, and rapid performance.
Pros
- Perfect blacks from OLED tech
- Crisp vivid imagery with high contrast
- High refresh rate and response time
- Easy assembly
Cons
- Low peak SDR brightness
- Awkward port placement
- Space-hogging build
Key Features
- Ultrawide OLED displayFeatures a 32:9 ultrawide curved OLED display. There’s a 49-inch diagonal size and rocking a 1440p resolution and 240Hz refresh rate.
- 1800R CurveSamsung offers a more subtle curve than the Odyssey Neo range (1000R), which helps with the immersive nature of a wide range of gaming experiences.
- Smart TV interfaceSamsung brings a host of media streaming apps – like Netflix, Disney+, Hulu and Apple TV – as well as productivity tools to take the experience beyond gaming.
Introduction
Samsung’s latest high-end ultrawide monitor arrives with a 32:9 aspect ratio and an immersive curved OLED panel.
Designed for gamers who will go the extra mile (or inch) to see the enemy coming in the periphery and then shoot first, the Samsung Odyssey G9 OLED (2023) is armed with fast response times (0.3ms) for low latency experiences, a super-high refresh rate (240Hz) and a Quad HD resolution (1440p) designed to hit the sweet spot for gamers.
But it also aspires to a lot more. Samsung’s Gaming Hub brings access to the cloud streaming services, while the Smart TV hub is a home for your favorite entertainment. It’s also SmartThings enabled for controlling smart home tech and Alexa/Bixby voice control is built in too. Multiview makes it possible to combine your work, entertainment, and gaming pastimes within eyeshot.
Indeed, there’s loads you can do with this girthy monitor beyond immersive ultra-wide gaming. The big question is, do you have somewhere to fit it?
Design and build
- Massive imposing build
- Easy set-up
- More subtle curve
The Samsung Odyssey G9 OLED (2023) is every bit as large as it seems. The 49-inch display feels absolutely huge when you remove it from the box and, combined with the large and heavy stand and external power brick, it absolutely engulfed my office desk. I decamped to the dinner table for a few days to avoid it looming over me as I worked on other stuff.
Setup was relatively easy, though, thanks to a bespoke clip-in mechanism that locks the screen to the base, and I was able to accomplish it without assistance.
Bezels are very thin with only around a centimeter from offering a true edge-to-edge experience. I did notice a slight gap between the edge of the display and the metal frame as some of the polystyrene the monitor shipped in was wedged between the gaps.
The Samsung Odyssey G9 (2023) has an 1800R curve so it’s not quite as wrap-around an experience as the Odyssey Ark or Odyssey Neo G9, which have a 1000R curve. However, when sat a suitable distance away, the more subtle curve still enabled me to take in the display edge-to-edge without the outside elements feeling farther away.
Unlike the Ark, there’s no opportunity to twist the display so it converts to a vertically aligned portrait monitor, but there is ample ability to tilt the device back and forth on the solid, heavy stand. It was most comfortable tilted all the way down so the top hung down somewhat. The stand is robust enough to provide faith that the monitor won’t tip over. I also loved the ability to just slide the height up and down with the minimum of fuss.
Around the back is where the 5W stereo speakers are located. They kick out decent audio without being remarkable, but there’s Bluetooth connectivity too if you wish to connect your favorite audio accessories. There are no additional audio outs for physically connecting a great speaker, but you could add a HDMI soundbar for instance.
Speaking of physical connections, you’ll get Display Port (1.4), microHDMI and standard HDMI (both 2.1), and a pair of USB-A. However, the limited number of ports are embedded into the back of the monitor close to the stand, and thus really awkward to get at.
Image quality
- 1440p OLED panel looks great
- Brightness surprisingly low and limits HDR
- OLED panel brings those true, inky blacks
While many gamers are edging towards 4K monitors, 1440p remains the sweet spot for those seeking visual fidelity across large displays with top refresh rates of 240Hz. Pushing that tech across such a large screen, coupled with the greater pixel density required for a 2160p resolution pushes the price way up and requires a top graphics card on the gaming rig. So yeah, 1440p and 240Hz feels about right.
Coupled with that, there’s also AMD FreeSync Premium Pro to help align the game’s frame rate with the display and, in terms of motion blur, Samsung advertises a 0.3ms GtG response time. Again, no problems there in terms of testing.
In some ways, the OLED tech is a natural bedfellow for a great HDR experience due to the dimming qualities for individual pixels facilitating the deepest blacks. Indeed our tests here, delivered a black level of ‘zero’ for brilliantly detailed performance within those dark scenes.
Contrast performance is, as expected, also great. I enjoyed truly vivid colors that popped throughout my testing experience on games like Cyberpunk 2077, Destiny 2 and Fortnite.
Here’s where things start to get tricky though. This monitor isn’t very bright. Our tests showed a peak brightness of just 245 nits or 295.6 nits for SDR content. It doesn’t ‘feel’ very bright either. That said, the Odyssey G9 will see a boost to brightness with HDR activated for supported games and content.
The Odyssey G9 is Vera DisplayHDR True Black 400 certified, which is still considered to be “entry level” HDR performance for OLED by Vera.
Color coverage is excellent. Tests showed 100% sRGB, 99% Adobe RGB, and 98% DCI-P3 results, which means the monitor will be well suited to work where lifelike color reproduction is important, such as photo and video editing. It’s in-line with the performance of a MacBook Pro or iMac display.
In terms of the color temperature, the Odyssey G9 was on the high side of the target 4500K. The tests revealed a 6550K score, which explains why we experienced slightly cooler looking whites with a blue tint when looking at a document though my connected MacBook Air M2.
21:9 is one thing, but a 32:9 aspect ratio is another kettle of fish. So why go Ultrawide for that gigantic 5120 x 1440p Dual QHD resolution? Unless you want to have a combined two 16:9 desktop screens in front of you (also possible with Multiview), it’s all about PC gaming and utilizing that extra real estate to enhance your peripheral vision. Not all games are supported, but the ones that are really make a difference.
When driving around in Cyberpunk 2077, for example, the ultrawide 32:9 mode really accentuates the incredible future-gazing, seedy urban landscape meticulously crafted by CD Projekt Red. Instead of just driving past the neon-lit buildings, you can see people enter and leave them out of the corners of your eyes. It’s a more immersive view of the sea of humanity going about everyday life, literally all around you. Try looking up and around too, the scale is huge and it actually feels like walking the Las Vegas strip at night. You can see why people get drawn into these more immersive ultrawide experiences.
In Forza Horizon 5, the wider view of the buildings and Mexican scenery around you really adds to the sense of speed as you whiz past. Especially if you enjoy the in-car view, because you usually don’t see much outside beyond the wing mirrors.
However, you will need to be a PC desktop or laptop gamer to get the most out of this feature as Xbox and PlayStation consoles don’t support ultrawide outputs at 21:9 or 32:9. Nvidia’s GeForce Now Ultimate subscription service lives within the Samsung Gaming Hub, enabling you to replicate the experience of gaming with up to an RTX 4080-enabled GPU over the cloud and play your games from Steam, Ubisoft Connect and Epic. But again, within the Tizen-based GeForce Now app, no support beyond 16:9.
There are caveats as the Samsung version of the GeForce Now app caps the frame rate at 60fps, so you won’t see the max benefits of the Ultimate Tier’s 4K resolution because the resolution of this monitor maxes out at 1440p.
Again, there’s loads of barriers to getting the best out of this monitor. The same goes for Xbox Cloud Gaming which is limited to 1080p and 60fps. Again, just something to consider if you’re not going for straight up PC rig gaming.
Interface and apps
- Gaming Hub units a host of cloud services
- Smart TV is there, but doesn’t feel necessary
- Alexa again feels out of place.
There are three main elements to Samsung’s Smart Monitor user experience. Workspace, where you’ll interact with your connected PC, Mac, or Samsung DeX dock, is one. There’s also access to Microsoft 365 apps and Google Meet if you want to hook up a USB webcam. There’s also support for Apple AirPlay and Windows casting tech here, so you can extend your computer’s display wirelessly.
The Gaming Hub where you’ll find cloud gaming connectivity via the Xbox app (albeit capped at 1080p/60fps), GeForce Now, Amazon Luna as well as fast access to any gaming rigs or consoles you have hooked up to the monitor with a physical connection. Naturally there’s support for the major gaming pads, as well as mouse and keyboard input.
The third section is for Media, where you can enjoy apps like Apple TV, Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video and Samsung TV Plus (Bixby and Samsung Health too) and an app store with other lesser-used services.
The bundled remote has shortcuts to some of these services. A Plex app is also available if you wish to access your server-stored library. Very few apps will allow you to enjoy much 32:9 ultrawide content so you’ll be watching with whacking great black windows on either side, as you are for playing console games. Not ideal.
However, YouTube is there with some native 32:9 content if you want to enjoy the more immersive video experience. The Alexa functionality works as expected via the USB-C voice remote, while the menus and settings are easy enough to navigate.
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Should you buy it?
You want an ultra-wide gaming monitor:
If you own a capable PC gaming rig and enjoy expanding your horizons through 21:9 or 32:9 aspect ratios. Oh, and if you have the room for a giant, space consuming monitor.
You’re a console gamer:
If you’re a console or cloud gamer, you’re much better off with a 16:9 monitor. The size makes productivity somewhat impractical and streaming media content feels superfluous. Low brightness is a weakness too if you’re all about that HDR performance.
Final Thoughts
The Samsung Odyssey G9 (2023) is billed as a multipurpose monitor, but forget the productivity and media sideshows – this monitor truly serves only one. Everything else is very large window (and windowed) dressing.
If you’re seeking the extra immersion of PC games played at 32:9 on the largest practical display, and if you love the idea of a curved monitor wrapping inwards to aid your field of vision you won’t go wrong here. Image quality is excellent at 1440p, while the refresh rate of 240Hz will handle almost everything you can throw at it, just as long as you have an ultra-expensive GPU within your rig.
This is an extremely expensive luxury though, so the Samsung Odyssey G9 OLED (2023) is only worthwhile if you’re happy to splash the cash on the ultrawide design. Check out our Best Gaming Laptop list for even more options.
How we test
We use every monitor we test for at least a week. During that time, we’ll check it for ease of use and put it through its paces by using it for both everyday tasks and extended gaming sessions
We also check its colours and image quality with a colourimeter to test its coverage and the display’s quality.
We used it as our main monitor for at least a week.
We used a colorimeter to get benchmark results.
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FAQs
The Samsung Odyssey G9 OLED has a 49-inch screen at a 32:9 aspect ratio.
The Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 has a peak brightness of 250 nits, which is backed up by our tests.
Trusted Reviews test data
Full specs
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
