The Samsung Odyssey collection has earned a great fame over time by providing nice image high quality at premium, however not unreasonable, costs. With the brand new Odyssey G8 (G80SD), Samsung has upgraded the mannequin with the newest high-refresh charge 4K OLED panel and neat options like ARC assist to be used with soundbars. It additionally presents a full sensible TV expertise, full with devoted streaming apps and Xbox Cloud Gaming that don’t want a PC to run. While these are neat and will definitely enchantment to a sure phase of PC avid gamers, its efficiency falls in the midst of the market, dropping among the allure of its predecessor.
The Samsung Odyssey G8 (G80SD) is the follow-up to final 12 months’s Odyssey OLED G8… or the Odyssey Neo G8.Either means, Samsung has dropped the added branding, contenting itself with the usual Odyssey G8 moniker the collection launched with solely two brief years in the past. But regardless of simplifying the title, it presents a mishmash of options and design selections from every of these earlier fashions in addition to a pair distinctive twists of its personal.
Like the Neo G8, the monitor makes use of a 32-inch widescreen show with a 4K decision and a 240Hz refresh charge. Borrowing from the OLED G8, it makes use of a Quantum Dot-enhanced OLED panel with deep blacks and vivid colours. Its pricing lands proper in between the 2 fashions with an MSRP of $1,299, although it may possibly regularly be discovered for round $1,000 on sale.
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Samsung has additionally accomplished away with the curve on this show and as an alternative opted for a completely flat design. Depending on which prior model you most well-liked, that is both going to be a serious change or not a lot of a change in any respect. The OLED G8 had a really shallow 1800R curvature, which is extra for aesthetic than impacting the expertise. The Neo G8, however, had a deep dish 1000R curve that just about appeared to attract you into the middle of the display screen.
The bodily design of this new mannequin can also be a lot easier and extra refined. The RGB ring centered within the again returns however defaulted to off on my mannequin in order that I didn’t even comprehend it was there till I went searching for it. There aren’t any edgy angles or decorations, no LEDs projecting down onto your desk, only a easy silver stand and body. It doesn’t look something like a gaming monitor, in reality, but in addition signifies that it may possibly match into any setting with out screaming “gamer” at everybody who passes by. Like most different OLEDs, the panel is razor skinny and performs into the magnificence of its design.
The base of the stand is a flat trapezoid that sits low sufficient that I used to be in a position to slide my Steam Deck underneath the show with none drawback. Since there aren’t any toes to cope with, it actually doesn’t impede inserting equipment beneath and profiting from your desk house. It additionally presents a full vary of changes, together with tilt, peak, pivot, and rotation for those who’d like to make use of it in portrait orientation.
The panel itself is sweet, as you’ll count on it to be, however in comparison with the final technology with the OLED G8 and G8 Neo, the high-end monitor market has change into way more aggressive, and it falls proper in the midst of the pack. It encompasses a typical brightness of 250 nits, which is typical of OLED screens in SDR, however turning it to HDR raises highlights to simply underneath 1,000 nits (extra on that within the subsequent part). It covers 99% of the DCI-P3 coloration spectrum and 100% of sRGB, which is, once more, about what you’ll count on. Because of its layer of quantum dots, it’s in a position to provide a wider coloration gamut, although it doesn’t leverage this function for brightness like competing fashions such because the Asus ROG Swift PG32UCDP, that are extra often providing peak brightness ranges of greater than 1,300 nits.
The largest differentiating issue with this show is that it’s a so-called sensible monitor. Using Samsung’s Tizen working system, it primarily turns into a hybrid between a wise TV and a gaming monitor. It has a built-in channel browser and the power to obtain apps for main streaming companies like Netflix and Disney+. It may entry recreation streaming companies like Xbox Game Pass’ cloud gaming with out the necessity to hook up with a PC.
This makes a very compelling selection for anybody that wants a PC to double as a tv. Given its small measurement in comparison with different sensible TVs, it additionally makes a compelling selection for dorm rooms and small dwelling areas. Its connectivity choices additionally play into this dual-purpose design with a single DisplayPort 1.4 and two HDMI 2.1 ports, one in every of which helps ARC for soundbars. There are two USB Type-A ports and an upstream Type-B to hook up with your pc, however there aren’t any Type-C inputs or quick charging capabilities, which is disappointing for a monitor of this caliber. It does have a surprisingly enough pair of 10-watt audio system in-built for having fun with content material, in addition to a distant to navigate its menus like another TV.
The factor is, for those who’re not enthusiastic about these TV options it makes utilizing the monitor extra sophisticated and repeatedly irritating as you get used to it. The Tizen working system calls for a a lot lengthier setup course of the place it wants to hook up with your house community. Once it is up and operating, you may have to cope with an unintuitive menu system that makes little effort to clarify itself. And don’t trouble simply making an attempt to make use of the joystick for navigation. You’ll want the distant or an app in your cellphone to really entry all of its choices.
In its effort to make switching between PC and TV modes as seamless as doable, it additionally makes by chance switching into TV maddeningly simple. It solely takes one button press to return to its leisure menu and unwittingly swap out of your recreation enter, however going again to the appropriate enter requires a number of button presses. And, in my case, fairly a little bit of fumbling round as I learn to navigate its UI.
The TV aspect of issues does work properly if that’s what you’re searching for. But it’s such a core a part of this monitor that it actually seems like Samsung reduce some corners on issues like brightness and out-of-box coloration accuracy to concentrate on pushing you towards your subsequent Netflix marathon.
Samsung Odyssey G8 (G80SD) – Software
In phrases of sheer capabilities, the Samsung G8 is among the most versatile screens I’ve ever examined. Its Tizen working system primarily turns it right into a small 4K sensible TV, full with streaming apps and reside tv. Thankfully, it remembers your final enter, so for those who solely plan to make use of it as a gaming monitor, it should default to its PC mode each time.
Because of this, its software program actually breaks down into two sides: one for while you need to use it as a TV and one for while you’re utilizing it as a monitor. The TV aspect shall be instantly acquainted for those who’ve used a TV within the final ten years. It comes preloaded with many of the key streaming apps, together with YouTube and Netflix, and features a reside channel browser just like Roku.
It’s additionally doable to make use of the monitor fully freed from the pc, even for gaming, due to the robustness of the software program. In addition to TV streaming, Tizen OS features a devoted gaming hub with assist for Xbox Cloud Gaming. Plugging in a controller or mouse and keyboard into its devoted USB hub permits you to use it with these companies with no need a PC in between.
Each of those TV-like options labored properly in my testing. Using the built-in apps with the distant offers a extra seamless expertise than merely going to every supplier’s web site and permits it to be a full TV substitute if you need it to be.
On the PC aspect, Samsung presents many alternative choices for configuring the image. The menu system is wealthy however in contrast to another PC monitor I’ve examined. Unsurprisingly, it’s a lot nearer to a TV menu system. It offers loads of choices, although, together with image presets for various kinds of content material, brightness, distinction, coloration, and sharpness sliders, and a number of other HDR modes to select from (together with HGIG assist for console HDR). Samsung additionally offers a Windows app for configuring its totally different choices.
All-in-all, it’s a strong set of software program however is unquestionably complicated to study and doesn’t really feel very like a typical OSD. It additionally requires using a distant, or companion app, to entry all the things it has to supply. Navigating with the joystick for all the things didn’t appear doable throughout my testing. More than as soon as, I launched the channel browser by mistake, which was all the time irritating after I simply needed to open a settings menu. There are additionally some complicated limitations that take some getting used to, just like the monitor locking options behind a “recreation mode” (additionally like a TV).
The result’s a powerful image with a lot of customization choices, however for devoted PC avid gamers, there’s a studying curve that’s truthfully a bit grating.
Samsung Odyssey G8 (G80SD) – Performance
The Samsung G8 is an excellent gaming monitor and may very well be nice if you need it to double as a TV. If you do, its worth can also be going to really feel extra affordable for the additional options it presents. If you don’t, there are higher choices on the market that provide a brighter, extra vivid image and gained’t have the additional layer of TV options at an identical worth.
I need to admit, since I have already got a TV, I discovered the TV options to be extra of an annoyance than an asset. Having to attach the monitor to the web and cope with a cumbersome setup and menu system doesn’t create an amazing first impression. The default image settings are additionally somewhat bland, so while you get by means of these additional steps, the image is much less spectacular than it ought to be.
The Samsung Odyssey line has loved a optimistic fame over time largely as a result of display screen high quality, so it’s doable to get the image trying good by customizing some image choices, however I used to be stunned by a primary impression that was much less shiny and fewer vibrant than much more reasonably priced OLEDs gaming screens, just like the MSI MAG 271QPX.
Part of that is due to its comparatively low SDR brightness. Out of the field, the brightness isn’t maxed out and even when it’s, it solely reached 248-nits utilizing my SpyderPro colorimeter. Limited brightness is a recognized limitation of OLED know-how, however maybe due to its matte panel, it appears dimmer than what I measured as.
That similar limitation additionally carries by means of to the HDR expertise. Turning on Game Mode in setting peak brightness to excessive, I measured a peak brightness of 972 nits in a sustained 2% window. In a 25% window that was solely 394. Bumping that to a 100% window pushes it a lot nearer to its SDR brightness, topping out at 287 nits. While it’s no slouch, these simply aren’t class-leading numbers and with perceived brightness being even decrease than what’s technically measured, it simply is not the monitor to decide on for the most effective HDR expertise.
With that mentioned, the Odyssey G8 doesn’t look dangerous in any respect. In reality, it is truthful to say it seems fairly good, simply not fairly top-tier as I hoped it could be. But, if you end up gaming in HDR and have the image dialed in to your most well-liked stage of saturation, it delivers a large sufficient dynamic vary and vivid sufficient image to supply a really pleasant gaming expertise.
For aggressive gaming, it additionally presents all the identical advantages as different OLED screens. The response time is solely improbable with a 0.03ms gray-to-gray (GTG) transition pace. Ghosting won’t ever be a difficulty with this monitor and at 240Hz movement readability is solely wonderful. It’s an amazing selection for esports and first-person shooters because of this – although the identical may be mentioned of different OLED screens.
Color and gray accuracy aren’t nice out of the field. Grey hues had a barely blue forged to them and there isn’t a set sRGB mode for content material creation (Auto mimics this mode). In my evaluation, the out of field accuracy wasn’t too far off, with a Delta E common of three.9, which signifies that most individuals will have the ability to discover the inaccuracies earlier than calibrating it. Running it by means of a calibration cycle, I used to be in a position to dial it in to simply over 2.2 however couldn’t get it any decrease. It covers a large gamut, nevertheless, with 100% of the sRGB coloration house and 98% of DCI-P3, so it may possibly nonetheless be well-suited for content material creation for those who’re in a position to calibrate it first.
So whereas it has some nice qualities, I might think about this monitor pretty middling within the context of the promote it’s competing in. At its record worth of $1,299, it’s merely not value it for pure PC gaming. It regularly goes on sale for around $1,000, which makes it a greater purchase, however for those who’re contemplating spending $1,000 on a gaming monitor, saving up one other couple hundred {dollars} for one thing considerably higher isn’t that a lot of a attain. The Gigabyte Aorus FO32U2 (I reviewed the Pro mannequin right here) may be discovered for round $1,000 often and presents higher visuals and a KVM for multi-system assist. Better but, save up $1,300 and choose up the Asus ROG Swift PG32UCDM which is best in practically each means, has a shiny display screen, higher brightness, and extra devoted gaming options.
The largest cause to decide on this show is if you need a single display screen for each your TV and your PC. It works nice for that and there’s no different monitor I’ve examined that provides such a unified expertise.
