I reviewed the Samsung S95C OLED TV featuring QD-OLED technology earlier this year and absolutely loved how it balanced near perfect blacks with great brightness, so I was really excited to see the 34″ Odyssey G8 OLED in action.
The most comparable monitor that I’ve used is the Alienware AW3423DW which also has a QD-OLED display, but there’s some key differences on offer with with the G8 OLED to really elevate it above Alienware’s ultrawide.
From a design point of view the Samsung G8 is one of the nicest monitors I’ve had the pleasure of putting onto my desk. It has a sleek silver metal finish, and whilst I’m normally a fan of all black tech, it gave it a high-end quality that I really enjoyed.
The stand is extremely minimal and slim with it also being having a silver finish and the same can be said for the thickness of the monitor which is also super slim at just 3.9mm at its thinnest point. The stand also has great height adjustment and tilt options as well.
It can’t be a gaming monitor without RGB lighting, and that’s been cleverly placed in a translucent bulb at the back of the monitor. It can go through your standard rotations such as breathing or putting out rainbow lighting, or it can even replicate what is on screen with CoreSync which is great if you’re playing in a dark room and want that extra immersion through lighting.
THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $1,599 FROM THE SAMSUNG STORE
The ports on offer will be a little controversial to some due to the fact that Samsung has opted go with micro HDMI 2.1 instead of a standard HDMI 2.1 port. Included on the back is a Mini-Display port, Micro HDMI 2.1 port and 2 USB-C ports, one which is capable of providing data and charge (65w) over one USB-C cable, meaning if you’ve got a MacBook connected, you’ll get visuals, data and charge all through that one cord which is a godsend. You get a Mini DP to DP cord in the box and a Micro HDMI to HDMI will only set you back about $15, so it’s not the end of the world, but it will shock a lot of people setting this up.
In terms of the actual monitor size, I find 34-inches at 21:9 with the 1800R curve to the perfect blend of size and curvature to get a ultra-wide display that can fit multiple windows or an immersive gaming experience without it feeling overwhelming or out of sight. As you’d expect with QD-OLED technology it’s a great mix of contrast and brightness with vivid colours really coming through and you’re getting a 175hz refresh rate which is perfect for PC gaming.
Whilst the brightness isn’t as great as what we’ve seen in QD-OLED TVs, it’s not too bad. There’s also a number of measures in place to prevent burn-in such as pixel shift and auto sleep, but I’d still recommend being a little bit more careful given it is an OLED and whilst computing, obviously there can be elements that stay on screen longer than with a TV. When it comes to glare, there definitely seemed to be less here than what I remember with other ultrawides such as the Alienware AW3423DW. I was primarily using it in front of a window and still able to see clearly even in dark scenes.
Something Samsung has started doing with their monitors in the last year or so is including their Tizen OS on monitors. This means that even without connecting anything to the monitor, you’re getting the full smart TV experience including the ability to watch Netflix, Apple TV+ or any other streaming service that you’d find on your TV on the display. This is a great for a bedroom or office where you might want to watch TV on this stunning display when you’re not using it for productivity of gaming.
You can even connect a keyboard/mouse to browse the web without connecting a computer, and whilst I can’t think of too many reasons why you’d need to do this, it’s better to have the functionality built in than not have it at all. The TV also comes with a standard TV remote, for controlling volume and going through settings. This all does mean that there’s a little bit more of a setup that what’s required with other standard monitors, but it’s worth it in my opinion.
The Samsung Game Bar functionality is also included with the monitor. For those that have used a Samsung TV in the last 3-4 years, it’s a very similar experience with response time, FPS, game picture modes and virtual aim point all being on offer with a quick way to turn them off and on.
All-in-all, the Samsung OLED G8 doubles as a great monitor/TV combo that will suit any gaming/productivity setup.
@shannongrixti Samsung’s huge 77-inch S95C OLED TV is perfect for gaming with inky blacks, vivid colours and insane brightness #unboxing #samsung #OLED #SamsungOLED #S95C #SamsungS95C #OLEDTV
