Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 hands-on review: Truly immersive gaming

The Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 ($2,199) is a curved gaming monitor that commands attention. According to Samsung, it’s the world’s first 49-inch OLED gaming monitor. Its 1,800R curvature is meant to help immerse you in whatever games you’re playing, while the panel’s 240Hz refresh rate and 0.03ms response time ensure a smooth and lag-free experience. The Samsung OLED panel also delivers stunning detail and vibrant colors.

I went hands-on with the Odyssey OLED G9 at a recent Samsung event and was blown away by the gaming monitor’s vivid picture quality, fast performance and immersive curved display. Based on my brief time with the monitor, it seems like a great alternative to the Samsung Odyssey G9, which we also quite liked. It has the makings of earning a spot in our best curved monitors and best gaming monitors lists. Read on to find out why.

Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 hands-on: Specs

Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 hands-on: Price & release date

You can pre-order the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 on Samsung’s website. Pre-ordering will net you a $250 Samsung gift card.

Expect the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 to start shipping on June 22.

Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 hands-on: Design

The Odyssey OLED G9’s expansive 49-inch curved display isn’t subtle. Make no mistake, this is one huge monitor. Despite its expansive size, I never once had to turn my head to see the entire display. And while the panel isn’t small, the stand’s comparatively diminutive base doesn’t take up much room on a desk.

The Silver Metal chassis on the back of the monitor gives it a futuristic appearance that’s appealing. And since this is a gaming monitor, it comes replete with RGB lighting surrounding the monitor mount on the back. If you want, you can configure the RGB lighting to correspond with what’s happening on the display — which is a nice touch. The panel is also very thin at 4.5 millimeters thick.

The Odyssey OLED G9 has a generous number of ports, including one DisplayPort, two HDMI ports, a Micro HDMI port and a USB hub. The ports are located behind the monitor and are easily accessible. You can tuck the cables through an opening on the stand, which helps keep your desk clean.

Overall, I’m a fan of the Odyssey OLED G9’s elegant design.

Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 hands-on: Display

The Odyssey OLED G9’s 49-inch inch display (5,120 × 1,440) with its 1,800R curvature does a phenomenal job of immersing you in games. During my hands-on time, I tried a number of titles, including Doom Eternal, Call of Duty: Warzone and Forza Horizon 5. Each of them gave me a good feel for what the monitor is capable of.

Thanks to the 32:9 aspect ratio, I was able to see more of the games I was playing, which gave me more situational awareness in titles like Call of Duty: Warzone. With such a wide field of view I had an easier time seeing any enemy that tried to sneak up on me. I was especially impressed with how it improved the experience of playing Forza Horizon 5 since the monitor deftly captured the Mexican desert landscape I raced on. I was able to clearly see every upcoming curve — along with the lush scenery beyond the race track.

According to Samsung, the Odyssey OLED G9’s Neo Quantum Processor Pro instantly analyzes all frames to optimize picture quality and provide darker blacks and brighter whites. AI upscaling supposedly adjusts the brightness and amplifies the contrast but maintains the picture’s detail. The monitor has VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 certification, with a claimed 250 nits of standard brightness and up to 400 nits of HDR brightness.

To my eyes, the Odyssey OLED G9’s vivid, oversaturated colors made Doom Eternal’s hellish landscapes look more otherwordly. Everything seemed to leap off the screen. Conversely, the monitor delivered more subdued colors when I played Forza Horizon 5. I also found the images sufficiently bright, which helped me to see every little detail.

We won’t have hard numbers for you until we’ve put the monitor through our lab testing, but expect it to match or exceed those of the best gaming monitors out there.

Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 hands-on: Performance

The 240Hz refresh rate ensured that every game I played looked buttery-smooth. The low 0.03 response time all but eliminated input lag. In fact, I didn’t feel any input lag whatsoever. The Neo Quantum Processor Pro processor does a splendid job of ensuring blazing-fast performance, which is especially useful for FPS and fighting games.

I should note that the Odyssey OLED G9 I checked out was connected to a PC packing an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPU and a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 CPU. These specs no doubt contributed to the overall stellar performance I experienced on the gaming monitor. With that said, the high refresh rate and low latency can still benefit those with more modestly-specced rigs.

Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 hands-on: Verdict

The Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 has the makings of being one of this year’s best gaming monitors. Its 49-inch curved display — with its bright and vivid colors — pulls you into whatever game you’re playing. The 240Hz refresh rate and low 0.03 millisecond response time also make for an enjoyable gaming experience.

I’m eager to get more hands-on time with the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9, so be on the lookout for our upcoming review.