Samsung is stepping into new territory as it has revealed its very first OLED gaming monitor. the aptly named Odyssey OLED G8 and it’s packed to the gills with features.
The most notable aspect of the G8 is its blazing fast response rate, which clocks in at just 0.1ms, or 1/10th the typical 1ms response rate of some of the best gaming monitors around. Not just that, the ultra-thin form factor and high quality display output make this one of the best ultrawide monitors you'll find.
The Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 is a 34-inch monitor with a 21:9 aspect ratio and a thickness of 3.9mm (around 0.15 inches), which the company claims is the thinnest for a product of its size. It’s even slightly curved with a curvature rating of 1800R for greater immersion.
At maximum, the G8 monitor can output at Quad HD resolution (3330 x 1440 pixels) while sporting a 175 Hz refresh rate, pitting it against the best high refresh rate monitors going. This refresh rate and extremely low response rate translates into a gaming monitor that strikes the perfect balance between esports performance and gorgeous OLED-powered visuals – so yes, esports gamers can now have both.
Quantum Dot Technology
The G8 comes with the company’s Quantum Dot Technology to ensure colors don’t look washed out at high brightness. If you look at the official Quantum Dot Technology page, Samsung claims that typical OLED monitors compromise on color if the brightness level is turned up high, losing image quality. It also claims OLEDs lose efficacy over time and become more “susceptible to burn-in, or ghosts of images…”
Quantum Dot Technology lights up the display via nanoparticles on every pixel to maintain saturated colors at high brightness while also reducing the chance of burn-in over the long run. In return, the G8 can boast a “100 percent color volume” and can replicate 99.3 percent of the DCI-P3 (Digital Cinema Initiatives - Protocol 3) color space, which is an image standard created by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. At 99.3 percent, the monitor can almost display the entire color gamut.
If these Quantum Dot Technology isn't enough, the G8 is also VESA DisplayHDR 400 True Certified which is a relatively recent standard that came out in 2021 to ensure more accurate color and greater contrast for shadows. Gamers will enjoy AMC FreeSync Premium for fluid gameplay that isn’t bogged down by graphics card latency problems or screen tearing.
Gaming features
As a gaming monitor, there are indeed some gamer-centric features, beyond the intense response rate. The first of which is the multitude of media hubs present on the G8's user interface.
Samsung’s Smart Hub gives access to various streaming sites like Amazon Prime, YouTube, and Samsung TV Plus – also present is a IoT (internet of things) hub that allows users to check up on any device directly connected to the G8 – in addition to the Gaming Hub for direct access to various video game streaming services like NVIDIA’s GeForce Now, Xbox Game Pass, and even Google Stadia if you have that.
We reached out to Samsung asking for clarification on how devices can connect to the IoT hub. For example, does the G8 have Bluetooth connectivity. And what other streaming services are supported besides Netflix. We’ll update if Samsung gets back to us.
Rounding out the gaming features are a few hardware additions. Samsung added CoreSync and CoreLighting Plus RGB lights on the back for a more immersive experience. Equipped ports include one for Micro HDMI, a Mini DisplayPort, and some USB-C inputs. Sound is emitted from a 5W stereo speaker, but not much else is known about its capabilities.
Also unknown is the price tag and release date, but Samsung does say to expect a global launch sometime in Q4 2022. So it’s entirely possible the Odyssey OLED G8 could launch as early as October, but that’s probably wishful thinking. It’s certainly an impressive monitor and we can't wait to get our hands on one.
A monitor like the G8 will almost certainly be expensive. If you’re looking for a low-cost option, check out our best cheap gaming monitor deals page for the latest savings on today's best displays.
