Samsung OLED G8 review: This monitor is also a TV, for better or worse

Value When Reviewed

$1,299.99

Greatest Costs Right now: Samsung OLED G8

$1143.95

$1,299.99

$1299.99

$1299.99

The plethora of OLED has made comparisons a bit boring. Most use the identical OLED panels, and have comparable options, so the decision typically comes down to cost. Samsung’s Odyssey OLED G8 is an exception, nonetheless, because it delivers an OLED panel alongside Sensible TV performance that features built-in apps, a distant management, and far more. These options make the monitor extra versatile, however may annoy PC lovers who simply desire a monitor to behave like a monitor.

Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 (G80SD) specs and options

The Samsung Odyssey OLED G8’s specs are typical for a high-end OLED monitor. It affords 4K decision, a refresh fee of as much as 240Hz, and a QD-OLED panel that gives an distinctive shade gamut. It additionally helps Adaptive Sync and HDR.

• Show measurement: 32-inch 16:9 side ratio
• Native decision: 3840×2160
• Panel sort: Samsung QD-OLED
• Refresh fee: As much as 240Hz
• Adaptive Sync: AMD FreeSync, Nvidia G-Sync Appropriate
• HDR: HDR10+ Gaming
• Ports: 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 2x USB-A 3.0
• Wi-fi Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6E
• VESA mount: 100x100mm
• Audio system: Sure
• Value: $1,299.99 MSRP ($1,099 typical)

Nonetheless, one specification stands out as uncommon: The monitor consists of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. These options are required for its built-in Sensible TV performance, which incorporates assist for streaming apps like Netflix. It may also be used for cloud gaming on providers like Xbox Cloud Play and Amazon Luna.

Pricing is much like Samsung’s rivals. The LG Ultragear 32GS95UE-B is $1,399.99 at MSRP, which is $100 extra, whereas the Alienware AW3225QF has an MSRP of $1,199.99, which is lower than the Samsung.

Additional studying: See our roundup of the very best displays to find out about competing merchandise.

Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 design

The Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 has a surprisingly elegant, even stately design. It’s lined in darkish silver-gray supplies, which strike an expert and reserved tone. Nonetheless, the monitor nonetheless consists of an RGB LED lighting ring on the again of the show, which might add some aptitude to your setup (it was off by default). The Odyssey ought to slot in wherever you wish to use it, whether or not that’s at a PC gaming desk, a house workplace, or a visitor room.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Construct high quality is a perk. Like different current Odyssey OLED displays, it has a steel panel design, which feels much more premium and inflexible than the plastic panels which are widespread even amongst high-end displays. After all, a monitor just isn’t often touched or moved, so this sturdiness in all probability isn’t going to make it final any longer than it could in any other case. Nonetheless, the usage of steel gives an opulent really feel that beats even the very best alternate options, just like the LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B and Alienware AW3225QF.

An ergonomic stand is included and affords changes for peak, tilt, swivel, and the flexibility to rotate 90 levels to be used in portrait orientation. It is a good vary of adjustment for a 32-inch gaming monitor. The stand feels sturdy and fortunately makes use of a compact, flat base. Whereas the 32-inch monitor panel is, in fact, fairly massive, the monitor doesn’t take up extreme room on a desk. That mentioned, a 100x100mm VESA mount is obtainable if you wish to use the monitor with a third-party stand or arm.

Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 options and menus

The Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 isn’t like most displays. Although it’s technically not a TV as a result of it lacks a TV tuner, it features very similar to another Samsung Sensible TV. It even runs Samsung’s Tizen OS and affords options usually discovered solely on TVs, reminiscent of a picture processor that enhances movement readability in sports activities content material.

Due to these options, organising the Odyssey includes a number of steps, together with connecting to Wi-Fi and deciding on the good apps you wish to use. That is prone to frustrate PC players preferring a plug-and-play expertise. Nonetheless, I didn’t discover the method troublesome, and it took about 5 minutes to finish.

As soon as arrange, the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 can be utilized like a Sensible TV, offering entry to standard apps like Netflix and Hulu, in addition to bundled entry to quite a lot of public tv channels (although most of those channels aren’t significantly fascinating). When you’re solely utilizing the Odyssey as a monitor, these options could not matter to you. Nonetheless, when you’re in search of a multipurpose show for a studio house, leisure room, or bed room, these options are fairly helpful, successfully turning the Odyssey right into a 32-inch Sensible TV.

You possibly can even use the Odyssey to play video games with none gadget linked, because it features a Wi-Fi connection and has assist for recreation streaming providers like Amazon Luna and Xbox Cloud Gaming. Bluetooth is supported as properly, and you may pair Bluetooth-capable controllers with the show.

The monitor ships with a distant management, too, which can be utilized to regulate the amount, entry Sensible TV apps, and alter monitor settings. Personally, I really like displays that include distant controls — they’re a lot simpler to make use of than the joysticks most displays have on their bezel (although the Samsung additionally has a joystick as a back-up menu management).

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Matthew Smith / Foundry

There’s extra. Samsung additionally gives an honest Home windows app for adjusting monitor settings. Whereas most rivals supply comparable apps, solely a handful — primarily LG and BenQ gaming and leisure shows — even have a distant.

When you don’t wish to use the Sensible TV options, you’ll be able to largely ignore them, although they by no means utterly disappear and may at occasions show complicated. I greater than as soon as by chance discovered myself launched into the monitor’s house display, which instantly started blaring a low-budget actuality TV present from one of many included free channels. It doesn’t assist that Samsung’s guide affords little clarification of what the monitor’s many options accomplish.

Getting again to fundamentals: Samsung Odyssey OLED G8’s menus present the standard vary of picture high quality changes. There are alternatives to regulate shade saturation, shade temperature, shade gamut, and gamma, in addition to gaming options like an on-screen crosshair and a darkish equalizer to reinforce shadow element in darkish video games. My one nitpick is with the colour temperature settings, the place Samsung makes use of imprecise labels like “heat” and “cool” as a substitute of extra exact numerical presets. Nonetheless, the Odyssey affords extra picture high quality choices total than most gaming displays.

Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 connectivity

Flip the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 round, and also you’ll discover a pair of HDMI 2.1 ports in addition to a single DisplayPort 1.4. All of those inputs can deal with the monitor’s 4K decision at its most refresh fee of 240Hz. I’d’ve preferred one further video enter, however the three is probably going advantageous for most individuals. You possibly can join a pc over DisplayPort alongside an Xbox Sequence X and PlayStation 5.

One of many HDMI ports helps an Audio Return Channel (ARC). It is a helpful characteristic that makes the Odyssey simpler to make use of alongside house theater tools that additionally helps ARC, like soundbars, because it eliminates the necessity for a separate audio cable. Most displays don’t assist ARC, although just a few — just like the Alienware AW3225QF — do.

The monitor additionally affords some USB connectivity, however solely within the type of two USB-A ports, pushed by a USB-B upstream port. Sadly, USB-C just isn’t accessible, which is a draw back since USB-C is a handy strategy to join a laptop computer. To be honest, although, most of Samsung’s closest rivals — together with the LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B and Alienware AW3225QF — additionally lack USB-C.

Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 audio system

Samsung boasts in regards to the Odyssey OLED’s built-in speaker system, claiming it can “take gaming to the following degree.” Sadly, the monitor doesn’t dwell as much as this promise. Whereas the audio system are loud, they produce a muddy, harsh, and metallic sound high quality that makes listening to music genuinely disagreeable. The audio improves considerably at reasonable volumes, but it surely’s nonetheless nothing particular.

Most of Samsung’s rivals supply even worse audio system or omit them fully. A notable exception is LG’s Ultragear 32GS95UB-E, which encompasses a “pixel sound” speaker system that vibrates the show panel itself. It’s adequate that some customers is perhaps content material utilizing it as a substitute of exterior audio system.

Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 SDR picture high quality

The Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 has (shock!) a Samsung QD-OLED panel. It is a identified amount at this level, as PCWorld has reviewed greater than a dozen QD-OLED displays prior to now yr, and all ship wonderful SDR picture high quality with just a few notable downsides.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Brightness is amongst these downsides, and the Odyssey is an particularly poor performer on this space. Its most sustained SDR brightness of solely 206 nits is decrease even for an OLED monitor: Most alternate options hit about 250 nits.

With a brightness of 206 nits, the Odyssey is satisfactory for many conditions, particularly if the monitor is utilized in a room with blinds, curtains, or different types of gentle management. At greater brightness settings, it could even seem fairly shiny on this state of affairs.

Nonetheless, when you plan to make use of the monitor in an area with little or no gentle management, reminiscent of close to shiny home windows, it could possibly be a problem. That’s unlucky, because the Odyssey consists of Sensible TV options and could possibly be an awesome possibility to be used as a small TV in a studio house. In that case, although, its restricted brightness could possibly be a disadvantage.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Distinction, however, is a robust level of the Odyssey, because it affords an successfully infinite distinction ratio. That is achieved by means of the panel’s capacity to succeed in a luminance of zero nits when displaying darkish photographs, offering an immersive, lifelike, and placing image high quality that’s far superior to inexpensive displays utilizing typical LED backlights.

Nonetheless, readers with sturdy opinions about OLED panels needs to be warned that this monitor makes use of an aggressive matte coating to cut back glare and reflections. It’s efficient at offering a legible, nearly paper-like picture, but in addition dampens the perceived distinction, particularly in brightly lit environments.

It is a matter of non-public choice. I are likely to favor matte coatings over shiny ones for pc displays. Nonetheless, I do know some individuals have sturdy preferences in the wrong way.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Colour gamut is a standard power of QD-OLED displays, due to the “QD” (Quantum Dots) panel expertise, which considerably expands the vary of colours the show can produce.

The Samsung Odyssey is not any exception, providing a really extensive shade gamut corresponding to different QD-OLED displays and superior to displays utilizing LG’s WOLED panel.

A large shade gamut leads to vivid, vibrant, and saturated colours in video games and films, but it surely’s additionally nice for content material creation, because it lets you see a broader vary of colours than what is usually attainable with much less succesful displays.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Surprisingly, Samsung’s shade accuracy was considerably missing, at the least at its default settings. Whereas the monitor’s shade will usually look real looking, it’s not as exact as some rivals. Avid gamers probably received’t discover any points, however content material creators could wish to manually regulate the monitor’s settings or use calibration software program for extra correct outcomes.

On a optimistic be aware, the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 carried out properly in gamma and shade temperature exams. It achieved an almost good gamma curve of two.2, which is spectacular, as many OLED displays are likely to barely miss the mark, typically producing a gamma of two.3, which makes photographs seem a bit darker than they need to. The Odyssey additionally had a default shade temperature of 6800K, which is simply barely cooler than our goal of 6500K.

Additionally, as talked about, the monitor affords a number of gamma and shade temperature settings. It’s straightforward to regulate each to fit your wants and preferences.

The monitor’s 4K decision contributes to wonderful sharpness. Whereas QD-OLED displays can endure from subpixel rendering points, which trigger pixelation and aliasing round small fonts and a few high-contrast edges, 4K decision mitigates this downside. You would possibly nonetheless discover it when you lean in when viewing small fonts in a spreadsheet, but it surely’s not a frequent concern, and the monitor’s picture seems to be razor sharp.

Total, the Samsung Odyssey G8 OLED delivers nice picture high quality. Whereas it underperforms in brightness and shade accuracy, it excels in gamma and shade temperature and customarily matches the spectacular picture high quality of different 32-inch OLED displays. It’s an particularly good possibility for individuals who desire a multi-purpose OLED show, because the Odyssey has the colour gamut, sharpness, and picture high quality choices essential to work properly for each PC video games and Photoshop.

Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 HDR picture high quality

The Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 helps HDR10+ however, in contrast to most rivals, the monitor’s advertising and marketing doesn’t declare any degree of VESA DisplayHDR Certification. That appears foreboding, however the Odyssey OLED G8 performs pretty properly for a QD-OLED monitor — after a little bit of trial-and-error.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Matthew Smith / Foundry

I measured a most sustained brightness of 779 nits in a ten p.c window, which means simply 10 p.c of the show was lit by an HDR picture, with the remainder of the show utterly darkish. It is a good degree of brightness for a QD-OLED monitor and exhibits the Odyssey can ship shiny, punchy highlights. A flash of lightning or an exploding automobile will look attractive on this monitor.

Nonetheless, the Odyssey’s HDR brightness dipped shortly as a bigger portion of the show was lit. Consequently, scenes that demand a excessive degree of luminance throughout your complete show can look boring and dim. LG’s WOLED panel, discovered within the Asus ROG Swift PG32UCDP and LG Utlragear 32GS95UE-B, has a notable benefit right here.

I additionally needed to tease out the Odyssey’s efficiency. It has a number of HDR settings and, at default, its brightness was relatively low: simply 337 nits in a ten p.c window. You’ll want to make use of the monitor’s Peak Brightness mode, in addition to its Lively tone mapping mode, to realize the very best brightness outcomes.

Nonetheless, the monitor’s total HDR efficiency is nice for an OLED show and can usually ship a shiny, punchy picture in HDR content material. Nonetheless, I’d advocate an LG WOLED over the Odyssey monitor when you plan to make use of HDR as a rule.

Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 movement efficiency

Samsung’s Odyssey OLED G8 affords a refresh fee of as much as 240Hz at 4K decision. That’s a wonderful refresh fee for a 4K monitor, although additionally typical for an OLED show: Many 32-inch 4K OLED rivals have the identical refresh fee.

Movement readability is great at 240Hz. The monitor’s excessive refresh fee, paired with OLED’s low pixel response occasions, retains movement blur to a minimal. Fast-paced objects are straightforward to see and the silhouettes of distant enemies will stand out on the horizon. It’s not good: Small fonts can nonetheless be inconceivable to learn at velocity, for instance. Nonetheless, movement readability is nice and solely defeated by alternate options with even greater refresh charges, just like the Alienware AW2725QF.

Adaptive sync is supported, as properly, although right here the monitor runs into just a few points. First up: Samsung’s advertising and marketing is unclear. The monitor is prominently bought as G-Sync Appropriate. Nonetheless, the monitor’s menu system lists assist for AMD FreeSync, with no point out of Nvidia’s G-Sync. This isn’t an enormous concern as a result of, in my testing, the monitor labored with each AMD and Nvidia {hardware}. Nonetheless, it’s an odd oversight.

I additionally skilled an rare however notable bug when utilizing Adaptive Sync. The monitor would generally show a garbled line of digital static on the backside fringe of the show when Adaptive Sync was turned on. Flipping the mode on and off, or rebooting my PC, may repair it, although it may take a number of tries. This isn’t a brand new downside for Samsung: A take a look at Reddit exhibits occasional person complaints of an analogous subject with older Odyssey displays.

Must you purchase the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8?

The Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 is yet one more wonderful 32-inch QD-OLED monitor. It delivers a vibrant, saturated, and immersive picture alongside wonderful movement readability. Nonetheless, the monitor’s defining characteristic is definitely its software program, which incorporates Samsung’s Tizen OS and a buffet of Sensible TV options that make the OLED G8 helpful in conditions the place you’d in any other case wish to purchase a small tv. The monitor’s total picture high quality doesn’t stand out from the competitors although, and its software program options would possibly annoy PC customers who simply desire a monitor to behave like a monitor. I like to recommend the Odyssey OLED G8 when you want a flexible show that will probably be used to look at films and streaming TV as typically because it’s used to play video games or for productiveness.