Right after being shown off at CES 2024, Samsung is officially opening preorders for its latest series of gaming monitors. Although the 49″ Odyssey G9 that seemed to be the original headliner still holds attention, lately, I was able to spend hands-on time with its more diminutive siblings and one of the new smart monitors from Samsung. Those two brag a much more palatable price point and real-world screen sizes.
The new third-generation QD-OLED technology from Samsung, which is also used in rivals like the Alienware AW3225QF and HP Omen Transcend 32, is applied to the Odyssey G8 OLED and Odyssey G6 OLED, among others. This brings a significant update: brighter colors, much deeper blacks, support for AMD’s FreeSync Premium Pro, and higher brightness than OLED historzie spontaneously allowed. The two differ in serving different needs, though: the 32-inch G8 packs 4K resolution and a 240Hz refresh rate for versatility seekers, and the G6 is aimed at competitive gamers with a 2560 x 1440 resolution and a whopping 360Hz refresh rate.
The G8, in comparison to the flagship G9, is small but dense with premium features such as 4K resolution, Samsung’s Gaming Hub, and CoreLighting+. It also features an anti-reflective matte finish on the flat screen and a super slim design; its panel is only 0.15 inches thick. Both the G8 and G6 have a dynamic cooling system and are supported by a burn-in warranty for three years. The G8 also comes with height adjustment, portrait mode rotation, built-in stereo speakers, and a solar remote that allows users to connect it easily to any console or PC for perfect gaming. In addition, Samsung’s Gaming Hub allows streaming to be engaged much more easily by services like NVIDIA GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming.
On the competitive gaming side, the Odyssey G6 features the same tech crammed into a 27-inch QD-OLED display with QHD resolution and stratospheric refresh rate of 360Hz. It adds CoreLighting+ to bring immersive lighting, a screen finish in matte to cure glare, and a redesigned stand that caters toward all kinds of setups.
Though not necessarily a gaming monitor and having no OLED technology, productivity-wise it is top class, with its 4K resolution. Other real productive specifications include a magnetic mount for the detachable webcam, seamless file transfers supporting Wi-Fi connectivity across Samsung devices, access to the company’s Gaming Hub, and support for native streaming on popular apps like Netflix.
Well, to accommodate various gaming needs, the prices are set quintessentially competitive, with the Odyssey G8 and G6 at $1,300 and $900 respectively, while the M80D Smart Monitor comes in at $700. There will be initial Pre-Orders available, with an early bird discount of $300 off, before the Official Sale date later this month.
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