Samsung - 49" Odyssey OLED G9 (G95SC) DQHD 240Hz 0.03ms G-Sync Compatible Curved Smart Gaming Monitor - Silver

I upgraded from a UHD 27" 60Hz screen to the Odyssey G8, then I upgraded again a few months later to this monitor, the Odyssey G9. Theses decisions were made after hours of online research about competing models. I got the monitor for $1,200 during a sale. It is a beautiful screen, and I love gaming at 240Hz, as the G8 I had before this only reached ~180Hz. There are moments with real wow-factor, like when playing Cyberpunk, BF2042, BG3. On the other hand, many games don't support 32:9 aspect ratios, or are not meaningfully enhanced by going fullscreen in 32:9. In the end of the day, I am very satisfied with my monitor purchase, even with my G8 becoming relegated to a secondary screen. If you have enough money to float this purchase, and you are okay with the extravagant widescreen only enhancing some experiences, I'd recommend it. My previous upgrade to the G8, and this upgrade to the G9 are part of a larger investment into my gaming setup. I also recently built a PC with high end components. I mention this to advise further on this purchase for other young folks. Roughly a year ago I got my first job in my area of study, at which point I was destitute financially. I badly wanted to upgrade my pc, but I waited and saved until I had a financial safety net of at least 6 months worth of expenses. If I had instead spent on my pc before saving, I would have enjoyed it less, as the security of a backup plan enhances all aspects of life. When I bought the G9 I was worried about reliability, but my life became better when I decided not to worry about that and to just enjoy the monitor. You really only do live once, so you may as well live in 5120x1440 @240 Hz in HDR.

After watching a ton of reviews and waiting to see what 2024 would bring, I settled on this panel. I waa debating between this, the LG 45” Ultra Gear or the 57” G9. Ultimately this was the one due to its PPI, OLED panel and 240hz refesh rate. I was skeptical at first reading hit or miss reviews but after getting it setup, it was a game changer. I’ve always had ultrawide monitors but going from a 34” to this was a joy. Games are way more immersive, the panel is insanely vibrant and the brightness is perfect without being overly bright. If you’re ever trying to decide on an OLED with a matte finish or glossy one, I would say go for the glossy finish every time to get the most out of it. I have zero issues with reflections. As for why I didn’t go for the 57” G9, even though I think it has the perfect resolution and vertical height, it would take a lot of power to run. I have a 13900k and a 4090 but it would struggle to push that resolution for gaming since it’s even higher than 4k resolution. I think that monitor is perfect for productity though. Hopefully once the 5090 arrives, it will be able to run games on it better. For now the G9 OLED is smooth as butter with it’s 240hz refresh rate. MSI and Gigabyte are all releasing 49” panels this year but only at 144hz at near same price. I’d vouch for Samsung’s panel over those for the money. With the Tizen features as well, you get a little more bang for your buck. It also comes with a remote so tuning the panel’s picture display was a breeze in comparison to typical monitors with a knob on it. Overall I’m super happy with this purchase. I’d say if you’re on the fence, don’t be. It’s worth it.

If you’re looking for a 49” ultrawide and buying it for gaming I don’t think there is a better option as of right now. I am surprised at how much I have enjoyed this monitor for work, specifically since I use MacOS and text clarity/fringing on OLED screens is notoriously bad. I downloaded an app called “Better Display” that let me zoom in the resolution a bit so it’s readable and clear. I would compare the clarity on this setting to a 32” 1440p. For some, the text clarity will not be good enough as a primary daily driver as it is noticeable in comparison to a higher resolution display that is not OLED. It is certainly noticeable in comparison to my MacBook Pro and I had to also play with the monitor “sharpness” settings. However, I am fairly picky with my monitors and I’m really pleased with it. The colors are vibrant and excellent. I have not found any issues with brightness being too low or reflections being distracting, even during the daytime. And an underrated part is the 240hz refresh rate makes everything incredibly snappy and quick. I have tried a Dell 49” at 60hz and it felt way too slow in comparison. Would recommend for gaming and also work if you consider the tweaks/concessions I mentioned above. It’s not for everybody but really great for the right use case.