Samsung Odyssey G9 Review: A mansion-class 49-inch gaming monitor

This Samsung Odyssey G9 review should help you gauge if this jaw-dropping monitor is right for you or not.

From the get-go, I can tell you that this is one of the best gaming monitors around today in 2022. But at 49-inches it's absolutely massive so it clearly won't be the best choice for everyone.

I mean, that size mandates that you have a certain size desk and even a certain size room to house it in. If your computing setup is space-constrained in any way then this is just not going to work for you.

It isn’t quite 4K either so if that's a dealbreaker for you, check out our best 4K monitors guide. It is worth knowing that this monitor is so incredibly powerful that it didn't really matter that it wasn't 4K. This is the monitor you pick up if you have the best of the best, the best gaming mouse, best gaming headset, best gaming keyboard and the best gaming chair.

It’s hard to give a reasonable quick take on this 32:9, 240Hz beast of a gaming monitor. It has incredible specs, everything you would need or want in a gaming monitor. It’s also striking and stylish, but I can’t help but feel that for the vast majority of people the Samsung Odyssey G9 would be utterly impractical.

This is the sort of gaming monitor that I imagine sits at the heart of the highest spec gaming environment, in the middle of a mansion bought from Twitch donations.

Samsung Odyssey G9 Review: Design and Setup

Setting up the Samsung Odyssey G9 is a little stressful. Not because it is particularly difficult, but because of its size, odd dimensions and weight. Its instructions came on a CD, which I cannot play – though, the YouTuber I followed to put it together had paper instructions included with theirs. So perhaps something went missing in the delivery of my model.

Attaching the feet to the stand is pretty simple, and adding the stand to the monitor itself required just a few screws, which were a little fiddly. Slotting the plastic ring around the ‘Infinity Core’ lighting system at the back is a little bit tricky. The main issue here is trying to move the Odyssey G9 afterwards – it is very heavy.

It can be wall mounted but at 16.7kg, I’m not sure I would feel entirely comfortable doing that with such an expensive piece of kit. I suppose it depends on how confident you are in your plasterboard.

Of course, once you’ve dealt with the anxiety of moving it into position, you have an absolutely stunning gaming monitor. The 1000R curved screen reaches almost to the full edges of its chassis across the top and sides, with a relatively thin bezel at the base of the screen displaying the Samsung logo. It is a full QLED wall of monitor.

The rear of this monitor looks like something out of science fiction. The Odyssey G9’s glossy white, vented plastic accented by the glowing Infinity Core lighting system. It would fit easily into the aesthetic confines of Destiny's world, or perhaps the Institute of Fallout 4. It’ll depend on your room/desk set up as to how much you’ll actually get to enjoy that once the Odyssey G9 is up and running.

In terms of ports, the G9 features an HDMI 2.0, two DisplayPort connectors and two USB 3.0s and a USB hub version 3. It also comes with a headset jack, but there are no built-in speakers which does feel like a missed opportunity in such a large monitor.

Samsung Odyssey G9 Review: Features & Picture

If I’m being honest, I do not have the hardware to fully take advantage of what the Odyssey G9 can do. But then, few will. While the screen is not quite 4K, its 109ppi, 5120x1440 resolution and 240Hz refresh rate will require a serious gaming machine to fulfil its potential.

As the DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0’s can’t actually handle the bandwidth required for the Odyssey’s resolution/refresh rate combo you’ll need a graphics card that supports DSC (Display Stream Compression), to get the most out of it. Even with the highest spec gaming PC, you’ll be hard-pressed to rinse everything out of the G9.

Of course, that should future proof the Odyssey G9 for a good while yet. And it should be said that if you have that setup then it’s hard to see how you could go wrong with Odyssey G9.

As you’d expect this gaming monitor is G-sync and FreeSync enabled, has an impressive 1ms response time and uses HDR1000 and HDR10+. These optimise darks, whites and overall brightness. It makes games come alive, offering vibrancy and depth. It should hit 97% DCI-P3 and 125% of the sRGB colour gamut. It is, at its best, the best ultra-wide gaming monitor on the market.

Its PBP (picture-by-picture) mode also deserves a shoutout, and should interest streamers, YouTube tutorial obsessives and anyone gaming with friends on video chat. This massive monitor can split down the middle to create, what is essentially two crisp and sharp 27-inch displays (you can also make one side slightly larger than the other).

Samsung Odyssey G9 Review: Price & Verdict

While the widgets on this review will show the most up-to-date prices for the Samsung Odyssey G9, it is an expensive monitor. You should expect to pay over £1000/$1400 for it. That is worth it for what you get. There is nothing on the market that offers what this monitor does, in this shape and size at least. The question is whether it’s right for you.

Ultimately, having spent a week with the Odyssey G9 I won’t be sad to see it go. That isn’t because it's bad, but because it’s simply too much monitor. Its size means I can’t push it back further on my desk; this is fine if I'm sat back with a control pad, but using a keyboard and mouse I found myself having to turn it off on occasion because it’s just too much for my eyes at this distance – even with eye saver mode permanently on.

It’s a hard monitor to score. If you have the money, if you have the space and if you have the hardware to take advantage of it – the Samsung Odyssey G9 is the only monitor that you should buy. But for most people, I think this 49-inch beast is just a tad too impractical.

Before you buy, make sure you check our Samsung discount codes to find a saving on your order. 

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