The Odyssey G9 is not the first curved game display from Samsung, nor the first 49-inch, or even the first with such a high resolution (that honor goes to last year’s CRG9). But the Odyssey improves specifications in virtually all ways: while the 5120 x 1440 resolution and the HDR1000 rating are the same, the new screen offers twice the refresh rate, at up to 240 Hz, an even faster 1 ms response time and support for both FreeSync 2 from AMD together with newly added Nvidia G-Sync compatibility.
The display is also the first consumer display from Samsung with a 1000R curve that fills in approximately the same field of vision as the human eye. In other words, the 49-inch G9 curves more than most other screens, including the CRG9 which had a less severe 1800R curve for an immersive experience that feels like the screen is wrapped around your head.
Of course, given that it’s a gaming monitor, the back also features a giant glowing blue light that makes the display look like it’s powered by one of Tony Stark’s leftover Iron Man arc reactors.
Alongside the Odyssey G9, Samsung also announced the Odyssey G7, a smaller 16:9 2560×1440 monitor that comes in both 32-inch and 27-inch sizes. Like the larger Odyssey G9 panels, the G7 models also offer a 1000R curvature, rely on Samsung’s QLED technology, feature a 240Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, and FreeSync 2 and G-Sync. The only real difference aside from size is the level of HDR supported. The G7 models only are rated for HDR600 for a minimum peak luminance of 600 cd/m2, compared to the HDR1000 rating on the G9.
Samsung has yet to announce a price or release date for either display.
