OLED gaming monitors are everywhere at CES 2023 and Samsung’s lineup is no exception. The company today unveiled the Odyssey G95SC monitor, a 49-inch model that is claimed to be the world’s first OLED gaming monitor with a 32:9 aspect ratio. It also reminded us that its Odyssey 34-inch G8 QD-OLED monitor, which debuted at IFA 2022 in the fall, will arrive “very soon”.
What sets these two models apart from what LG recently announced is that they use Samsung’s own QD-OLED technology, not LG Display’s latest panels. Below I’ve embedded a sidebar explaining how QD-OLED differs from OLED, but the TL; DR is that it can produce a higher contrast image at higher brightness levels – one of the few limitations of conventional OLED technology.
It’s hard for me to think how cool it would be to sit in front of Samsung’s new 49-inch Odyssey G95SC. Fortunately, it can wrap itself around my head instead. It has a super-wide 32:9 aspect ratio, expandable to a resolution of 5,120 x 1,440 with an 1800R curve. This model has a fast refresh rate of 240 Hz. It will arrive later in 2023 with no tentative price tag.
The Odyssey G8 is a bit smaller on the spec sheet, but has a similar panel to what came in Alienware’s awesome 2021 QD-OLED gaming monitor. It matches key details, including its 34-inch size, 21-inch aspect ratio : 9, the 1800R curvature, the 3,440 x 1,440 resolution, and a 175 Hz refresh rate. Samsung still hasn’t shared a price, but we’ll update this post if that changes.
What is the difference between OLED and QD OLED?
QD OLED screens differ from the traditional OLED panels long made by LG Display in the way they produce an image. LG’s displays are considered WRGB OLED, as they use a blue and yellow OLED compound to generate whitish light pixels that are passed through color filters to produce red, green and blue sub-pixels. More recent OLED TVs also have a fourth unfiltered/white sub-pixel which is intended to improve brightness, especially for HDR content.
QD-OLED changes this by emitting blue light through quantum dots to convert some of that blue into red and green without the need for a color filter. (Blue is used because it has the strongest light energy.) This leads to greater light energy efficiency; since you don’t lose light to the color filters, QD OLED TVs should offer more brightness compared to previous generation OLEDs.
They should also be able to maintain vibrant quantum dot color reproduction even at peak brightness levels, while WRGB OLED can sometimes show some desaturation when pushed that far. In Sony’s case, the company claims that QD-OLED “increases color brightness by up to 200 percent compared to conventional TVs.” It’s claimed that OLED’s already excellent viewing angles are even better on QD-OLED, as there’s more diffusion without the color filter getting in the way.
The possibility of burn-in isn’t eliminated by QD-OLED, but the hope is that these panels will generally have a longer lifespan than existing OLED TVs, as the pixels don’t work as hard. Samsung Display uses three layers of blue OLED material for each pixel, and that should preserve their longevity.
Samsung claims both monitors support HDR True Black 400, a VESA specification that means they can reach a peak brightness of 400 nits. However, they may actually deliver lower brightness depending on what you’re viewing on them. During HDTV test‘s review of the Alienware QD-OLED monitorwhich shares the same True Black specs as these new Samsung monitors, delivered closer to 280 nits while displaying a completely white screen (the most brutal challenge for an OLED).
These monitors are meant to connect to high-performance consoles and PCs, but they also support Samsung’s Gaming Hub, which lets you wirelessly connect a controller to play on cloud streaming services like Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce Now. They also have Smart Hub, which gives them access to smart TV apps such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and more. In terms of ports, they both feature Mini DisplayPort, Micro HDMI 2.1 and USB-C charging up to 65W.
Janice has been with businesskinda for 5 years, writing copy for client websites, blog posts, EDMs and other mediums to engage readers and encourage action. By collaborating with clients, our SEO manager and the wider businesskinda team, Janice seeks to understand an audience before creating memorable, persuasive copy.