Samsung - 27" Odyssey OLED G5 (G50SF) QHD 180Hz 0.03ms G-Sync & FreeSync Compatible Glare Free Gaming Monitor - Black

TLDR: Affordable QD-OLED that gives up color accuracy for price. PROS Gorgeous Black Levels Quantum Dots make colors pop & whites bright Generous 180Hz Refresh Rate CONS Lacks color accuracy Fiddly menu buttons Lacks 4k Resolution No Height Adjustment INPUTS 1 x DP 1.2 1 x HDMI 2.0 1 x USB (Update Only) 1 x 3.5mm OLED PERFORMANCE There's no other way to say it, there is no comparison to a good OLED monitor. Whether it be for gaming or general work, an OLED monitor outperforms its IPS and VA cousins by leaps and bounds. This is especially true if you are a fan of moody and dark games. Games like Cyberpunk, Control, Alone in the Dark, even games like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, all look better and are easier to play on a good OLED monitor. Why? Because a true OLED panel can reach "infinite" levels of contrast without crushing blacks. Unlike its zone backlit or side lit cousins, the VA and IPS panels, an OLED monitor can illuminate per pixel, not just groups of pixels. Because of this, games with dark scenes don't wind up looking washed out. Anyone that has or is gaming on an IPS or VA panel knows this phenomenon. This Samsung G5 not only sports Samsung's latest OLED panel offering, but they have also graced it with their Quantum Dot technology. I consider the addition of quantum dots added to an OLED panel as revolutionary, as opposed to evolutionary. I remember my first OLED TV. It had beautiful black levels, but the image was dim compared to the competitions' LED offerings. Same with the computer monitors. However, with Samsung giving its G5 the quantum dots, it makes colors and whites pop. The addition of quantum dots does for whites, brights, and colors what the OLED panels does for blacks. Quantum dots allow OLEDS to produce far brighter whites than an ordinary OLED panel ever could. Whites are bright. Not to mention colors are rich and vibrant, besting even the best of the LED monitors. GAMING For me, I never noticed any discernible difference between my 500Hz monitor and this 180Hz monitor. The built-in G-Sync and Freesync compatibility ensured I had no issues with stutters or tearing during gameplay. One thing that I really like about Samsung's latest monitor offerings is their inclusion of the Virtual Aim Point and Black Equalizer. The Virtual Aim Point is almost like cheating. The monitor will overlay an aim point based on where your character's weapon is pointing. Instead of having to toggle a zoom to aim, you can turn on the Virtual Aim Point and let the monitor show you where to shoot. It works amazingly well and speeds up battle damage and rate of fire considerably. At least for me. Another solid worth noting is the Black Equalizer function. Because OLEDs can get almost too black, a lot of things can get lost in the shadows. Not from black crush like a traditional monitor, but from a poorly rendered game. Samsung's Black Equalizer works similar to a contrast enhancer. It boots the darkest of the black levels just enough that you can make more details out in the background. It especially important if you don't have your monitor's brightness and contrast set correctly. The Black Equalizer makes those enemies trying to hide in the dark immediately recognizable. Again. It almost feels like cheating. But I'll take it. I'm not very good to begin with. NEGATIVES First. Having just reviewed the wonderful Samsung G6, this is where the G5 rears its more "price-friendly" shortcomings. Color accuracy is nowhere near as good as its bigger, pricier sibling. Unlike the G6, the G5 does not have the most accurate color reproduction palette. Yes, I can tune the G5's gray scale rendering to errors below 2.0 (Errors less than 2.0 mean any inaccuracies are imperceptible by the human eye), but the overall color reproduction falls considerably short. The G6 will render all colors (Primary, Secondary, Grays) with errors less than 2.0. The G5 cannot achieve this same feat. Second. While I am glad Samsung relocated the menu buttons to the bottom of the monitor where they should be (the G6 has a single button on the back of the monitor that is hard to find and operate), the buttons are mushy and fiddly. There isn't really any way to differentiate between the buttons other than their placement, not to mention that the soft rubber membrane makes them feel old, weak, and mushy. They are nowhere near crisp and tactile like the competitors or even Samsung's other offerings. But, again, at least they are no longer hidden on the back of the panel where you have to reach and feel before finally locating them. Third. Because this is an entry-level OLED panel, Samsung has made some tradeoffs. There is no DP 1.4 or HDMI 2.1. Peak brightness tops out at just 200 lumens, far less than most HDR10 capable monitors can produce. There is no integrated height adjustment with the included stand and no built-in RGB (if that is really a negative), nor is there a built-in USB upstream hub. BOTTOM LINE Is the G5 a good monitor? Yes, it is. It offers everything its siblings have to offer at a much lower price point. Would I buy it if I were a content creator? No. The color reproduction is not accurate enough. Would I hesitate to buy it as a daily driver for gaming or work? Absolutely not. Perfection in color accuracy isn't a necessity for these tasks. I give the G5 a solid 4-stars. It offers just enough of what makes OLED and Quantum Dots great without making the buyer feel like they are buying a "price-friendly" monitor. The G5 includes many of the important features of Samsung's higher-end models without the hefty price tag that comes along with it. RECOMMENDED

I was excited to get my gaming on with the Samsung 27" Odyssey OLED G5 QHD gaming monitor. It's entry level, so it's affordable, but it's loaded with a QHD 2560x1440 panel, a 180Hz refresh rate (perfect for gaming), and an extremely fast .03ms response time. I've had a chance to spend a considerable amount of time gaming, movie nights, and general productivity and web surfing so here's what I've experienced. - Unboxing - The box is compact for a 27" monitor but well protected. You get the monitor panel, the base stand, the neck of the base, an external power brick, a display port cable, an HDMI cable, and a quick start guide. The monitor also has a peel away protective film protecting it from scratches or dust during shipping. Assembly is simple and quick. the stand snaps together and attaches to the back of the panel with two easy screws and a thumbscrew that's typically included with monitors. - Design & Build - Samsung went with a black matte classic look here with super thin bezels on the side if you want to add additional monitors. The build quality feels solid. There is a tilt up and down but not left to right or up and down and it sits low profile, however there's a 100 x 100 VESA Mount so it's easy to attach an arm if you want. There is nothing to indicate gaming here such as RGB or design accents, so I can see how it can be used for work or play. The base is small enough that it preserves space on your desk. It has a small area in the back you can run your cables through. There are 4 ports on the back of the monitor and no speakers: Display, HDMI, USB, Headphone/Mic jack. There's a basic joystick underneath the bottom center Samsung logo that triggers the OSD. There's an input button and up/down/left/right. You will also notice the monitor is glare free. There's a special coating that reduces the glare. I've often had OLEDs that are glossy and have issues with reflections, this one is remarkably free of reflections. Overall, the design is clean and minimal. - Specs & Features - The Samsung OLED G5 G50SF has a QD-OLED panel with 26.5 viewable area, 2560x1440 QHD resolution. It runs at 180Hz over DisplayPort 1.4 and 144Hz over HDMI 2.0. The gray to gray response time is .03ms. I would recommend using the DisplayPort while gaming to get the maximum refresh rate of 180Hz, although if you're hooking it up for console gaming 144Hz over HDMI is more than enough. NVIDIA G-Sync and AMD FreeSync are both supported. Color performance is excellent. For content creators there is 99% DCI-P3 coverage with 10-bit color depth and it's also pantone color validated. Brightness is 200 nits so it's lower than what I'm used to but it's surprisingly adequate indoors, plenty bright. Sometimes brightness is just a number but visually what you're actually seeing is all that matters and I can tell you this is a beautiful monitor, vibrant and bright. HDR10 is supported, and peak brightness will be even higher for HDR highlights. One standout feature is a Samsung 3-year warranty which gives me some peace. There are a handful of picture presets that have settings for movies, gaming (FPS & RPG), entertainment, and content creation among others. A few more notable features are the black equalizer to enhance visibility during games in dark areas. Virtual aim point gives you an on-screen crosshair overlay, and Auto Source Switch swaps between connected devices automatically. There are also some OLED specific features like Panel OLED care settings to help preserve the monitor. - Performance - This is where the G50SF stands out. The moment you begin playing a fast-paced FPS, the OLED really shows its strength. The .03ms response time isn't just marketing, QD-OLED pixel transitions are instant. Ghosting and smearing are essentially non-existent on this monitor. Most important to me, the motion clarity is exceptional (clarity is important to me because sometimes I can get a little dizzy while gaming if the motion clarity isn't super smooth). Every frame looks clear. With G-SYNC active, I didn't witness any tearing or stuttering. For competitive gaming this panel performs well. The response time and input lag are excellent, and the QHD is the sweet spot for most GPUs providing a sharp image without the requirements that 4K can demand. The true blacks on movies or games (especially the horror games) look incredible. Since the pixels shut off completely for blacks the contrast ratio is just about infinite. Watching anything with high contrast, like Sci-Fi movies is visually stunning. The glare free coating is great for daytime use. You won't get that overhead light or window glare that periodically occurs. - Pros/Cons - *Pros - Exceptional colors and accuracy - True blacks - Almost infinite contrast - Image quality is outstanding - Motion clarity is super smooth - Lightweight and easy to setup *Suggestions/Needs Improvement - Stand is tilt only, no height adjustment - No speakers - No additional USB Hub - Power brick is more clutter The Samsung Odyssey OLED G5 G50SF is an affordable OLED monitor that gets the important thing right. The image quality is impressive, the colors are vibrant, the blacks are perfect, and the motion clarity is excellent. For gamers, this is top tier performance. 99% DCI-P3 coverage and Pantone validation is equally impressive for content creators. There are a few things that would be nice adds but Samsung clearly focused on the core display experience and minimized unnecessary costs elsewhere. If you're a PC gamer using DisplayPort this monitor is easy to recommend. You're getting QD-OLED quality that focuses on the parts that matter. I've genuinely enjoyed gaming, movies, and content creation on this monitor and I would recommend it to anyone.

A few years back, Samsung released their latest innovation, the QD-OLED panel. At launch, the technology was super expensive but set a high standard for color accuracy and brightness. Enter the Samsung 27-inch Odyssey OLED G5 G50SF. What's neat about this latest version of the G5 27 inch is that Samsung has opted to use an QD-OLED panel. Previous G5 versions have been and IPS or VA panel. This is a nice upgrade, but it does come with some trade-offs since this model is for more of the budget conscious buyers. I own both IPS and QD-OLED monitors from Samsung, and my favorite by far is QD-OLED panel due to the color accuracy and input times while gaming. Display And Build The monitor’s QD-OLED panel is beautiful. The colors pop out, and the black levels are really good. The brightness is perfect for my setup as I don't have much natural light in my office. 1440p at 27 inches is the sweet spot for my gaming setup as well. The monitor is capable of reaching 180Hz refresh rate for hard-core gamers with minimal lag input. My only gripe is the overall build quality. It seems that Samsung opted to keep costs low and chose to use a standard plastic build. The stand is capable of tilting the monitor and that’s about all it can do, but this is understandable with cost in mind. I recommend using a mount if adjustments are needed. The matte panel is a plus in my book as well. This helps with reflections and this option only existed on the premium options some years back. Options As far as inputs, they are pretty standard. 1 HDMI, DisplayPort, 3.5mm input and USB-A are all available for use. The USB is for updating the software manually. Actually, an update was available when I checked the Samsung website. It was a simple process updating the firmware by USB. After performing the update, the monitor seemed to perform much better at motion handling. There are several options for gamers, such as adaptive-sync, black equalizer, and virtual aim-point options. One thing to keep in mind when installing the monitor, if you use a HDMI cable the max refresh rate will be 144Hz. Higher refresh rates will require a DisplayPort connection. I’m primarily using the monitor for work right now and it’s been a night and day difference from my IPS monitor. I’m really impressed with this monitor. Overall This monitor is a great option for gamers who want to game at high refresh rates while using a stunning QD-OLED panel at a reasonable price point. The plastic build and the lack of height and swivel options with the stand are trade-offs. This is can be easily fixed by adding a mount for the monitor. This monitor is perfect for my setup and my needs for my home office and gaming setup. It’s worth a look for sure.