This 40-Inch Gaming Monitor Is Massive on Immersion and Commerce-Offs

There are some screens that pressure you to involuntarily pucker your lips and utter a silent “ooh.” That usually occurs lengthy after you match the bottom and arm into the show and switch it on for the primary time. When unboxing the 40-inch 4K Samsung Odyssey G7, I discovered I used to be rather more excited by the promise of its advantageous black exterior and RGB ring gentle, to not point out its huge body and sweeping 1,000R curve. However really taking a look at it with the lights on shocked me with a way of disappointment. Disappointment turns into acceptance, and acceptance inevitably turns into boredom.

I first laid eyes on the Odyssey G75F (mannequin quantity LS40FG75DENXZA) earlier this 12 months. It was an odd center youngster between the 27-inch OLED Odyssey G6 with its blistering 360Hz refresh rate and the 27-inch OLED Odyssey G8 with its 4K, 240Hz panel (2025 was filled to the brim with the sort of monitor). The Odyssey G7 gives one thing a lot totally different: a 40-inch curved display screen with a quick 180Hz refresh fee (a rarity for ultrawide screens). The one factor is, it doesn’t include OLED however with a VA panel. In comparison with natural light-emitting diode—a display screen sort that makes use of self-emissive colours to generate higher distinction and deeper blacks—VA is nearer to conventional LCD. The acronym stands for vertical alignment, which pertains to the crystals contained in the liquid crystal show. Such a show gives higher distinction than different types of LCD. This monitor can also be strong with its 140 ppi (pixels per inch) density, which means it may possibly provide a comparatively crisp picture regardless of its dimension.

There are some shoppers preferring LCD know-how to OLED. I’m not right here to debate the deserves of higher-brightness LCDs versus usually lower-brightness, extra energy-dependent OLED. Nevertheless, you’re higher off figuring out whether or not the distinction is value it for the value. The Odyssey G7 retails for $1,200. Nevertheless, Samsung routinely reductions it to round $750 (and typically Amazon has it for even much less). Samsung’s Odyssey screens—and its TVs for that matter—are often dearer than most different manufacturers with the identical know-how. For any worth, there are nonetheless trade-offs aplenty.

Massive and in cost

You’re primarily taking a look at this monitor for its dimension. A 40-inch display screen is nothing to chortle at. On our workplace gaming desk we arrange for testing PCs, its wingspan manages to just about eat the desk from port to starboard. Its 1,000R curve is way extra dramatic than different, smaller 1800R curved screens. A 34-inch Philips Evnia QD-OLED and the 32-inch Alienware AW3225QF gained’t really feel almost as immersive because the Odyssey G7. None of those screens attain the dimensions of the completely massive 57-inch Odyssey Neo G9, however what does?

The curve almost captures your eyes in its embrace. For players, it’s a really totally different expertise than should you’re used to flatter shows. The 4K monitor really reaches a wider 5,120 x 2,160 decision (typically referred to as WUHD) than the standard 4K dimension of three,840 x 2,160 (UHD). The Odyssey G7 sports activities a 21:9 facet ratio supported by some, however not all video games. It’s an identical story for streaming content material as nicely. Some films and exhibits in your favored streaming platform could help the ultrawide facet ratio, however others gained’t.

As a lot as selecting your content material could also be complicated, establishing the Odyssey G7 is an easy affair. You stick the flat base into the monitor stand, screw it in, then shove the monitor arm into the awaiting socket. And voila, you’re able to play. The monitor solely comes with two HDMI 2.1 and a single DisplayPort 1.4 enter. There are an extra two USB-A 3.2 ports and a headphone jack. Nonetheless, I’d hardly name that port-rich for the scale of this monitor.

For some odd purpose, Samsung doesn’t make managing your cables too simple. There’s a single rubber strap throughout the again of the monitor stand that Samsung expects to include all of your miscellaneous cables. I might have most popular some extra everlasting loop that might maintain fmore cables with out straining. In the event you’re eager to maintain a tidy desk, you’ll have to think about some ingenious cable administration to maintain the snakes of their cage.

Regardless of my hangups with the Odyssey G7’s port choice and cable administration, the monitor itself is a looker. That enjoyable, round gentle strip on the monitor’s rear panel might be programmed with a couple of preset patterns, however it’s primarily there to supply some background glow to the wall behind it. That little little bit of consideration to element is in step with Odyssey screens, although I might have nonetheless loved some audio system on the G7. The sound high quality on a monitor possible gained’t shiver my backbone with bass, however I take pleasure in audio system being there in a pinch.

The Odyssey G7 is licensed VESA DisplayHDR 600, although it solely claims a 90% shade vary with a 3,000:1 distinction ratio. The one subject you’ll run into with compatibility is Samsung’s screens don’t help Dolby Imaginative and prescient. They as a substitute use Samsung’s personal HDR10+ gaming normal. Some noteworthy video games like Crimson Lifeless Redemption 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 will use HDR10+. Every thing else will follow the bog-standard HDR10.

I hope you don’t thoughts glare

The VA panel Samsung selected for the Odyssey G7 isn’t the prettiest you will get, neither is it the brightest. Its acknowledged typical brightness sits at round 350 nits. With the daylight beaming in from a close-by window, the image high quality on Samsung’s monitor took a success. In a darkish, dank gamer basement with the blinds closed and the one gentle being smooth RGB, the Odyssey G7 will hit its stride. In different environments, the monitor could look slightly low cost regardless of its dimension.

I stored staring on the display screen, questioning if what I used to be taking a look at is the form of high quality I really need from an enormous, costly monitor. Like most LCD shows, the Odyssey G7 has a 1ms response time, dictating how briskly a display screen can change a pixel from one shade to a different. OLED usually has a sooner response time, although it will likely be slightly extra dim relying on the standard of the show. The G7’s panel gives the worst of each worlds.

What really issues is what the content material finally appears like, and in that regard it’s a a lot better expertise. In peak situations, the black ranges keep away from the issues on different screens that make darkish tones look grey. A recreation like Hole Knight: Silksong helps the 21:9 facet ratio and appears very good as soon as you’ll be able to see a lot of your environment. The distinction is probably not as robust as some might need, however it actually doesn’t look dangerous both.

Relying in your recreation, you might must do some changes to make it playable. A title like Whole Battle: Warhammer III helps the WUHD decision, however it requires you to manually scale the UI and textual content dimension so it’s manageable. Cyberpunk 2077 appears further immersive on this 40-inch dimension. You simply want to verify your PC is beefy sufficient to play video games at this dimension. Additionally, you want to do not forget that consoles just like the PlayStation 5 don’t naturally help ultrawide facet ratios. They merely stretch a 4K picture to suit the display screen.

The large subject with the display screen is the truth that it’s susceptible to glare. It’s not a lot reflective, as any ambient gentle tends to diffuse over the floor and mar any of these clear visuals you have been hoping for. With the shades drawn down and the lights turned low, video games lastly seemed their greatest.

Extra methods to multitask

Certain, having a 40-inch show will naturally allow you to shove as many apps on it without delay. That’s the advantage of a big display screen, though I discover the issue with extra is how shortly it could replenish. I tend to go away a variety of tabs open, and even once I push these to the background, I immediately discover I’m nonetheless in want of one other display screen, whether or not it’s a laptop computer show or one other monitor I can stack vertically subsequent to my system.

The Odyssey G7 does permit swivel and tilt to a shocking diploma. You possibly can push the monitor up from -5 to twenty levels and swing it round one other 20 levels to the left and proper. No, sorry, you’re not going to twist this show vertically except you create a artistic mount on your wall. The display screen is comparatively versatile, and that’s necessary since you actually wish to sit within the middle of any curved show to maximise the impact.

In the event you’re in search of much more multitasking, the Samsung Odyssey G7 additionally permits for a picture-in-picture mode that may permits enter from two separate gadgets. I attempted this out with a PlayStation 5 and PC without delay. You possibly can both have every picture squished aspect by aspect, although I a lot most popular the choice to stay one display screen within the nook and depart the remainder to the opposite linked system. If, for some purpose, you wish to have your PC’s Discord chat up on the identical display screen as your recreation, that is an choice. I might nonetheless a lot moderately maintain a laptop computer or pill useful close by, however I don’t thoughts having choices.

What’s left is a monitor that may actually work nicely for some players and creators preferring to stay at the hours of darkness. In the suitable surroundings, the image high quality is nice sufficient that I wasn’t all the time pining for one thing extra. However as quickly as slightly gentle hit the display screen, I may sense a sense of annoyance twitching behind my eye. I’ve been spoiled by the variety of OLED shows from this 12 months, because the display screen know-how has change into rather more prevalent—and cheaper—lately. It is a monitor for individuals who choose the display screen form and the display screen sort. In the event you can nab the Odyssey G7 for a less expensive worth—possibly half what a 45-inch LG 5K2K Ultragear would price you—you then’ll have a good time being completely consumed by your monitor.