Ultra-Ultrawide Curved Monitor By Samsung
The Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 includes two HDMI 2.1 ports, an upgrade from HDMI 2.0 on last year’s G9, and one DisplayPort 1.4 port. The HDMI 2.1 ports can handle a refresh rate up to 144Hz.
The monitor’s maximum 240Hz refresh rate is only available over DisplayPort 1.4, and only with a video card that supports Display Stream Compression (DSC). Cards prior to Nvidia’s RTX 20-series and AMD’s 5000-series lack this feature. This includes the Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti in my desktop, so I was limited to a refresh rate of 120Hz on my main gaming rig (I also tested with an RTX 30-series laptop).
Samsung’s inclusion of two HDMI 2.1 ports and one DisplayPort might sound like an upgrade, but it’s not. It’s actually a downgrade from the prior model, which had one HDMI 2.0 and two DisplayPort ports.
Gaming Performance
You can now connect an Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 at once, but neither supports an ultrawide or super-ultrawide aspect ratio. The Neo G9 can’t even deliver 4K from a console because its native resolution is 5,120 x 1,440, which is too low to handle 4K’s vertical resolution of 2160 pixels. HDMI 2.1 serves no purpose aside from letting Samsung slap that label on the monitor’s marketing.
Input and monitor settings are handled through a joystick control on the monitor’s lower right bezel. Monitor settings are placed in clearly labeled menus that are easy to navigate. An instrument panel at the top of the menu provides at-a-glance information about critical settings like refresh rate and response time.
It’s no exaggeration to say the super-ultrawide Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 is a game-changing monitor. It can deliver not just stunning visuals but improve the way you play some titles. Unfortunately, it falls far short of perfection.
The Neo G9 is the ultimate monitor for simulation gaming. A visual landing in Microsoft Flight Simulator is easy, as the monitor’s wider perspective offers a realistic sense of speed and elevation. This same perspective can be great in open-world games and MMORPGs, making the Neo G9 a superb choice for Final Fantasy XIV or World of Warcraft.
Not all games are better on a super-ultrawide monitor, however. Most place important UI elements along the edges or corners of a display. This is a problem on a super-ultrawide, as the width will push important information outside your center of attention. You’ll have to tilt your head to see information that’s normally a glance away.
The Mini-LED backlight includes 2,048 individual dimming zones and is paired with a VA panel. Last year’s edge-lit G9 already had a solid measured contrast ratio of 1760:1, but the Neo G9 blows that away with an incredible measured contrast ratio of 8780:1. This beats Asus’ ROG Swift PG32UQX which also uses Mini-LED. That display reached a measured contrast ratio of 4890:1.
The Neo G9’s incredible contrast provides a rich, deep image with great dimensionality. Yet, if anything, the high contrast ratio undersells the display’s strengths. Mini-LED completely eliminates the edge-lit glow that plagues most gaming monitors and ruins the ambience of dark scenes. Watching the sun set in an open-world game is a truly beautiful experience.
Motion Performance
The Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 has a cutting-edge VA panel that all but eliminates the smearing issues that cause gamers to believe “VA” is a dirty word. I was able to identify some smearing of dark borders around objects when looking for it specifically, but the problem is so minor that I have trouble finding it even when examining content I know will show it.
Overall, the Neo G9’s clarity beats most gaming monitors sold today. It delivers fast response times and crisp, clean lines at the maximum refresh rate of 240Hz. Clarity holds up at lower refresh rates, too, and that’s important. Odds are good your video card can’t actually play your favorite tiles at 240 fps at this monitor’s native resolution of 5,120 x 1,440.
