Samsung brought its new Odyssey OLED G8 gamer monitor to Europe in early 2023. This product expands the brand’s product portfolio, with self-illuminating pixel technology.

Does the Korean novelty for the domestic market bring a satisfactory experience to the player? TechSmart tested a unit and details the highlights of it now, in this full review.

Starting with the design, we have to highlight the premium look of this monitor, with the mix of black and silver colors. Samsung has inserted a metal construction that tapers at the edges, which makes the screen very thin, even extended.

The support has an “L” shape and is fitted only by latches on the monitor. This is a layout already seen in other recent brand monitors, which facilitates assembly and avoids messing with screws.

This format also makes the Odyssey OLED G8 very light despite its size. It weighs in at around 7.5 kg, an amount that we’ve found is not too difficult to move the piece to another location in your home if you prefer.

The product provides height adjustment, as well as adjustment of the display inclination. Thus, you can leave the visualization of the image in the position that is most comfortable. Not to mention that the manufacturer sends a support in the VESA pattern 100 x 100 for wall mounting in the box.

On the back, there is a button in the form of a joystick, to turn it on and off, in addition to managing some finer image settings. Next to it, the set of doors appears. It comes with two USB-C, which support 65W output; a Micro HDMI 2.1, to connect the consoles; and a Mini DisplayPort 1.4, which is especially suited for PCs.

In the box, there is even a Mini DisplayPort cable for a common DisplayPort, but it does not have an adapter for Micro HDMI, which requires you to pay more for one if you want to connect your video game to it.

One of the highlights here is the presence of a USB-C rechargeable remote control. This is the same found in other products such as Freestyle projector and Smart Monitor. The operation of it pleases, but be careful not to unintentionally turn off or turn on another device from the brand that also works with the same single control.

In general, the use is more to switch between inputs, adjust the volume and open applications. The Odyssey OLED G8 comes with a built-in fifth-generation operating system and Wi-Fi, with access to the Tizen app store and Smart Hub to manage easier access to media content.

There is also support for Amazon Alexa and Bixby voice assistants here. By the microphone button on the controller or even by voice commands, you can activate Artificial Intelligence and perform actions throughout your connected home.

We noticed that streaming app options are more limited than a regular TV, as the focus here is on games. There are no options here like Claro TV Mais or Estádio TNT Sports, while DGO arrived during the period in which we tested it. At least, the most common services are here, such as Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus and Globoplay.

Samsung TV Plus is another guaranteed presence, to watch the television channels offered by the brand, only with internet access. The monitor has multiview capability in case you want to split the screen between this streaming platform and internet browser or other cable gaming input.

The system also has the so-called Workspace, an area that allows you to connect Microsoft 365 directly, to have a PC experience only when connecting a keyboard and mouse via Bluetooth. This is where Samsung DeX is located, if you want to turn your phone into a laptop.

As the name of the product already says, we find here a 34-inch OLED panel, with a resolution of 3440 x 1440 pixels, that is, we can call it an ultrawide Quad HD, in the 21:9 ratio. Because it is curved, the display helps a lot in user immersion, as you can have an experience that goes almost to the sides of the player.

And speaking of the side, his viewing angle is very pleasing. Even with a side view, it is possible to see all the displayed content without any distortion or loss of quality. One of the highlights is the color reproduction, which delivers high fidelity, in addition to perfect blacks. The brightness is also pleasing, even if you leave it on a medium setting.

Only consoles and PC can take advantage of the monitor’s full ultrawide range. If you want to use it in streaming apps, you will have to adjust the image for the zoom options and hope that the open application supports this possibility. This was not the case with Netflix, for example.

To further favor gamers, Samsung put a refresh rate of 175 Hz, which will only be achieved if you connect a PC through DisplayPort. Through HDMI, the maximum frame rate it reaches is 120 fps. A number that perfectly meets the latest generation consoles. The response time reaches 0.1 ms, for very low latency during gameplay.

The Odyssey OLED G8 even comes with a pair of 5W stereo speakers. Audio isn’t usually a strong point for monitors, and this one is no different. The power is even decent, but the quality leaves something to be desired. It focuses much more on the mids and highs, with almost non-existent bass.

At least it is possible to connect some external output or headphones through Bluetooth if you need better sound.

We arrived at the main part of this product: the games. Samsung has inserted its Gaming Hub platform into this monitor, an area that allows you to configure video game inputs, in addition to having access to cloud services such as Xbox Cloud Gaming and NVIDIA GeForce Now.

We tested both services and saw great performance overall. The connection is stable for almost the entire time of the game, with an average frame rate of 60 fps, even in games that demand fast response, like Fortnite.

A pity that here it is not allowed to expand the resolution to cover the entire screen. You’ll just be left with a normal 16:9 aspect ratio. But that doesn’t detract from the quality and color fidelity delivered by the OLED panel.

xCloud is the easiest platform to join as you can easily enjoy it if you are already a Game Pass Ultimate subscriber. In the case of GeForce Now, the free plan puts you in a queue that can take a few hours to release just 30 minutes of gameplay. At the very least, it integrates your access from other services such as Steam, Epic Games and Ubisoft to expand the available catalog.

The best of the monitor is achieved by connecting a game console or PC here. With Xbox Series S, for example, you can run at 1440p at 120 fps with excellent fluidity and visualization, further favored by AMD Freesync Premium technology.

Faster-moving titles like Rocket League look very smooth on this monitor, without any ghosting. Others that are more realistic, like Gotham Knights, keep the details of the scenarios and characters well highlighted. A quality that can please even the most demanding players.

The Odyssey OLED G8 provides a very complete gaming monitor experience. It takes advantage of an integrated system to provide the Gaming Hub, which makes it possible to dispense with the presence of a console or a PC. In other words, just the monitor and a Bluetooth controller already allow you to enjoy a series of games via the cloud.

A pity that it does not allow to take advantage of the entire ultrawide extension for this type of visualization. Here, you will need to connect an external device through one of the physical inputs to have the function.

The OLED image is quite satisfactory. The player will have nothing to complain about the definition of colors and contrast, the very high brightness and the wide viewing angle. Too bad the sound doesn’t come with the panel and only provides a basic experience over here. Nothing an external sound alternative can’t fix.

In addition to all the quality in games, this monitor also has the differentials of your system. While you’re out of the game, you can enjoy the accessory as a work or entertainment tool, through the presence of Workspace and built-in streaming applications.

Samsung launched the Odyssey OLED G8 in Europe for a suggested retail price of R$12,000. He didn’t have a big drop and still charges around R$ 11,000 in the current market. It’s a salty value for those who just want a gamer monitor for casual games.

Therefore, we recommend this product for those who mainly want to exploit their cloud gaming services and demand maximum image quality in addition to the other integrated system functions.

If you don’t mind the apps and Workspace, a cheaper alternative is the Dell Alienware AW3423DW. It delivers the same rate of 175 Hz and the response time of 0.1 ms, in addition to also having a 34-inch curved OLED panel, at a cost in the range of R$ 9,000.

If your focus is on cloud gaming platforms and streaming, but without a great demand for such a sophisticated screen, a solution is in the Smart Monitor M8, from Samsung itself. This provides a 32-inch 4K display and 60 Hz rate, with access to xCloud and GeForce Now, in addition to the complete app store, for a price of around R$ 4,000.

Do you think this monitor is a good option for a product that does not depend on other platforms, or do you believe that the best option is to use it with a PC or console? You can comment freely with us!