Samsung Odyssey OLED 49 vs. Odyssey Neo G9 (2023)

Coming out of the biggest tech event of the year, two massive monitors stood out: Samsung’s 2023 Odyssey OLED G9 and Odyssey Neo G9. Both are huge 32:9 monitors and you’ll be hard pressed to choose between them if you want the best gaming monitor. .

Neither monitor has been released yet, but we can still compare many aspects of them. We’ve seen them briefly, but we’re relying on different specs and about half an hour of screen time. We’ll have to see how the two monitors hold up when they’re actually here before drawing any firm conclusions.

Prices

Samsung hasn’t announced pricing for the 2023 Odyssey OLED G9 or Odyssey Neo G9, but they will be expensive. Last year’s model launched for $2,300, though now it often sells for closer to $1,800. The 2023 models are likely to sell for over $2,000, and the Odyssey Neo G9 is likely to top $2,500.

However, there is a small chance that we will see a price reduction. As OLED and mini-LED get cheaper, Samsung may drop the price compared to last year’s model. We may not see a price cut, but at least we don’t expect a price increase.

The only factor that goes against that assumption is the Odyssey Neo G9. As one of the first DisplayPort 2.1 monitors and the only dual 4K monitor on the market, Samsung could command a hefty premium. However, it is difficult to say for sure now.

Screen size and resolution

Both the Odyssey OLED G9 and Odyssey Neo G9 are massive 32:9 monitors. If you’re unfamiliar, 32:9 essentially puts two standard 16:9 displays side by side, just without the bezel. Because of that, they are very wide, but they are not the same size. The OLED G9 has a 49-inch diagonal, while the Neo G9 has a 57-inch diagonal.

They also differ in resolution. The OLED G9 uses a 1440p dual panel for 5120 x 1440 resolution, while the Neo G9 uses a 4K dual panel for 7680 x 2160 resolution. You’ll see the Neo G9 advertised as an 8K monitor, but That is not the case. It’s two 4K monitors side by side, so you only get half the vertical resolution of true 8K.

The Neo G9 wins easily on the resolution front, but size plays a big part here. The OLED 49 uses a much thinner panel and comes with an 1800R curve. This makes the Neo G9 much chunkier, especially when combined with its 57-inch size and aggressive 1000R curve.

We’ve only spent a little time with each of these monitors, but the higher resolution makes an immediate difference on the Neo G9. On the other hand, the OLED G9 feels much more manageable due to its smaller size and thinner panel, so keep that in mind if desktop space is an issue.

Image quality and HDR

The biggest difference between the Odyssey OLED G9 and the Odyssey Neo G9 is the panel each monitor uses. The OLED G9, as the name suggests, uses an OLED panel. This allows each pixel to be dimmed individually, providing the best HDR you can currently get on a PC monitor. Like the Alienware 34 QD-OLED, it also uses quantum dots to improve brightness and color saturation.

We don’t know what kind of panel the Odyssey Neo G9 2023 uses, but Samsung has confirmed that it uses a mini-LED backlight. Mini-LED is a big deal, as we’ve seen with monitors like the Cooler Master GP27Q. The missing piece of the puzzle is the number of local dimming zones.

Local dimming is critical for strong HDR performance, and more zones are better. Mini-LED allows for a much higher number of zones, but Samsung has yet to confirm the exact number. What we do know so far is that the Odyssey Neo G9 is certified for VESA DisplayHDR 1000 and that last year’s model came with 2048 zones. We expect just as many zones, and probably more, in the 2023 model.

Briefly testing the monitors, the color and HDR performance of the OLED G9 is immediately better. OLED manages HDR performance that panel types like VA and IPS simply can’t handle and offers very low response times for gaming (Samsung claims 0.1 milliseconds).

However, the higher resolution of the Odyssey Neo G9 goes a long way to making games sharper and more immersive. It also gets a lot brighter, which is great if you’re playing in a bright room. We know it hits at least 1000 nits of maximum brightness, but maybe it could go higher. Samsung has yet to confirm this.

While the Odyssey Neo G9’s extra resolution helps, it’s not free. It’s one of the first DisplayPort 2.1 monitors on the market, and you’ll need that standard if you want to run full resolution and upgrade. Currently, only AMD’s latest graphics cards like the RX 7900 XTX support DisplayPort 2.1, leaving Nvidia users in the dark (even with a powerful GPU like the RTX 4090).

Update frequency and response time

In terms of refresh rate and response time, the Odyssey OLED G9 and Odyssey Neo G9 match up based on Samsung’s specs. The company claims a 0.1ms response time for the OLED G9, as well as a 240Hz refresh rate on both displays. On specs alone, you can’t go wrong with either.

However, there is more to the story than the specifications. The Odyssey OLED G9 uses an OLED panel, and OLED inherently has a very slow response time. A response time of 0.1 ms is not out of place. On the Odyssey Neo G9, the response time is likely to be longer.

We don’t yet know what type of panel the 2023 Odyssey Neo G9 uses, nor the official response time, but it probably uses a VA panel. This is what we most often see combined with mini-LED backlighting, and last year’s model used a VA panel. To achieve a low response time, Samsung will have to include a lot of overdrive.

Monitor overdrive reduces response time, but can display artifacts such as ghosting and corona. Samsung’s overdrive isn’t usually bad, as we’ve seen with monitors like the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8, but the artifacts are still present.

Both monitors are fast and have slow response times, but the Odyssey OLED G9 produces a slightly cleaner image based on our limited time with both displays. Still, it’s a bit cleaner and most people won’t notice the difference in response time between the two displays.

Characteristics

samsung

We still don’t know much about the features of these monitors. Both are likely to support Nvidia G-Sync and/or AMD FreeSync, but Samsung has yet to confirm compatibility. What we do know is that the Odyssey OLED 49 comes with Samsung’s Smart Hub and Gaming Hub.

These features let you use streaming apps like Netflix and YouTube, as well as cloud gaming apps like Xbox Game Pass and Nvidia GeForce Now, without a computer. They are built into the monitor, just like the television. And they work very well, at least based on the time spent with them using Samsung’s M8 smart monitor.

It is not clear if the Odyssey Neo G9 will also support these apps. Samsung hasn’t said either one or the other, so for now we’re assuming Samsung will stick with the plan it made last year and drop features. That’s quite a notch for the Odyssey OLED G9.