Samsung Odyssey OLED G8/G85SB S34BG85 Monitor Review

This monitor has a premium design, and it's made of black and silver plastic, with a slightly curved screen that helps bring its edges within your field of view. It also has RGB lighting on the back, and vents at the bottom.

The build quality is excellent. The plastic materials feel premium, and the stand is solid, but it doesn't prevent all wobble, as the screen wobbles if it's on an unstable desk. The one downside is that the bottom of the screen curves upward, but it's barely noticeable and doesn't impact performance.

The Samsung G8 OLED offers limited ergonomics adjustments, making it hard to place it in an ideal position. It has an opening in the back of the stand for cable management. It hides the cables well, and you don't see them from the front.

The Samsung G8 comes with Tizen OS built-in, and you can change the settings with the included remote. There's a switch underneath the screen that allows you to mute the remote's microphone control and a power button on the back of the monitor.

• Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable
• Power supply and cable
• Remote
• VESA-mount adapter
• User guides

The Samsung Odyssey G8 has a near-infinite contrast ratio, thanks to its OLED panel, which translates to deep and inky blacks next to bright highlights in dark rooms. However, blacks look purple in a bright room when there's light directly on the screen because it doesn't have a polarizer layer.

The Samsung G85SB doesn't have a backlight, so it doesn't require a local dimming feature. However, with a near-infinite contrast ratio, there isn't any blooming around bright objects, and it's the equivalent of a perfect local dimming feature. We still film these videos on the monitor so you can see how the screen performs and compare it with a monitor that has local dimming.

The Samsung Odyssey G8 has okay SDR brightness. It isn't bright enough to fight intense glare, but it at least maintains its brightness consistent across different content. Unfortunately, its minimum brightness is a bit high if you want to use the monitor in the dark and are sensitive to bright lights.

These results are from after calibration in the 'Custom' Picture Mode with Game Mode enabled. After updating it to firmware 1520, which Samsung released in Aug. 2023, you can no longer enable the Peak Brightness setting in SDR, but you could do so before the update. The monitor got much brighter with it on, reaching a Real Scene brightness of 331 cd/m². That said, you can still enable it in HDR, which is useful if you need to use it in a well-lit room.

The Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 has reasonable HDR brightness. It gets bright enough to make small highlights stand out against dark backgrounds, but larger highlights aren't as bright due to its Automatic Brightness Limiter (ABL). This is most noticeable when minimizing and maximizing windows on the desktop, as you can see the brightness changing, but it isn't as distracting when watching content or playing games.

These results are with an HDMI connection using the settings below. Although we tested it with firmware 1421, it performs similarly with firmware 1442, which was released in Feb. 2023.

• Game Mode: On
• Picture Mode: Custom
• Brightness: 50
• Peak Brightness: On
• Game HDR: Off
• HDR10+ Gaming: Advanced

The HDR Real Scene brightness test is done using an HDFury Vertex Linker connected to a Blu-ray player over HDMI, but the screen doesn't get as bright using the same settings on the desktop in Windows HDR. However, it reaches a brightness of 885 cd/m² in Destiny 2 with Peak Brightness and HDR10+ Gaming both off and Game HDR on. Try using these settings if you find the screen too dim in Windows HDR.

Some users have reported that the brightness is limited over DisplayPort after firmware update 1622, but we can't currently test HDR brightness over DisplayPort due to equipment limitations to confirm that. If you find your monitor too dim, try connecting over HDMI.

The brightness results are also the same with an AMD or NVIDIA graphics card. However, you are locked out of certain settings when using an AMD graphics card with VRR on, like Game HDR. The screen is dimmer because of this, as we measured a brightness of 274 cd/m² in the 2% window in Windows HDR and 385 cd/m² in Destiny 2. If you're using an AMD graphics card and want the brightest image possible, you may have to disable VRR.

The Peak Brightness setting helps maximize the brightness of the display and makes the ABL less aggressive. You can see the results with it off below:

As for the EOTF, it follows the target curve well until there's a slow roll-off at the peak brightness, so it tone maps before your computer does. It performs the same whether you have HDR10+ Gaming set to 'Basic' or 'Advanced.' There's also a separate setting called Game HDR that boosts the EOTF when enabled, as you can see here, but it doesn't change the brightness of the display.

The EOTF performs similarly if you disable Peak Brightness and HDR10+ Gaming, but leave Game HDR on, as you can see here. There's a sharper roll-off at the peak brightness, so it lets highlights get the brightest they can, but the peak brightness of the display is lower, with the 2% window reaching 452 cd/m² and the 100% window reaching 285 cd/m². Additionally, the EOTF is darker if you disable both HDR10+ Gaming and Game HDR as you can see here.

The monitor has a fantastic horizontal viewing angle. This means that someone sitting next to you sees the same image as from in front.

The vertical viewing angle is outstanding. The image remains consistent if you're standing up and looking down at the screen.

The gray uniformity is amazing. There's no dirty screen effect, so web content, slow panning shots, and sports look good. However, like any OLED panel, there are thin vertical lines with near-blacks, but it isn't noticeable with most content. You can see more examples of this with the Dell Alienware AW3423DW review here.

Thanks to its OLED panel, the Samsung Odyssey G8 has exceptional black uniformity, so there's no blooming around bright objects.

The accuracy is great before calibration. Setting the Color Space setting to 'Auto' instead of its default of 'Native' locks the colors to the sRGB color space, and you can still change other settings as you wish. The colors are accurate, and even though the color temperature is slightly on the cooler side, it's still close to the 6500K target, but the white balance is off. Also, the gamma curve doesn't follow the target curve well, as most scenes as brighter than intended.

The accuracy after calibration is excellent. While the white balance, color temperature, and gamma curve have improved, the gamut area is worse as some colors are slightly oversaturated.

The Samsung OLED G8 has a superb SDR color gamut. It has full coverage of the sRGB color space and covers the Adobe RGB color space remarkably well. However, there are some inaccuracies with reds and greens in that color space, which is an issue if you edit photos in Adobe RGB.

The HDR color gamut is fantastic. Its coverage of the DCI-P3 color space used in most HDR content is close to perfect. It also has alright coverage of the wider Rec. 2020 color space, but some colors, like white, are inaccurate.

The HDR color volume is amazing. One of the advantages of using a QD-OLED panel is that it displays a wider range of colors at higher luminance levels than traditional WOLEDs like the LG 27GS95QE-B. This means that it displays colors as bright as pure white.

The Samsung OLED G8 has decent text clarity, but it displays the same issues as other QD-OLED monitors, like the Dell Alienware AW3423DW and Dell Alienware AW3423DWF, due to its triangular RGB subpixel structure. This results in color fringing around some text and at the top and bottom of windows. If you have multiple windows open, you can see a thin green line at the top of every window and a thin red line at the bottom. You can see an example of the color fringing around text from the AW3423DW here. You can see more examples of pixel photos from the AW3423DW here, as it uses the same panel.

While the text clarity isn't as good as other 34-inch, 3440x1440 displays with a typical RGB subpixel structure, text is still easy to read, and it's a personal preference whether this bothers you or not. Although enabling Windows ClearType (top photo) doesn't improve the text clarity, there are also workarounds to this, like using the free utility Better ClearType Tuner, which improves text clarity significantly. This is what it looks like with Better ClearType Tuner with the Contrast at '1000', as you can see here, and with it off here. The photos above are in Windows 10, and you can also see them in Windows 11 with ClearType on and ClearType off.

If you want to learn more about the text clarity, you can read our writer's and tester's subjective opinions here from the Dell Alienware AW3423DW review.

The Samsung G8 handles reflection superbly well. Unlike other glossy screens, there aren't any distracting reflections from strong light sources. However, QD-OLED panels lack a polarizing layer, causing blacks to have a purple tint in bright rooms. This means you don't benefit from the OLED panel's near-infinite contrast ratio if there's a light directly on the screen, and this is a common issue with QD-OLEDs. You can see examples of what this looks like in a bright room with the Dell Alienware AW3423DW review here.

The Samsung G8 OLED has superb gradient handling, and you won't notice any banding.

We experienced issues using an HDMI to Micro HDMI adapter with 10-bit signals as the signal drops at times before coming back. You can fix this by dropping the signal to 8-bit. If you prefer an ultrawide OLED monitor with an even higher 240Hz refresh rate, consider the LG 45GR95QE-B.

On top of supporting FreeSync VRR and G-SYNC compatibility, this monitor also supports HDMI Forum VRR.

The Samsung Odyssey G85SB has outstanding motion handling across its entire refresh rate range with VRR enabled. CAD remains low throughout, and there's minimal blur with fast-moving objects.

The refresh rate compliance is outstanding. Its near-instantaneous response time is fast enough to make full-color transitions before drawing the next frame.

The CAD at the maximum refresh rate is outstanding. It displays fast-moving objects as intended, and motion is extremely sharp.

The CAD at 120Hz is outstanding. Pixels transition to their target RGB level almost instantly, so there isn't any blur trail or noticeable inverse ghosting.

The CAD at 60Hz is outstanding. Pixels transition colors almost perfectly, and any noticeable blur is persistence.

The Samsung G85SB has an optional backlight strobing feature to reduce persistence blur. However, it's very limited, as you need to have the input label from the monitor's OSD set to 'Game Console' with a 4k @ 60Hz signal, with VRR and Game Mode disabled, which also causes the input lag to increase. Using it with these settings also causes the image to stretch out if you keep the default aspect ratio 21:9, as you can see here. To get a proper image, you need to change the aspect ratio in the OSD menu to 16:9, but you'll get black bars on the sides.

This monitor has noticeable VRR flicker with changing frame rates, and it's especially visible in dark scenes and dark shadows of bright scenes. This can be distracting while gaming, but it's common with most OLEDs, and it isn't as much of an issue with consistent frame rates.

The backlight isn't technically flicker-free because it has a slight dip in brightness that corresponds to the 175Hz refresh rate. However, it isn't considered pulse-width modulation like on LED-backlit monitors because it isn't a full-screen on-and-off flicker, and you won't notice it.

The Samsung G8 OLED has low input lag. This means you'll have a responsive gaming experience and won't notice any delay. The results are with the following settings:

• Input Label: PC
• Game Mode: On
• Picture Mode: Custom
• VRR: Off
• Firmware: 1442

The input lag is much higher with the original firmware, 1421, so try updating the firmware if you feel any delay.

The monitor works well with the PS5, but there are some quirks. You need to turn off Game Mode for 4k @ 60Hz to work, which increases the input lag, and despite the HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, it doesn't support 4k @ 120Hz at all. As the monitor has a Micro HDMI port, you need an adapter or an HDMI to Micro HDMI cable to connect the PS5. Lastly, the console doesn't support ultrawide gaming, so you'll see black bars on the sides. Although the monitor doesn't have an audio output to connect external speakers with the console, it at least has built-in speakers.

There are some limitations to the compatibility with the Xbox Series X|S on the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 G85SB. You need to disable VRR for 4k @ 60Hz to work, and because the Xbox only supports HDR in 4k, you can't get HDR and VRR at the same time with any signal, as you can see here. Despite the HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, it doesn't support 4k @ 120Hz at all, and because of the Micro HDMI port, you need an adapter or an HDMI to Micro HDMI cable to connect the Xbox to it. Lastly, the console doesn't support ultrawide gaming, so you'll see black bars on the sides. Although the monitor doesn't have an audio output to connect external speakers with the console, it at least has built-in speakers.

One of the USB-C ports supports DisplayPort Alt Mode with 65W of power delivery, which is the port you have to use if you want to connect a laptop and display an image via USB-C. The other USB-C port is limited to 10W of power as it's meant to connect your small devices, like a keyboard or mouse. You need to set USB Source Setup to 'USB-C' for the passthrough to work between the two USB-C ports.

The Samsung G8 works well with macOS. VRR works within the range of 48Hz-120Hz. HDR gaming looks good, but colors look better in SDR for general desktop usage, as the aggressive ABL causes large areas to be dim in HDR. If you're using a MacBook, windows return to their normal position after waking the laptop from sleep or when opening the lid. You can also use an external mouse and keyboard while your laptop is closed.

The Samsung OLED G85SB comes with Samsung's proprietary Tizen smart platform built-in, offering many features similar to a Samsung smart TV. You can access applications like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or Disney+ without a computer. You can read more about all its features in the Smart Features section of the Samsung QN90B QLED TV review.

The monitor has other gamer-oriented features, including:

• Core Lighting: Controls the RGB lighting at the back of the monitor.
• Game HDR: Helps increase the perceived brightness of the image in HDR.
• Game Mode: Gives the lowest input lag possible.
• HDR10+ Gaming (HDR Tone Mapping): Adjusts the colors in HDR to match the creator's intent.
• Virtual Aim Point: Inserts a virtual crosshair that your PC won't detect.
• Panel Care: Features to reduce the risk of burn-in associated with OLEDs:
  • Pixel Refresh: Allows you to run a complete pixel refresh cycle, which takes about an hour. You have to run it manually, but the system displays reminders.
  • Pixel Shift: This feature moves the entire image a few pixels to one side and gradually shifts it in a different direction over time. This helps reduce the effects of burn-in from very small elements, like fine lines in a game HUD.
  • Adjust Logo Brightness: Automatically dims the area around a logo when it detects one on the screen.

In North America, Samsung has a one-year warranty, but it doesn't cover burn-in. However, the length of the warranty and its specifications can change between different regions and countries.