Samsung’s latest Odyssey gaming monitors feature high resolutions and refresh rates of up to a massive 500Hz on a smaller 27-inch panel instead of 32 inches.

4K OLED gaming monitors used to be equipped with 32-inch panels, but Samsung’s latest Odysseys buck the trend by opting for smaller 27-inch panels. Samsung advertises the new Odyssey OLED G8 (model number G81SF) as the world’s first 27-inch 4K OLED gaming monitor, although Asus and MSI also announced similar monitors today. The claim is technically correct as both ASUS and MSI use OLED panels produced by Samsung Display.

Based on Samsung’s fourth-generation QD-OLED technology, the G81SF is a 4K monitor with a 3840×2160 pixel resolution, a response time of 0.03 milliseconds, and a sharpness of more than 160 pixels per inch for better text legibility and image clarity. It also sports an anti-glare coating and rear-core lighting with 52 color options.

Samsung’s press release doesn’t clarify whether the G81SF makes use of the DisplayPort 2.1a protocol for an increased bandwidth of 80Gbps required to run 4K at 240Hz without compression. We also don’t know if the new Odysseys support Dolby Vision and DisplayHDR True Black 400, two important HDR standards.

Yet another important piece of information missing from the press release is the warranty. The new MSI and Asus monitors are backed by a three-year warranty that includes protection from the burn-in effect. Hopefully, Samsung wil want to match that.

The company also unveiled a new Odyssey G6 monitor today (model number G60SF), which boosts the refresh rate to a whopping 500Hz. The G60SF also has a 27-inch OLED panel but uses a lower QHD resolution (2560×1440 pixels).

The company has refreshed its everyday monitors, too, with the new Smart Monitor M9 bringing a 4K OLED panel for the first time. OLED panels are very thin, so this change has enabled Samsung’s engineers to redesign Smart Monitor M9 with an ultraslim appearance.

Other features include a refresh rate of 165Hz and AI-powered features such as an image optimizer which detects whether you’re gaming, streaming video, or using productivity apps to automatically tune mentor settings for an optimal viewing experience.

The latest ViewFinity S8 is another new monitor from Samsung. Designed for the masses and productive work, it uses a 37-inch 4K LCD panel with a 16:9 aspect ratio.

The display has a peak brightness of 350 nits and covers 99 percent of the sRGB color gamut. The monitor supports 90W USB-C passthrough charging and has a built-in KVM switch.

Last but not least, Samsung said its Odyssey 3D monitor teased at last year’s CES and formally announced in August 2024 is finally shipping in 2025. This 27-inch 4K monitor uses a lenticular lens and a built-in stereo camera to track your eyes, adjusting the image in real-time to enhance depth perception. It has a 165Hz refresh rate, with Samsung boasting about “a rapid 1ms gray-to-gray response time.”

Unfortunately, the company hasn’t announced release dates or pricing yet for any of these products. For further information, keep an eye on the official Samsung website.

Source: Samsung