Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 G95NC

Do you need 57"? Samsung thinks so, giving you a "ground-breaking new visual experience".

It will be through a display that has both 1ms response time and 240Hz refresh rate, but now with Samsung's Quantum Matrix colour layer combined with 2,392 local miniLED zones and 12-bit colour reproduction (or at least in the black level). And why is that - well, it's because it's not OLED or any other fancy technology, but a classic VA panel. I thought they were completely phased out.


It also means that the screen's colour coverage is disappointingly only 95% DCI-P3. I guess that's what they mean by "DCI". Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to test the statement, because my guess is that we are lower than 95%, there is just some colour correctness missing. In everyday use this is not a problem, however, I would never edit a professional video with this monitor.


It's a monitor with a soft curve, 1000R, and a brightness of a whopping 420 NITS, which is 70-80% more than average. That may not sound like much, it's roughly half of what a TV can do, but you're typically less than a metre away. There is also HDR1000 - which means that 1000 NITS can be delivered in smaller areas at times. I never got to try it fully as my eyeballs needed sunscreen when watching HDR content at full brightness, so you quickly get tired of it.


The design is very futuristic, some will hate it, some will love it - but it definitely has a distinct style that screams "gaming" at the top of its lungs.


There's 7680x2160 pixel resolution, so more than 4K, but only in one direction. Samsung calls it "Dual UHD", and that's probably quite correct, as is Samsung's claim that it works as two 32" 4K screens next to each other. It also means that in addition to regular PIP, you actually have a PBP function that can be used for something. In addition to the auto-switch function between the active inputs, it is also possible to use the built-in KVM switch. 


In addition to the price of just under £2,200, it also requires a graphics card that can handle the resolution, and then there is a requirement for DisplayPort 2.1. This means that it is only possible to use the monitor with AMD's 7000 series, as even Nvidia's RTX 4090 runs on the old DP 1.4a standard. This also explains why the price doesn't include Nvidia G-Sync, but instead AMD Freesync Premium - no Nvidia cards support the full refresh rate and resolution of the monitor. Can it run anyway - yes - but it's not Samsung's intention, and we didn't have time to test, but you should be able to run it at a lower resolution and/or just 120Hz refresh rate, although the bandwidth limitation means that you should clearly have an AMD graphics card at the expensive end. Or, really, you need an RX 7900XTX. And nothing else. 


On the back, there is Core Lightning+, which is a large RGB light that mirrors the dominant colours on the screen. In my opinion, it destroys the whole idea of HDR in particular, and there is so much screen area and such high brightness that it is not something I find relevant. If you're happy with your TV that has the same function, you'll probably think it's fantastic.

They've opted out of speakers - thanks for that, no one should need them. There's no TV menu or anything else - again, a good choice, I've said yes to a PC monitor, not a TV. On the other hand, there is a classic joystick on the back, not exactly an optimal way to navigate the menus.

I'm a little puzzled by the ports: there are three HDMI ports, but only one DisplayPort, and they are located on the left, and if you, like me, have the computer on the right, it's quite a long way with both a DisplayPort and USB cable, and the one included is by no means long enough. The same is true for the power connector, which is on the right, but my power strip is on the left, meaning 1.5 metres of cable is nowhere near enough.

In practical terms, this monitor requires a pretty hefty power consumption, 300 watts in total, but perhaps more problematic is that the base it stands on is very overwhelming, with long legs and a weight of 19kg. This means that you need to realise that the setup might be best with a friend - because it's not easy. In addition, I don't think you should get your hopes up about finding an arm that can handle the high weight of over 15kg. Also, the screen gets hot, which is fine in the autumn and if it's a bit chilly where you are - but in the summer, I'm not sure a 300 Watt screen, possibly combined with direct sunlight, is optimal.


Then there's the picture quality and the whole "experience". It's a massive screen, and I'd agree with Samsung's marketing department that it's an extremely immersive experience as the image covers the entire field of view. Maybe the curve should have been 1200R instead? I can't quite figure that part out. Note that if you use the entire screen, it runs in 32:9 format, and while most do, it's not supported by all games, let alone films.

The brightness is extremely harsh, especially in a dark room. And while it's undoubtedly great, especially in MMOs and RPGs, to have menus and overviews far off to the sides, World of Warcraft and Fallout 76 being prime examples, there's also a lack of contrast. To my surprise, it was only 2500:1, something I might expect to find in a lower-end projector, but definitely not in a £2,000 gaming monitor. 



The VA panel has its limitations, miniLED or not. And here comes the crucial point. Even though Samsung has done their best, you can get significantly better black levels and colour reproduction with an OLED panel - here the paranoid gamer will just worry about permanent lines if you play the same game too much. I have my doubts, because I think VA is significantly inferior to IPS, which in turn is inferior to OLED, but the switch from IPS to this screen wasn't as bad as I feared, and you're mostly just captivated by the fact that it's not only good for gaming, but especially for games and films - but that last black level is missing for the price. 



When using FALD lighting, it is difficult to avoid blooming, i.e. one light zone bleeding into another, but I must also admit that this is something you have to specifically look for and not an obvious annoyance. On the other hand, text is extremely clear and concise.

It's a pretty solid overall experience, that's for sure, but better image quality is possible, and really, despite the price, you can only pull it off with an AMD 7900XTX if you want the full experience.