Whether you’re looking to upgrade from your 1080p monitor or shopping for the first time for your gaming PC setup, it can be quite difficult to find a model that’s going to check all the right boxes in your criteria. A high refresh rate usually means a lesser resolution of 1080p, sometimes the model you want is out of your budget, or you might have to settle with a smaller screen, or even a cheaper TN panel. Enter the Samsung Odyssey G7. This amazing gaming monitor voids all of these tradeoffs by running at 240Hz on a 32-inch curved 1440p VA panel. If you’d like to find out more, just keep scrolling to read our full review below.
Overview
The Samsung Odyssey G7 is without a doubt the best 1440p gaming monitor with native FreeSync compatibility on the market. It comes in three sizes: 27″, 28″, and 32″, so you may choose the one that best meets your gaming demands. Although all three sizes operate similarly, they all have the same native resolution. So you can expect the larger units to have lower pixel density and sharpness.
Its refresh rate is lightning fast, resulting in incredibly crisp motions; it’s also incredibly consistent, delivering nearly identical results at lower refresh rates, which is ideal for console gamers; and it has very little input lag, resulting in a very smooth gaming experience. This model supports variable refresh rate technology out of the box, but it’s also G-SYNC compatible, making it a versatile monitor.
While the high contrast ratio is excellent and makes this model perform well even in darker environments, it comes at the expense of limited viewing angles. When viewed from the side, this may cause images to appear washed out. This is something to keep in mind if you play a lot of co-op games.
On the plus side, it has a number of extra features, such as two USB 3.0 ports and a Picture-in-Picture mode that allows you to display data from two different input sources at once. Overall, this is an excellent gaming monitor that will appeal to both casual and hardcore gamers.
Features & Specifications
- Brand: Samsung
- Available Sizes: 27, 28, 32 inches.
- Dimensions: 7.37 x 27.96 x 17.29 inches
- Screen Size: 31.5 inches
- Screen Resolution: 2560 x 1440 pixels
- Max Refresh Rate: 240Hz
- Response Time: 1ms
- Variable Refresh Rate: FreeSync
- Pixel Type: VA
- Screen Surface: Curved
- Inputs: 2 DisplayPort 1.4, 1 HDMI 2.0, 2 USB 3.0, 1 Analog Audio Out 3.5mm
What’s In The Box
- Power brick and cable
- DisplayPort cable
- HDMI cable
- Cable management clip
- VESA-mount adapter
- Manuals
Check Out Samsung’s Preview Of The Odyssey G7 Below.
What We Love About The Samsung Odyssey G7
Design
In terms of looks and design, the Samsung Odyssey G7 certainly nailed it out of the park. It’s nothing new from Samsung and if you’ve been keeping up with their recent releases of monitors, this appears to sport a similar aesthetic. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth appreciating.
This model has almost frameless bezels with an extremely curved surface that just adds to the clean and sleek aesthetic while you can also see a two-legged stand that allows for height, tilt, and swivel adjustments as well as some front-facing LED lighting at the pivot point to protect you from any glare.
It also has a touch of lighting along with the bottom bezel, which gives it a bit more of a gamer vibe than other Samsung monitors you might come across. However, keep in mind that doesn’t have as many color options as your traditional RGB gear, and it won’t sync with your PC’s lighting, but it has enough colors for you to mix and match.
Aside from that, the style continues around the back with a variety of elegantly flowing lines that nicely highlight the curve of the panels. There isn’t a single straight edge insight. With its turbine-like texture, the pivot ring looks to be moving. The monitor looks super-clean if you attach the input cover and route your cables through the upright.
While the Odyssey G7 is definitely a good-looking piece of hardware, take note that this is also a pretty bulky product. So make sure that you have an ample amount of space on your desk to set this up. The two-legged stand takes up quite a bit of real estate so it’s best to keep this in mind too before buying this.
Performance
When it comes to its overall capabilities, the Samsung Odyssey G7 is as good as it gets in the 1440p market. The extreme curvature of the Odyssey G7 is a huge plus, not only for gaming but also for your everyday use. While the screen ratio might cover more of your peripheral vision, the perfect height of a 32-inch monitor will really draw you in and provide a more familiar shape for your daily duties.
Documents can be positioned in the center of the screen, with utilities to the sides to help you multitask easier. In a word processor, you may view the entire page, or have as many as 60 rows in a single spreadsheet. If you’re worried about image distortion of any kind, the G7 didn’t have any issues at all with that.
With most games, frame rates were adequate, and when combined with the quick panel response, motion and input latency were completely absent. Even if you sat 2 feet away, you won’t be able to see the pixel structure. The image details, such as textures, were improved by Samsung’s superb contrast and perfectly saturated color.
The HDR was also a unique experience. With efficient selective dimming, Samsung’s ultra-curved monitor performs admirably in HDR. It’s a wonderful monitor for playing games late at night in a dark room because it features a VA panel, which has deeper black levels than IPS displays. It did, however, fall short when it came to its contrast ratio. But because of the 600-nit peak brightness, blacks were deep and well-detailed.
Our Least Favorite Things
Viewing Angles
The viewing angles, like those of most VA panels, were not great, which can be a pain depending on how big your monitor is. Despite the extraordinarily deep curve, it was difficult to get the top and bottom of the screen to look the same on this 32-inch unit, and the sides never exactly aligned up.
However, if you’re only intending to use this monitor for your regular work chores or some casual gaming, this shouldn’t be an issue or a deal-breaker. If you play a lot of co-op games, though, you should look for a 1440p display with better viewing angles.
In A Nutshell
Pros
- Incredibly low input lag.
- Fast response times.
- Terrific contrast ratio, providing deep blacks.
- Picture quality is decent even for dark room gaming.
- Supports FreeSync and is GSYNC compatible as well.
Cons
- Viewing angles could be better, not the best for co-op gaming.
Our Final Verdict
Overall, the Samsung Odyssey G7 finds the sweet spot for gamers who are looking for the best gaming monitor they can get their hands on without having to settle for a lower 1080p resolution and at the same time, not having to break the bank by splurging on a 4K display with lower refresh rates.
This boasts a native 240Hz refresh rate, FreeSync support, while also being G-SYNC compatible. The response time at its maximum refresh rate and at 60Hz are both excellent, resulting in little to no blurring. Because of its restricted viewing angles, it’s not ideal for co-op gaming, although the picture quality does provide deep blacks, making this ideal for some darkroom gaming.
Have you already bought the Samsung Odyssey G7? Or are you still contemplating it? Was our review helpful? Let me know in the comments section below if you have any suggestions, insights, or questions to ask. I would love to hear all your thoughts!
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