Samsung Odyssey G80SH review: A great-looking 4K OLED that’s easy to like | usagoldmines.com

At a glance

Expert’s Rating

Pros

• 4K OLED with excellent picture quality
• Impressive anti-glare protection
• Elegant design

Cons

• Plastic-feeling build and wobbly mount
• Limited customization options

Our Verdict

Samsung’s latest OLED monitors finally make its lineup worth a closer look, with prices that are much easier to justify.

Price at time of review

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Best Prices Today: Samsung Odyssey G8 G80SH 27”

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$919.70

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$929.99

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$949.99

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$989.52

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$1099.99

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When I tested OLED monitors last spring, I didn’t include any of Samsung’s monitors. Their Odyssey monitors are primarily aimed at gamers, and at the time, the new models I was interested in were too expensive for me to consider.

So when Samsung got in touch in late summer and asked if I’d like to test one of their monitors, I thought it was a good opportunity to try out the Odyssey G8 G80SH.

Samsung Odyssey G80SH: Perfect for editing work

This monitor is available in 27- and 32-inch sizes–I tested the smaller one. By no means is it means inferior, though. It delivers 4K resolution from a high-quality QD-OLED panel with perfect contrast, a color gamut covering 99 percent of the DCI-P3 standard, and Pantone validation for professional-grade color accuracy, including additional Pantone validation for skin tones.

This makes it excellent for creative editing work. The 4K resolution also provides plenty of workspace, allowing you to keep a broad overview of complex projects and toolboxes.

Samsung Odyssey G80SH: More guidance and options for gaming

But Samsung does a good job of hiding this, thanks to the Odyssey series’ gaming focus. Almost everything in the settings menus and documentation relates to features and settings for optimizing the experience for gaming.

Mattias Inghe

You get pre-set profiles tailored for RPGs, RTS, FPS, and sports, as well as the more general Entertainment, Eco, and Original profiles. Most of these have a slightly cool white balance.

There’s a Graphics option that offers more neutrally balanced colors. Unfortunately, it’s not clear whether this is what delivers Pantone-accurate colors, but I’d guess that’s probably the case. In any event, it looks excellent with the test photos and videos I’ve shown.

You don’t get a great deal of control over the image detail, and the compact interface doesn’t exactly make it easy. However, it’s controlled via a four-way button on the back, so it’s not entirely impossible to navigate. You can also download the Samsung Display Manager app and access exactly the same settings on your computer.

Samsung Odyssey G80SH: A matte finish on an OLED screen?

For media, the screen is very pleasant, with its rich colors, sharp contrast, spot-on dynamic range, and good HDR support, delivering both high brightness peaks, pitch-black blacks, and fine nuances in light and dark areas.

What really sets it apart from other OLED screens I’ve tested is its semi-matte finish, which does an excellent job of diffusing the reflections that glossy screens suffer from. It’s the same solution used in Samsung’s recent OLED TVs, and it has the same pros and cons. Mostly pros, with reflections almost completely eliminated. The slight drawback is that if you’re sitting in a room that’s too bright, you’ll never get that true black in the dark parts of the picture that OLED is known for.

Mattias Inghe

When the monitor is connected, it becomes my computer’s primary audio source. However, I choose to disable this, as there are no built-in speakers–just a headphone jack that doesn’t sound particularly great. Things are better when it comes to video inputs: dual HDMI 2.1, a large DisplayPort, and a USB-C port with DisplayPort Alt Mode and 98 watts of power, perfect for plugging a laptop into.

Samsung Odyssey G80SH: It updates quickly and syncs correctly

That way, you’ll also get USB data through that port and can use the monitor’s two USB-A ports for a mouse and keyboard, for example. Unfortunately, that’s the only USB port, so you won’t get any KVM functionality. On the other hand, this isn’t a monitor you’d use for office work. You’ll probably only be running one computer at a time.

Like most high-end OLED monitors, it’s great for gaming too. After all, that’s what it’s primarily marketed for. A 240 Hz refresh rate at 4K, a response time as low as 0.03 ms, and support for both G-Sync and FreeSync Premium Pro–not much to complain about there.

Mattias Inghe

There are also a few small extra features for gamers, such as a virtual crosshair in the center of the screen and the option to control adaptive sync. It should also be able to upscale low-resolution video signals to 4K. I’ve never been able to activate this, no matter what settings I use on my computer or connecting to other video sources. The option is there, but it’s greyed out.

Samsung Odyssey G80SH: There’s light effects on the back

On the back of the otherwise understated monitor, there’s also a ring of RGB LEDs that you can set to any color, as well as various lighting effects. You can also switch it off completely if you prefer a more subdued environment. The monitor’s design is really elegant, with slim bezels and a grey back panel with a matching grey stand.

However, I only really enjoy admiring the build from a distance. When I need to grip it to adjust the height or position, I’m quickly reminded of just how flimsy it feels. The height-adjustment mechanism feels painfully stiff, requiring a bit of effort. Pivoting it to portrait mode is the exact opposite–it’s too unstable. It doesn’t take much for the screen to end up at an angle, like a picture frame that constantly needs straightening.

Mattias Inghe

Should you buy it?

The Odyssey G8 is a very capable monitor that delivers excellent image quality and plenty of workspace. I’d like to see a better stand, and the lack of built-in speakers is a bummer.

That said, for the right price (if it goes on sale for about $700, for example), it’s an attractive all-rounder. At full price, its shortcomings are harder to overlook.