Samsung's first OLED gaming monitor expected to launch later this year

Something to look forward to: Samsung has made their mark in the gaming monitor market in recent years, with many popular models such as the 1080p Odyssey G5, the 1440p Odyssey G7, and the super-ultrawide Odyssey Neo G9. These monitors, as well as many others, have shown to be big hits with consumers, and Samsung hopes to reel in another audience with their upcoming Odyssey OLED G8.

We've been hearing about multiple display manufacturers' plans to release new OLED monitors in the coming year. Samsung has decided to throw their hat into the mix with the announcement of their first gaming monitor featuring a QD-OLED display, set to release in Q4 2022.

The Odyssey OLED G8 follows a recent trend of ultrawide QD-OLEDs as first seen on Alienware's AW3423DW. Manufacturers believe consumers get the 'best of both worlds' with the additional screen real estate of an ultrawide and the perfect colors, contrast, and low response times of an OLED.

The Odyssey G8's display sports a 3440x1440 resolution and an 1800R curve, supports up to a 175Hz refresh rate with a response time of 0.1ms. It also boasts of FreeSync Premium support. The monitor's chassis is notably slim, with Samsung claiming the monitor gets as thin as 3.9mm at the thinnest point of the frame.

Possibly due to this design direction, Samsung had to resort to smaller input ports, as the Odyssey OLED G8 includes Micro HDMI 2.1, Mini DisplayPort 1.3, and a USB-C port. The monitor is also packing stereo 5W speakers, along with their "Core Lighting+" on the back of the monitor.

The Odyssey G8 is also able to connect to Samsung's Smart Hub and Gaming Hub, allowing users to stream video content, stream video games, or even just browse the internet. A gaming monitor intended to be used with a PC having these smart features may seem rather redundant, but some users may end up finding use of the cloud/streaming features.

Samsung has confirmed that the Odyssey OLED G8 is planned to launch globally in Q4 2022, though no firm release date has been disclosed. It's likely the monitor's release will vary by region, but we expect to hear more when the product is unveiled live at the IFA 2022 show on September 2.