The Samsung LS49CG932SNXZA (Odyssey G93SC) is a dream monitor that demands attention in the age when OLED monitors are getting more popular. It combines OLED technology with a sprawling 49-inch ultrawide panel for maximum comfort. Getting this dream monitor isn’t cheap at over $1000 (though you can often find it on sale), but Samsung makes the investment worthwhile with smart design decisions and a horde of extra features.
According to Samsung, the Odyssey G93SC is the world’s first 49-inch OLED gaming monitor, with a 1,800R curvature that helps immerse you into whatever games you’re playing, while the 240Hz refresh rate and 0.03ms response time promises a smooth and lag-free gaming experience. For multitaskers, the expansive display provides plenty of room to keep multiple open windows and be more productive.
The result is a huge, luxurious gaming monitor with lavish color and is easily one of the best gaming monitors we’ve reviewed to date. Like its predecessor, the new Odyssey G93SC is an expensive luxury monitor that delivers on image quality and design.
Design
The Odyssey G93SC OLED is an expansive 49-inch curved display. You’ll need enough space on your space, and you might need to sit about four and a half feet away from the display so that you can see everything clearly when gaming. You’ll also need a deep desk so that you can pull the monitor back as far as needed. But even at a distance, the 1,800R curvature helps you feel immersed in whatever you’ll be playing.
Surprisingly, while the screen is certainly wide, the monitor gets a sturdy stand that doesn’t take up much space on a desk. The base is flat, giving you a place for items like a phone or anything on it if you want. At 27.8 pounds, you’re going to find a good spot for the monitor on your desk where you never have to move it often.
The monitor sports a silver metal chassis on the back that gives it a futuristic look. And being a gaming monitor, it comes complete with RGB lighting surrounding the monitor on the back. You can configure the RGB lighting to resonate with what’s happening on the display, the same way you’d configure the RGB LEDs on a gaming PC such as the Alienware Aurora R14. The panel is also very thin at only 4.5 millimeters.
The Odyssey G93SC has a generous number of ports, including one DisplayPort, two HDMI ports, a Micro HDMI port, and a USB hub. All ports are located behind the monitors and are easily accessible, with good cable management behind the stand.
Display
The Odyssey OLED’s 49-inch display boasts a 5,120 x 1,440 resolution with a 1,800R curvature that does a good job immersing you into games. You can run modern titles like Doom Eternal and Forza Horizon 5 and each of them gives a good feel for what the monitor is capable of.
With a 32:9 aspect ratio, you’re able to run most games like Call of Duty: Warzone at native resolutions. With such a wide field of view, it’s easier to see enemies trying to sneak up on you; you’ll especially be impressed by the experience of playing Forza Horizon 5 since the monitor phenomenally captures the Mexican desert landscape.
Doom Eternal is one other title that best utilizes the display. Its vibrant, oversaturated colors make the strange environments feel even more true to life. Thanks to the wide viewing angles, not only do you see the surroundings, but you never get surprised by the enemies, Doom Eternal is a great game on its own, but it’s even better on the Samsung Odyssey G93SC and, of course, a powerful gaming PC.
Gaming and Productivity
As a productivity monitor, the OLED G9 offers an ideal1,800R curvature which is enough to bring content at the sides of the screen comfortably into view but not enough to distort any geometric gridlines. Spreadsheets look a whole lot better when too much width is available; it’s easy to line up to three or four documents and work them together. Comparing different versions of the same file is much easier.
Color and contrast are crisp in graphics and text work. Small fonts are clear and clean, with strong contrast from the background. As ever, OLED contrast makes everything sharper and easier to read web pages and emails.
Gaming is elevated to another level compared to other gaming monitors. The 32:9 aspect ratio, 0.03ms response rate, and 240Hz refresh rate are part of that equation with its unique VR-style viewpoint of the action. You’ll experience a more immersive virtual environment than the real world, which takes some time getting used to.
The monitor’s feel and responsiveness during play are as good as the best gaming monitors I’ve reviewed, including 360 and 500 Hz models. OLED motion is super smooth and fluid that you’ll never experience but fine detail doesn’t lag as you move more quickly. And, with low input lag, the OLED G9 is well suited for competitive games. The 240Hz refresh rate balances subtly with its DQHD resolution to provide a high frame since it has a lower pixel count than Ultra HD screens: 7.4 megapixels versus 8.3.
HDR games like Doom Eternal and Call of Duty WWII look sensational with deep contrast and excellent color saturation. While the OLED G9 doesn’t get as bright as a Mini LED panel, its black levels more than offset that deficiency. The result is impeccable image quality with great visuals, moving and static.
Beyond image quality, the OLED G9 gets excellent sound quality. The built-in speakers albeit small, pump out more volume than expected with no audible distortion. There’s reasonable bass, which is rare for integrated panel speakers. The surround effect is satisfying if you sit close to the screen, and it’s equally sweet if you sit about three feet away from the bull’s eye. Watching movies works well and I appreciate the fact that the G9 retains the correct aspect ratio rather than stretching the image to fit the entire screen.
Samsung LS49CG932SNXZA Review: Verdict
The Samsung LS49CG932SNXZA is an OLED monitor that delivers a dream entertainment experience. Gamers will easily fall in love with this monitor: It has the color and contrast needed to deliver a sense of realism and depth, the sharpness required to provide the finest detail, and the fast motion clarity for fluid and responsive gameplay.
Then there are some unexpected extras at this price point. The monitor looks elegant and has a compact, functional display stand. And while there are plenty of reasons to recommend the OLED G9, it’s not perfect. The menus are a bit slow, and the OLED panel’s brightness cap and relative lack of brightness can reduce image quality in day-to-day productivity tasks as well as bright HDR content.
Samsung’s initial price tag makes those flaws a little bearable and since the monitor can be had on sale, it’s a much more bearable proposition. The Samsung LS49CG932SNXZA is as close to gaming perfection as any monitor I’ve reviewed, defeating even Samsung’s previous winner, the Odyssey Neo G9.
Overall, the Samsung LS49CG932SNXZA is an ideal gaming monitor for those who like playing games with an ultra-wide aspect ratio, or for folks who would like to switch their dual-monitor setups for a single monitor. And, the OLED G9 is worth its premium price for those who want an ultra-large gaming monitor.
Our Pick
Alienware AW3423DW Curved Gaming Monitor 34.18 inch Quantom Dot-OLED 1800R Display, 3440x1440 Pixels at 175Hz, True 0.1ms Gray-to-Gray, 1M:1 Contrast Ratio, 1.07 Billions Colors - Lunar Light
15 used from $636.19
