Samsung announced their Odyssey OLED 34″ G8 ultrawide curved gaming display featuring QD-OLED tech in August 2022. It looks to be an awesome unit. Problem is, pretty much the same monitor has been around for nearly a year.
The specs for the G8 certainly paint a pretty picture – the 34″ curved QD-OLED monitor features 3440 x 1440 resolution, with a 21:9 aspect ratio and a 175Hz refresh rate. It also has 65W of USB power delivery, and has earned VESA’s DisplayHDR True Black 400 certification.
But this is a familiar story if you’re keeping up with gaming monitor technology. Indeed, launched nearly a year ago, the Alienware 34-inch QD-OLED has the same specs – and at US$1000 it’s US$500 cheaper than Samsung’s monitor.
Still, the extra Samsung are charging for the Odyssey G8 brings the addition of Samsung’s Smart TV platform, which includes Samsung GameHub, as well as USB-C power delivery.
For added boost, the Odyssey G8 also brings Samsung’s Neo Quantum Processor to the table. This processor helps Samsung remain a force on the list of best QLED TVs, as it provides added contrast, colour and sharpening processing that isn’t available on the Alienware unit.
What seems a bone of contention, though, is if Samsung are using a different panel, as the Alienware 34 QD-OLED already uses a Samsung display screen.
Meanwhile, the Neo Quantum processor may be enough to keep the Odyssey alive for now, despite the higher admission price. There’s also a 0.03ms response time thanks to the panel, as well as FreeSync Premium Pro certification.
Samsung have also announced another iteration due later this year – the 49″ Odyssey OLED G9, with a 32:9 screen, a QD-OLED panel with a 340Hz refresh rate.