Samsung 34" Odyssey OLED G8 (G85SD) Ultra-WQHD 175Hz 0.03ms Curved Gaming Monitor(LS34DG856SNXZA)

This is probably the most beautiful display I have ever had the pleasure to soak my eyes in, colors pop, the 175hz refresh rate keeps things super smooth, the ultra-wide aspect ratio lets you see so much more in games that properly support it, surprisingly good sound quality from the built in speakers made me put away my soundbar. But for all the amazing things I can say about the quality of image and its amazingly adequate inbuilt speakers. It's sadly not a flawless experience.Running on this gorgeous monitor is Samsungs Tizen Smart TV software, this in it'self isn't terrible, but whatever processor is running it could be a little stronger, It feels like it's just shy of what it should be, and that leads to a less than smooth UI that when you first set it up ... MoreThis is probably the most beautiful display I have ever had the pleasure to soak my eyes in, colors pop, the 175hz refresh rate keeps things super smooth, the ultra-wide aspect ratio lets you see so much more in games that properly support it, surprisingly good sound quality from the built in speakers made me put away my soundbar. But for all the amazing things I can say about the quality of image and its amazingly adequate inbuilt speakers. It's sadly not a flawless experience.Running on this gorgeous monitor is Samsungs Tizen Smart TV software, this in it'self isn't terrible, but whatever processor is running it could be a little stronger, It feels like it's just shy of what it should be, and that leads to a less than smooth UI that when you first set it up defaults to start playing whatever is on Samsungs free TV service while you're trying to go through the Settings Menu. I had to mute it so I could figure out how to change inputs so I could actually use my computer, and as there is no clear and clean 'input' option to just switch what input your displaying from it can lead to frustrating situations. As an example, after assembling the stand and getting everything plugged in, I didn't notice that I failed to fully inset the Display port cable into the GPU of my desktop, on just about any other monitor, I would have been able to cleanly set the monitor to the appropriate input, seen a 'no signal' message, and immediately check my connections. However, in the infinite wisdom of the software designers, Tizen just does not display an input if it doesn't have a known connection. So my unseated connected had me running through menus and settings, and the online manual for thirty minutes trying to figure out where in the world the Input selection menu was. Finally growing a fragment of brain, I did go over my cables and found the unseated cable, and like magic a PC option showed up in the 'connected devices' tab, that before had random things like remote setup, and samsung smart-things. And in no way indicated that this was where input selection would be.So I am embarrassed to say Smart TVs are smart enough to make me feel dumb, and dumb enough to not have smart layouts.There's a cool feature in the Smart TV side where you can setup workspaces, and have multiple "screens" by dividing up the screen space between multiple apps. And that's cool, but nowhere near as useful as it could be, because for whatever reason you can only actually select one Input device and there is no proper Picture in Picture or side by side using multiple inputs, just between say your input device like a PC or game console, and one of the onboard apps, like the web browser or youtube, or Microsoft 365. I saw some reviews on older samsung monitors that run on tizen, and it was a feature that reviewers I saw really wanted, and I hoped we would get it here. Samsung if your listening, Please, It's an Ultrawide, there's space for it.I'm not a huge fan of game streaming from online services, because it is way to connection dependant and any flaw or hiccup in the signal destroys the experience, but there's a game streaming mode directly on the monitor, so you can just shutdown the computer and stream xbox game pass, Amazon Luna game streaming, Nvidia GeForce Now etc. I would be stoked if they added Steam Link or Parsec to the list of compatible streaming services, as you can connect a mouse and keyboard to the monitor's hub and use them in the monitors OS, and it supports remote PC access in it's other connections, so something more gaming focused in the same vein would be nice.Overall, ignoring the issues with modern smart TVs, Build quality is great, display clarity and color are amazing. There's some neat features that make this a nice bit of kit Beyond just being a display, but Tizen is still a bit of a mess.

This is a very nice monitor. This is my first curved ultra wide monitor, and I actually like it more than I thought I would. The curve isn't too extreme, and I think it works well with the width of the monitor.It is a "smart" monitor; meaning it comes with Samsungs full Smart experience, with the ability to download apps from Samsungs app store, and comes preloaded with so many apps it almost feels like bloat. But, helpfully it has a Game section where you can pair devices (controllers, keyboards, mice) and launch streaming services such as Xbox Game Pass, Amazon Luna, GeForce Now, and others.Some of its device integration features work only with other Samsung Galaxy devices, which I don't have. So, some of it seems kind of neat, though probably mostly ... MoreThis is a very nice monitor. This is my first curved ultra wide monitor, and I actually like it more than I thought I would. The curve isn't too extreme, and I think it works well with the width of the monitor.It is a "smart" monitor; meaning it comes with Samsungs full Smart experience, with the ability to download apps from Samsungs app store, and comes preloaded with so many apps it almost feels like bloat. But, helpfully it has a Game section where you can pair devices (controllers, keyboards, mice) and launch streaming services such as Xbox Game Pass, Amazon Luna, GeForce Now, and others.Some of its device integration features work only with other Samsung Galaxy devices, which I don't have. So, some of it seems kind of neat, though probably mostly gimmicky.I did have to fiddle with the monitor picture settings and game video settings to get visuals the way I liked. In Horizon 5, it seemed like the whites were getting super washed out, so I just turned off all HDR settings and it seemed to look better. Also, if you are using the monitors built-in sound, which actually isn't terrible, if you have Intelligent Sound turned on, it changes the sound depending on picture mode, which didn't make sense.And I guess while I'm on the subject of fiddling, setting up the monitor requires fiddling. I expect to be able to turn on a monitor and just use it. Samsung wants you to jump through a series of setup hoops and log in to your Samsung account, and setup your TV service provide and all this nonsense.So, all of this fiddling, and different modes, and all these apps and connected stuff... for a gaming monitor feels a bit over the top.The monitor does have some LEDs around the mount on the back which is pretty cool. They're hard to see though unless the monitor is backed against a light-colored wall. Otherwise it's just doing a light dance for whatever is behind the monitor, and not you. The light can be turned off though.As with many OLEDs, I do wish it could get a little bit brighter. The high refresh rate is really nice though, and the colors are nice.

Samsung Odyssey G8(G85SD)- What’s in the box-Ultra high speed HDMI cableDisplay port cableUsb A to B cableSolar powered remoteMonitor and power cord-First Impressions-Upon unboxing the G8 I was pleasantly surprised how intuitive the set-up process was from packaging to staging. Assembling the stand was the easiest I’ve ever experienced and could be done without any extra help. Albeit, a bit on the hefty side, weighing nearly seventeen pounds. As expected, Samsung stuck to their guns with their signature silver color option. I believe it integrates seamlessly with most desk aesthetics, though that’s subjective. The singular median stand is also the perfect way to support the monitor while not taking up much room. As most of us know, desk real-estate is very ... MoreSamsung Odyssey G8(G85SD)- What’s in the box-Ultra high speed HDMI cableDisplay port cableUsb A to B cableSolar powered remoteMonitor and power cord-First Impressions-Upon unboxing the G8 I was pleasantly surprised how intuitive the set-up process was from packaging to staging. Assembling the stand was the easiest I’ve ever experienced and could be done without any extra help. Albeit, a bit on the hefty side, weighing nearly seventeen pounds. As expected, Samsung stuck to their guns with their signature silver color option. I believe it integrates seamlessly with most desk aesthetics, though that’s subjective. The singular median stand is also the perfect way to support the monitor while not taking up much room. As most of us know, desk real-estate is very important. As mentioned above, setting up the monitor was quick and easy, logged into my network, installed a small update to firmware and I was off to the races.-Design-The G8 itself is stunning with a beautiful 34” curved display and an exceptional 178 degree viewing angle. The main draw is obviously the OLED panel, and Samsung always knocks it out of the park. The slim outer shell and the rgb ring make it feel premium, more on the rgb later. Instantly upon viewing any content, the crystal-clear colors and darkened areas maintain high quality even in shadows. Detail is crisp and one of my favorite new additions is the inclusion of anti-glare, dubbed, oled glare free. Perfect for sun lit rooms where visibility could otherwise be hindered. Interestingly the paired standard smart remote can be charged via solar so no need for usb charging. Also integrated, are a number of connectivity options, something that was sorely lacking in last year’s model which only allowed native micro hdmi input. The G8 was built to allow more plug ins and less headache.-Functionality/Features-As stated, what you’re getting here is a top of the line oled ultra-wide panel with all the bells and whistles like, an impressive 0.03 ms response time, smart tv with smart things, and gaming hub to name a few. Yes, the Odyssey G8 is not just a pc monitor but also a full-fledged smart tv. Samsung believes you can have a best-in-class gaming monitor and a tv experience, and it works. You’ve got all your favorite apps, from streaming, to music, to cloud gaming. It can do it all. Whether I was watching a movie or playing a fast-paced twitch shooter like XDefiant, it all looked incredible and felt great too. A variety of game mode options including vrr and amd freesync, meant I wasn’t sacrificing quality for performance. The gimmick of syncing your content via core lighting can enhance your immersion and turned on/off at any time. With it, you can change the rgb settings of the back of the panel to sync with the on-screen colors, a nice addition but nothing we haven’t seen before. When it comes to audio it’s worth mentioning if you can pair an external speaker, that’s always the better option. Its not particularly great but I always say having native speakers are better than not.-Performance-So, you’re probably wondering, with all the extra software running in the background, does it bog down your gaming experience? Short answer, no. You can treat the odyssey solely as a gaming monitor or solely as a smart tv, the choice is yours. The beauty is you get the best of both worlds and the premium price tag is justifiable. The G8 is powered by Tizen and its only gotten better with each new product release. Navigating the various menus always felt smooth and I like the layout of the new interface. I found myself streaming a film on downtime and when I was ready to get back to the game, no extra steps were necessary. Voice recognition is also a nice touch though admittedly, I didn’t experiment with it much like some may.That’s just personal preference. The ultra-fast 175hz refresh rate isn’t by any means the highest I’ve seen, but it gets the job done. And the clarity of moving objects at said speeds were fluid.-Overall Thoughts-Comparatively to last years model of the same size, it’s a huge step forward in all areas, from the responsiveness of the UI/UX, to the gaming hub, to doubling as a standard smart tv. Samsung continues to iterate and perfect their design language and product eco system with every new release. The Odyssey OLED G85SD is no exception.