Samsung introduces new OLED gaming monitor boasting a groundbreaking 500Hz refresh rate
Samsung Unveils Odyssey OLED G6 Gaming Monitor with Revolutionary 500Hz Refresh Rate
Samsung has made a significant leap in the gaming monitor market with the release of the Odyssey OLED G6, now available for purchase starting Aug. 13. Announced earlier this year at CES, the Odyssey OLED G6 boasts a groundbreaking 500Hz refresh rate, setting a new standard for gaming performance.
The Odyssey OLED G6 stands out from its competitors, offering exceptionally smooth motion, ultra-fast 0.03ms response time, vibrant colours, and deep blacks due to its QD-OLED panel technology. This superiority in contrast and colour richness, as well as the much higher refresh rate, benefits competitive gaming by reducing motion blur and input lag.
Compared to typical IPS monitors, the Odyssey OLED G6 delivers several advantages. Its extremely high 500Hz refresh rate provides ultra-smooth motion, a very fast pixel response time of 0.03ms minimises ghosting and motion blur, and its outstanding contrast and deep blacks from OLED technology surpass IPS which uses backlight and usually has lower contrast. Additionally, the QD-OLED panel offers vibrant colours with Pantone validation and accurate skin tones, support for AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and NVIDIA G-Sync for tear-free gaming, and a matte anti-reflective coating to reduce glare.
However, there are some trade-offs. The Odyssey OLED G6 has a lower typical brightness (~300 nits typical, up to 1000 nits peak HDR) which might not suit very bright or sunny rooms as well as some IPS monitors that can reach higher sustained brightness. There is also a potential OLED burn-in/image retention risk, although Samsung has integrated heat pipes and Thermal Modulation System to mitigate it.
The Odyssey OLED G6 is available in one size, 27 inches, and comes with a retail price of $999.99. In contrast, the Odyssey G7 monitors, available in 37-inch and 40-inch sizes, feature a 4K curved 16:9 VA panel with a typical brightness of 350 nits and a 165Hz refresh rate for the 37-inch model, and an ultra-wide 21:9 aspect ratio, a 180Hz refresh rate, split screen capabilities for side-by-side gameplay, and content management capabilities for the 40-inch model. The 37-inch Odyssey G7 is priced at $899.99, while the 40-inch model retails for $1,199.99.
In conclusion, the Samsung Odyssey OLED G6 caters to competitive gamers prioritizing extreme refresh rate, rapid response times, and superior OLED visuals over IPS monitors, which generally offer higher brightness, no burn-in risk, and sometimes higher resolutions. However, its exceptional 500Hz OLED panel represents a cutting-edge, though premium, choice with some trade-offs in brightness, burn-in risk, and resolution.
[1] PCMag (also owned by Ziff Davis) [2] Samsung [3] Pantone [4] NVIDIA
