Samsung has a new OLED on the way that might actually convince me to buy a new gaming monitor. It's a 49-inch QD-OLED panel, making for a 32:9 aspect ratio with all the benefits you can expect of the display technology, such as exceptional contrast and rich colours. If all goes well, it should end up looking like the one in our pick for the best gaming monitor, only much wider, which sounds absolutely awesome.
There's a catch, however. Samsung hasn't announced when it's going to come out yet.
The company keeps teasing the new panel. Today, Samsung announced it's coming to the SID Display Week 2023, a show in the same hallowed halls where E3 used to be in Los Angeles, but even as far back as CES 2023 the company talked up this upcoming OLED.
Samsung will be releasing it inside the Odyssey OLED G9 G95SC, a smart-looking monitor with 0.1ms response and a 240Hz refresh rate. I'm a fan of these mega-wide Samsung panels, having used a couple in the past, but none have I been more excited for than this OLED version.
That's because I have a QD-OLED TV at home and I absolutely adore it. From TV shows to games, everything looks superb on it. The UI on the TV isn't my favourite, but I can look past it for what is otherwise a gorgeous big-screen panel. And the UI wouldn't be such an issue on a gaming monitor, though the OLED G9 does come with built-in apps, including GeForce Now.
But I am less excited about the potential price tag of this thing. OLED gaming monitors aren't the cheapest, with prices usually exceeding $1,000, and this is sure to exceed that by some margin. But at least they haven't been quite as dear as some of the miniLED brigade. And if you don't mind the brightness not being as much of a match on an OLED monitor, I'd say they're well worth a look for a high-end upgrade.
Best gaming monitor: Pixel-perfect panels for your PC
Best high refresh rate monitor: Screaming quick screens
Best 4K monitor for gaming: When only high-res will do
Best 4K TV for gaming: Big-screen 4K PC gaming
We don't know the brightness that the 49-inch QD-OLED can muster as of yet, and that'll be the real sticking point for whether this thing is worth buying or not. The smaller QD-OLEDs we've seen so far have been better than some LG-based ones for brightness, and overall we've loved the picture, but not every OLED is going to deliver the same spec.
But I'm looking a little more forward to see what Samsung's customers/competitors use this panel for, if they buy any from the display giant.
Alienware and Philips have done exceptional jobs with buying up Samsung QD-OLED panels and putting them into their own excellent gaming monitors—the Alienware 34 AW3423DWF and Philips Evnia 34M2C8600. If we see the same sort of performance out of the 49-inch panel, paired up with a glossy coating, we'll be onto a winner.
