TLDR Review: Samsung Odyssey G85SB Gaming Monitor
Verdict
If you want jaw-dropping OLED picture quality paired with a fast 175Hz refresh rate and deep blacks for immersive gaming and professional use, the SAMSUNG 34" Odyssey G85SB is a top-tier choice. However, be ready for a bit of a learning curve with setup, occasional shutdown hiccups, and questionable durability of physical controls. Its Tizen-based interface might frustrate those who prefer simplicity or quick input switching. For a slightly more flexible smart interface and potentially better customer support, you might want to explore other high-end gaming monitors, but if ultimate OLED visual quality and vibrant HDR are your passions, this model delivers in spades.
- Top pro:
- The QD-OLED display delivers incredible screen quality with vibrant, sharp visuals, deep blacks, and excellent contrast thanks to OLED technology.
- Top con:
- Setup is complicated, requiring a Wi-Fi connection, personal data entry, and optional app downloads, which some find cumbersome.
Pros
- •The QD-OLED display delivers incredible screen quality with vibrant, sharp visuals, deep blacks, and excellent contrast thanks to OLED technology.
- •Exceptional color accuracy, especially in HDR mode, making it a great choice for gaming, streaming, and work like software engineering.
- •Very low response time (0.03ms) combined with a high refresh rate of 175Hz ensures smooth gameplay and fluid motion clarity.
- •The curved 34-inch ultra-wide WQHD screen boosts productivity by facilitating multitasking with multiple windows.
- •Built-in speakers provide clear, distortion-free sound at decent volume, which is notable for a monitor.
- •Remote control is praised for convenience and ease of navigation compared to traditional monitor buttons or joysticks.
- •The standby countdown feature can be disabled via remote to avoid annoyance.
- •Included Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable helps achieve full refresh rate, valuable for compatible users.
- •Zero dead pixels and no backlight bleeding issues reported, common OLED perks.
- •Compact, well-designed stand saves space and offers a sleek aesthetic.
Cons
- •Setup is complicated, requiring a Wi-Fi connection, personal data entry, and optional app downloads, which some find cumbersome.
- •The user interface is unintuitive and primarily promotes Samsung apps, adding friction for users wanting simple monitor functionality.
- •Occasional random shutdowns for several seconds occur, especially when connected via mini HDMI, with no definitive fix available.
- •Build quality issues have been reported, including a tiny, brittle physical control button on the back that can break easily and limits control options.
- •Samsung customer service has been reported to deny warranty claims for these hardware issues, attributing damage to user misuse.
- •Color oversaturation with SDR content can be distracting, despite excellent HDR performance.
- •The monitor’s brightness maxes out around 250 nits, so it's best used in low-light environments; room lighting can significantly affect viewing experience.
- •Connectivity is a headache at times—auto source detection is slow and requires specific cables, which can be inconvenient.
- •Runs on Samsung’s Tizen OS, which lacks the flexibility and smoothness of competitors like Google TV, complicating input switching.
- •Cleaning the OLED screen requires extra care and specific products, as it is sensitive to liquids and abrasion.
- •Some users have reported reliability concerns, including premature failure possibly linked to internal hardware issues.
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How we researched this
About this review: it summarizes the professional reviews and customer ratings ShopSavvy collected for this product, alongside prices from ShopSavvy's price data.
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