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Samsung Odyssey 3D G9 gaming monitor review: Premium 4K gaming in 2D and glasses-free 3D

27-inch IPS 4K gaming monitor with 165 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR10, wide gamut color, and glasses-free 3D

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Samsung Odyssey 3D G9
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

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Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

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Samsung Odyssey 3D G9
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

I ran my SDR luminance tests with dimming turned off to assess the 3D G9’s native performance. It’s very bright with over 480 nits peak for a full white field. You can use the dimming here to increase a 25% window’s brightness to around 520 nits, but the full field number doesn’t change. Black levels are average for IPS and result in a native contrast ratio of 971:1. Turning dimming to high raises this to 2,600:1.

After Calibration to 200 nits

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Samsung Odyssey 3D G9
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Calibration lowers the value slightly, but you’ll be hard pressed to see a visible difference. 956:1 is slightly below my IPS benchmark value of 1,000:1, but you can achieve up to 2,600:1 by utilizing the dimming feature. It has no downsides and is something you won’t often find outside of full-array backlight technology, such as Mini LED.

The ANSI test shows consistent performance with the 3D G9 coming in at 937.7:1. It isn’t quite enough for first place, but it is the best of the rest. This is decent performance.

Test Takeaway: The 3D G9 has average-for-IPS contrast at just under 1,000:1 in all tests. It stands apart from many others by offering dimming for both SDR and HDR, which improves it to 2,600:1 without clipping highlight or shadow detail.

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Christian Eberle
Christian Eberle
Contributing Editor

Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.