Samsung Odyssey OLED G6 S27FG60 27-inch 500 Hz QD-OLED gaming monitor review: Phenomenal performance and color

Samsung brings maximum performance to one of its most colorful monitors with the Odyssey OLED G6 S27FG60.

Samsung S27FG60 *
Editor's Choice
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

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The S27FG60’s Eco mode allows for full calibration and doesn’t limit brightness, so I ran my tests in that mode. No adjustments are necessary, but a small improvement can be had with a few tweaks.

Grayscale and Gamma Tracking

The grayscale portion of the S27FG60’s default chart shows no visible errors. All values are below 3dE, the generally accepted visible threshold. Gamma is a tad light though. To fix this, you can just drop gamma one click to -1. I also tweaked the RGB sliders which have very fine and precise resolution. That took all errors to less than 1dE and darkened gamma nicely. The only flaw is 90% brightness which is still a tad light.

If you want sRGB color for SDR, set the Color Space option to Auto. You can calibrate in this mode which is a nice bonus in favor of the S27FG60. Grayscale has no visual error, and gamma is slightly light. The S27FG60 can be used for color critical tasks.

Comparisons

The S27FG60 begins on top of the group with a superb 1.52dE out-of-box grayscale score. It doesn’t get much better than that. After calibration, it hangs onto third place, but in practice, you won’t see a difference between any of the screens here. This is excellent performance.

In the gamma test, the S27FG60’s only deviation from the reference is at 90% brightness, which is slightly light. Otherwise, it would have scored zero in the deviation test. The range of values is extremely tight at just 0.15 from highest to lowest. The actual average is 2.18.

Color Gamut Accuracy

Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.

The S27FG60 uses its Quantum Dot tech to full advantage for SDR content if you leave the Color Space option on Native. All six colors are just a little oversaturated against the DCI-P3 reference. The picture is very colorful and rich with detail because the points run linearly. Hue values are on target except for magenta, which is slightly too red. Grayscale calibration fixes that error and increases saturation a tiny bit as well.

In the sRGB test, the S27FG60 hits every target perfectly with a low average error of 1.35dE. It doesn’t get much better than that. You can improve that number a bit with calibration, but for this test, there was no need. The S27FG60 is one of the rare displays that allows calibration in sRGB mode.

Comparisons

The S27FG60 takes second place in a very tight group of color-accurate OLED monitors. Visually, there is no difference here; anyone would find any of them awesome to look at. The Samsung started at 1.88dE before adjustment, which would still have made it very impressive.

In the volume test, the S27FG60 is slightly behind the other Quantum Dot screens. You’ll be hard pressed to spot the difference in content, but the Philips has just a touch more green and red than the others. I’m talking about tiny things here. The S27FG60 is extremely colorful. It also hits the mark for sRGB with a near-ideal 98.25% volume.

Test Takeaway: The S27FG60 can be unpacked and enjoyed without adjustment, which sets it ahead of many other monitors. It’s a premium product, so that is as it should be. It also makes good use of Quantum Dot technology with extra color beyond DCI-P3 that’s never overblown. The only thing I recommend doing for certain is dropping SDR gamma by one click to get it closer to 2.2. Otherwise, the S27FG60 is pretty much perfect in the color accuracy department.

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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.

  • emitfudd
    When I saw the title I wondered what makes the G6 better than the G8 I just bought. Then I read the specs. Short of the 500Hz I am not sure why this is being recommended over the G8? The G8 is 4K and I just bought the 32" for $899.
    Reply