Samsung Delivers 49-Inch Mini LED Panel With Odyssey Neo G9 Gaming Monitor

News
By
published

Almost every premium feature you could want -- for $2,500

Samsung Odyssey Neo G9
(Image credit: Samsung)

Mini LED backlights were once a premium reserved for professional monitors. With LEDs that are half the size of those of standard LED monitors, a Mini LED backlight can offer a greater number of dimming zones, offering greater contrast that’s just a step below OLED but without the risk of burn-in. The Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 is one of the first gaming monitors to offer the pricey technology, and by far the biggest and widest. 

With the exception of a 4K resolution, the Odyssey Neo G9 has pretty much every feature you could want from the best gaming monitor. It’s an ultrawide with a 32:9 aspect ratio and a 5120 x 1440 resolution. For gaming, it boasts a high, 240 Hz refresh rate, along with a 1ms response time, plus Nvidia G-Sync Compatibility and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro. 

But the real standout here is its Mini LED backlight that Samsung has dubbed Quantum Mini LED, which carries LEDs that are 1/40th the the size of standard LEDs. The technology, according to Samsung, allows for a greater resolution, plus “finer distinctions between light and dark,” thanks to a remarkably low black level of just 0.0004 nits. Samsung also claims up to 2,000 nits brightness with HDR.

For comparison, the only other Mini LED gaming monitor to hit the U.S., the Asus ROG Swift PG32UQX, is 4K and showed a black level of 0.009 nits with HDR when we tested it.  

Overall, the Odyssey Neo G9 should be a strong competitor against the best HDR monitors. Its Mini LED backlight has an impressive 2,048 dimming zones. Its closest rival, the aforementioned Asus, carries 1,152. 

Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 Specs 

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Screen Size / Aspect Ratio49 inches / 32:9
Max Resolution & Refresh Rate Response Time (GTG) 5120 x 1440 @ 240 Hz
Response Time (GTG)1ms
Curve1000R
Adaptive-SyncG-Sync Compatible, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro
Ports 2x DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x 3.5mm jack
Price$2,500

(Image credit: Samsung)

If all that isn’t enough for you, the Neo G9 is also a curved screen. At 1000R, it's as bent as the curviest of PC monitors available today. 

It also looks premium, which makes sense once you look at its price. To get your hands on this space-age white and neon-blue looker, you’re going to have to pay $2,500. That’s much more than you might spend on even three of the best gaming monitors put together. It could be worse though; Asus’ Mini LED monitor is $3,000. 

Preorders for the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 start on July 29.

Michelle Ehrhardt
Michelle Ehrhardt

Michelle Ehrhardt is an editor at Tom's Hardware. She's been following tech since her family got a Gateway running Windows 95, and is now on her third custom-built system. Her work has been published in publications like Paste, The Atlantic, and Kill Screen, just to name a few. She also holds a master's degree in game design from NYU.

See more Gaming Monitors News
4 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Sleepy_Hollowed
    This monitor is perfection, this will go on my list as soon as I can find a video card that can move the wide resolution.
    Reply
  • bajasadrveta
    I've literally called this price a few months ago. Many people thought this monitor will replace the existing G9, therefore they wanted to wait for the current to drop in price or buy the new one to not feel buyers remorse. However, it turns out you can get two G9's (old) for the price of a new one.
    Reply
  • Augusstus
    With 1800R instead of 1000R curviture and with black/gray color, I would very much consider this monitor, but this lab-rat design that Samsung and Alienware has gotten to really doesn't go with anything.
    Reply
  • hotaru.hino
    Augusstus said:
    With 1800R instead of 1000R curviture and with black/gray color, I would very much consider this monitor, but this lab-rat design that Samsung and Alienware has gotten to really doesn't go with anything.
    I have a C7 and you don't really notice it because all that design language is in the back... which you almost never see unless your desk isn't up against a wall.
    Reply