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The G9 comes calibrated from the factory. In its Custom or sRGB modes, you don’t have to do any calibration to get the most accurate image.
Grayscale & Gamma Tracking
Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.
In Custom mode, the G9 has no visible errors anywhere in the brightness range. Only 20 and 100% brightness show an error that’s greater than 2 Delta E (dE), but all steps are below the 3dE threshold, where errors can be seen with the naked eye.
sRGB mode is equally accurate and shows the same tracking as Custom. The only difference between them is the size of the color gamut. Purists will want to engage sRGB for all SDR content. But if you choose Custom, the extra color looks good without being overblown. In both cases, gamma tracks perfectly along the 2.2 line. This is excellent performance for any display, calibrated or not.
Comparisons
The MSI overachieves in our out-of-box grayscale test, but the Samsung’s second place is a solid result that’s superior to most monitors of any category. Reducing brightness to 200 nits dropped the G9 to fifth place, but none of the screens have visible errors anyway. You won’t find many screens with factory calibrations this good.
Gamma tracking is also stellar with a tiny 0.06 range of values and a 0.45 deviation from 2.2. The average value we measured was 2.19. It doesn’t get much better than that.
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.
Regardless of which gamut you choose, the Odyssey G9 delivers accurate and properly saturated color. In Custom mode, it covers most of DCI-P3 with all measurements on or close to their targets. There are no hue errors, and green’s slight undersaturation is typical of extended color screens.
The sRGB mode is the tiniest bit oversaturated in red and magenta, but this error is more visible to our color meter than to the eye. This mode also has no hue errors. Once again, the G9 impresses.
Comparisons
The first chart above shows the average DCI-P3 color error for all monitors. The 49-inch Odssey G9 takes a solid third place with a 1.67dE result. The sRGB error is a tad lower at 1.58dE but good enough for third place. Remember, the G9’s numbers are from a factory calibration. All we did was adjust peak brightness to 200 nits; we made no other changes to the monitor’s default settings.
The G9 has slightly above average DCI-P3 color volume with 88.2% coverage. That’s below the class-leading Viotek but ahead of the AOC. In practice, this difference will be hard to spot. It might be easier to pick the Viotek over the AOC but with Samsung in the middle, it will satisfy any user’s desire for a colorful image. In sRGB mode, the volume is 98.51%, thanks to a tiny shortage of red. This flaw is also difficult to spot in actual content.
