Samsung - Odyssey QD-OLED G8 (G85SD, S34DG856SN, LS34DG856SNXZA)

Thought this was r/ultrawidemasterrace and was wondering why everyone was commenting on just the screen size. 😂 Glad it’s supported. I play on a G8 so I have more support than you in general but sometimes devs make terrible decisions. (Looking at you, square enix)

I’ve shared my feedback on other posts but will reiterate here given there aren’t many reviews or real world experience users out there to share. For context, I’ve spent the last couple of years on OLED, first the Alienware 3423dw, then the MSI mpg321urx and a Samsung G80sd. I’ve also tried (and returned) the MSI and Samsung 49 inch super ultra wides. I “downgraded” to the g75f 40 and it’s been a pleasant surprise for me. I like it way more than I thought I would and giving up perfect blacks was a lot easier to do. Part of that may be because I don’t play a lot of really dark games, but I think part of it is this monitor has really good contrast. Colors seem great and calibrating with my Calbrite went well. My use case is 80% productivity and 20% gaming, maybe 90/10 or 100/0 on really busy weeks. I can’t understate how much easier it is on my eyes after a 10 or 12 hour day of spreadsheets and legal memos. Not having to set low brightness to avoid burn in helps with that I’m sure. Not having to hide taskbars, keep a bland black background are pluses for general usability/ enjoyment. The 5k2k and 40 inch form factor feels best for productivity, and while the Dell or LG IPS monitors have more productivity features, most of their convenience is covered by my work issued thunderbolt dock. Viewing angles aren’t nearly as good comparing to OLED but in practical use I’ve not had any issues. On occasion at the farthest edge of the screen I can see slight brightness / gamma shift. But otherwise, I sit in front of my monitor and haven’t found it problematic. Overall, seems to strike the right balance of productivity, gaming, and peace of mind for my admittedly very fringe use case/needs. At $676 all in with Samsung EPP through my work, I feel like I get good value out of it. Not worth it at retail or really anything above $850 in my opinion. I know the “OLED or die” crowd will pan it as poor value and for the gaming enthusiasts/ priority buyer, I’m sure it is bad value. But if you fall in a similar use case as me, I’d recommend giving it a shot if you get it on sale, you might be surprised. Worst thing that can happen is you don’t like it and return it.

I'm happy with my Samsung G85SD, matte panel coating, but "only" 175hz. AW3425DW (240hz) should be the best out there if you find it cheap, from [dell.com](http://dell.com) you should get -10% using DELL320 code. But OLEDs are not future proof as pixels get slowly dimmer in time...

Both gen 1 and gen 3 versions are amazing monitors. I have the Gen 1 G8 and to me it's no big deal using the micro ports for HDMI 2.1 but I could see why some people complain about it. Gen 1 G8 HDR performance is still bright and good enough for any games. If you're buying new get the Gen 3 no questions asked it's just the better panel and full connectors for HDMI 2.1 and Display Ports. Also the Gen 3 panels have all the improvements for text clarity and the improvements for HDR so it's all win win there. Actually now doing some research not really sure if it has the Gen 3 panel lol. Since those are the 240hz and yeah the panel coating differences. All I can say is the glossy on the gen 1 is damn beautiful for any content way better than LG's nasty matte coating. Haven't tried the new panel on the refresh on the G8 so i cannot really comment on that.

Both gen 1 and gen 3 versions are amazing monitors. I have the Gen 1 G8 and to me it's no big deal using the micro ports for HDMI 2.1 but I could see why some people complain about it. Gen 1 G8 HDR performance is still bright and good enough for any games. If you're buying new get the Gen 3 no questions asked it's just the better panel and full connectors for HDMI 2.1 and Display Ports. Also the Gen 3 panels have all the improvements for text clarity and the improvements for HDR so it's all win win there. Actually now doing some research not really sure if it has the Gen 3 panel lol. Since those are the 240hz and yeah the panel coating differences. All I can say is the glossy on the gen 1 is damn beautiful for any content way better than LG's nasty matte coating. Haven't tried the new panel on the refresh on the G8 so i cannot really comment on that.

UPDATE: I ended up buying the Samsung G8 34inch OLED and I gotta say that it was definitely the right choice! The immersion in games is massively increased with the ultrawide and I don't know how I would go back to normal screens now. Thanks for the comments :)

I have the g8 and its great. Fwiw

I have the G8 ultrawide (so one step between that one and a 16:9). I love it for productivity and am really happy with it for games (except for those that don't support ultrawide which is an annoying thing). My biggest gripe is the UI and I don't know if the interface for the G9 is the same. I'd guess it probably is because it feels so lazy that I imagine they just slapped it on yours too. If you're not switching inputs or unhooking and reattaching a laptop all the time then you probably won't notice. But if you are you'll find there are a lot of annoying menus that you can't permanently get rid of and too many extra steps to do simple things like changing inputs. All in all I have been tempted to find a monitor with the same OLED tech but by a different brand in the hopes that they do interface stuff better. But I've also used it for about two years now so I guess it's not a total deal breaker.

You make a valid point. Most monitors seem pretty good but I don't honestly know the difference between a productivity monitor and gaming. I've got a Samsung G8 34" Ultrawide OLED, but that thing is terrible to read text on. I would absolutely not recommend it for your use case. I'd prob recommend reading reviews. I tend to think most monitors are pretty good these days. There's a sub "buildapcsales" that lists deals and all sorts of things. slickdeals is also a great website just for the comment section on items.

You should wait for LG 39 inch version which i think will be released by April 2026. I have LG 45 inch 5k2k and it’s amazing for gaming and for watching videos (it feels like an IMAX for some reason), for productivity i still prefer my other Samsung oled 34 inch.

I have the G8 OLED and it was my primary monitor for a good two years until I upgraded to the LG 45’ 5k2k. I really couldn’t complain about it and in fact having a remote for it (which the LG doesn’t have) I didn’t realize would be such a nifty feature. Visually it is a fantastic monitor and the only reason I relegated it to second fiddle was I wanted a 4k screen and a bit more balance between height to width, but both of those are personal preferences and shouldn’t stop you.