The Best 4K HDR Gaming Monitor So Far? - Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 Review
The latest GIGABYTE AERO and AORUS laptops are powered by up to the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti graphics card, learn more: www.aorus.com/en-au/laptops/g... #GeForceRTX #TheUltimatePlay”
AERO 16 - www.aorus.com/en-au/laptops/A...
AORUS 17X - www.aorus.com/en-au/laptops/A...
Remix competition - www.barbecuerecords.com/rewin...
MONITORS UNBOXED: / @monitorsunboxed
Support us on Patreon: / hardwareunboxed
Join us on Floatplane: www.floatplane.com/channel/Ha...
Buy relevant products from Amazon, Newegg and others below:
Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 - geni.us/ztC1Q
Sony Inzone M9 - geni.us/duBdZ8b
Alienware AW3423DW - geni.us/ymsAf
LG C1 OLED - geni.us/ZpoF
Asus PG32UQX - geni.us/F0aEbt
MSI MAG281URF - geni.us/sARij
LG 27GP950 - geni.us/tUZK
Samsung Odyssey G7 S28 - geni.us/mKrmc6z
Samsung Odyssey G7 - geni.us/Fz6ZdMB
Gigabyte M28U - geni.us/08xf
LG 27GN950 - geni.us/9Up4kXX
Asus VG28UQL1A - geni.us/N4HJ
MSI MPG321UR-QD - geni.us/PjVBTo
Gigabyte Aorus FI32U - geni.us/ZUrmdqi
Gigabyte M32U - geni.us/dg92bo
How we test response times: • What Are Response Time...
Testing performed using Portrait CalMAN Ultimate: www.portrait.com/
00:00 - Intro, Specs, Design
04:49 - Samsung Quality Control Issues?
06:40 - Response Times and Overdrive Settings
09:38 - Response Time Performance Comparisons
12:36 - Backlight Strobing Performance
13:14 - Color Performance
15:37 - Brightness, Contrast, Uniformity
17:04 - HDR Performance
23:59 - HUB Essentials Checklist
25:05 - Final Thoughts
Real 1196 Zone 4K HDR, Worth Buying? - Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 Review
Disclaimer: Any pricing information shown or mentioned in this video was accurate at the time of video production, and may have since changed
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. We may also earn a commission on some sales made through other store links
FOLLOW US IN THESE PLACES FOR UPDATES
Twitter - / hardwareunboxed
Facebook - / hardwareunboxed
Instagram - / hardwareunboxed
Music By: / lakeyinspired
It's funny how our brains literally adapt to the curve though. After using a g7 for a while, I switched to another monitor and spent a day CONVINCED it was broken and curving outwards. It genuinely looked to me like the middle part of the display was closer to me than the edges. My brain had just gotten that used to the G7
You don't see a curve if you have it adjusted properly to your eye height and angle.
Agreed. I own this and it's my first curved monitor. You don't notice it at all and you miss it when you look at your flat work monitor:)
@@concretecharlie51 Yea it's more interesting to look at.
Exactly!
Technically the center of a flat monitor IS closer to you than the edges. That's what curved monitors correct. I much prefer my curved 32" at home to my flat 27" at work.
You guys are killing it with the monitor reviews and recommendations! Best channel like this on KZhead
Yeah I'm just here for the gaming monitor reviews lol
Tim is an excelent reviewer. He definitely deserves a raise
Thank you Tim. love the monitor reviews even though i bought one last december and will probably buy next in like 5 years
Really appreciate your efforts to get a review done on this one before it is available locally. This ones been on my radar for 6 months now.
Your final note about hitting the advertised 2000 nits only in a specific industry standard test pattern that the monitor seems to detect: this is a known practice for Samsung across all their display products. They're like the Volkswagen of display manufacturers.
Their TV can hit 2000 nits just fine though, or at least very close to - with game mode disabled. I think that's probably the problem with this monitor, it lacks TV processing that take advantage of the display hardware (mentioned this on another comment but brightness behaviour of this monitor seems to be very similar to QN-90B TV in game mode) With, FALD and especially Mini-LED, the processing and the algorithm are even more important than OLED
Bitwit, measured it with a meter at just over 2000 (on here)
Or the Toyota perhaps. Even more prevalent cheating of standards but shittier quality products.
Suddenly I'm reminded of the stunt they pulled with the S95B QD-OLED, where the EOTF only tracked accurately in a 10% window size. They fixed that, but only after they got caught and it's ONLY fixed in Filmmaker Mode.
@@JTCPingas Yeah this is the most recent example I think
We've come so far in the monitor technology that 165Hz refresh rate is now considered "modest". oh wow.
Me and my monitor crying in 60fps 😭
Lmao that was fast in 2017
@@BIadelores yeah if u had 3k to spend 😂
He said modern.
Honestly I love my LG 144hz 1440, 144 fps is plenty, for me at least, plus reaching that frame rate at 2k costs a small fortune in modern titles.
was waiting on this review. thanik you for uploading
Thanks for another great review. Given your recent reviews, for a sim racing triple screen setup would you go samsung g7’s, lg g2 42’s or alienware AW3423DW?? Picture quality and immersion being more important than super high response rate..
I just got the Neo G7 over the weekend and love it. Going from gaming on a TV to this has really made a difference, and how vibrant colours pop on it is amazing. I definitely recommend to anyone
Hi , do you have any problems with vrr flicker? What are the negatives ( if any) that you have experienced ? I'm looking to buy the same monitor. Thanks.
Honestly I have the 32in G7 and I love it. The curve works for me, the screen really fills my vision. The idea having the same size screen with 4k, mini led and high refresh is chefs kiss
Same here. Just sold my 32" G7 and bought this one.
Thanks as always for the review. I'll be saving up for this monitor, I've enjoyed the curved monitors personally and this is exactly the features I want next.
Great video! everytime i'm interested in a monitor i just come here to check your review. I was wondering if you are ever going to check out the HP X34
Been waiting for this review, can't wait to see how it compares to the G8 as I've got that pre-ordered
G8 is great...just got mine.. i paid $1099....no problems
Picked one of these up to pair with my new 5800x3D/4080 build. Got everything on sale and ended up paying around 800 for this at Microcenter. It's killer for 4k gaming and I don't have to worry about any OLED screen maintenance as I'm using this for both gaming and work. This review really helped me narrow down to the exact product I was looking for. Best hardware review team on KZhead and it's honestly not even close. Keep up the great work guys.
How good is the result for lower refresh rate like 60hz in gaming?
@@Satyajit_Dey Id like to know this as well
Hey I just got this monitor and have been experiencing insane flickering with G-Sync on. Do you have the same experience? Did you manage to fix it?
@@AnhLe-rc9vg Sorry to hear this mate , I thought I had just decided on this monitor , not sure again now! Let me know if you ever fix it , good luck.
@@madhaze0126 it's a gorgeous monitor. Visually speaking it's close to oled but the g sync implementation is flawed. I ended up turning off G sync in Nvidia Panel and it works fine now.
finally, I've been waiting for this. Thanks for everything you do
Excellent review! Looking forward to the G8 one
Would be interested to know if you had any experience with the 27" g7 - I tried both sizes on the previous g7 and absolutely hated the curve on the 32", but didn't really mind it on the 27". Despite having the same curvature simply the fact the 32" reaches further around the curve was enough to really hamper productivity and most notably made sidescrollers genuinely unplayable. Didn't really have those issues on the 27" but as you say the curve didnt really add anything
Bought one of those to replace my top monitor, and quite happy with it. Really love your reviews, you're just honestly reporting all you see and experience and it's really appreciated. I have the two bottoms monitors to also replace... can't wait to see your review of the upcoming neo g9 57" to decide if I replace the two with that one, or with two other neo G7.
How did you mount this?
@@dominictisdell5227 On the wall, using a heavy duty Ergotron arm. It's now above the new Neo G9 57" standing on the desk (I wouldn't dare mount that one...)
I would love to see your review of The Odyssey Ark. I don't think anyone does reviews like you guys do of monitors. Keep up the amazing work.
My Neo G8 is being delivered today🥳 I'm excited!!!
Why can't any of these manufacturers get back light strobing done properly? It's insane! The best way to hide limitations in pixel transition times and to increase motion resolution is through backlights strobing. And with a backlight that can hit 1000 nits, if it was done properly it would be incredible. It sucks that displays are just shoveled out these days.
I have been using the 1440p G7 for a while now. The curve took some getting use to but not a deal breaker.
Awesome. Thanks for the review. I was waiting on the Sony M9 preorders to start, but ended up getting this monitor from B&H after the video. It will be a second monitor and used for PS5 gaming. It doesn't need to be curved, but I'm fine with curved.
Great review and stellar content in general. One note, other sites (RTINGS and PCmonitorsinfo) don''t mention the 10ms increase in input lag when enabling local dimming. Do you know why you're measuring that and they're not?
Blooming is such an overblown concern. Many people don't notice blooming unless it's pointed out. It can also be perceived on non-FALD and non-miniLED displays and in real life, and no one acknowledges it or talks about it. Good review.
I had no idea there was going to be a G7 version, was only aware of G8, considering the only downside i saw with G8 is the fact that i thought 240hz was excessive for 4k i'm intrigued, price gotta drop for me to consider it over OLED panels though.
Thank you friend I bought this monitor based on your review and on sale for 800$ at Amazon, and been rocking it for around 7 months, just blown away it is soo good.
Always the best analysis is here... Congrats ^^
I might have been slightly interested in this panel if it weren't curved, but even so, what I'd really like to see is a proper 4K QD-OLED. The wait continues.
Been holding a candle for that for years, 1ms, 360hz+. Don't care flat/curved
Yup, that curved 16:9 makes no freaking sense
I was worried that I wouldn't like a 1000R curve on a 32" monitor, then I tried it, and I very quickly became a strong believer in curved monitors being objectively superior to flat ones.
bought one a few years ago absolutely hated it. got a 32" flat, removed the stand. set directly on desk and made a bracket that sit's behind the monitor to tilt it back about 15 degrees. Absolutely love it. been working IT long hours for many years. This is the way :)
@@syncmonism I've got the G7 which is 1000R at 27" and I'm still not really convinced by it. Maybe at 32" it's of more benefit, but on anything less it's just annoying.
Thanks for the review of G7 Neo since I start to look for a 32" 4k curved monitor. So far I did only come along the G7 Neo and the Gigabyte M32UC with a reasonable refresh rate. Because I use the monitor not only for gaming I am not sure if the R1000 is the way to go. The M32UC has a R1600 which might be more suitable for me. Also the M32UC is approx. half the price of the G7 Neo. Do you think you might be doing a review a of the Gigabyte M32UC and compare it to the G7 Neo?
It’s an easy choice tbh. Is true HDR important worth the price? If so, go for the Neo G7
Such a detailed review, really considering this now vs the Alienware qd-oled and the C2.
Thank you for this video. This gives me the confidence to wait until 2023 before making another monitor purchase.
I have their first G7 27" 240 Hz Odyssey, and it's great. I do have an eye tracker on it, and it's mounted below the display, so I can't reach the directional pad easily. Having it on the side would be nice for me, but if you have more monitors, I can understand that's not optimal. So on the underside is the best place I think, but maybe not have it in the middle. Have it on the back side, but near the bottom edge, not in the middle.
I have that monitor too and love it. However the GSYNC implimintation is awful no matter what fireware version. Luckly I don't notice any screen teraing with it turned off.
@@MrTuxy Sorry to hear that. I use it with an AMD card, and I can't say I've noticed issues with that.
@@MrTuxy you should contact Samsung about that. I have the same monitor and g sync runs flawlessly
@@FreightTrain22 I's an inherant problem with VA panels and how sensitive they are to voltage changes. Samsung actaully did a good job of masking the problem. I even used the monitor for a while thinking it wasn't there. But since it sometimes can be seen and I never notice tearing with it off that's the setting I've gone with.
@@MrTuxy Just typical Samsung and their awful adaptive sync implementations. My CFG73 flickered with it on and didn't even help with tearing. Sometimes even duplicated half of the screen as well.
Just got mine and I love. Because I only use it on consoles I wasn’t able to calibrate it properly I only was able to use the small amount of settings it has for calibration. I love the peak brightness and the high contrast. If someday there are 32“ 4K/120 OLEDs with enough peak HDR brightness I may switch. I also love the 1000R curve but that was nothing new to me coming from the Odyssey G7 (1440p@240). Even considered that I am a professional certified calibrator I really appreciate your content because I only get my hands on TVs/projectors and picture processors such as Envy. Keep it up.
I'm still waiting for your Neo G8 review! I'm getting my Neo G8 tomorrow! My monitor arm mount is ready! 😁
HU is my most trusted HW review channel. Appreciate the great work helping me to do a total upgrade; my first in 8 years!
4,300:1 Native Contrast is really good for a 32" 4K panel. If VA LCD keeps getting better we could eventually have LCD contrast that is perceptually competitive with OLED (your eyes exhibit natural haloing, as soon as LCD haloing can be controlled to within the limits of natural perceived haloing then OLED and LCD would look the same).
Are you talking about 'veiling glare' of the eyeball reducing perceived contrast?
I had similar thoughts. I found when I paused my LG C9 OLED with white text over a black background it looked like there was a very distinct halo. When I covered the text with my hand I found the halo completely disappeared. So I began to perceive that it was actually my eyes that created a halo effect. So it begs the question, how much haloing is imperceivable between OLED and Mini LED so as to see no difference at all. Sound like this monitor is getting very close…
@@destroy-erase-improve9106 On the TV side we do have a few examples of VA with 8,000:1 native contrast, apparently pixel density makes a big difference in VA light transmission. Intuitively you'd think it should be a lot easier to pump up the zone count in a TV, but no-one has done it yet, I highly suspect zone count is primarily limited by processing hardware so you never know if a PC monitor will come out with multi-thousand zone backlight before the TV market does.
The true contrast in HDR with local dimming high is more relevant than the native contrast and it is around 20000:1 in the worst case, not 4000:1. It is the true HDR contrast which begins from 8000:1, so it's even higher.
@@socialreport2836 The only way for specular highlights or star patterns to look correct on LCD is either with higher Native Contrast, or 10,000+ zones, so until we get FALD with 10x more zones than we have now, Native Contrast is still critically important.
Great review! This looks impressive. I'll wait 6 months though for price drops and to see what the results are as far as real world QC. I have a 48" LG CX so I'm more so just looking to get a smaller screen where I don't need the remote, can get higher refresh rates, better peak brightness, and can use a screen saver and taskbars again.
you still waiting?
@@3meir I bought a Neo G8 open box and it did not have any noticeable scan line issues. I still returned it. I hated the excessive curve and the anti reflective coating.
@@mohamedahmed1023 i bought Neo G7 from amazon, it should arrive tomorrow, worst case i will return it
@@3meir do you still use it or also returned? There is an offer for 899.- (Europe)
@@Jeenias1993 hi I returned it, colors wasn’t good, my nano ips was much much, this is the first monitor that made me use nvidia color vibrance lol also 32inch was too height and gave me eyes strain also size give me motion sickness in shooter games, so I returned it and bought Acer XB283K 28 inch 4k 144hz used same panel as M28U and to me it has much better pictures quality and i saved 450$ , if you have anymore questions lmk
Patiently awaiting neo g8 review. Gimme dah review!
Hi, I got a question on those performance slides (9:42 to 12:35) about the Samsung Odyssey G7 27in. I try to search for the review only on your channel and could only find the G7 32inch review, but not the 27in. Did you ever post or was it just a typo it's 32in instead of 27in? THX
Great video. Thanks for highlighting the cheat mode. That's very telling. I'm not a fan of such a tight curve and like you would prefer a flat panel. No Displayport 2.0 support is a bit of an issue with DP 2.0 GPUs here from Intel (so I understand) and forthcoming from Nvidia and AMD.
nothing monitors on the market right now supports displayport 2.0, if you want your ganna have to wait
@@mastixencounter A pity, but I'm not in a hurry. I can run 4k SDR @ 120 Hz right now.
Thanks Tim, I think we're finally getting closer to my dream 4K monitor. If it wasn't curved, I would be already considering to buy it. But I guess it's better to keep on waiting for slightly longer to get a monitor that will last the next 5-10 years.
Yeah that curve is pretty bad... I might still go for it, but it's just... unnecessarily worse...
If you play on just 1 monitor the curve is absolutely fantastic. I never used a curved monitor until my G7 32" (1440P) And it is 10x more immersive with the curve
Curve rocks trust me
curve is a must at 32 inches.
@@raptorhacker599 For what? Certain content it's definintely a no. Gaming , for certain types yes maybe but many people simply do not like curved monitors. Everyones eyesight is different so clearly for you it works. I am simply not convinced especially with this size at 16.9.
Steve...been watching your reviews and seems like 2 very good choices on ~27" HDR monitor. One being a 2k OLED and one 4k IPS...both priced within $100. Seems I'd lean toward the LG 27GR95QE-B which is 2k OLED w/ 240hz vs. the Sony Inzone M9 4k unit at 144hz. Which would you pick for mostly single player, best HDR experience? Plenty of pros/cons between them (OLED burn-in, Sony more of a semi-HDR monitor tho still rated very high, etc. etc.). Running a 4090 so not at all afraid of 4k but trying to figure which would offer best 'wow' factor. Dang, adding the Neo G7 to this list now...thought it'd cost more! Oh it does, $300 off for the time being on this one...hmmm...seems like the Neo G7 is the winner here? (Never mind, this is 32", missed that bit)..max for me is 28" I think
6 Videos in and I want to cry. Your content is amazing but the one thing you have not managed to do is help me choose a new monitor!
I was worried that I wouldn't like a 1000R curve on a 32" monitor, then I tried it, and I very quickly became a strong believer in curved monitors being objectively superior to flat ones. I don't care if you buy Samsung, or what, I just think that a 32" monitor should be curved, and I definitely have no problem with the 1000R curve.
Yep totally agree this is what I've found. 27" or 28" flat is optimal but once you get to flat 32" you end up have to turn your head to see the corners which are too far out of your FOV. The curve at 32" really brings the whole view in better and feels immersive
I considered a flat 32" LG before, but the more thorough reviews clearly showed text roll off and color banding on the sides. Screens this big have to be curved.
@@AR-ey1ur yep agreed. The only case I think where flat 32" could work is if you're using it as console monitor only, and sit back from it a bit. For PC though not ideal
🤮
Curve is OK for 32 or higher. For 27'' just a stupidity.
I don't know if I've just never noticed it before or if it's new, but I really appreciate the acknowledgement with the minimum brightness chart. It felt like I was being gaslit for the longest time by so many reviewers when they would talk about how bright a monitor gets as if it was the only thing that mattered. I personally always tune my monitor so that it's easy on the eyes for long periods of time, while still maintaining relatively decent colors, instead of eye searing whites and extreme contrast that makes you squint every time you load a new webpage.
Exactly my problem... With pretty much every monitor and TV, I look at it and think, "Not dark enough..." There's a reason radiologists prefer a dimly lit work environment, because the eye perceives contrast better at that level.
Did I miss the detail on VRR/gsync/free sync? The sync range between monitors varies wildly with some past Samsung displays only having working gsync at 80fps and above. The Alienware has 1-175 sync range vs the g7/g8 appears to have 68 and above which seems a huge difference is it not? What is the tearing like below 68fps on this monitor? It would be great if you could add this detail to future display reviews.
Been waiting on this one. Thanks
I would add that this panel is not 12-bit, 10 bit (otherwise Rec2020 would be wider). 12-bit is a bit depth for brightness control (4096 steps), not color.
I bought my son a G9 and a G7 32inch for me a couple of years ago. Both have been great monitors over the last couple of years. No complaints other than Invidia drivers :) No issues with the stand on either of them as well. I'd also like to add the curve does not cause any issues with work or play. I use this monitor using spreadsheets and emails to games, to KZhead and Netflix and the curve does not make it any worse or better.
"No complaints other than Nvidia drivers" What are you trying to say here? Nvidia drivers have nothing to do with the monitors /gen
mf said "Invidia"
Hello can you adopt me?)
@@chitorunya monitors can have issues with certain drivers.
Hello Tim. I really like your content. I watch every video. I watch most of your monitor reviews. I ended up buying Samsung Neo G7. I really like it. Can you suggest the best settings for it, I search for the best settings in Google but didint find the best for me. Im using it mainly for movies, youtube and warzone. Im planing to start playing other games so i can enjoy true HDR. Thank you in advance!
Is the Neo G7's low 332 nit brightness in SDR too low for bright room use (like it would be for an IPS panel) or does the VA panel's higher contrast offer enough of a boost to make it usable?
Tim, I'd really like to know how many FALD zones we need to get a virtually imperceptible bloom. Would say 4x4 pixels be small enough (518,400 zones) or could we get away with 8x8 (129,600) or even 16x16 (32,400) I realise oled is perfect in that sense, but micro led's is still comedically expensive so a near enough is good enough might be a good halfway point.
I think according to Linus the 10K (I think) dimming zones in the Neo QLED TVs are good enough that it's imperceptible from a normal viewing distance (keep in mind your eye has blooming too)
I have never found a curved screen to be an impediment to work or creative content. Granted, I have only used 1800R and 1700R (not 1000R which is more curved). I don't see how it would be a problem, BUT I do have way above average spatial relations, and that 'might' actually be a factor. I suppose a curved screen _could_ impede someone's ability to determine if a horizontal line is level, but again, that's very spatial relations dependent, and it's easy to flip-on grid view to check. I struggle to think of any way a curved screen would be any real problem for desktop or creative use. When you look at a straight line in physical space, what you see is actually curved, due to how spatial perspective _actually_ works // scientific linear perspective isn't how your eye "sees" things, you "see" in a somewhat fish-eye manner, and your brain straightens it out. So a curved screen is just removing a step your brain does to straighten things out mentally. It can take a short time to acclimate, but it's not fundamentally problematic. Movie screens are also curved (radius to the projector for focus), but nobody makes a fuss about those. As for a curve being "immersive" or not, at 32" it's _a little_ more immersive in games, but not alot. The main intended reason for the curve (according to Samsung) is to reduce eye strain, and improve horizontal viewing angles for a large format screen. The former sounds silly to me, because your eyes don't focus on the whole screen at once. But the later is a legitimate benefit (more so on screens which have mediocre horizontal viewing angles, and this monitor does. Though you'll never _see_ the bad horizontal viewing angles due to the aggressive curve). Personally, I think the 1000R curve is too aggressive though. It assumes you will have your face 1 meter or less from the screen. The "R" is radius in mm, 1meter. And when you are further away than the R rating, curved screens DO suddenly become distracting. A person sitting at a desk is likely within 1 meter, but I think something like 1500R (1.5m) would be a lot more flexible. Would allow a person to lean way back in their chair without the view "going wonky". Also, a tighter curve really "forces" you to position yourself dead center... a gentler curve is not so demanding. I'd have much rather this monitor were 1500R or so, rather than 1000R. _On the other hand_ I'm using 1800R right now, and I actually do move imagery around (or my head) to double check color consistency vs viewing angle... 1000R would probably eliminate that. I do think curved screens are a complete and total gimmick for televisions, even "unhelpful" for a tv. With a tv, you are often not going to be sitting in the "sweet spot". And when you aren't, curved is just nothing but problematic. So don't think I'm a Samsung shill, their curved tv's are dumb. But curved screens are actually rather nice for a single-user, sitting at a desk, IF you're using a fairly large screen. I think 32" at desktop distances is getting into territory where a curve can be useful. One final thought on curved screens though: if you turn up your FOV in games, a curved display will exaggerate the visual distortion of 'above standard' FOV's. So that's an issue, if you do that. If you add more than 5-10 too your FoV, probably avoid a curved screen. Moreso the more curved the screen is, and the more you adjust FoV. __ I generally do creative work in a low-light environment, with diffuse lighting (and neutral hues), because reflections are evil incarnate when you need to see _exactly_ what you have on screen. So personally, I've never had a lot of use for extremely high brightness output capability, as the percieved brightness is very relative to the room you're in. Brightness is helpful in some cases to be able to see details in HDR, but the minimal brightness for an HDR rating is fine. 1200 nit is bright enough to double check visual content against an overly bright monitor setting (it's good to check web publishing content against overly bright or overly dim monitor settings, which are prevalent). __ IPS screens on the other hand, have "IPS glow". Some are better than others, but they ALL have it. Personally, I find IPS glow to be almost unusable for creative visual work, and highly annoying in gaming. And when IPS claim to have high color accuracy, what they really mean is high "hue" accuracy. The end user experience is that your perfect "true red" turns pink, across much of the screen, and it changes as you move your head around. Some people get used to this, and it's less noticeable in brightly lit rooms, but it's really _very_ problematic in a more dim environment. IPS glow _effectively_ destroys the "color" accuracy, as perceived by the eye (rather than a calibration tool which only looks at a small part of the screen at a perfect angle). I have several filters to double check how washed out visual content will look on an IPS screen. But if I was _using_ an IPS, I couldn't check what it would look like on a screen which isn't washed out. OLED panels, or microLED/Q backlighting on VA panels, are really the only way to go for visual content creation, or even gaming/movies in a dimly lit room. __ Pity it isn't actually calibrated accurately out of the box. But monitors which claim to be, seldom are. But that is impressive color accuracy you achieved with calibration. note: I don't own the Neo G7, I'm just considering getting one as a cost saving (and longevity) option vs OLED. Just pointing out that the "nitpicks" in the review for the G7 include some prevalent ideas which I don't think are entirely sound. Which doesn't make this a bad review! It's an otherwise excellent review. Regarding beliefs about 'curved screens' or the merits of IPS : In the early 2000's everyone _still_ believed you needed a Mac for creative visual work... but I found that the iMac's in the visual studio at university were absolutely horrendous for visual work. The monitor, 'puck' mouse, and software functionality in pc emulation, were all truly terrible. And I couldn't wait for the bell to ring so I could move my projects back to my PC at home. "Commonly held beliefs" are not necessarily very accurate. Discard preconceptions, and go with first-hand experience (without pre-opinion). 2022 Neo G7 32" and Asus PG42UQ 42" (or maybe the LG C2) are the screens I am eyeing most closely. If anyone has used both and has an opinion on them... I'm all ears :) __ Edit: I bought the Neo G7 32". I would describe it as _perfect in every way_ except : - I wish it was 36-40 inches instead of 32. - I wish it was 1400-1600R curvature instead of 1000. If Samsung made a version with those 2 changes, I'd buy 5 of them, so I wouldn't have to use any other monitor for a couple decades. The G7 43" unfortunately does _not_ match the 32" G7, and is fraught with problems. I'm not sure why Samsung has such difficulty replicating success with the back-end components, it's baffling. So the 32" G7 is kind of a unicorn in the market. Wish I could flatten it out _just slightly_ , and gently nudge it with a growth-ray (for unscaled text legibility, and best leverage of the 4k screen real estate), but otherwise, it's superb by every measure. Note: those who are not _slightly_ far-sighted, and who sit close to their screen, will find 32" great I think. For such a person, both the curve and size will be excellent. I'm not that person though, hehe. So this monitor is still "imperfect" for me. It's probably a truly perfect monitor for those with perfect vision, or who are slightly nearsighted. Being slightly (don't need glasses, but "slightly") far sighted... the G7 is merely "almost ideal". Asus PG42UQ (Or the LG C2/C3, "IF" you are able to carefully manage reflections in the room vs glossy finish) is likely better for those who spend little time at the windows desktop (those who mostly watch video or play games). But if you do spend substantial time on the desktop (browsing or doing 'work' on a pc) OLED is _not_ going to hold up vs burn-in long-term, and the pixel layout isn't ideal for native-rez text. The incoming crop of OLED monitors coming soon (written oct of 2023) seem like the manufacturers are making a play for "built in obsolescence" for many, _many_ consumers, who are going to get burned by burn-in. If OLED ever gets it's burn-in issues fully sorted out, that'd be ideal. But OLED just isn't there yet. Even the very most burn-in resistant OLED's still have serious burn-in risk. And if you need to get work done on schedule, or just don't want to walk on eggshells around your delicate panel, then OLED isn't the way to go ("yet" anyway, hopefully one day that changes). PS: Display Port 1.4 with DSC = 120hz with HDR10 30bit color in 4k ~OR~ 165hz 4k with SDR 24bit color. I find 120hz "just fine", and I also find SDR (when properly calibrated) also "just fine". But it _might_ be ever so slightly limiting, depending on your demands.
I've never used a VA panel or a curved monitor. I've always had ips monitors and most recently an oled (lg c1), but the oled is too big after a while of using it, so looking to downscale into this one. Do I need to worry that, as I've only used IPS and most recently oled, the quality of colors/image will look bad? I've ready the curve is aggressive but you get used to it after a short while, I take it that this is correct?
Which mode is faster input lag, adaptive sync or a fixed FPS like in my liking 120hz? Or it does not make a difference?
I actually like the curve a lot. The price point is just a problem !
Redmagic just announced one of the best 4K IPS Gaming Monitors I have seen so far! 4K, 1000Nits HDR, 1MS, 160HZ, 1000 Dimming zones(!) etc If the Price is right its gonna be crazy!
Also if they release it outside of China. At moment the only talk of a launch is China only.
That sounds like this monitor with less nits and less dimming zones, whats so special about it
@@Hexxagone850 Is flat, 27” and IPS.
@@Jaycensolo I got the 27” Samsung g70a. I feel like a 32” would be better but 27” is still pretty good.
Do you have a ratio measurement between FPS/ response time and input lag? I think that will make easy solid choice for competitive gamers or those who simply like to have the best and feel confident.
Hey Tim I've noticed that when in HDR while gaming the contrast doesn't seem correct for me, I switched in contrast enhacer and that seemed to help but also read that crushes blacks and lowers brightness a little. Any ideas?
VA Panels need to be curved. The degree of curve could be argued, because you're practically tuning the monitor to perform best at a specific viewing distance as soon as you curve it, but the way VA looks off axis it definitely needs to be curved to some degree.
No
@@brownie43212 Ok Boomer.
G7 in the US is $1099 on Amazon. I picked up the G8 for 1099 on Amazon. It’s an amazing monitor quirks aside. The hdr is stunning and you get used TTK he curve very quickly.
my OLED laughs at you, especially for this price
@@kizuda6943 Problem is burn in and no such thing as burn in warranty in my country so even at the same price it's not worth the risk for allot of people even though it might be a better screen/technology.
@@kizuda6943 OLED as a PC monitor is extremely foolish. I own an OLED too. There are a list of issues on the GeForce Drivers known issues as well as much bigger risk of Burn-In.
@Vux because it’s a VA panel which is essential for better viewing angles. Also the G5 is pretty largely known to be bad. Much like almost every brand’s low end monitors. I personally wouldn’t buy anymore edge-lit monitors as they are a breeding ground for backlight bleed and crappy HDR.
Expensive.
Could you review the BOE panel on the x27q please ? It's your recommended 1440p monitor but there are 2 different panels for it : LG and BOE. From what I saw they have wildly different caracteristics.
What is your recommendation between this and the LG GP950? I will be using this for PC and PS5.
21:52 Seeing the 3% window brightness drop so much is really disappointing, I wish manufacturers would give us the option to switch the algorithm. At 1,000+ zones I'd rather let it bloom and keep maximum brightness on small highlights. Hopefully it doesn't take too long before we have LCD monitors nearing 10,000 zones, at which point haloing should really become much less noticeable.
Why not just go qd-OLED at that point? Is peak brightness still too low for people?
@@hi_tech_reptiles My issue on the C1 is too many games have massive highlight clipping, e.g. any clouds surrounding the sun become a blank sheet. On the LG C1 you can use Dynamic Tone Mapping to retain highlights (the dynamic tone mapper clips at 4,000 nits on the Xbox HDR calibration screen), but it significantly changes the look of the image. I agree we don't "need" more than 1,000 nits, but if you're going to use HGIG then a lot of things are going to look much better if you do have over 2,000 nits. For OLED we need an "Intermediate Dynamic" HDR mapping, something halfway between "dynamic" (ignores PQ EOTF curve) and HGIG (strict adherence to PQ EOTF).
@@hi_tech_reptiles Just take a look at full screen brightness for the two Oled panels reviewed, they do considerably worse in that regard. That's the problem, less than 200 nits for the LG C1
It's kinda what the QN90B does, slightly more blooming, but better highlights.
@@ThePipojp Yes the algorithm on the Q90B looks good, but yet again it's a catch 22 with Samsung since the 2022 models have worse black uniformity and native contrast. The Neo G7 actually has more native contrast than the Q90B due to the "wide viewing angle" layer that Samsung started using on their TVs. I love the feature set of Samsung QLED but for everything they do right there is something else they get wrong.
With all these tests it's really hard to argue against the Gigabyte M28U and M32U when it comes to performance AND price... They might not always be the best but overall they're very well rounded and it's hard arguing for something else that might be slightly better for hundreds more...
Having the M32U it definitely checks all the boxes.
Switched from the M32U to this
@@SkoolKidzNerdso what's your impressions, pros and cons?
I like both for different reasons. Definitely prefer my Samsung. Something about the curve is so immersive and it has a lot more features packed into it. Sadly no speakers but I'm using a sounbar to watch content when I'm not playing on it. It's much more vibrant and contrasty than the m32U but on a budget I think it's a great buy. Wanting an updated version of the odyssey ark with less latency since I play on series x
Great monitor review! Valuable info!
Any hopes of the XR42A90K or the 42" C2 being reviewed?
Samsung and cheating - name a more iconic duo!
Guess i have to wait for a 32" 4k OLED with 144Hz+. Sad that they decided to go with ultrawide QD-OLEDS first
You might be waiting many, many years for that.
Same. Really don't want ultrawide as it's just stupid. You can have proper 4k 16:9 monitor and play games in "ultrawide" mode just by changing resolution.
@@NameName-ll2yx But what I do want is a flat, 1440p mini led monitor. 27 inch would be nice. I think 4k is too demanding.
@@Gamezone-ze3oz why? We have ultrawide QD-OLEDS eith 3440x1440p with 170Hz so 4k 144Hz+ isn't that far away.
I can say samsung high end monitors are really good, I have LG fast IPS panel but the blacks are light up that makes me headaches sometimes, I had another IPS with a bit better contrast no issues, VA samsungs with local dimming really amazing except the flickering with gsync, that wasn't an issue in this review, plus mini led it should be way better than what I got before.
Great video as usual. I had a dead pixel on my first unit. Then tried the neo G8, also has a dead pixel, also very noticeable scan lines. May decide to go back to neo g7 but you may have won what others are calling the “panel lottery”. Always trust your channel and thanks for the great reviews.
I had the same experience with a 32h850 Samsung display! Went through 4 of them! 1 had dirt behind the panel, 3 had dead pixels (more than 3 pixels) and 2 had backlight uniformity issues. The QC is terrible
Regarding scanlines on the G8... have you tried lowering refresh rate to around 200 hz? It was suggested in this video.
Love this monitor, had for 6 months now, and I have zero complaints (although I would have preferred it as a flat screen).
watching this on my neo g7 i just got for $600
Yooo on Amazon they have one for 600$ I’m looking at multiple videos to see if it’s worth it i love oled i had one before i had to return it but that burn in on oled is what turns me off since Mini LED doesn’t burn in idk what to do
Did it come with any way to mount it on a vesa arm?
Just wanted to give you guys a heads up: the issue you ran into with thr HUD, for instance, not being lit up is a " compromise" with the Auto Local Dimming. It does that to prevent blooming. However, switching it to high will highlight those small things a lot brighter. It doesn't cause much blooming at all either, but things like HUDS are brighter in High setting than Auto.
Awesome reviews. Always critical and lots of info. Looking for a monitor for my 4090rtx, so haven't quite landed on one yet. So, im looking for that one monitor you don't have one bad thing to say on it. Im looking for that gold pot at the end of the rainbow i guess 😂
This is the greatest channel about monitors ever. I love you, guys!
Great Display, the curve is pretty bad though, but given the rest of the performance it might be a worthy tradeoff. Also please provide a "grid" visualization of the dimming zones, it really makes it a lot easier to asses the HDR capabilities.
tough*
Frankly the curve is nothing less then stellar and amazing. I can never go back to flat monitors again :)
@@Tsenngu it's pretty bad for productivity and multiple monitors.
@@HiddevanGelder nope
@@Tsenngu this
This is hilarious, was just saying about a week ago I am fine waiting for a 4K monitor that has all of my requirements before I upgrade and that HDR is a major sticking point for me, Samsung goes and drops a monitor that actually meets most of them. I am definitely feeling confident there will be a monitor that meets all of my requirements by year end.
I'm in that boat too, waiting for a 1440p 240Hz 21:9. The Neo G9 surpasses it by going 32:9, but I don't actually want one that wide.
That 100% windows HDR performance result is downright disapointing though
@@emiel255 I mean, let's be honest: who actually hits 100% windows though? The only time I've hit that was in Ori when the screen went completely white.
@@thebadburrito1394 hmm it is a requirement for me to buy a new monitor I just want a minimum of 1000 nits on a 100% window
@@emiel255 not even TVs can maintain 1000 nits of brightness for long periods of time, having that on a monitor is even worse since we usually seat closer.
Great review as always but a couple questions: why did you not measure SDR contrast with local dimming enabled as well as with it disabled? And Also when measuring SDR brightness, was this with local dimming set to off, auto, or high? Because on my G8 there is a major difference in brightness between the 3 settings.
What is the optimal local dimming setting for this monitor in SDR (Windows or Linux desktop use)?
I have a 32" VA 1440p monitor from MSI. I like it and I like the 1000R curve. This monitor looks like an awesome upgrade (although the cost is almost 3x the cost of my 1440p) and I may consider a purchase later this year.
Will we ever get a C2 review? :(
Why bother? It's virtually the same as the C1
Just watch HDTV Test video on it. A great tv review channel. The response time/deviation chart will be identical to the c1.
Rtings and HDTVtest both have reviews on that
FYI the 48 inch c1 fell to $797.
That is the review I would love to see. My choice I have narrowed it down to is either the C2 42” or the Samsung Neo G7.
1000R curves are great when you have 3 of them side by side. For me they (Odyssey G7) are the best productivity monitors I have used, effectively 6 nicely sized windows around me that are quite easy to work with. For games these monitors are also excellent. Not sure I'm ready to upgrade after 1 year but the same with the mLED would be very tempting for me otherwise.
Yeah
Great review as always Tim.
You ever get an ad for something you just talked about? I was searching around for reviews on this monitor less than a week ago... Nice
I personally like the curvature, but 1000R is too much, 1500-2100R is around where I want it.
Ive had 1500r and 1000r and 1000r is definitely way better
@@I.AMWallzy LOL No.
@@svn5994 well definitely is for me. Played on all 3 types
My Odyssey G7 32 started showing harsh scan lines after a year of use, which adds to the huge pile of complaints this monitor as received. Don't think I'll be getting a monitor from Samsung ever again.
So you rather have a AW3423DW then a neo g7 as strictly a FPS gaming monitor? I have a 4090 and would like 4k but if I’m gonna be stuck in the 144-120hz refresh rate I’m not sure if I see the point in making the jump.
I never liked the curve on 27s, they should be flat. On the 32s, the curve does add some immersion, at least in my experience but I am very close to the monitor, and I think most pc gamers are as well. I've been lucky with Samsung, had 3 27crg5 and the old G9 and a G7. Still have a G7 and my son loves his crg5 and they've been flawless. Great review as always
Great review! I was really tempted by this one, but as you mentioned several times, I just cannot trust Samsung. They have burned me before in the past. It is promising that this monitor does not seem to have all the tell-tale Samsung issues, but I will wait a bit longer. I did pre-order the Sony Inzone M9 and am excited to see how that monitor fares. I already have the AW3423DW for my PC gaming, so this Neo G7 and the Sony M9 are for my sim-racing and PS5.
Same boat. I preorder the inzone m9 . This moniter is tempting but i just don't trust samsung quality control
@@zechprime7114 I just got my M9 yesterday. Liking it a lot so far.
@@Drew_Koch mines not supposed to get here till tomorrow. How is the hdr looking with the 96 fald ?
$1300 is too much for me ... I'll grab one of the new TCL TVs that are due soon. The C735 will have a 43" version with 144hz HDR10+ on a QLED screen for around £500-600. I can handle a less good response time with that.
yes cheap but crap tv like trash
@@drunkhusband6257 i mean ... i'll only never look back because i'd have monitor surrounding me ...
It will also have terrible uniformity/DSE and not just "less response time" but literally smear.
This review is outstanding. Well done.
This year has been the year of the killer HDR gaming monitor. So awesome.
I don't follow why anyone would want really bright fullscreen brightness? Who wants a 32" 1000 nit explosion in their face? Seeing this at "only" 350 nits is an absolute win in my eyes, considering the conditional peak brightness clears over 1000. This seems ideal to me...
The only thing that I would change here is the panel to be ips and to be flat.
Is it better than the Legendary Alienware or Gigabyte M27Q P (as for the price per performance ratio)?
Hey tim, at what brightness setting did you test the Neo G7's response time performance at. Samsung's odyssey line seems to perform significantly differently depending on temperature so I must admit I'm very interested to know, specially considering RTINGS, who test their monitors at maximum brightness after warm up, should be releasing their review in a few days.
Every monitor we review is tested at 200 nits of output brightness in a 21C room. This makes the results comparable with every other monitor we test. Testing at different brightness levels (eg max brightness, which is different for every monitor) introduces a variable which makes it harder to compare between models
Curved screen makes this a non starter for me.
They are better than flat ones
Agreed. I hate curved monitors.
Samsung can have the greatest specs on paper and I'll never buy them again. I've had multiple great monitors from them that are plagued with some of the most infuriating firmware bugs that make them from bad to near unusable.
I have a Phillips not great
Same. I've had the best luck with LG so far.
@@speedzero7478 LG need to release 32 inch 4k QOLED 165hz+ ASAP.. for this price 1000+ range you cant play around with average or good enough products.
Can I ask what kind of firmware bugs did you experienced? I'm planning to buy Samsung gaming monitor
Ava don't worry, these issues are way overblown. Happy G7 owner here!
Please I'm about to buy an I3 12100 could you guys tell me what better motherboard for her? Thank you i love your channel
any chance u will make a vid about best 32" Monitors 2022? Non curved preferably (or at least included)