Samsung’s Odyssey G9 curved gaming monitor is a 49-inch QLED monster

CES 2020 hasn’t started yet, but Samsung is already getting started with a pair of new QLED gaming monitors that look to check nearly every spec box, led by the absolutely massive 49-inch Odyssey G9, Samsung’s curviest screen yet.

The Odyssey G9 isn’t the first curved gaming display from Samsung, nor is it the first 49-inch one, or even the first at such a high resolution (that honor goes to last year’s CRG9). But the Odyssey ups the specs in nearly every way: while the 5120×1440 resolution and HDR1000 rating are the same, the new screen offers twice the refresh rate, at up to 240Hz, a even quicker 1ms response time, and support for both AMD’s FreeSync 2 along with newly added Nvidia G-Sync compatibility.

The display is also Samsung’s first consumer display with an 1000R curve, filling roughly the same field of view as the human eye (monitor curvature tends to range from 4000R to 1800R, with a greater curvature the lower the number.) In other words, the 49-inch G9 curves more than most other displays, including the CRG9 (which had a less severe 1800R curve) for a more immersive experience that feels like the screen is wrapped around your head.

Of course, given that it’s a gaming monitor, the back also features a giant glowing blue light that makes the display look like it’s powered by one of Tony Stark’s leftover Iron Man arc reactors.

Alongside the Odyssey G9, Samsung also announced the Odyssey G7, a smaller 16:9 2560×1440 monitor that comes in both 32-inch and 27-inch sizes. Like the larger Odyssey G9 panels, the G7 models also offer a 1000R curvature, rely on Samsung’s QLED technology, feature a 240Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, and FreeSync 2 and G-Sync. The only real difference — aside from size — is the level of HDR supported. The G7 models only are rated for HDR600 (for a minimum peak luminance of 600 cd/m²), compared to the HDR1000 rating on the G9.

Samsung has yet to announce a price or release date for either display, but if the $1,299.99 CRG9 from last year is anything to go by, the new displays likely won’t be cheap.