Samsung unveils Odyssey Neo G9 240Hz gaming monitor with mini-LED backlight
Samsung has upgraded its Odyssey G9 ultra wide gaming monitor with the same Neo QLED tech used in its latest TVs that feature mini-LED backlights. The new model is dubbed the Odyssey Neo G9. Samsung bills it as the world’s first mini-LED curved gaming monitor with Quantum Matrix tech, but note that it is not the first mini-LED monitor on the market.
The Odyssey Neo G9 is a 49” monitor with 32:9 aspect ratio – basically, it is two 16:9 monitors side by side. The resolution is the same as on the original, 5,120 x 1,440 px. And it has the same 1000R curvature. However, the new Quantum Mini LED matrix has some marked advantages when it comes to image quality.
The mini-LEDs it uses measure just 1/40th of a regular LED. This allowed Samsung to cram many more of them in the backlight, so the Neo G9 has 2,048 dimming zones, up from just 10 on the original monitor that came out just last year.
The backlight is brighter too, twice as bright in fact, which earned it a Quantum HDR 2000 certification by the VDE (one of Europe’s largest technical-scientific associations). This means 2,000 nits peak brightness (the typical brightness is 420 nits). The static contrast ratio is significantly improved too, reaching 1,000,000:1. All of this is precisely controlled with 12-bit resolution (up from 8-bit).
The Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 has a refresh rate of 240 Hz with a 1 ms response time (gray to gray). It has a DisplayPort 1.4 input with Adaptive Sync and an HDMI 2.1 VRR input with both Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro. Additional connectivity includes two USB ports and a headphone jack.
Since this is a gaming monitor, it has RGB lighting to make it fit in with the rest of your rig. The so-called Infinity Core Lightning+ system can be set shine in 52 colors with 5 lightning effects. The new CoreSync feature allows you to customize those effects.
The Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 will be available for pre-order in 17 countries starting on July 29 (Thursday). Check your local Samsung.com for more details. In the US the monitor will be available on August 9 and will cost $2,500.
Here’s an infographic that shows how the Neo G9 compares to the original Odyssey G9 from last year:
