Samsung Odyssey G7 Review

After reviewing the Samsung Odyssey G9, their hugely impressive 49-inch gaming monitor, we couldn’t resist purchasing its younger sibling, the G7. This monitor comes equipped with all the speed and response you’d need to take your game to the next level. It offers a 240Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, and color accuracy that would give some creator monitors a run for their money.

The G7 also offers HDR600, a stunning ‘gamey’ aesthetic, and is wrapped up in a QHD 1440p QLED display. This thing literally has it all.

In the following article, we’ll be taking a closer look at the Samsung Odyssey G7 to see how it stacks up in build quality, color accuracy, picture clarity, and gaming performance. Pitting it against similarly priced alternatives to see whether or not this monitor showcases good value for money.

So, with all that in mind, let’s waste no further time and dive straight into it!

Specifications

What's In The Box

Like the G9, the Samsung Odyssey G7 comes in a fairly robust cardboard box, sporting the G7 and some of the main features around the outside. Inside the box, the G7 comes unassembled, with the display, stand, cables, and warranty all bundled inside styrofoam padding and a thin layer of foam.

• Samsung Odyssey G7
• Kettle Plug – UK & Europe
• DisplayPort 1.4
• User Manual
• Warranty

Design And Features

The following section will be a more in-depth look at the overall design, build quality, and features that come equipped with the Samsung Odyssey G7.

Design

First impressions of this monitor are extremely positive. It looks the part and doesn’t overdo it to the point where aesthetics start to look tacky or gimmicky. The 1000R curvature sets the scene, split by a large V-shaped stand which offers a sharp contrast to the smoothness of the display’s curve. At the base of the display, we find two RGB light zones that create a subtle ambiance when using the G7 during evenings.

As we move to the rear of the monitor, the gamey theme continues – displaying a vortex-like RGB zone of which I haven’t seen the likes of before. Like the Samsung G9, the 7 also showcases a nicely positioned headphone stand which stores away inside the stand nicely when not in use. Cable management options are available for this monitor, with the shell of the stand unlocking to expose an inlay where cables can be easily routed.

Overall, you can’t really knock this monitor from a design standpoint. It looks absolutely superb.

Build Quality

I was pretty impressed with this build quality of the G7, but then again, it was a $700 monitor – you’d expect nothing less. The stand felt sturdy and supportive, providing all the rigidity needed to ensure a safe and comfortable viewing experience.

The frame of the display was nicely constructed and no gaps were found between the panel and the frame itself – something that has plagued other monitor brands for some time now. Despite the majority of this display being made from plastic, it still feels extremely robust when compared to other monitors of similar design. The stand works flawlessly and provides excellent versatility and adjustments if necessary – something we’ll touch upon in more detail shortly.

Panel Coating

Like most modern monitors, the Samsung Odyssey G7 has an anti-glare coating with 3H hardness. It does an excellent job of mitigating natural light and allows you to focus on what’s most important, the gaming.

That being said, because of the 1000R curvature, if you do have a particularly strong light source that is causing some reflective issues, it’s extremely hard to maneuver the monitor to a position that eradicates the problem.

Bezels

Thanks to the design of the G7, the bezels feel extremely discrete. That said, they measure in at roughly 10mm (top and sides) and almost double that at the base (21mm).

Stand

Unlike the G9 we tested recently, the stand on the G7 offers much more rigidity and adjustability.  The V-shaped base is extremely wide and gives the monitor all the stability you could require. That said, it does mean you will need a fairly large desk to use this monitor comfortably.

As mentioned earlier, the back of the stand unlocks to reveal cable management options and a headphone holder. Once you have managed your cables, simply pop the shell of the stand back on and you’re good to go.

As far as adjustments go, users can expect the following;

• Forward Tilt – 9 degrees
• Backward Tilt – 13 degrees
• Left Swivel – 15 degrees
• Right Swivel – 15 degrees
• Pivot – 90 degrees
• Height – 120mm

The adjustability of the stand is definitely a positive feature of this monitor. Unlike other, less functional 27-inch alternatives, the G7 provides a full 90 degrees pivot. This allows users to use the G7 as a secondary Twitch monitor if they really wanted to. Let’s be honest though, that would be a criminal way of using a monitor of this caliber.

Inputs

the 240Hz refresh rate at max resolution.

OSD

Finally, we have the OSD.  This has been one of my favorite features of the new Samsung line of monitors, bringing an ease-of-use that was nowhere to be seen in years gone by.

The new OSD not only functions well, but it looks stunning too. The simple yet elegant design offers up all the customization and adjustment necessary to create the perfect picture for your specific needs. Thanks to the joystick that Samsung has equipped the G7 with, navigating the OSD couldn’t be easier. Simply click the joystick in to access the menu and you’re away. Move the joystick up and down to seamlessly navigate the various menus this OSD has to offer. Once you’re finished, simply click the trigger left until the menu closes. It’s that easy.

Color Accuracy & Picture Quality

If previous Samsung monitors are anything to go by, the G7 will offer extremely accurate color recreation. In the following section, we’ll be taking a closer look at the color accuracy and picture quality. We use a DisplayCal to measure the accuracy of the colors and its uniformity.

The following results have been collated using a number of different tests and specialized equipment.

Before we discuss the results, it’s worth mentioning that the Samsung Odyssey G7 came pre-calibrated in a custom preset. It was set  100 brightness, contrast  75, and R/G/B values of 50/50/50. The brightness far exceeded the recommended brightness and was turned down to 120 candelas for our standardized testing.

The custom out-of-the-box settings displayed the best color accuracy of the presets available. It had an almost perfect white point and an extremely low black depth of 0.0496 cd/m². The contrast ratio was almost identical as advertised (2500:1) and with an average delta of 2.18, the custom preset certainly offered good out the box colors.

We moved swiftly onto sRGB and, to my surprise, you could actually adjust the brightness when in this particular preset – an adjustment that isn’t always available on today’s monitors. Luminance aside, sRGB also offered up a very accurate color recreation. White point was spot on at just over IDEAL (6632K) and black depth was, once again, superb. Contrast ratio was just under the advertised mark (0.0504 cd/m²) and gamma was identical to custom. All being said, the sRGB ended up with the best average delta (1.95) of any of the presets we tested. If you’re looking for the best experience right out the box, we recommend sRGB.

Lastly, we have the FPS mode. As expected, this was the worst of all the presets we tested, measuring a high for both white point (7716K) and average delta (2.86). It also offered the worst black depth and contrast ratio (2121:1). That said, FPS mode did show the best gamma read of 2.09 – closest to the IDEAL figure of 2.2.

After finalizing our first run of the color accuracy testing, we concluded that custom was the overall best for out the box settings. It offers a great color experience and was only beaten by sRGB on the average delta – and not by much.

Before doing a more comprehensive color test, we quickly checked the range of the luminance. The peak brightness measured in at 308.81cd/m² with the low being 53.17cd/m². To get 120cd/m² we had to crank the brightness down to 25.

Preset	White Point	Black Depth	Contrast Ratio	Average ΔE*00	Gamma
Ideal	6500K	0.00 cd/m²	Infinite	0.00	2.2
FPS	7716K	0.0569 cd/m²	2121.7:1	2.86	2.09
sRGB	6632K	0.0504 cd/m²	2407.1:1	1.95	2.24
Custom	6569K	0.0496 cd/m²	2399.7:1	2.18	2.24

Preset	White Point	Black Depth	Contrast Ratio	Average ΔE*00	maximum ΔE*00	Gamma
sRGB In-depth	6706K	0.0504 cd/m²	2368.2:1	2.39	5.01	2.25
Calibrated	6517K	0.0536 cd/m²	2219.4:1	0.26	2.5	2.2

When calibrating the monitor, we reloaded the custom profile and changed the RGB to R – 50, G – 50, B – 48, and reduced the luminance down to 25 (120 cd/m²). Once adjusted, we ran the calibration process. This adjusts the color levels in your display to make them as accurate as physically possible. The entire process took around 15 minutes to complete, after which we ran another, more comprehensive color test.

After the colorimeter finished calibrating the monitor, the G7 offered a much better score than previously recorded. The white point was now almost perfect at 6517K, as was the black depth of 0.0536. The contrast ratio did take a little bit of a hit, dropping to 2219:1, but the average delta was much improved. It now showed an average delta of 0.26 and a maximum delta of 2.5 – hugely improved over the previous uncalibrated profile. We finally saw gamma come bang in line with our IDEAL figure.

Panel Uniformity

Panel uniformity is a test we run to check how uniform the luminance and color is across the entirety of the screen. During this test, the center square is used as the reference space. Every other square is then tested to see how far it differentiates from the reference. In an ideal world, we want every square to be green, meaning it hasn’t broken the differential threshold – something we can set at the start of the test.

Note: results will differ from panel to panel.

After the success of the Samsung G9, I was expecting big things from the G7 when it came to panel uniformity. However, that wasn’t quite the case.

The first thing I noticed once the uniformity test had completed was the red spots (parts of the monitor that exceeded the maximum threshold we set) on the right-hand side of the panel. Most of the time, panels of this caliber falter in the corners, however, on our G7, the most affected areas were on the right, in the middle.

Also fairly alarming was the sheer number of amber squares we saw on this panel. Over half the squares on the G7 were classed as amber, meaning only 33% of this panel offered acceptable uniformity – not great if truth be told.

Viewing Angles

As far as VA panels go, the Samsung G7 didn’t have the worst viewing angles in the world. That being said, there were clear signs of backlight bleed when looking at this panel at around 30+ degrees. Whilst these weren’t as obvious in day to day use, they certainly played a part when watching films or dark gaming scenes.

Color Gamut

As part of the calibration process, the DisplayCal will measure the color gamut volume and coverage of your panel. Below are the results for the Samsung G7:

We’ve tested quite a few monitors now and the Samsung G7 has one of the widest color gamuts we’ve seen. It exceeded the advertised sRGB volume of 125% by almost 10%. It covers 99.9% of the sRGB color gamut, making it a fantastic choice for any content creator using the sRGB spectrum.

More impressively, the G7 covers almost 91% of the DCI-P3 color spectrum and 85.5% of Adobe RGB. That makes this monitor hugely accurate when it comes to colors, bringing G9 levels of accuracy to the table. If you’re looking for a stunning panel that showcases excellent colors, the G7 ticks all the right boxes.

Samsung Odyssey G7: Gaming Performance

With color accuracy and picture clarity tested, it’s time to put the Samsung Odyssey G7 to the test in a number of different gaming titles. Samsung is marketing this monitor as a “world-class esports experience”, so let’s see if it lives up to the hype.

I started by loading a fast-paced first-person shooter to really put the G7 to the test. Of course, it was Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. I fired up a quick game of deathmatch – a game mode that has lots of moving objects – and the first thing I noticed was just how smooth the gameplay felt. Just moving my crosshair around a map was buttery smooth. I played a few rounds and it was clear that the jump from 144 to 240Hz refresh rate made a clear difference. Whilst the jump wasn’t quite as impressive as 60Hz to 144Hz, it was still noticeable.

Remember, if you want to get the most out of this monitor, you’ll have to be pushing a stable 240 frames per second – not to mention you’ll have to use a DisplayPort 1.4 if you want to the maximum native resolution.

Those factors aside, the Samsung G7 provided an excellent overall gaming experience. This QLED display was not only vibrant and deep, but it also offered superb color recreation too. We took Shadow Of The Tomb Raider for a spin and HDR worked a treat. Bright areas were still full of detail as were the darkest shadows of caves and rocky terrain. Furthermore, the 1000R curvature is said to match the curvature of your own eye, providing additional immersion and a more relaxed viewing experience.

Taking a quick look at the OSD, users should try and set the settings to the highest possible. We recommend a 240Hz refresh rate, “fastest” response time, and a black equalizer level that suits your requirements. Unlike the G9 which gave you freedom of adaptive sync and refresh rate, the G7 must have adaptive sync switched to “OFF” before you can change the other settings.

 

Final Thoughts

So, there you have it, our comprehensive look at the lightning-quick Samsung Odyssey G7, a gaming monitor that really does provide esports levels of performance.

Samsung has a knack for bringing unrivaled performance to the table when they really want to. This is a fantastic example of what they can offer gamers looking to take their play to the next level. Gaming was buttery smooth, colors were incredibly accurate, and immersion was at the highest level.

Overall, I’m really struggling to knock this monitor for gaming or everyday use. It also provides a large color gamut coverage which is perfect for anyone using the sRGB spectrum.

If you’re in the market for a monitor that ticks all the right boxes, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything that does as good a job as this.