The Samsung Odyssey G7 S40G75 is a great choice when an OLED is out of reach. It delivers premium and addictive gaming with a colorful and textural image. And its extreme curve literally pulls the player into the virtual environment.
Why you can trust Tom's Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
In the realm of extra-cool and best gaming monitors, there are none quite as dramatic as supercurved screens. Radii of 1000R or lower make the screen wrap around you and if the aspect ratio is 21:9, which most are, the effect is on par with the best VR goggles. They provide a semblance of VR on the desktop without making the user wear a headset.
Many of the latest ultra-wide screens are OLEDs, and they live in a premium price category north of $1,000. If you’re willing to go with VA technology, Samsung has a $900 proposition: the Odyssey G7 S40FG75. This 40-inch, 21:9, 1000R curved panel has 5120x2160 resolution, 180 Hz, Adaptive-Sync HDR, and a wide color gamut. Let’s take a look.
Samsung Odyssey G7 S40FG75 Specs
Swipe to scroll horizontally Panel Type / Backlight VA / W-LED, edge array Row 1 - Cell 0 8 dimming zones Screen Size / Aspect Ratio 40 inches / 21:9 Max Resolution and Refresh Rate 5120x2160 @ 180 Hz Row 4 - Cell 0 FreeSync and G-Sync Compatible Native Color Depth and Gamut 10-bit (8-bit+FRC) / DCI-P3 Row 6 - Cell 0 HDR10, HDR10+, DisplayHDR 600 Response Time (GTG) 1ms Brightness (mfr) 350 nits SDR Row 9 - Cell 0 600 nits HDR Contrast (mfr) 3,000:1 Speakers None Video Inputs 1x DisplayPort 1.4 Row 13 - Cell 0 2x HDMI 2.1 Audio 3.5mm headphone output USB 3.2 1x up, 2x down Power Consumption 66.8w, brightness @ 200 nits Panel Dimensions WxHxD w/base 36.5 x 18.8-23.5 x 11.9 inches (927 x 478-597 x 302mm) Panel Thickness 7.7 inches (196mm) Bezel Width Top: 0.47 inch (12mm) Row 20 - Cell 0 Sides: 0.59 inch (15mm) Row 21 - Cell 0 Bottom: 0.71 inch (18mm) Weight 24.9 pounds (11.32kg) Warranty 3 years
A 1000R curve means that a circle of Odyssey G7s is just two meters across. You can sit close to this one thanks to its 140ppi pixel density, well above QHD resolution. Of course, moving that many pixels takes time, so the maximum refresh rate is 180 Hz. That’s plenty quick, and though you can find higher rates in the 16:9 aspect category, the Odyssey G7 is faster than most of the ultra-wides I’ve tested. And most of them are 34 inches diagonal with lower resolution. The 40-inch genre is a small group.
The panel uses Vertical Alignment (VA) tech, providing the highest contrast of any LCD variant. It doesn’t quite have the viewing angles of IPS, but it’s far better than old-school TN panels. The Odyssey G7 features an edge LED backlight with eight dimming zones, providing a nice contrast boost in HDR mode. The native ratio is around 2,500:1, but I measured over 9,000:1 for HDR content, with a peak output of around 550 nits. The color is there too, with over 88% coverage of DCI-P3. I also discovered excellent out-of-the-box accuracy, with no need for calibration.
Gaming aids are a bit sparse; you get aiming points and a black level adjuster, but no sniper mode, frame counter, or timers. The overdrive is well implemented, with precise motion-blur removal, but I found it unavailable when Adaptive-Sync is enabled. You must choose one or the other. However, if you can maintain 180 fps, you can turn off AS without penalty.
There are some nice extras here, like LED lighting with color and effect control, and USB ports that face backwards for easy hookup of peripherals. Inputs include DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.1. and you get a headphone jack. There are no internal speakers. An intuitive nav pad sits under the center of the panel for easy access to the comprehensive menu system.
... continue reading