The Odyssey OLED G81SF is a 4K, 240Hz beauty built for gamers who know exactly what they want—and what they can live without. It has been almost three years since Samsung unveiled its first OLED gaming monitor, the Odyssey OLED G8. Since then, the company that introduced consumers to the pocket-sized Galaxy has unveiled numerous upgrades to its monitor range, including the recently released Samsung Odyssey OLED G80SD.
This model doubles down on OLED visuals, delivering a powerful 240Hz refresh rate in addition to stunning 4K resolution. The Odyssey G80SD also includes a range of smart features and impressive built-in speakers. Adding to the OLED catalogue for 2025, the Samsung Odyssey OLED G81SF Gaming Monitor removes the bells and whistles found on the G80SD. Instead, the Odyssey G81SF focuses on one thing: delivering incredible visuals from display to retina for the user.
The Samsung Odyssey G81SF arrives in easy-to-navigate packaging and is simple to set up without much technical knowledge. Inside the box is a sleek, stainless steel–coloured stand (with a Velcro fastener to secure wires), an HDMI and DisplayPort cable, the monitor itself and a power cord. Unlike the G80SD, the Odyssey OLED G81SF doesn’t include a remote for volume or settings, nor does it offer smart functionality. This is a monitor for those who want a high-end display and already have everything else needed for a complete gaming setup.
“The Samsung Odyssey OLED G81SF focuses on one thing: delivering incredible visuals from display to retina for the user.”
After an incredibly simple five-minute assembly, the Samsung Odyssey OLED G81SF is ready to go. One thing is made abundantly clear: the G81SF looks great. The monitor presents exceptionally well, allowing the Samsung Odyssey OLED G81SF to check all the boxes for both a winter formal or summer casual, without losing any style points.
The display also smartly includes enough ports to accommodate a variety of devices. Inputs include two HDMI ports, two USB Type-A ports, a DisplayPort and a headphone jack for external speakers. Most gaming monitors feature mediocre—or outright bad—built-in speaker systems, but not Samsung. The Samsung Odyssey OLED G81SF doesn’t include onboard sound. Usually, I would comment on a monitor’s sound quality (most produce a tinny wail), but after trying out the G80SD and experiencing its solid audio system, the G81SF feels like a step backward. In this case, users will need to BYOS—bring your own speakers.
The display on the Samsung Odyssey OLED G81SF is a sight to behold. Upgraded from the G80SD, the latest Odyssey screen features anti-glare technology, which is a godsend in rooms with heavy ambient light. My living room has two large windows, and blinds only go so far. The Samsung Odyssey takes on the rest of the window blinds’ burden and delivers a stunning display. Even with no blinds at noon and a clear sky, the G81SF produced a vividly sharp image with virtually no glare.
Aside from the 45 to 90 degrees of tilt and rotation provided by the stand, the monitor can be fully rotated a full 90 degrees to the left or right, allowing the screen to sit vertically or diagonally, for those with a chaotic neutral setup. The Samsung Odyssey’s 240Hz refresh rate is supported by Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) technology and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro to prevent choppiness during gameplay, and it delivers.
For the uninitiated, Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) is a technology that adjusts a display’s refresh rate—in this case, up to 240Hz according to Samsung—to match the actual frames per second (FPS) of the game being played. If the frame rate dips during a particularly demanding segment of an Elder Scrolls Online dungeon run, VRR automatically adjusts the screen’s refresh rate to maintain smooth motion.
Whether playing on a PC, Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5, gameplay is buttery smooth, showing that Samsung knows its stuff when it comes to gaming monitors. Colours from the monitor are rich and vibrant. Trap floors in Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin are easier to spot than they would be on a TV. Forza Horizon 5 somehow looks even better on the Odyssey than on any other display I’ve seen. The Mexico-inspired setting bleeds through the screen with an immersive brilliance. On the mountains, you might find yourself shivering, without even being there.
“For those looking for one of the best displays on the market—and nothing else—the Samsung Odyssey OLED G81SF is the right choice.”
My biggest gripe with the Samsung Odyssey OLED G81SF is the lack of an included remote. The previous model included one, and its absence here is staggering. All of the preset functions and usability options are controlled through a small joystick-style button on the back of the monitor, which is miserable to use. This button is responsible for adjusting presets, toggling functions and navigating everything the monitor offers from a manual standpoint.
Even for users who don’t like adjusting settings, the monitor has quirks. After confirming that there were no firmware updates available, I noticed that switching from Elden Ring to a less demanding title, such as Rare Replay, caused the screen to go black for several seconds. At first, it seemed as if the monitor had powered off unexpectedly. This may be a result of the onboard AMD FreeSync technology anticipating a heavier GPU load from Elden Ring, but it’s still a jarring experience.
The Samsung Odyssey OLED G81SF 4K 240Hz gaming monitor is, in many ways, an incredible display. Where it lacks in gimmicks and AI-enhanced features, it makes up for it by delivering one of the best screens available for gaming. The colour saturation and glare reduction are second to none. For users who already have a complete gaming setup (and can justify the premium price), this is an easy recommendation. However, if you don’t need the added visual clarity and would benefit from onboard functionality like a remote, the G80SD remains a better-value option.
For those looking for one of the best displays on the market—and nothing else—the Samsung Odyssey OLED G81SF is the right choice. But for everyone else, the button on the back really is that bad.
