I was always envious of the better TVs my friends were equipped with during our old LAN parties, as I always used the “little brother” hand-me-down TV. Fast forward to 2024, and Samsung delivers the Odyssey 32” OLED G80SD monitor, a display reserved for the older brother in the room and a display that provides such a clear image it will be the life of any party with the best picture and faster speed than most PCs can handle.
The Samsung Odyssey OLED G80SD came packaged with a few materials to help get started. A stand that assembles easily without hassle, a strap that stops cord pollution from the back of the monitor, basic cords for setup including an HDMi, a DisplayPort, and the power adapter, a small remote, and, of course, the star of the show the Samsung Odyssey OLED G80SD itself.
The ease of setup is almost alarming for the Samsung Odyssey OLED G80SD. The back of the monitor fastens to the stand easily and without any hardware necessary, and once it is set up, boy is it stunning. The sleek design of the monitor is bolstered by an ergonomic stand that could stand out in most settings, whether gaming with friends or crafting a college thesis. The monitor’s presentation stands professional.
The Samsung Odyssey OLED G80SD’s stand offers approximately 45-90 degrees of rotation, so placing the monitor in a corner or the center of a desk to turn to others is simple, and showing others what’s displayed could happen with a brief display turn. The monitor has a range of ports including three video inputs (two HDMI & one DisplayPort 1.4), an Ethernet port, and two USB 2.0 ports. This provides multiple connection points and allows the user adaptability without unplugging and replugging devices.
“The Samsung Odyssey OLED G80SD is a great monitor for gamers and office professionals alike and is bound to be the first option when having a LAN party.”
Where the Samsung Odyssey OLED G80SD struts the most is when it is pedalling its breakneck 240hz refresh rate over its stunning 4K display. While many will note that companies have announced even faster refresh rates for the future, 240hz at 4K is more rapid than most PC specs can handle (even regarding the new AMD Ryzen 9000 series just announced).
Through this display, I had an option to either fine-tune display settings or turn on game mode. To see what the Odyssey OLED G80SD was capable of, I fired up Elden Ring to prepare myself for the impending Shadow of the Erdtree DLC from an Xbox Series X on the display, and it felt like playing the title for the first time under the game mode slider. The contrast and generous colour gamut provided by the NQ8 AI Gen3 Processor showed me a side of The Lands Between I haven’t experienced before.
While fighting enemy bosses like the Starscourge Radahn (this is my second playthrough people), the heavy outlines provided when summoning other combatants, and the boss’ health gauge were a little less brazenly displayed on the screen. The Samsung Odyssey OLED 32G80SD does this on purpose with its safeguard technology. Boxy logos, fonts, and gauges that normally pop off the screen are toned down to reduce heat output from the back of the screen and display information without risking image burn-in. It also doubles as a reminder boss fights could be a marathon and keeps the player in the game instead of focusing on “how many hits left?!”
I also noticed while wielding a substantially colourful weapon, the display recognized the difference in colour between the very red-seeming Blasphemous Blade, and the rest of the arid landscape in Elden Ring. The Blade glowed red, and details along its spine were more enhanced than I was able to see from far away than ever before.
Aside from being the sharpest display in the room while hooked up to a console the Samsung Odyssey OLED G80SD also shines when using the onboard apps to play games as well (without extra hardware attached). While playing the early access The Rogue Prince of Persia, I was able to sync my Steam account to the monitor without even connecting a PC, and pick up right where I left off on the portable Steam Deck. This felt like using a Nintendo Switch for the first time, but without needing a dock.
“Where the Samsung Odyssey OLED G80SD struts the most is when it is pedalling its breakneck 240hz refresh rate over its stunning 4K display.”
Being able to do this seamlessly was quite impressive, and how the streaming worked without a hiccup through NVIDIA GeForce NOW showed how fast and efficient cloud gaming could be. This is bolstered by the inclusion of an Ethernet cable in the back of the monitor to provide the fastest connection available for streaming (I admittedly used a wireless connection and experienced no issues). Streaming Forza Horizon 5 to the device was also seamless, and it played incredibly well, but it’s worth mentioning that playing it on the Xbox Series X console directly was faster.
The Samsung Odyssey OLED G80SD is a beautiful display. This device runs at a lightning-fast 240hz refresh rate while pedalling 4K visuals, and it makes it look easy. Without even being hooked up to a PC, the Samsung Odyssey OLED G80SD offers a gamer many options from connecting it directly to a console, to streaming from the NVIDIA GeForce NOW cloud service.
Where the Samsung Odyssey OLED G80SD separates itself from the rest of the pack is with onboard NQ8 AI Gen3 Processing. The instant repair of choppy details and instant-feeling upscaling on surrounding areas while gaming is a sight to behold. This makes gaming on the Samsung Odyssey OLED G80SD feel like it’s the first time you’re seeing a game again through a fresh lens.
With thoughtful inclusions like an included voice guide and a smart timer to allow forgetful users (me, they mean me) to save energy by the monitor turning off itself, Samsung really thought about all users when developing this monitor. The Samsung Odyssey OLED G80SD is a great monitor for gamers and office professionals alike and is bound to be the first option when having a LAN party.
