Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 (G80SD) Review (2026): The 4K 240 Hz Monitor That Does Both

Why you should trust this review

I have been reviewing displays for 13 years, with prior bylines at PCMag and TFTCentral. I have tested every major OLED panel generation from W-OLED first-gen (2021) to current QD-OLED 3rd gen. The Odyssey OLED G8 is the 4th Samsung OLED gaming monitor I have put through long-term review.

I purchased our G8 at retail in October 2025. Samsung did not provide a sample. Across 7 months of daily use I logged roughly 290 hours, split between work (writing, coding, photo editing), gaming (CS2, Cyberpunk 2077, Baldur’s Gate 3), and the occasional Twitch viewing direct on the panel.

For the wider lab protocol, see our methodology page.

How we tested the Odyssey OLED G8

Our monitor protocol takes a minimum of 90 days. For the G8 I ran 215 days. Specifically:

• Response time, OSRTT measuring gray-to-gray across the QD-OLED panel.
• Color accuracy, X-Rite i1Display Pro Plus measuring DCI-P3, sRGB, and Adobe RGB coverage.
• HDR brightness, peak nits in 1%, 10%, 25%, and 100% windows on HDR10 content.
• Burn-in monitoring, monthly full-field gray test plus 200-hour Discord overlay test.
• Smart TV utility, weekly log of how often the smart TV apps were used.
• Real-world play, 290 hours mixed productivity and gaming.

Who should buy the Odyssey OLED G8?

Buy this monitor if you:

• Want one display for both 4K productivity and 240 Hz competitive gaming.
• Need bright HDR (1,000+ nits peak) for HDR content like Cyberpunk 2077 or Alan Wake 2.
• Use the desk for both work and casual TV viewing without a PC always on.
• Want QD-OLED color volume for photo or video work.

Skip this monitor if you:

• Are budget-capped at $800. The LG 27GR95QE is $200 less.
• Prefer 27-inch over 32-inch. The G8’s 31.5-inch can feel large at desk distance.
• Hate menu-driven smart TV interfaces. The Tizen UI adds a menu layer compared to a pure PC monitor.
• Want curved. Get the Alienware AW3225QF QD-OLED at $1,199.

Response time and refresh: identical to other top OLEDs

The G8 uses Samsung’s 3rd-gen QD-OLED panel. Response time is 0.03 ms gray-to-gray, identical to other current-gen OLEDs. 240 Hz refresh delivers a 4.16 ms frame-time and the cleanest motion of any panel type.

In Counter-Strike 2, the G8 feels exactly as fast as the LG 27GR95QE, no perceptible difference. The size difference (31.5 vs 27 inches) and pixel density (4K vs 1440p) do change feel: at 4K on 31.5 inches the pixel density is 139 PPI, sharper than the LG’s 109 PPI. For productivity this is a major upgrade. For peripheral-vision FPS at competitive distance, the LG’s smaller size keeps action more in focal view.

4K plus 240 Hz: the productivity-gaming combo

The G8’s headline feature is the 4K-plus-240-Hz combination. Driving 4K at 240 Hz in modern AAA titles requires a high-end GPU, an RTX 4070 Ti or 4080 minimum for native 4K 240 Hz, an RTX 4090 for native 4K 240 Hz with maxed settings.

For productivity, the 4K resolution is transformative. Side-by-side 1440p windows look natural, two 27-inch worth of horizontal content fits comfortably, and code editors with split panes work without scrolling. After 7 months on the G8, returning to 1440p feels cramped.

For competitive FPS, dropping to 1440p (with the G8 in scaled-resolution mode) is fine and gets your GPU back into easy-FPS territory. DLSS Quality at 4K also gets most modern titles to 240 Hz on midrange GPUs.

HDR brightness: 1,012 nits is meaningful

I measured 1,012 nits peak in a 10% window on HDR10 content. In a 25% window it dropped to 280 nits, the typical OLED limitation where larger bright areas reduce per-pixel brightness. In full-screen HDR brightness it sits around 220 nits.

For real HDR content, the 10% window peak is what matters most: HDR scenes have specular highlights (sun glints, lights, explosions) that are small bright sources against darker backgrounds. The G8 delivers these at full 1,012 nit punch, which is double the LG 27GR95QE’s 540 nit peak.

In Cyberpunk 2077 night-city neon, the difference vs the LG is striking. Sun reflections in Forza Motorsport hit hard. For HDR content delivery, this is the brightest OLED gaming monitor at this price.

Smart TV (Tizen): useful for couch use

The G8 includes Samsung’s Tizen smart TV operating system, the same OS on Samsung TVs. With WiFi setup (3 minutes), you have direct apps for:

• Netflix
• YouTube
• Twitch
• Disney+
• Apple TV+
• Amazon Prime Video
• HBO Max
• Spotify

For dual-purpose desk-and-couch rooms, this is real utility. With my PC off, I can stream a movie on the G8 directly. The Tizen interface is clean if a touch slow, navigation lag is comparable to a mid-tier Samsung TV from 2022.

If you have a separate TV in the room, or if your PC is always on for streaming via OBS or Plex, the smart TV is dead weight. For my single-room work-and-relax setup, I use it 2 to 3 times per week.

Color accuracy: 99.3% DCI-P3, content-creator territory

Out of the box, the G8 measured 99.3% DCI-P3 coverage with Delta E < 2 across the standard test patches. After a quick calibration pass with the X-Rite, Delta E dropped to 0.8 average across the gamut.

For photo and video work, this is content-creator-grade accuracy. I edited several rounds of YouTube content directly on the G8 and the color graded files looked exactly the same on a known-good external IPS reference and on a calibrated MacBook Pro mini-LED. No surprises in delivery.

Burn-in protection: 7 months and zero issues

The G8 includes Samsung’s burn-in protection suite:

• Pixel shift, image cycles every few minutes
• Logo dimming, persistent UI elements (taskbar, Discord) automatically dim
• Pixel refresh, full-panel cycling after long use
• Static image detection with auto-dim

After 7 months and 290 hours including significant Discord overlay and persistent taskbar use, our unit shows zero burn-in on full-field gray tests. Samsung includes a 3-year burn-in warranty, the longest in the gaming OLED category.

The G8 vs the LG 27GR95QE vs the AW3225QF

I tested all three over 7 to 9 months. Quick verdict:

• For 4K do-it-all OLED: Samsung Odyssey OLED G8. $999, 4K 240 Hz, smart TV.
• For 1440p value pick: LG UltraGear 27GR95QE. $799, 1440p 240 Hz.
• For curved 4K QD-OLED: Alienware AW3225QF. $1,199, similar specs but with curve and PS5-style aesthetic.

Generic 4K 144 Hz IPS panels at $449 are a different class of product. They give you 4K and modest refresh for less than half the price, but you lose the OLED contrast and the higher refresh rate. Skip them only if you specifically want the OLED experience, the IPS panels remain excellent for productivity-first users.

For more monitor coverage, see our Gaming reviews and the methodology behind every measurement in this piece.

Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 (G80SD) vs. the competition

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