Should you wait for the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 2023 or buy last year’s model? – Digital trends

Samsung recently opened pre-orders for the 2023 model of the Odyssey Neo G9. It’s an impressive monitor in every way, and it stunned us when we demoed the screen earlier this year. But is it worth waiting for the monitor to be officially discontinued?

With the arrival of the new Neo G9, last year’s model received significant discounts. As of this writing, the display has seen a price drop of almost 40%, bringing its list price of $2,220 down to just $1,300. It’s a great option if you want a premium display without completely breaking the bank, but there are plenty of differences between the Odyssey Neo G9 2023 and last year’s model that you should keep in mind before buying. make a purchase.

Prices

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: pricing. As mentioned, you can find last year’s Odyssey Neo G9 for as little as $1,300 – and even less if you go with a used or open box model. There are a lot of these floating around given how long the monitor has been on the market.

The 2023 Odyssey Neo G9 is much more expensive. That’s $2,500, which represents a $300 increase in list price over last year’s model. However, Samsung says that anyone who pre-orders the monitor between now and October 1 will receive an instant $500 Samsung credit, bringing the prices a little more in line with each other.

Even with this reduction, last year’s version of the Odyssey Neo G9 is significantly cheaper. You’ll save between $700 and $1,200 depending on when you purchase the display. It’s understandable that the new model is more expensive, as we’ll see below, but the price gap could make a difference for many buyers.

Resolution and refresh rate

Although the Odyssey Neo G9 2023 has the same name as last year’s model, the two screens couldn’t be more different. For starters, the 2023 model is much larger at 57 inches. Both screens use the 32:9 “super ultra-wide” aspect ratio, but last year’s model measures just 49 inches diagonally.

In practice, last year’s model is equivalent to putting two 27-inch screens side by side. The 2023 model is equivalent to two 32-inch screens. Despite the increase in size, the Odyssey Neo G9 2023 has the same 1000R curve as last year’s version. The increase in size, however, affects weight. The 2023 model weighs almost 42 pounds with the stand, while the previous version weighs 32 pounds.

Another big change is the resolution. The Odyssey Neo G9 2023 has a “dual UHD” resolution, which essentially places two 4K displays next to each other. This reaches a resolution of 7680 x 2160. The previous version came with a double resolution of 1440p, which is 5120 x 1440.

The 2023 model represents a significant step up in resolution, which makes sense given its size. Even with the improved resolution, both displays have the same 240Hz refresh rate. The only difference is that the 2023 model uses DisplayPort 2.1 to support the resolution and refresh rate without compression. This connection is an important specification for the new display. Currently, only the newer AMD GPUs, like the RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT, support DisplayPort 2.1. Nvidia’s newer GPUs will work with the monitor, but you’ll need to use lossless compression.

Brightness and panel technology

None of the Odyssey Neo G9 models feature an OLED panel. For this, you will need the Odyssey OLED G9, which is a 49-inch super ultra-wide monitor. Both use VA panels instead, with Samsung’s Quantum Mini LED backlighting. This allows a large number of local dimming zones.

The 2023 Odyssey Neo G9 comes with 2,392 local dimming zones, while the previous version has 2,048. Given the higher resolution of the 2023 model, we expected to see a higher number of dimming zones local. This could mean the previous version has more impressive HDR, but we haven’t had a chance to test the 2023 model yet.

A feather in the cap of the 2023 model is VESA DisplayHDR 1000 certification. The previous version has Samsung’s Quantum HDR 2000, which is not a true certification. It’s great to see the 2023 model with a third-party badge for HDR, although both displays are capable of producing impressive HDR visuals.

We expect similar image quality on both displays. They use the same backlight and both have the same typical brightness of 420 nits (Samsung doesn’t list the maximum brightness for the 2023 model). The previous version might have slightly more impressive HDR with its high density of local dimming zones, although there shouldn’t be a major difference between the two displays overall.

Worth the wait (for some)

The Odyssey Neo G9 2023 is a resolution upgrade more than anything, but it’s not insignificant. It’s the first 4K dual display we’ve seen, and it debuts DisplayPort 2.1 on gaming monitors. It’s a cutting-edge display for cutting-edge gamers. And it’s priced right for this market, for those who are willing to pay any price for the latest and greatest.

For most people, last year’s version of the Odyssey Neo G9 is the smarter choice. It’s still a high-end monitor at $1,300, but it’s still a lot cheaper than what it cost a few months ago.

There are several other excellent monitors at this price, however. If you’re looking for a display and aren’t convinced by the 32:9 aspect ratio, be sure to read our other display summaries:

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