Samsung’s 32-inch Odyssey G7 is all about extremes, and that’s what makes it one of the best gaming monitors. The 32″ Samsung Odyssey G7, the C32G75T, packs 240 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, DisplayHDR 600 and extended color into a 2K, VA panel with a 1000R curvature, the tightest curve we’ve seen yet. Most monitors at the top of the speed charts are 25-inch flat panels, but Samsung’s breaking the mold with the 32-inch G, going for $750-$800 as of writing. Samsung has truly pulled out all the stops here.
We’ve talked about what makes gaming monitors different from rank-and-file enterprise displays. More refresh rate, more resolution, more color, more features, more size — the key word is more. Gamers no longer have to settle for 22 inches and 60 Hz when 27-inch 144 Hz panels are commonplace. And IT managers aren’t going to buy 34-inch ultrawide curved monitors for their office staff.
The most obvious extreme here is the Odyssey G7’s curvature. The radius is just 1,000mm, which is the most extreme curve we’ve seen to date. At first glance, one might question such a tiny radius with a 16:9 panel but when you see this 32-inch beauty in front of you, it makes perfect sense. There is a tremendous amount of screen area, and the extra height you get over a 34- or 35-inch 21:9 display is significant.
Speed is another extreme feature here. The Odyssey G7 tops out at a 240 Hz refresh rate, which makes it equal to many other monitors on paper. Color quality is also in the extreme category. Extended color is included to the tune of 85% DCI-P3 coverage. That by itself is not extreme but the C32G75T’s out of box accuracy certainly is, which we’ll show you shortly. It’s one of the few monitors we could not improve upon with calibration.
If you can’t have a full-array local-dimming (FALD) backlight, which helps make for the best HDR monitors, the next best way to render high contrast and effective HDR is with a VA panel and a dynamic contrast feature. The C32G75T has both of those in its core feature set. Native contrast is comfortably over 2,000:1, and Samsung includes a local dimming option in the on-screen display (OSD) that selectively modulates part of the edge array to increase contrast.
Assembly and Accessories of 32” Samsung Odyssey G7
You’ll need to get the Phillips-head screwdriver from your toolbox to assemble the 32-inch Samsung Odyssey G7.
First, attach the base to the upright with its captive bolt. Next, mate the panel with four more bolts. Then, a ring split in two pieces goes on the stand’s pivot point. It lights up when you turn the power on for a neat textured look. After you’ve made cable connections, a cover goes over the input panel, and you can hide the wires inside the upright for a super-clean look.
Bundled cables include USB and DisplayPort, and you get a large external power brick. If you want to use a monitor arm, a bolt-on adaptor comes in the box.
Product 360
Styling is game focused with two small LED lights at the front and a ring around the upright’s attachment point. Color and effect can be controlled from the OSD or you can turn it all off if you wish. The bezel is 9mm wide around the top and sides and just shy of one inch at the bottom. A tiny Samsung logo is the only other thing visible from the front. Reach up under that logo and you’ll find the OSD joystick which controls all monitor functions.
The styling continues around back with an array of smoothly flowing lines that accentuate the panels curvature. There isn’t a straight edge anywhere. The pivot ring appears to be in motion with its turbine-like texture. If you install the input cover and run your cables through the upright, the monitor presents a super-clean appearance.
The stand is substantial. There’s is a bit of wobble at the pivot point, but no more than one would expect from such a large panel. Adjustments include 4.7 inches of height, 15 degree swivel to either side, 9/13 degree tilt and a portrait mode. We’re not sure when one would use a 1000R curved monitor in portrait mode, but if you think of a reason, this is one of the only such screens that can do it.
The jack panel is a bit unusual in that it includes one HDMI 2.0 port but two DisplayPort 1.4 inputs. You also get USB 3.0; one upstream and two downstream ports. A 3.5mm audio jack accommodates headphones or powered speakers .There are no built-in speakers.
OSD Features of 32-inch Samsung Odyssey G7
Samsung has included its gaming-styled OSD in the 32-inch Odyssey G7. At the top, you can always see the Black Equalizer setting, response time (overdrive), refresh rate, Adaptive-Sync (G-Sync or FreeSync) status and low input lag setting. All options have six sub-menus.
Up first is Game, appropriately. Interestingly, when Adaptive-Sync is engaged in Windows, the overclock, overdrive, low input lag and aspect options are grayed out. No worries though. The refresh rate defaults to 240 Hz, overdrive is locked to its middle setting, where it works flawlessly, low input lag is turned on and the screen size maps each incoming pixel without overscan. If you’re having trouble seeing shadow detail, turn up the Black Equalizer. And Virtual Aim Point puts one of six different reticles on the screen, where you can move it about with the joystick.
The Picture menu has a nice set of image adjustments, which you won’t need if you choose the Custom or sRGB modes. Both are extremely accurate right out of the box. Just set brightness to taste, and you’re done. If you want to tweak though, there are nine total image presets, plus RGB sliders for color temp and three gamma options. The Black Level field sets the threshold for PC versus AV signals. DisplayPort properly defaults to PC level, but the HDMI input defaults to video, which means dynamic range is reduced. Change it from Low to Normal for sources connected via HDMI.
Samsung hides the local dimming and dynamic contrast options in the System menu. Setting Local Dimming to Auto means it will only be used for HDR signals. Turning it on leaves it engaged for all content. If you prefer, you can use Dynamic Brightness which modulates the entire backlight where local dimming selectively dims just parts of it. That is the better option and it works very well.
In this menu, you can also adjust headphone volume, set a power-off timer and control the lighting effects. You can also set the USB ports to remain active when the power’s off to charge devices.
Recommended Calibration Settings
The C32G75T comes set to its Custom picture mode, where all image controls are available. Despite our efforts, we could not improve upon the already excellent picture quality and accuracy. The only thing we changed was the sharpness slider, which needed to be reduced to 56 to remove a slight ringing effect. In HDR mode, you can adjust brightness; we maxed it and set Local Dimming to Auto for an excellent HDR image.
Gaming and Hands-on with 32-inch Samsung Odyssey G7
The C32G75T’s extreme curve is a real asset, not only for gaming, but for general use too. While a 21:9 or 32:9 screen will cover even more of a user’s peripheral vision, the height of a 32-inch monitor really draws you in while providing a more familiar shape for workday tasks. Documents can be placed center screen with utilities off to the sides. And you can see the full page in a word processor or 60 rows of a spreadsheet. These things are more difficult to accomplish on a 34-inch ultra-wide. Image distortion was never an issue.
We’ve always been fans of the 32-inch, 16:9 format. The C32G75T is just like that, only curved. You’d think a 1000mm radius would be extreme, and it is, but it doesn’t call as much attention to itself as the photos suggest. Working on documents was just as easy as if the screen were flat. At a 2 or 3-foot viewing distance, image distortion wasn’t noticeable.
In SDR mode, we were impressed with the C32G75T’s image both with and without the local dimming feature. When it’s off, the contrast ratio is still over 2,000:1, which puts it ahead of any IPS monitor. Engaged, it ups dynamic range to around 4,000:1 for a visible difference. To do this, set it to On rather than Auto. If you only want local dimming for HDR, set it to Auto. In either case, color is exemplary being both accurate and well saturated. The P3 gamut coverage is enough that you will see a significant improvement over an sRGB monitor.
Watching video is definitely more fun on a 16:9 screen like this. A cinemascope film (2.35:1) plays with narrow black bars on top and bottom. Playing the same thing on a 21:9 would put the bars on the sides. This will come down to user preference, but we like the extra height better than the extra width.
We found no fault with the 32” Odyssey G7’s gaming performance. Both AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync Compatibility worked equally well, running at 240 Hz with HDR through the DisplayPort input. Frame rates in Tomb Raider hit 200 frames per second (fps) a few times with sustained speeds around 180 fps. Coupled with super-fast panel response, this made motion and input lag completely free of artifacts or distractions. Again, that extra height really drew us into the game. We couldn’t see the pixel structure, even when sitting 2 feet away. Samsung’s excellent contrast and accurately saturated color enhanced the image details, like textures.
Engaging HDR gave us a rare treat. Samsung’s ultra-curved monitor does HDR very well with effective selective dimming. We never saw the light level change in practice, but we definitely saw the extra dynamic range. Blacks were very deep but well-detailed, and highlights popped, thanks to the 600-nit peak brightness. Frame rates in Call of Duty: WWII only dropped a little from the additional HDR processing load. We saw sustained speeds around 160 fps with peaks in the 180s.
The 32-inch Odyssey G77 is primarily a gaming monitor, but after a few days, we found it to be more versatile than the average ultrawide screen. And its extreme curve only enhanced — never detracted from — the experience.
Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level
In addition to the Odyssey G7, we have two other 32-inch VA displays in our database: the Gigabyte G32QC and Dell S3220DGF. Samsung also brings speedy operation with its 27-Inch CRG5 240 Hz monitor. We also threw in our two most recently reviewed speed demons, the 360 Hz Asus ROG Swift PG259QN and 280 Hz Asus TUF VG259QM.
Samsung rates the 32” Odyssey G7 as hitting 320 nits brightness for SDR signals, but our sample was comfortably over 380 nits. That much light from such a large screen is enough to illuminate a small room. Bigger screens don’t need to exceed 400 nits in SDR mode to provide enough output for a good picture.
The four VA panels have less than half the black level luminance of the two IPS monitors from Asus. The C32G75T has the highest black level of that four, but it’s still lower than any IPS or TN display can muster. Resulting contrast is a little low for a VA monitor, 2220.8:1. That figure rises to around 4,000:1 if you turn the local dimming on for SDR signals. There is no downside to this option, so we recommend using it.
After Calibration to 200 nits
Our calibrated black level and contrast measurements are taken with local dimming turned off to show the panel’s native response. The top three VA monitors still beat the Odyssey G7 by a smidge, but the Samsung still delivers a deep and dimensional image with saturated color and true blacks.
ANSI contrast is a respectable 1,921.4:1. Although other VA monitors can do better, this is not a deal-breaker. The 32” Odyssey G7 has many other virtues which make this a non-issue.
The Odyssey G7 defaults to its Custom picture mode, and that’s where it should stay for best results. Though all calibration controls are available, there is no need or benefit to adjustment. It has one of the most accurate default images we’ve come across.
Grayscale and Gamma Tracking
Only a few professional monitors can match the accuracy of our review focus. It’s one of the best we’ve measured. Grayscale errors are completely invisible with only 10 and 20% reading higher than 1 Delta E (dE). Gamma is also visually perfect. The tiny aberration at 90% represents only 2 nits, which is almost nothing.
If you prefer the smaller sRGB color gamut for SDR gaming and video, Samsung provides a usable mode that includes near-perfect grayscale and gamma tracking. Its red is a little over-saturated, as you’ll see in the next section, but it is still very functional.
Comparisons
Though we were able to adjust the C32G75T’s Custom picture mode, we could not make the grayscale tracking any better. By default, it’s as close to perfect as we’ve seen. The sRGB mode’s 0.82dE value is also impressive. Gamma deviates from 2.2 by only 1.36% with a tight 0.05 range of values. It doesn’t get much better than this.
Color Gamut Accuracy
Measuring the Odyssey G7 against the P3 spec shows a little under-saturation of the green primary, but all other targets are spot-on. The average error of 1.45dE is extremely low for any monitor and especially impressive for a gaming display.
The sRGB mode is also nearly error-free, but the red primary is visibly over-saturated. You’ll notice slightly ruddier flesh tones and more brilliant sun and fire textures. There is a slight magenta hue error as well.
Comparisons
0.93dE represents the C32G75T’s native P3 color gamut. Our sRGB average error was just 1.80dE. You can see that Samsung takes accuracy seriously because our review subject was bested only by the Samsung 27” CRG5. Of course, all the monitors here put up impressive color numbers with accurate and vivid saturation of all hues.
We’ve tested a few monitors that surpass 90% coverage of P3, but our review focus covered a little more than the competition. The bottom three screens in our Color Gamut Volume chart above are sRGB-native screens, so their results are appropriate. In the Odyssey G7’s case, you’ll want to use a software profile when working with color-critical apps in the sRGB or P3 gamuts.
The question to ask about any HDR monitor is, “How well does it do HDR?” There are three categories, FALD, edge-lit with dynamic contrast and edge-lit without dynamic contrast. The 32” Odyssey G7 falls in the middle. It’s edge-lit but has a terrific selective dimming function that answers the aforementioned question with, “Very well, thank you!”
HDR Brightness and Contrast
The C32G75T tops its DisplayHDR 600 spec with over 618 nits peak brightness in HDR mode. We measured this using a window pattern. Full field rasters produced a peak of around 460 nits. This indicates the use of selective dimming, which is very effective in producing a convincing HDR effect. You can see how low the Samsung and Dell black levels are because they both use this feature. Resulting contrast is far greater than the rest, and it shows in the image. The Odyssey G7 does HDR justice.
Grayscale, EOTF and Color
This monitor’s HDR prowess extends to its grayscale, luminance and color accuracy. There are no color adjustments available for HDR signals, but you can change brightness; we recommend maxing it. Grayscale tracking shows a barely visible greet tint above 65%. We could see it in test patterns but not in games or videos. The EOTF curve transitions a tad early and runs slightly dark above 65% brightness, but again, this is not visible in actual content.
Gamut accuracy is among the best we’ve seen from any monitor. The 32” Odyssey G7 easily keeps pace with reference-class and expensive professional monitors like the Acer ConceptD CP7271K or Asus ProArt PA32UCX. This level of accuracy goes a long way to justifying this monitor’s HDR capability. It’s one of the best we’ve seen.
Viewing Angles
VA is not the best choice of panel for off-axis viewing, but the Odyssey G7’s curvature means it’s unlikely to be shared. A single user sitting at a comfortable distance will see no issues. At 45 degrees, there is a slight purple tint and a 40% brightness reduction. You’ll see the same dimming when viewing the monitor from the top with a shift to green and red. In either case, detail remains visible at all brightness levels, but the image looks a little washed out.
Screen Uniformity
Considering the C32G75T’s extreme curve, one might expect some glow or bleed, but our sample showed none. We measured a small hot spot in the upper left corner, but that was all. No other color or tonal uniformity issues were visible.
Pixel Response and Input Lag
Our comparison chart clearly shows the differences and benefit of different refresh rates. A 240 Hz screen like the C32G75T will draw a full frame in 5ms. 280 Hz lops off 1ms, and the 360 Hz PG259QN takes only 3ms to cover the screen. Any of these monitors will appear to have no motion blur, but a 5ms response time definitely looks better to the eye than 7ms.
The Odyssey G7 also delivers super-low input lag with a total time of 20ms. Interestingly, the 240 Hz CRG5 matched the 360 Hz Asus in this test, which measures the time from control input to full-frame render. The results presented above are impressive. In practice, any of the top four displays will satisfy gamers of all skill levels.
Most gaming monitor categories are well-stocked with choices. If you’re looking for a 27-inch flat panel, a 25-inch super-speed display or a 34-inch ultrawide, you can choose from dozens of different products at a wide range of prices. Truly unique displays are more rare, but Samsung has managed to create something we haven’t seen before. The 32-inch Samsung Odyssey G7 combines the best parts of all categories into a singularly functional, high-performance monitor.
If you’re looking for a large screen, the Odyssey G7’s 32-inch 16:9 panel will easily fill your view. Its 1000R curve and grand height immerses you in the gaming environment, and 1440p resolution brings plenty of detail and high frame rates. With 240 Hz refresh, blur is a non-issue. Flawless FreeSync and G-Sync operation, along with perfect overdrive means motion resolution stays smooth at all speeds.
A VA panel delivers good native contrast and makes effective use of local dimming, even though it relies on an edge backlight. Our HDR test measured over 17,000:1 contrast, putting the 32” Odyssey G7 in an elite group of monitors that render excellent HDR. With 85% DCI-P3 coverage, there is plenty of color to go around, along with deep blacks and bright highlights. And that color is extremely accurate. Calibration is completely unnecessary — just turn it on and go.
Though Samsung lists the monitor for $800, we found it on the street for around $750. For what you get, that’s a decent price. With performance that nearly equals the fastest monitors we’ve tested and image accuracy that rivals premium professional monitors, the 32” Odyssey G7 is in a class by itself. It is indeed a product of extremes, but the most important fact is that it is an extremely good monitor in all respects.
