If you do not feel overloaded with Cyberpunk yet 2077, while patiently waiting for the first performance test to be completed with non-standard resolutions, you will finally be able to satisfy your curiosity. Just finished measuring on monitors with aspect ratio 21: 9 and 32: 9 allowed to enrich the database of results with the resolution 3440 x 1440 and 5120 x 1440. The scope of these tests includes standard profiles, ray tracing and DLSS, and covers all graphics cards capable of providing acceptable fluidity at specific settings. Does the colorful world of Cyberpunk 2077 look attractive on an ultra-wide screen? What are the hardware requirements then? Wake up samurai …
Author: Sebastian Oktaba
Although ultra-wide monitors make up a small percentage of displays, they are regularly gaining popularity among enthusiasts and avid computer players. Formats 21: 9 and 32: 9 will probably replace 16: 9, although according to Steam’s official stats, now only 1% of users have monitors with the resolution 3440 x 1440, while exotic 5120 x 1440 has not yet been included in the schedule. The expansion of new standards obviously depends on the availability of devices with the indicated parameters – displays 3440 x 1440 I counted almost eighty in various variants, while 3440 x 1440 is available in all seven pieces. Few, because monitors with matrices 1920 x 1080 over a thousand gruuubo are available. However, I do remember readers’ requests for any custom resolution tests, which I try to meet as much as possible, so today you will get a solid Cyberpunk scoreboard 2077.
Multiple resolution ultra-wide monitors 3440 x 1440 and 5120 x 1440, which represent the Samsung Odyssey G9 and Odyssey G5, will be heroes of the next test of graphics cards in Cyberpunk 2077.
“src =” http://www.purepc.pl/image/artykul/2020/12 / 23 _ cyberpunk _ 2077 _resolution_card_performance_test _ 3440 x 1440 _ i _ 5120 x 1440 _ how_then_acted_ray_tracing_i_dlss_nc 21. png “>
Cyberpunk 2077 PC – Ray tracing and DLSS graphics card performance test What do you need to play ultra? Radeon …
We have recently assembled an editorial gaming platform including Samsung SSD media 980 PRO, AMD Ryzen processor 5950 X and Samsung Odyssey G9 C monitor 34 G 94 T. Extraordinary 49 – inch display but made in the format 32: 9 Dual QHD characterized by resolution 5120 x 1440, Refresh 240 Hz, DisplayHDR 1000, Curve 1000 R, NVIDIA G-Sync Compatible and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro support. However, I am aware that the Samsung Odyssey G9 has very few users, so I decided to include a device representing a wider product group in the measurements. The second monitor in the list will be Samsung Odyssey G5 C 34 G 55 T – model with 34 – inch screen with aspect ratio 21: 9, Resolution 3440 x 1440, refreshing 165 Hz, Curvature 1000 R and supporting AMD FreeSync Premium. The UWQHD competitor is also a much more affordable design, which also places lower requirements on the equipment.
Samsung Odyssey G9
Samsung Odyssey G5
Resolution
5120 x 1440
3440 x 1440
Matrix size
49 inch
34 all
Screen width
124 cm
55 cm
Matrix type
VA QLED
VA
Picture format
32: 9
21: 9
Refreshing
240 Hz
165 Hz
Curvature
1000 R
1000 R
AMD FreeSync
Premium Pro
Premium
NVIDIA G-Sync
Compatible
–
Price
6500 PLN
2400 PLN
Cyberpunk 2077 – Test the performance of processors and RAM. AMD Ryzen vs Intel Core duel – How many cores do you need?
Why is it worth taking an interest in an ultra-panoramic monitor? The maximum field of view of the human eye is the widest horizontally, and because you can then cover a larger space with a pattern without moving your head, monitors 21: 9 (Samsung Odyssey G5 C 2077 G 55 T) and 32 : 9 (Samsung Odyssey G9 C 49 G 94 T) very comfortable to use. This improves the ergonomics of typical office work, as well as changes the nature of digital entertainment, because thanks to the wide-angle perspective we see more of the more important elements. We do not lose anything from the image generated in the lower and upper planes, while the visibility on the sides is significantly widened. This is very useful especially for racing, first person and third person games. Admittedly, the larger width may take some getting used to, especially in the case of 34 -inch model, although it will pay off during the game. Let’s check the requirements of Cyberpunk 2077 for owners of monitors with resolution 3440 x 1440 and 5120 x 1440 .
LG might be the company that’s most synonymous with OLED TVs, but tonight it’s announcing what to expect from its LCD-based sets in 2021. Like other manufacturers including TCL have already done (and Samsung is expected to soon join in on), LG is adopting Mini LED technology for its premium LCD 8K and 4K TVs coming next year.
LG says Mini LED allows for “a giant leap forward in LCD TV picture quality.” The best LCD TVs today have what’s called “full-array local dimming,” where LEDs — in some cases hundreds of them — serve as the backlighting behind the screen. These can be controlled in zones, and each zone can be dimmed as appropriate for dark scenes, which helps improve black levels and contrast.
Mini LED changes up the strategy a bit by using much smaller LEDs (but way more of them) for greater contrast than TVs that might top out at a couple hundred dimming zones.
In LG’s case, the company says its new backlight “comprises up to almost 30,000 tiny LEDs that produce incredible peak brightness and a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1 when paired with up to 2,500 dimming zones and advanced local dimming zones.” The end result is better contrast, more dynamic HDR, and improved color accuracy over the company’s prior LCD sets. Like all of LG’s 2020 flagships, refresh rates of up to 120Hz are supported.
LG has branded these upper-end LCD TVs as “QNED,” with the Q referring to quantum dot color and the N presumably standing for LG’s “NanoCell” branding. It comes off a little awkward — especially since TV shoppers will have to contend with a mix of OLED, QLED, and QNED TVs when at their local Best Buy.
The closest comparison for LG’s QNED TVs would be something like TCL’s 8 Series, which contains 25,000 LEDs in around 1,000 control zones. (LG says the QNED will come in sizes up to 86 inches, which is the one I’m guessing those earlier numbers come from.) TCL’s 6 Series also uses Mini LED, though the total number is much lower than the pricey 8 Series.
Shrinking the LEDs allows TV makers to use many more of them for greater contrast and better blacks.Image: TCL
But as the leading OLED TV brand, LG is being careful to underline that OLED is still where the absolute best picture can be had — even with all these advancements on the LCD side. 2020 saw Vizio enter the OLED TV field and try to undercut LG on price, but LG isn’t about to easily give up its position at the top. (Sony also makes high-end OLEDs; all three companies use panels from LG Display.)
Last, don’t make the mistake of mixing up Mini LED with MicroLED. Think of Mini LED as another evolution of LCD TVs, whereas MicroLED is a more radical upgrade that removes the backlight from the equation altogether (just like OLED) and combines millions of self-emissive LEDs that only light up when they’re needed. MicroLED TVs are still outrageously expensive, and while we won’t know pricing for LG’s QNED TVs for a few more months, it should be much less eye-popping.
(Pocket-lint) – When you’re looking for a laptop nowadays, you thankfully don’t have to make a decision about whether you want power or portability – those days are over.
For too long, we were stuck with heavy machines that could actually function properly or dinky lightweight models that were underpowered.
Top general and premium notebooks for working from home and more
Now, there are countless exceptionally portable laptops on the market that also boast impressive specs to make sure that they can crunch through whatever tasks you need them to (even, in the odd case, a little gaming).
Just for you, we’ve collected some of the very best right here, so that if you’re looking for a new ultrabook or lightweight laptop, you’ve got some great options to browse. Most are 13-inch models, but we’ve got some other sizes for you to look at, too.
The best ultraportable laptops to buy today
Pocket-lint
HP Spectre 13 x360
View offer on HP Store (sponsored link)
The HP Spectre 13 x360 is one of the best slim and light laptops HP has ever made.
The attention to detail in the design goes far further than all the sharp angles and machined aluminium.
The 4K OLED display looks fantastic, while there’s around eight hours of battery life for all-day work.
It comes with a 10th generation low voltage Intel processor, similar to other high-end laptops here. It’s the Intel Core i7-1065G7 and is teamed with a hefty 16GB RAM and fast 1TB SSD. Highly recommended.
Pocket-lint
Dell XPS 13
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The XPS 13 is one of the most consistently impressive laptops out there, and Dell knows it – the machine gets constant updates and revisions to keep it on the cutting edge, and recently was updated with an even more improved model we haven’t got our hands on quite yet.
That all-new version has some subtle design changes including the one feature we most wanted, moving the camera back onto the top of the display’s bezel, getting rid of the odd perspective that its webcam used to boast. That small change is telling, but it’s the overall power and portability that makes Dell’s laptop so impressive.
Dell XPS 13 review: Bite-size bezel bonanza
Pocket-lint
Apple MacBook Air
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The MacBook Air recently had another welcome update after the long-awaited revival of 2019. It’s got a much-improved keyboard and more powerful processor to make for a seriously superb package, all in a design that’s absolutely what most people imagine when they think of a lightweight laptop.
Of course, you’ll have to accept a fairly paltry set of ports and get on board with USB-C, but that’s frankly par for the course on machines with its profile, and the screen is one of the best in the business. For our money, most people will be thrilled with the new Macbook Air.
Apple MacBook Air (2020) review: Keyboard dreams become a reality
Pocket-lint
Google Pixelbook Go
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Google’s waded back into the Chromebook market with this superb little laptop, to offer a middle ground between the many, many cheap options and the previously out-on-its-own Pixelbook, and it’s won us over entirely.
It’s a beautifully made machine, with great performance and a really sleek design that’s easy to pack up and carry. Of course, the key decision facing you is whether you’re happy to go with Chrome OS, and the limitations it does entail. If that’s no problem, this is a serious contender that’s coming down in price all the time.
Google Pixelbook Go review: A sublime Chromebook experience
Pocket-lint
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3
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Microsoft is in on the portable party, too, though. Its Surface Laptop 3 is an absolute stunner, which also packs in some seriously impressive stats. It’s got a lovely metal construction with an optionally textured interior that’s great for resting your wrists on as you work. On top of that, it’s dead quiet and has really solid specs.
The latest version has also corrected past mistakes by adding USB-C ports to the party, which is really welcome, and its larger trackpad is also noticeable and improved.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 (13.5-inch) review: Sleek and sophisticated
Razer
Razer Blade Stealth 13
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We’re not going to pretend that it makes sense for everyone, but if you’re an avid gamer, have a massive budget and want both great gaming performance and genuine portability without compromise, there aren’t too many machines to pick from. Razer’s Blade Stealth 13, though, is an absolute stunner.
Even if it didn’t have cracking gaming chops it would be a sleek looker, but given the specs, it can pack in (there are a few versions to choose from) it’s a serious beauty. Of course, as we mentioned it’s also not one for those on a tight budget.
Razer’s new Blade Stealth 13 gaming ultrabook makes some telling upgrades
Pocket-lint
HP Elite Dragonfly
View offer on HP Store (sponsored link)
Lightweight and practical, there’s a lot to love about the 2-in-1 HP Elite Dragonfly – an optional 4K display being one of them.
The laptop weighs somewhere in the region of 1kg. It’s slim too, measuring comfortably under 20mm when shut.
It only has an 8th generation Intel Core i5 processor, but that’s still great for most tasks. The disadvantages are the cost and trackpad which we’d like to see improved.
HP Elite Dragonfly review: Perfect for work and pleasure
Pocket-lint
Samsung Galaxy Book Ion 15
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The Galaxy Book Ion isn’t an especially conventional laptop. This model is large at 15.6-inches yet it’s really lightweight (a 13-inch version is also available).
The Ion dressed in an eggshell finish (Aura Silver) that you won’t see on other competitors.
It’s endowed with unusual features like upgradeable RAM and storage. It also pulls on Samsung’s highly successful TV prowess by utilising a QLED display.
There’s a huge battery life, too – around 14+ hours per charge
It’s good to see Samsung back in the laptop game and trying things a little differently, with positive effect.
Samsung Galaxy Book Ion 15 review: Positively charged
Pocket-lint
LG Gram 17
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The Gram 17 is lighter than most 15-inch laptops. It weighs 1.3kg, which is the standard for a slim 13- or 14-inch model, not a 17-inch one, and it’s almost 500g lighter than the 15-inch MacBook Pro.
This sounds like a kind of magic, doesn’t it? The only major issues here are that it doesn’t have a true performance-led processor.
But it still has plenty of power for most plus great battery life too.
LG Gram 17 review: Big yet brilliantly portable
Writing by Max Freeman-Mills. Editing by Conor Allison.
Continuing this year’s theme of nonconformity, the world’s biggest annual consumer electronics show will be a markedly different affair in January.
Rather than taking over Las Vegas for several days in the new year, CES 2021 – the 51st edition of the event – will be an all-digital experience for the first time. Companies will be sharing their latest and greatest innovations online via the organiser’s media hub, as opposed to at a physical event in the Las Vegas Conventional Center.
So what can you expect (other than tip-top reporting from a fresh-faced, jet-lag-free What Hi-Fi? team)? Here are the CES 2021 dates, participating brands and our expectations of what new products to expect…
CES 2020: all the highlights from LG, Samsung, Sony and more
16 hi-fi and home cinema products we want to see in 2021
CES 2021 dates
CES 2021 will officially take place from Monday 11th to Thursday 14th January, a week later than the show’s usual dates. A heads-up for forward planners: CES is due to return to Las Vegas from 5th to 8th January in 2022. (We hope.)
The first day will be the ‘media day’, when over 20 companies will host their biggest press conferences of the year. Essentially, that’s when you can expect a raft of new product announcements.
Exhibitors will be able to use the following days to show off their newly announced kit through online demos and presentations.
CES 2021 will officially kick off on Monday at 11:30pm GMT (6:30pm ET, 3:30pm PT) with an opening keynote by Verizon’s chairman and CEO, Hans Vestberg. The keynote will discuss, “5G as the framework of the 21st century, the essential tech of the present and accelerated tech of the future to move our global community forward, such as telemedicine, tele-education and more”.
On Tuesday at 12:30pm GMT (7:30am ET, 4:30am PT), Samsung, Fox Sports and ATSC will host a ‘Next Generation Television in Focus’ session concerning the advent of 8K Ultra HD and NEXTGEN TV. “A revolution in TV is coming, and with it will come advanced display technologies giving consumers a taste of truly immersive viewing experiences. How are consumer expectations going to change and how are leading manufacturers aiming to meet — and even exceed — those expectations?”
The CES 2021 schedule can be viewed here.
(Image credit: CES)
CES 2021: who will exhibit? What will be announced?
CTA, the event’s organiser, is expecting more people to ‘attend’ than ever before, owing to its digital nature. Over 1000 companies are set to offer over 100 hours of programming. Big AV hitters Sony, Samsung, LG, Philips, Panasonic, TCL and Hisense are all officially involved, as are audio companies including Audio-Technica and Pioneer.
Brands who are not officially linked to the show will no doubt use the CES timeframe to make announcements of their own, too.
LG
LG has picked up a ‘CES Best of Innovation Award’ ahead of the show, with its OLED TV technology being recognised in the gaming category. The company’s announcement reads: “Particularly noteworthy for 2021 are LG’s latest entertainment products including LG OLED, LG NanoCell, NEXTGEN TVs and TONE Free earbuds. More details on specific LG Home Entertainment products honoured will be announced at CES 2021 in January.” Watch this space, then.
Sony Press conference: Monday 11th January, 10pm GMT (5pm ET, 2pm PT) Sony is usually nothing if not prolific at CES, so while we’re cautious to presume anything next year will be typical, we’re at least hopeful that the Japanese giant will have plenty of new products in store for us in January. New 2021 Sony TV ranges and presumably plenty of PS5 talk will no doubt be on the cards, and our fingers are crossed for more Sony audio product reveals than were at CES 2020, too. Could CES 2021 mark the introduction of the highly anticipated Sony WF-1000XM4 (successors to the WF-1000XM3)?
Samsung 2021 looks to be quite the exciting year for Samsung. It has already confirmed plans to launch a consumer MicroLED TV early in the year, and last month it registered a host of new QLED TV technology trademarks – which we’d presume would be at the core of a new-and-improved QLED offering for 2021. Samsung is also tipped to launch its Galaxy S21 phone on 17th January (a month earlier than usual), when we could also see new Galaxy Buds Pro true wireless earbuds.
Panasonic TV reveal: Friday 8th January, 10am GMT (5am ET, 2am PT) Panasonic is due to unveil its 2021 TV line-up the week before CES kicks off. The company is behind some of the best TVs of 2020, so we are expecting plenty more where that quality came from in the new sets, which hopefully sport next-gen HDMI features for gamers this time.
Harman HARMAN ExPLORE: Thursday 7th January, 2pm GMT (9am ET, 6am PT) While not officially associated with CES, Harman is hosting a ‘HARMAN ExPLORE’ virtual event that will ‘offer a behind the scenes look at what’s in-store for 2021’ from the Harman-Kardon and JBL brands. Expect new audio hardware – headphones, portable speakers and high-end kit – as well as plenty of automotive audio talk. It’s 2021 marks JBL’s 75th birthday, so we’re expecting the brand to celebrate in style.
More to follow…
CES 2020 highlights
CES 2020 marked the 50th year of the Consumer Electronics Show, and predictably TVs stole a lot of the spotlight, with 8K TVs from Samsung, Sony and TCL, an impressive-looking 4K OLED flagship from Panasonic, and new rollable and 48in LG OLEDs all giving us a glimpse of the sets that could be in our living rooms in a few months. The 8K push this year isn’t surprising considering the Tokyo Olympics is set to be broadcast in 8K in the summer.
Car technology and audio also basked in the limelight, as did true wireless headphones from the likes of Technics. We even got confirmation of the Playstation5 logo ahead of the PS5 release date later this year.
Despite obvious trends emerging, thousands of brands showed a vast range of consumer electronics – from smart robots to high-end hi-fi – within the walls of the Las Vegas Convention Centre and several other venues across the city.
Best new products of CES 2020
Best TVs of CES 2020
Best audio of CES 2020
5 key highlights from Sony at CES 2020
5 key highlights from LG at CES 2020
5 key highlights from Panasonic and Technics at CES 2020
5 key highlights from Samsung at CES 2020
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We had the opportunity to perform some 8K tests with the RTX 3090, in order to verify the words of Nvidia that they paint as the world’s first gaming GPU to play at that resolution. In the tests we also included the RTX 3080 and the RX 6900 XT.
by Manolo De Agostini published December 2020 , at 17: 41 in the Video Cards channel GeForce NVIDIA Radeon AMD
Upon presentation of the GeForce RTX 3090 , Nvidia spoke of it as a multipurpose video card, equipped with a lot of video memory to manage particularly complex renderings and at the same time strong of specifications higher than the RTX 3080 in the gaming sector. We have observed how the difference in performance with the RTX 3080, even in 4K, does not justify the purchase, however there was an open question to be verified, namely whether the RTX 3090, as stated by Nvidia, truly represents “ the world’s first gaming GPU to play in 8K “. We carried out some tests to draw the often blurred boundary between marketing and reality.
Before pass to the numbers however, remember that the 8K resolution (7680 x 4320 pixel) requires GPU to play on screen 12 times the number of pixels del 1080 p (1920 x 1080 pixels) and therefore a large amount of VRAM memory is required, as well as a very, very powerful GPU . GeForce RTX 3080, with its 10 GB of memory, cannot be load of the 8K in every situation (and we will see it later). In order for a video card to be able to play 8K on a TV / monitor at that resolution with a single cable, an HDMI 2.1 connection is also required. , a feature that both GeForce cards and the latest generation Radeons are equipped with.
But all this is not enough. The GA GPU 102 on board the RTX 3090, however powerful with its 10496 CUDA core, the 82 2nd generation RT core ei 329 Third Generation Tensor Core, cannot always manage the 8K resolution by performing a native rendering, especially if you set the details to the maximum level and above all, ray tracing is enabled. And this is where the DLSS (more details here) comes into play, a technology that Nvidia has put point and that it supports the performance of the GeForce RTX when ray tracing is activated.
Together with the RTX 3090, Nvidia has introduced the “ Ultra Performance Mode”, a further branch of the DLSS designed specifically for 8K . In practice, and simplifying a lot, the DLSS goes to do a sort of upscaling of the resolution from 950 pa 8K, a nine times boost, more than the four times guaranteed by the “simple” Performance Mode. This causes the image quality to be high, but the performance impact is significantly lower than native rendering.
Control, Death Stranding and Wolfenstein: Youngblood are among the games that support Ultra Performance Mode , so we ran some tests with these and other titles using both the RTX 3090 that the RTX 3080 – in some cases, where possible, we have also included the Radeon RX 6900 XT. For the test we used a Samsung Q TV 950 TS, an 8K QLED from 65 inches , to check the behavior of Nvidia’s video cards at that resolution. Below are the game detail settings:
Control: DX 12, high quality, high ray tracing, DLSS enabled, render resolution 1440 p (for the test with DLSS), final resolution 8K (in the case of the “no DLSS” test the rendering resolution is equal to the final resolution)
Wolfenstein Youngblood: Vulkan, high quality, active ray tracing reflexes, DLSS Uber Performance (for testing with DLSS, otherwise off), Riverside integrated test
Doom Eternal: Vulkan, Ultra, resolution scaling disabled, HDR active
Metro Exodus: Ultra details, Ultra ray tracing, DLSS On (Off in the “no DLSS” test)
DiRT 5: 8K resolution locked, details Ultra
Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Maximum detail setting, RTX Ultra, DLSS On (Off for “no DLSS” test)
Death Stranding: DX 12, high details, TAA, medium model details, DLSS Ultra Performance (for DLSS testing, otherwise off)
Our tests tell us that in titles with Ultra Performance Mode, the GeForce RTX 3090 offers almost playable performance. There is also the case of Doom Eternal , a game that focuses on responsiveness and speed (based on the Vulkan API), in which the native rendering in 8K allows the card to get closer to the fateful 30 fps . Death Stranding and Wolfenstein Youngblood return playable performances even with the RTX 3080 in the presence of the new mode by DLSS.
Regarding the card from AMD, which is not advertised in any way for 8K , we must report that in some cases we were unable to run the tests (for example Tomb Raider or Control) due to sudden crashes or 1-2 fps performance. This is also true for the RTX 3080, in some cases we have seen crashes, and in Wolfenstein and Control we were told that the VRAM memory was finished. In general the RX 6900 XT performs worse than RTX 3090, with the exception of DiRT 5, which is particularly favorable to AMD GPUs, where it is slightly faster (although it’s more of a draw actually) –
Nvidia, therefore, does not lie when it talks about a GPU capable of handling 8K, but we need to add a bit, that is “with DLSS” . There are titles that may come close to 60 fps even with native rendering, especially by lowering the level of detail, but they must be rather light or dated games. Having said that, let’s see how in some titles we arrive at 30 fps, which bodes well for future generations of GPUs, DLSS or not. In any case, there remains further proof of how the GPUs of this generation represent a clear step forward compared to previous proposals. In conclusion, even if the marketing does its job by advertising the card also for the 8K, certainly it must not be this promise to guide your purchase idea, even with a look to the future : when this resolution becomes popular, and years will pass, the GeForce RTX 3090 will already have become a technological residue.
I have been a technology cheapskate most of my life. I’ve rarely bought a monitor brand-new; I’m pleased to say I pieced together my current three-screen articulating swing-arm setup primarily from Craigslist and hand-me-downs. But this fall, I had an opportunity to temporarily replace my three aging displays with the most ridiculous, most advanced gaming monitor ever made: the super-ultrawide, super-curved, ultra-high resolution 49-inch Samsung Odyssey G9.
The Samsung Odyssey G9 is a monitor so big, so wide, so curved, it can fill a midsized desk and wrap around your entire field of view. It’s also simply a phenomenal screen: speedy (240Hz, 1ms, G-Sync, and FreeSync 2), high resolution (5120 x 1440-pixel), and bursting with brilliant color thanks to a QLED panel that tops out at an eye-searing 1,000 nits of brightness. I’m not kidding when I say I have to avert my eyes when I launch Destiny 2 in HDR, and I could swear I felt the flames the first few times my Star Wars: Squadrons’ TIE Bomber blasted an X-Wing into oblivion.
As they say on Reddit, I have ascended — and the past few weeks have been a gaming and productivity experience like few I’ve had before.
But gradually, I’ve been coming back down to Earth.
Design
The Odyssey G9 is a showstopper, and I don’t just mean that figuratively: last January, attendees of the world’s biggest technology show were dazzled by its unprecedented curvature and sci-fi inspired frame.
When I put that same monitor on my humble IKEA sit-stand desk, the effect is otherworldly. Compared to my old hodgepodge of screens and rat’s nest of cabling, this G9 looks like a terminal aboard a Star Trek spaceship… even if my physical keyboard and its long braided cable ruin the illusion a bit.
The sheer size of the Odyssey G9 and its broad-shouldered stand do limit your options. I’m lucky that my small-form-factor Ncase M1 can fit behind the screen, and there’s just enough clearance (a little over six inches) for my Audioengine A2+ speakers to fit underneath the monitor at the stand’s highest position. But if I had a bigger PC or bigger speakers, I might have also needed a bigger desk — or else had to use the included 100mm x 100mm VESA adapter to mount the nearly four-feet wide, one-foot deep, 31-pound screen to the wall. My current monitor arms can’t carry nearly that much weight, though you can buy some TV arms that do.
As it is, I’m a fan of the way this monitor brings my whole desk together. Two DisplayPorts and an HDMI 2.0 port let me switch between three video sources easily, including a side-by-side mode which lets me display two at once, effectively giving my PC and game console (or a second computer) each their own 24.5-inch, 2560 x 1440 displays.
There’s also a two-port USB-A 3.0 hub and a 3.5mm audio output, which worked perfectly with my keyboard’s USB and 3.5mm audio passthrough. As you can see from my photos, I can do a lot with only a single visible cable thanks to those ports. And while the narrow V-shaped stand might seem a little minimal for a monitor this hefty, it takes a decent shove to get it to tip forward even at its highest position.
Underneath the rear cover, cable management at work.
You can adjust the monitor’s settings using a tiny five-way control nub underneath the power LED, and it’s remarkable how much you can tweak — including the ability to crop the entire panel to 4:3, 16:9, or 21:9 aspect ratios instead of stretching out the image. You can effectively have a 27-inch HDR panel for your game console or TV whenever you need. It’s just a shame that the monitor’s biggest benefits don’t necessarily translate to its side-by-side mode, where your 240Hz HDR screen generally becomes a pair of 60Hz SDR ones.
Productivity
My first big test for Samsung’s Odyssey G9 wasn’t a console or even PC gaming — last month, I co-hosted The Verge’s industry-famous Apple event live blog, capturing every screenshot you saw. I normally run three monitors because I switch tasks like mad, and if there’s a better multitasking test than an Apple event, I haven’t met it yet.
Lots of room for productivity.
At first, I wasn’t sure this epic screen would work. Most apps and websites aren’t designed to display across the vast expanse of a single 32:9 monitor, so you have to live in windows. I couldn’t simply toss one or two apps onto each monitor like I usually do. But while Samsung doesn’t ship the G9 with any good windowing software and Windows 10’s default Snap is woefully insufficient, Microsoft’s free downloadable FancyZones windowing manager worked wonders.
l built my own set of dedicated snappable spots for the Apple live stream; The Verge’s live-blogging tool; Slack; a browser window to keep track of any Apple press releases that might pop during the show; and even a narrow strip of Windows Explorer so I could see which images I’d already captured and weed them out as necessary. The only other wrinkle was the additional Chrome extension I had to download to ensure YouTube could launch “full screen” in a browser window, instead of taking over my entire ultrawide monitor.
In general, while I did occasionally miss my two vertically oriented monitors for scrolling long webpages, Google Docs, and Tweetdeck, I found the G9’s gigantic horizontal expanse of real estate nearly as effective for most tasks. Where I could only squeeze four narrow columns of Tweetdeck onto my old portrait-orientation screens, the G9 would comfortably fit five, plus a 30-tab web browser, a nice vertical strip of Evernote for note-taking, and our Slack newsroom alongside.
The curve is even more noticeable from this angle.
I wouldn’t say it’s better than having three screens for work, but it seems like a sufficient substitute — except maybe that toast notifications now pop up in the corner of my eye where they’re pretty easy to miss. Still, it’s nice not to have to match color, contrast, and brightness across three screens at a time, or adjust how my mouse crosses from one monitor to the next. Having a single, vast, unbroken expanse of real estate that’s always the same distance from my face (as I spin in my chair) is an absolute treat. And while the Odyssey G9’s unprecedented curve does tend to catch ambient light, the matte screen does a great job of diffusing any glare.
The ultrawide aspect ratio didn’t work as well for video as I hoped, though. While you might imagine 32:9 being great for movies, I had a hard time finding anything I could play in ultra high definition that wasn’t 16:9. Most streaming platforms won’t easily let you access their 4K and HDR content on a Windows machine to begin with — YouTube’s the primary exception, though Netflix works if you’ve got a recent Intel processor and use Microsoft Edge or the native app — and you’ll want 4K to take advantage of a screen this high-res and this close to your face. The 4K YouTube videos I played were definitely clearer than 1080p — I could really peep these pixels in Dieter’s iPhone 12 video review. And while standard 16:9, 1080p content does display just fine full-screen with black borders on the sides, it feels like I’m wasting a lot of screen real estate that way. Plus, the blacks are a bit gray, not the deep inky black you’d get from an OLED screen — particularly with HDR on and Samsung’s iffy local dimming enabled.
Gaming
The first thing you should know about gaming on the Odyssey G9 is that you’ll want a serious graphics card to go with it. Technically, 5120 x 1440 resolution isn’t quite as many pixels as a 3840 x 2160 4K UHD screen… but remember we’re also talking about a monitor that goes up to 240Hz. To properly review the Odyssey G9, I borrowed an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 to get enough horsepower, since my GTX 1080 couldn’t even run games like Death Stranding or Destiny 2 at 60fps smoothly at that resolution.
The second thing you should know about gaming on the Odyssey G9 is that it may not be quite as immersive as you’re imagining.
Don’t get me wrong: having an X-Wing cockpit wrapped all around you is an epic experience, and it feels like a true advantage to be able to use my peripheral vision in competitive shooters like PUBG and CS:GO. But it wasn’t long until I noticed something weird going on.
Look carefully at these images: notice how the sides are warped? Imperial deck officers and Novigrad Temple Guards aren’t generally this pudgy.
I tried game after game after game on the Odyssey G9, digging into my Steam, Epic, and Uplay libraries and tweaking a variety of settings, and this is simply the reality: every 3D game gets warped when you’re viewing it in a 32:9 aspect ratio, and there’s not much you can do about it. Changing your field of view in a game doesn’t get rid of the effect; it simply changes how much of the game world appears in the center of your screen (where things look normal) and at the edges (where they look stretched and zoomed). I actually pulled out a tape measure and checked: video game content that measures 4.75 inches at the center of the display can get stretched to a full 12 inches at the edges.
Now, this isn’t Samsung’s fault; it’s just the way games are built. Most games have a single virtual camera that exists at a single point in space, and while Nvidia once proposed changing that (see link above), the company’s Simultaneous Multi-Projection doesn’t seem to have made it into any of the games I tested. And in games with pre-rendered cutscenes, like Final Fantasy XV, you’ll be watching them at their original aspect ratio.
But before you write off 32:9 ultrawides right now, there are three things I’d like you to consider:
You might get used to it.
It’s not that distracting in some games!
2D games aren’t affected at all.
Let me give you some examples.
CS:GO and PUBG are incredibly competitive, nail-biting games where focus is everything, where you always need to have your gun at the ready and be scanning for any sign of movement. I don’t have time to turn my head left and right to appreciate the scenery or think about whether it’s warped. The G9 simply gives me enhanced peripheral vision, and it helps — not hurts — that things which appear in the corner of my eye are zoomed in by default. I got used to treating it as my peripheral vision and nothing else. (The 240Hz also comes in pretty handy in games like CS:GO where you can actually hit that frame rate.)
Genshin Impact, Abzû, Rocket League, and BioShock Infinite are games with gorgeous, colorful worlds whose proportions aren’t “normal” to begin with, and I love having them wrapped around me.
XCOM 2’s more cinematic movements look pretty good in 32:9 as well.
In Destiny 2 and XCOM 2, I found I could forgive the warping because of the enhanced field of view and the ability to easily zoom whenever you want. It’s nice to see more of the battlefield at once in XCOM while planning out how my soldiers will move each turn, and it’s pretty cool to aim down the sights in Destiny without the typical claustrophobia that comes with zooming in, since you’re still able to see what’s going on around you.
2D / 2.5D games like Worms W.M.D and Disco Elysium do look fantastic on the G9 — when you can find ones that actually support an ultrawide screen. That’s not a given: I managed to launch Soldat at 5120 x 1440 resolution, but it didn’t stretch across my monitor. Games with fixed widths like Streets of Rage 4 and Hyper Light Drifter won’t either. Even Disco Elysium only offers 21:9 support, not 32:9, unless you apply a hack.
Borderlands 3 looked pretty good at 32:9 when it wasn’t moving.
And for every one of the 3D games that worked, I also found a Borderlands 3 or The Witness or Goat of Duty or The Witcher 3 where the warped geometry really bugged me, either because I wanted to sit back and look at the beautiful vista or because the edges of my screen were moving faster than the center.
That’s not easy to show you in still images, so here’s a video clip to show you what I mean:
In games like the hack-and-slash Mordhau or the road-tripping Final Fantasy XV, the distraction can also be when a piece of geometry that’s critical to the game constantly looks wrong. (Your Mordhau sword or axe often extends into the warped area of the screen; the road itself in FFXV looks curved instead of flat!)
Frankly, the most annoying game I played on the Odyssey G9 was figuring out which games would work in the first place. Here, I have to shout out Rock Paper Shotgun’s Katharine Castle, whose brilliant example-filled guide showcases nearly three dozen titles that do work, complete with GIFs so you can see for yourself. But if you’re willing to work at it (and understand the risks), a community at the Widescreen Gaming Forum (WSGF) and PCGamingWiki can help you hack and patch many existing titles to work at 32:9, too.
Death Stranding tweaked to run at 32:9.
For instance, I installed a trainer that let me run Death Stranding at full-resolution 32:9, with an infinitely adjustable field of view, instead of the 21:9 that designer Hideo Kojima and company shipped.
Persona 4 Golden at 32:9. I still need to un-stretch the UI.
Using a common tutorial, I hex-edited my Persona 4 Golden .exe and remarkably wound up playing what was originally a 480p PlayStation 2 game — and later a 720p, 16:9 PlayStation Vita game — at a glorious 3840 x 1080 at 32:9. (I do still need to figure out how to un-stretch the UI.) And there’s an old, unmaintained program called Widescreen Fixer that helped me revisit an old favorite:
I wouldn’t say the community is robust enough that you could necessarily find a fix for any game in your library. But the WSGF does now have a Discord you might want to check out.
The ultimate ultrawide, but the best monitor?
The Samsung Odyssey G9 costs $1,479.99 — a premium price for a premium monitor like nothing else on the market. You can find other 49-inch 32:9 panels for less, but none with this combination of resolution, brightness, curvature, and refresh rate. The closest you can come is last year’s $1,200 Samsung CRG9 which maintains the resolution and brightness but with half the refresh rate at 120Hz and a notably less pronounced 1800R curvature — which, I imagine, wouldn’t be as good at giving you convincing peripheral vision in games.
If you’re looking for the ultimate ultrawide, this is currently it. I’m just not convinced that I am, personally, even if I had that much money earmarked for a new screen. For $1,500 and the enormous amount of space the Odyssey G9 consumes, I could buy a 48-inch LG OLED TV instead. I’d get a screen just as gigantic for my multitasking, but taller, with 120Hz G-Sync and FreeSync support, incredibly deep blacks, HDMI 2.1 for variable refresh rate for the PS5 and Xbox Series X, and no need to troubleshoot aspect ratios for my videos and games. Linus Tech Tips has a video that dives deep into the pros and cons of that LG screen, and I came away fairly convinced.
It wouldn’t be the same experience that the G9 offers, of course, and I might regret it if Nvidia and AMD ever dust off Simultaneous Multi-Projection for real. The TV might also cut off access to a large portion of my desk, and I might not be able to place my PC and speakers within easy reach without blocking a bit of the screen. But I’d have a more obviously future-proof setup; an equally, if not more gorgeous image; and a lot less ambient annoyance when I want to game. At the very least, here’s hoping Samsung adds HDMI 2.1 to this epic monitor next year.
Photography and screenshots by Sean Hollister / The Verge
The working prototype on display is a 4K TV from 55 “, with an AMQLED active pixel panel obtained by ink molding -jet. Compared to OLED technologies, the use of inorganic materials should ensure a longer life, while still maintaining the advantages of deep blacks, high contrast ratio and very large gamut triangle.
by Roberto Colombo published 24 November 2020 , at 15: 31 in the Apple channel BOE
“ Trademarks such as Samsung , TCL and Hisense have ruined the good name of QLED technology “: those from FlatpanelsHD are not very subtle. “ They have sold traditional LCD panels as QLED, but perhaps one day that acronym will recover its traditional meaning “. On closer inspection they are not all wrong: currently the televisions called QLED are classic LCD to which a layer of nanomaterials is added) which converts the broad spectrum output of the backlight into tighter peaks for purer colors. The technology works well, but what FlatpanelsHD disputes is the fact that originally the term QLED referred to active pixel technologies and not simply to the overlay of color filters.
The long introduction to talk about the latest technological innovation of the Chinese manufacturer BOE , very active in the supply of panels for TVs and smartphones. To give you an idea of the company’s caliber, it is among Huawei’s suppliers for the AMOLED panels of the Chinese brand, as well as the high-end panels of Hisense TVs. BOE has also tried to break into Apple and Samsung, but as we told you in the recent news, its AMOLED panels were rejected at 120 Hz.
AMQLED: quantum dot and active pixels
BOE has extensive experience in active matrix panels, including flexible OLEDs, but has recently exhibited a new and interesting inorganic technology called (precisely so as not to confuse it with that of the current passive QLEDs) AMQLED . The Chinese manufacturer showed a working prototype of what is about to be one of the most important technologies of the next few years.
The technology features self-illuminating pixels in which quantum dots emit light when stimulated by electric current . Compared to OLED technologies, the use of inorganic materials should guarantee a longer life, while still maintaining the advantages of deep blacks, high contrast ratio and very extended gamut triangle. The data speak of 119% of the NSTC gamut triangle and contrast 1. 000. 000: 1.
The working prototype on display is a 4K TV from 55 “, with panel obtained by ink-jet molding.
The number of voice assistants who populate our house has progressively increased, but often we actually use one or at most two . The convenience, on the other hand, is precisely that of being able to have a virtual butler of reference to control different systems.
Reason why if we already use Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant we will hardly turn to a third assistant, for example that of the brand of our phone or our TV.
Samsung TV: Google Assistant arrives
After trying to push her Bixby , Samsung has also given up on the evidence, as other brands have already done, and Google Assistant is now making its way onto the Korean manufacturer’s TVs, alongside Alexa.
Promised some some time ago, now the firmware update that brings Google Assistant to Samsung TVs arrives on TVs in the UK, France, Germany and Italy. In particular, the following TVs will receive the update that brings Google Assistant as a gift:
QLED Tv (4 and 8K)
Crystal UHD Tv
Frame
Serif
Sero
Terrace
If you are looking for a TV, take a look at our buying guide . with the best TVs currently on the market.
Google Assistant is now available on Samsung’s 2020 TVs in the UK, France, Germany, and Italy, and will be available in 12 countries by the end of the year, Samsung has announced. This follows the launch of Google’s voice assistant on Samsung’s TVs in the US last month. Samsung says it’ll roll out in Spain, Brazil, India and South Korea by late November. The voice assistant is available alongside Amazon’s Alexa and Samsung’s own Bixby voice assistants.
According to Samsung, Google’s voice assistant can be used to control the TV directly with commands like changing channels or adjusting the volume, or else it can control other Google Assistant-compatible smart home devices like thermostats or lights. You can also ask it for information on the weather or to play music, and it integrates with other Google services like Search, Photos, Maps, and Calendar.
Samsung’s 2019 TVs previously integrated with Google Assistant, but back then users had to give their commands via a separate device equipped with the voice assistant like a Google Home smart speaker. With the new models, however, users can issue voice commands to their TVs directly by holding down the microphone button on its remote.
With support for both Alexa and Google Assistant now onboard, Samsung’s own Bixby smart assistant looks increasingly sidelined on its smart TVs. We can’t imagine many people would choose to use it when Google and Amazon’s popular assistants are now built in.
If you’re in a compatible country and want to enable Google’s voice assistant, you can do so by heading into its Settings menu, selecting “General,” then “Voice,” and finally “Voice Assistant.” From there, Google Assistant can be selected as a voice assistant. Samsung says it’s rolling out support on the following models: “all 2020 4K and 8K QLED TVs, Crystal UHD TVs, The Frame, The Serif, The Sero and The Terrace.”
If you want to buy a new television set, you will find a lot of offers. The large selection makes it cheaper, but not necessarily easier. You should therefore determine some basic decision-making criteria: What size and what equipment is the minimum, what is the price limit.
The question of resolution currently does not arise: Everything above 32 inch diagonal (80 centimeters) should be 4K resolution with 3840 × 2160 Have pixels. Even more pixels like those on 8K displays are currently of little use – the content is missing. You shouldn’t rely on the supposed future security: If you buy an 8K TV today, you will probably not be equipped for the next few years. Too much has changed for the video formats and interfaces.
Some people may not be looking for a television at all, but actually just a large display: A “stupid” TV, i.e. a smart TV without smart functions, can be accessed with a streaming client Getting ready for Netflix & Co. Such televisions do exist, but you will hardly find them on the store shelves of Saturn, Expert & Co. Instead, there are smart TVs that have built-in apps for streaming in addition to tuners.
Large displays without smart functions and without TV tuners are usually significantly more expensive than their smart colleagues. The reason: They are designed for 24 / 7 operation . There are a few “stupid” TVs with tuners but no internet connection. However, these have disadvantages compared to smart TVs: They typically lack special processors for image processing, such as moving image compensation, effective noise filters or sophisticated image presets. Smart TVs generally have much more to offer here.
Instead of using the built-in streaming apps, you can upgrade the TV display with a streaming client like Google’s Chromecast.
Help with buying a TV: What you really need and what you can do without The appropriate display technology When searching for TV, you will find yourself using various technologies faced: LCD, QLED, LED, OLED or also micro-LED. The first three are televisions with liquid crystal screens, micro-LED also means LCD TV or describes a completely new display variant, OLED TVs use an organic display.
You don’t want to anymore as 364 Euro, the question arises whether LCD or OLED is currently hardly – OLED- TVs are generally more expensive. LCD TVs are recommended for very bright rooms because, thanks to their higher maximum luminance, they can also present images with sufficient contrast. Attention: With the cheapest liquid crystal screens the manufacturers save on the backlight, this does not apply to such devices.
OLED TVs are in principle very high-contrast because their pixels simply remain off at the points where the picture content is black. Color perception also benefits from the rich black. However, the maximum brightness of OLED TVs is lower and the black level increases due to reflections on the screen in a bright environment. Therefore, the display on the OLED TV fades in the light-flooded living room. OLED displays offer the greatest viewing angles, i.e. images with high contrast and color, even if you look at them from the side.
With displays with micro-LED technology, you have to differentiate between conventional LCDs, in the back many small diodes illuminate the LC layer, and displays in which the LEDs themselves serve as pixels. The latter are still a long way off. On the other hand, you can already buy LCD TVs with a direct LED backlight and local dimming (FALD): If the TV has a large number of LED zones, this ensures impressive contrasts, which is particularly beneficial for HDR content. The black level of the LCD pixels is not better as a result and the FALD backlight does not help against the viewing angle dependency of many LCD TVs either.
In the thermal image it becomes clear which television is a direct LED backlight uses (left) and who uses LED strips of the Edge LED (right).
High-contrast display Modern televisions can almost always reproduce high-contrast HDR content. However, the result depends heavily on the device and the TVs support different HDR formats depending on the manufacturer and model: HDR 10 and HLG dominate almost everyone, at HDR 10 + and Dolby Vision, however, are divided. With HDR 10 + and Dolby Vision, the video data are displayed dynamically adapted to the respective image content: Samsung relies on HDR 10 +, Sony and LG on Dolby Vision, manufacturers such as Panasonic and Philips bypass possible conflicts and simply support both.
If no HDR formats are played back, for example when watching TV, most TVs can still display them in HDR – prepare accordingly. The result is often brightly colored, overexposed images.
c’t 25 / 2020 In c’t 25 / 2020 the editors provide selection aids for TV purchases and a test of smart TVs. Lots of handouts and a test of current e-mail clients should help you to stay ahead of the daily flood of e-mails. The c’t editors have discovered a data leak at the navigation specialist TomTom and they are analyzing the surveillance pieces from Office 364. There are also many other tests and not to forget a whole bag full of nerdy gift tips for the upcoming Christmas party. c’t 25 / 2020 is now available in the Heise shop and at the well-stocked magazine kiosk.
HMD Global, the current owner of the rights to the Nokia brand, intends to expand its product portfolio with a smart TV device. However, it is not a smart TV, but a set-top box that extends the capabilities of any compatible receiver. Considering the potential equipment of the Streaming Box 8000, because that is the name of the equipment, I dare to say that it has a real chance for market success. Of course, a lot depends on the price in specific markets. I think that the premiere is a matter of weeks, so today it is worth taking a look at what the Streaming Box model 8000 is with the characteristic logo of the Nokia brand. In addition to the partial specification, we managed to get to know the appearance of the set-top box.
We already know what the Streaming Box TV set-top will look like 8000 signed with the Nokia brand. Here is the equipment that will hit our store shelves.
Xiaomi Mi Box 4S Pro – new TV set-top box with 8K support
Streaming Box 8000 is the upcoming a set-top box with the Nokia logo, well-known on our market, The device will work under the control of Android TV 10, which means the possibility of installing many useful applications, the core of which are programs offering access to platforms VODs such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube. The Amlogic S 905 X3 will be responsible for performance. Users can count on 4K resolution support, but there is no information about Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.
OPPO TV S1 smart TVs with QLED 4K and OPPO R1
The price of the add-on is to be around 100 dollars, which makes it slightly more expensive than the Xiaomi proposal. All electronics are enclosed in a black rectangular ascetic housing. On the back there is a power socket, LAN port, HDMI, AV and AUDIO outputs and a USB-C port. On the right edge you will find a single USB port. An equally elegant remote control resembles a typical TV accessory with a large number of buttons and buttons dedicated to streaming services, the Google Play shopping platform and the Google Assistant. Now we can wait for the official presentation of the device.
– Android TV Guide (@androidtv_rumor) November 4, 2020
The Chinese producer of consumer electronics offers several types of Mi Box TV set-top boxes. These devices extend the capabilities of TVs with a lot of useful functions available in applications. Importantly, these attachments can be purchased for extremely reasonable prices. Xiaomi, seeing the growing interest, decided to present the next version of the Mi Box, but it was not given the number “5”. Does this mean that the novelties it contains are too modest? Yes and no. Well, the Mi Box 4S Pro does not differ much from its predecessor, the Mi Box 4S model. The main difference is the 8K resolution support and the higher 100 yuan price. So is it worth considering buying an updated variant?
Xiaomi Mi Box 4S Pro is a new TV set-top box known for its reasonable price policy from a consumer electronics manufacturer. Interestingly, the technical specification includes support for video materials in 8K resolution.
Smart TVs OPPO TV S1 with QLED 4K and OPPO R1
Although the standard in terms of video resolution today is 4K, in smartphones from the higher price range more and more more often we meet with the possibility of recording in twice the quality, i.e. 8K. This progress is impressive, but at the same time it becomes a source of fragmentation. It turns out that the real possibility of comfortable video playback in 8K resolution can be used by only a few. Take, for example, set-top boxes that have been gaining popularity recently, making the average TV a powerful smart TV terminal. So far, it has been in vain to look for this solution. This is what is changing.
Free Apple TV + extended by 3 months. What’s worth watching?
Mi Box 4S Pro, the latest model of the adapter from Xiaomi, introduces support for 8K content. In addition, the manufacturer has equipped the device with HDMI 2.1, 16 GB of data memory and 2 GB of RAM. The Bluetooth remote control with voice navigation is responsible for the operation. The whole is connected by the MIUI system dedicated to this type of equipment. Xiaomi Mi Box 4S Pro has been priced at 399 yuan, i.e. approximately 240 PLN excluding tax . The predecessor priced at 100 yuan costs less than PLN 300 less in Poland, and what hence, I bet that you will have to pay “with us” about PLN 400 for the Xiaomi Mi Box 4S Pro.
(Pocket-lint) – If you’re a serious gamer or just cannot get enough of gaming goodness, then you’ve no doubt contemplated splashing out some serious cash on a nifty monitor to either get the edge over the competition or just further immerse yourself in the gaming world.
There’s a lot of choice out there though and you might be struggling to work out what the right monitor is for your needs and your budget. Not to worry, we’ve got you covered. We’ve been gaming with all manner of screens to bring you a list of our favourites and the very best gaming monitors currently available.
The best monitor: Top 4K, Full HD and Quad HD options for creatives
Best 27-inch fast refresh rate monitor
Pocket-lint
MSI Optix MAG272CQR
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27-inch 2560 x 1440 (WQHD) VA panel
165Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time
1500R Curvature
300 nits brightness, 3000:1 contract ratio
100% sRGB, HDR Ready, AMD FreeSync
1x DP (1.2a), 2x HDMI (2.0b), 1x USB Type C (DisplayPort Alternate)
Serious gamers swear by 27-inch monitors. Compact, fast refresh rate, responsive panels and more lead to a great gaming experience that’s perfect for fast-paced shooters or competitive gaming sessions.
This MSI monitor seemingly packs a wealth of awesome features and specs into a sleek and affordable package. 1440p resolution, 165Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, HDR and more all make this monitor highly appealing on paper.
In the flesh too, it’s just as pleasing. Narrow bezels, brilliant colour accuracy and some serious gaming prowess make the MAG272CQR a joy to game on.
Of course, you can tweak the settings dabbling with everything from eye-care settings for during the working day to HDR, FreeSync and faster response rates for gaming. But even out of the box we were impressed with how good this monitor looked and how nice it was to use.
Other highlights include software that allows you to tweak settings in Windows via an app, rather than faffing about with a button lead menu. There’s also a special easy-access button on the left side that can be programmed with a macro that activates specific modes or settings with a single press rather than having to mess about with menu options. For example, you can set it to activate “night vision” mode that’s designed to give you the edge in nighttime scenes in a game and can be switched on and off at will.
There’s a lot to like about this monitor and the affordable pricetag is almost certainly an added bonus.
Most affordable ultrawide
Pocket-lint
AOC CU34G2X 34-inch ultrawide
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Ultrawide 3440 x 1440
AMD FreeSync
144Hz refresh rate/1ms response time
VA based panel
WLED backlight
3000:1 contrast ratio
For the price, the screen on this thing is impressive. It’s a 34-inch panel that sports a 3440 x 1440 resolution with 21:9 aspect ratio. All of this combines to create a screen that’s brilliant for those who want a really immersive gaming experience.
For gamers, other bonus features include the AMD FreeSync technology, with 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time, meaning you get fast, fluid response without the tearing and aliasing you would get from lesser displays. Assuming you have a compatible AMD graphics card of course.
This screen is packed full of controls and options too. There are all sorts of settings to help you fine-tune elements, like brightness, refresh rate, contrast, colours and so on. These settings include things like:
Low Blue Light mode (reading, office, internet, multimedia)
Eco mode
HDR modes (display, game, picture and movie)
Colour temperature
Game mode (FPS, RTS, Racing, Gamer 1, Gamer 2 and Gamer 3)
Overdrive settings (to adjust response time)
Motion Blur Reduction
We found we were tweaking a lot to get it looking nice and that varied depending on the games we were playing too (HDR, for example, makes the most sense in games that support it). But it’s nice to have a range of controls that are useful not only for gaming but working too. Eco mode and the low blue light settings, for example, are great for making the screen easier on the eye when surfing, working or otherwise engaging in non-gaming activities.
As for VA display technology, that generally means you get more vibrant colours and deeper contrast than IPS/LCD based, but the viewing angles aren’t quite as good. Still, with a screen this big, set to the right height and with its curved design, viewing angles aren’t really an issue at all.
This AOC monitor was certainly a pleasure to use. It’s rich in colour, sports a suitable curve and thin bezels too. Other small highlights include a stand that’s not too imposing, meaning it’s easy to fit and move around on your desk. As well as plenty of options in terms of height and tilt too.
Multiple HDMI and DisplayPort connection options also mean you can take advantage of the screens picture-in-picture mode too, if you’re really feeling crazy. In short, the CU34G2X offers a lot of bang for your buck. It’s feature-rich, fun to use and full of gaming goodness too.
Huge and splendid 4K gaming
Pocket-lint
Acer Predator CG7 gaming monitor
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3840 x 2160 @ 120 Hz, 16:9 aspect ratio, 1 ms VRB response time
VA based panel
4,000:1 contrast ratio
G-sync compatible
HDR1000, DCI-P3 90 per cent wide colour gamut
If you believe that bigger is always better, then there’s good news in the form of the Acer Predator CG7. This is a bit of a monster screen. It’s huge, imposing and packed full of specs that aren’t to be sniffed at.
This is a 43-inch display that has up to 144Hz refresh rate, 1ms VRB response time, G-sync compatibility and is VESA Certified DISPLAYHDR 1000. All that means you get a glorious, bright, colourful and impressive viewing experience when playing games.
Sure, there are a few niggles – the bezels are massive for example – but the CG7 is undeniably fun to play on.
We used it to play Red Dead Redemption 2, Call of Duty Modern Warfare, Gravel, Wreckfest, Kingdom Come Deliverance and more and had mixed results. As you might expect, the highest settings on Red Dead, for example, really tax your gaming machine even if you have a monster machine. With 4K, HDR and ultra settings turned on you get a paltry 40FPS, but it does look glorious. Other lesser games fair better but if you want to make the most of the high refresh rates you’ll need to consider lower visual settings.
That said, the Acer Predator CG7 is a real eye-pleaser. Colours are rich, visuals are stunning and the sheer amount of space you have to game on is great too.
Other highlights of this monitor include a multitude of connection options with three HDMI and two DisplayPort connections allowing you to connect several devices. USB passthrough means you can plug in peripherals with ease too. The menu system allows you to easily switch between various gaming visual settings including racing, action, sports, eco, HDR and more. You can also adjust to filter blue light, tweak HDR settings and more here as well.
The Acer Predator CG7 has built-in speakers, but we found them to be a bit tinny and would recommend opting for a dedicated speaker system or gaming headset instead.
That said, this is one heck of a gaming screen, if you have the space and the cash then it’s well worth considering. It also has the added bonus of being great for video editing, watching films and more. Though we did find working on it gave us neck ache.
Affordable 4K/G-Sync monitor for gamers
Pocket-lint
AOC AG271UG 4K IPS monitor
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4K UHD (3840 x 2160) 16:9
G-Sync
WLED backlit IPS
4ms response time/60Hz refresh rate
Looking at a spec list like that on the AOC AG271UG, and you’d probably assume an eye-watering price tag. But, because it’s AOC, you don’t get one. It’s not a cheap monitor ($699/£579), but at the same time, it’s way more affordable than similarly-specced big brand computer displays.
AOC is a brand that’s built its reputation on offering great specs and features for a fraction of the price of its big-name competitors. For those gamers looking for high-resolution images over stupid-fast refresh rates, the AOC could be perfect.
At 60Hz and with its 4ms response time, it’s still no slouch, and when you add that to the Nvidia G-Sync capabilities to minimise lag and tearing, you do still get a swift, smooth performance, providing you have a PC powerful enough to handle gaming at that resolution. You can switch between a handful of gaming modes, which include racing, FPS, RTS and “gamer”.
Being IPS and 4K UHD also means it’s a great panel for editing video, photos and general all-round media consumption too. Details are sharp, and the colours are well balanced and vibrant without being overly saturated. We did find at times that it over-sharpened a little, but so much so that it tarnished the experience too much. Viewing angles are superb too, with very little in the way of colour shift when you change your angle of view.
As with pretty much any anti-glare matte-finish display, there is an ever so slightly fuzzy, almost rainbow like overlay to everything, but it’s so subtle and only seems to be at all visible when looking at plain white visuals. It’s not there at all during gaming. Again, very easy to ignore, and hard to detect.
Of course, there are plenty of customisation options, like the blue light filter, for those who want to go on marathon gaming sessions with minimal eye strain. Controls are easy enough to use as well, thanks to having well-indicated positions on the bottom bezel. What’s more, there’s a whole host of ports on the back. You get four USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI 1.4 port, one DisplayPort 1.2 and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Unlike some of the other monitors on this list, there is some construction involved in setting up the AOC monitor, and the built quality isn’t quite as high, but it’s still one of the most ergonomically versatile. It has an impressive 130mm of height adjustment, to help you get it to a comfortable eye level and can pivot on its base. There’s a decent amount of tilt too, between -3.5 to 21.5 degrees.
As if all of that isn’t enough, it has two built in two 2W speakers, although we did find the audio left a lot to be desired. It was a little weak, especially in comparison to dedicated speakers.
Still, if you’re after a versatile monitor with a really high resolution that can cope with your Nvidia GPU-powered gaming, this is a really great option. We really enjoyed our time with it.
Ultrawide, ultra-fast, and advanced eye-tracking
Pocket-lint
Acer Predator Z301CT with Tobii eye-tracking
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Ultrawide Full HD – 2560 x 1080
G-sync
200Hz refresh rate/4ms response
1800R curved VA panel
Tobii eye-tracking built-in
Like many other gaming-focused monitors, the Acer Predator Z301Ct uses a VA panel, which means lots of contrast and saturated colours. Of course, that also means colour accuracy isn’t the best, and the 2560 x 1080 resolution isn’t the sharpest either. But with that said, the sacrifice in pixels is well worth it to get all the other features this monitor offers for $799 or $719, especially if you’re into high framerate FPS style games.
Starting with the basics, the 29.5-inch ultrawide Predator has a 4ms response time and impressive 200Hz refresh rate. That means the sky is virtually the limit in regards to high frame rates if your PC supports them. Our test PC runs a GTX 1060 with an Intel Core i5 processor and SSD for game play. With this, and games running at the full 2560×1080 resolution with maximum rendering quality enabled, the monitor ran consistently – almost flawlessly – at 60fps.
The games we played were limited to 60fps as the highest frame rate, but our experience suggests this monitor is more than capable of going well over that. It sticks like glue to 60fps the entire time we played, except for literally two times it dropped to 57fps for a split second. With Nvidia Gsync built-in, that also meant a really clean, stutter and aliasing-free experience.
You get plenty of calibration options as well as a handful of preset modes custom-tuned to suit different game types. All of this controllable using a nifty little directional joystick on the back of the monitor.
Perhaps the monitor’s biggest unique selling point is the built-in Tobii eye-tracking bar. With drivers installed and monitor connected using a USB cable, it works in tandem with FPS games that require quick movement. So, those that would require you normally to move around in your field of view using a mouse or right joystick no longer need that manual input. The Tobii bar on the bottom of the monitor can detect when your eyes change direction and automatically moves your focus point on screen.
Moving on to the design and ports, the Acer shines here too. The stand – although rather ostentatious – is among the most articulate available. You can tilt the screen -5 to 25 degrees, adjust the height up to 120mm and pivot the screen, ensuring you can get the angle perfect with a little manipulation.
What’s more, it’s not exactly short on ports and other hardware features either. As well as the additional Tobii eye-tracking bar, it has two speakers built-in (which aren’t great, but they work). It also has HDMI, DisplayPort and USB 3.0 ports as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack.
If you can live without the higher resolution offered by QHD or 4K monitors, this is a fantastically fast monitor. Combined with the Tobii eye-tracking technology built-in as standard, and all the other features combined, one could almost describe it as great value for money despite the current price tag.
When Ultrawide isn’t wide enough
Pocket-lint
Samsung CRG9 super ultrawide curved gaming monitor
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32:9 Ultrawide 49-inch – 5120 x 1440 QLED Panel
120Hz refresh rate, HDR1000, 95 per cent DCI-P3,
AMD FreeSync 2
Various gaming picture modes and settings
Picture-by-Picture display capable
If you like the idea of ultra-wide gaming and really want to go all out with your purchase then look no further than the gargantuan Samsung CRG9. This thing is a glorious 49-inch curved gaming monitor that’s similar to putting two 27-inch screens side-by-side, except without all the nonsense of bezels in the way.
This model is a step up from the previous massive ultrawide monitor from Samsung in a number of ways, not least of which is an increase in resolution which now gives you 5120 x 1440 pixels to play with. HDR1000, 1,000 nits of brightness, AMD FreeSync 2, 120Hz refresh and more result in a magnificent viewing experience.
For work, this screen offers enough space for multiple windows side-by-side making it a multi-tasking marvel. It also has multiple connection options including two DisplayPort 1.4 and one HDMI 2.0 ports. Combine this with the monitor’s Picture-by-Picture display technology and you can actually view two different video sources on the screen at the same time with a 16:9 display ratio to boot!
We found for general use you have to move your eyes around a lot to make the most of this screen, but you get so much screen to work with it’s a multitasker’s dream. Eye saver mode also helps takes the edge off harsh backlighting during the day meaning you can save your eyes for gaming at night.
And it’s with gaming that the CRG9 shines. The curved QLED panel and large 32:9 aspect ratio gives you an utterly thrilling immersive gaming experience. We used it to play games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and found we were utterly wrapped up in the gaming visuals in a thoroughly eye-pleasing way. It is worth noting though, that you do need a beast of a gaming machine to power that 5120 x 1440 on ultra settings and still get a decent FPS.
There are multiple settings profiles built into the menu that you can switch between on the fly with three quick-access buttons underneath so you can program it to react the way you want to specific games. Game settings include visual modes to switch between such as FPS, RTS, RPG, AOS, High Brightness, sRGB and Cinema. The result of all this is a smooth, crisp, dynamic and satisfying gaming experience that’s as smooth as it is joyful.
This is one monitor we were sad to see leave the office and one we’re seriously considering purchasing ourselves too.
With the Samsung Odyssey G9, Samsung took the CRG9 and improved it further to result in a seriously incredible gaming panel. The specs of this monster include a 49-inch QLED display with 1,000R curve, 32:9 aspect ratio, 5120 x 1440 resolution, HDR 1000, 1ms response time and much more besides. Upgrades include a 240Hz refresh rate and G-sync compatibility which makes it even more pleasing to game on with a beautiful and wide view of the gaming world.
If you need it, you can also use picture-by-picture mode to convert the G9 into two 27-inch displays meaning you can use it at 16:9 for streaming on Twitch (for example) with ease or with two different machines at once.
The Samsung Odyssey G9 is an absolute joy to game or work on, with a wonderfully immersive wraparound display and masses of features that make it worth every penny.
Pocket-lint
Lenovo Legion Y44w-10 WLED curved gaming monitor
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43.4-inch ultra-wide – 3840 x 1200
144Hz refresh rate, 4ms response time
NearEdgeless 1800R curved panel
sRGB, BT.709, DCI-P3 colour gamut
AMD FreeSync 2, VESA certified DisplayHDR 400
Detachable Harman Kardon certified speaker
2 x HDMI 2.0; 1 x DP1.4; 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C Gen2（DisplayPort 1.4 Alt Mode); 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C Gen1（DisplayPort 1.2 Alt Mode); 1 x Audio Out
They say size isn’t everything, well Lenovo is certainly showing that size can be something with this ultra-wide monitor. This is a curved gaming monitor with some impressive specs that include a 3840 x 1200 resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, 4ms response time and AMD FreeSync 2.
We liked just how ridiculously easy the Legion Y44w-10 was to set up. Pop on the mount, slide the backing on, mount screws in and you’re away. This screen then went onto to please in a number of other ways and not just the sheer splendour of all the screen real estate.
This is an HDR certified display, meaning you can drool over the visuals offered by your favourite games (if they support it). It also has multiple display settings that are easily accessible from front panel buttons and include different profiles depending on the style of games you’re playing.
A bonus addition is the blue light filter that can be applied to make this monitor easier on the eye when you need it to be.
We love plenty of other things about this monitor too – like the multitude of connection options that include USB passthrough so you can connect peripherals directly into the monitor from a little front panel that drops down from below. There’s also an RGB backlit, Harman Kardon speaker that sits in the base (and can be removed if you don’t want it) which adds some surprisingly good sounds to go along with the visual delights.
The Lenovo Legion Y44w-10 might be pricey, but you get plenty of screen for your money and plenty of fun too! Multi-task in Windows during the day, then get lost in your games at night with this cracking piece of kit.
In summary With the U8QF from Hisense you buy a television with an excellent price-performance ratio. The image quality is excellent, partly thanks to a backlight with ‘full array local dimming’. The sound that the television produces is also good, thanks to the built-in soundbar from JBL. Downsides are the limited viewing angles, a limited range of apps and the lack of HDMI 2.1.
In 2017 Samsung, in response to the growing market share of OLED TVs, with the sale of QLED televisions. These devices use an LCD in combination with quantum dots for a larger color range and higher brightness. Samsung may have the right to the brand name QLED, but that does not mean that other brands cannot make televisions that use exactly the same technology. In this review we look at the 55 “- U8QF from Hisense, a television that we should not call QLED, but that does use quantum dots.
The U8QF has a UHD panel with a full array local dimming behind it backlight. This improves the black display by simply not illuminating the parts of the screen that should remain dark. This provides more contrast, which is of course an advantage when displaying HDR. This TV can do this in both HDR 10 + as Dolby Vision format. Also the U8QF can reproduce sound in Dolby Atmos format through JBL designed speaker system with front facing speakers.
Hisense televisions use its own smart TV platform Vidaa U, of which version 4.0 is installed on this TV. In terms of features, this TV can compete with televisions of the major brands. At the time of writing, the 55 “- U8QF was listed in the Pricewatch for around nine hundred euros, a very decent price for a quantum dot television with fald backlight.
Although most of us know OPPO as a smartphone manufacturer, the company also operates in other areas. Wireless headphones are quite an important segment of the company’s activity, but OPPO is not limited to the mentioned category only. During the last product conference “One More Step”, two new TV sets were announced. OPPO TV S1 comes in one version with a QLED screen 65 – inches and resolution 4K, while OPPO R1 comes in two options – with 4K LCD screens 55 – inches and 65 – inches. Let’s check what exactly the new smart TVs offer and how much the manufacturer priced the models he developed.
OPPO TV S1 and OPPO TV R1 are new TV models that were presented on the occasion One More Step product conference. Here are the technical specifications and the most important features of the devices.
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Let’s start with OPPO TV S1, the higher model, which was priced at 7999 yuan which gives us the direct conversion amount 4661 PLN excluding taxes. Here we find 65 – an inch QLED screen with Quantum Dot and an ultra-wide NTSC color gamut 120%. The TV displays the picture in 4K resolution (3840 x 1600 pixels), which can be refreshed with a frequency 120 Hz. We also have something for fans of good sound. The manufacturer has equipped OPPO TV S1 with eighteen surround speakers with a total power 85 W with Dolby Atmos support . The quad-core MediaTek MT chip 9950, Mali G graphics 2020 MC2 plus 8 GB, 5 RAM and 128 GB of data memory. The equipment offers network access via WiFi 6.
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OPPO TV R1 comes in two options with screens with diagonals 55 – all and 65 – inches. The devices use LCD displays with a resolution of 4K with a refresh rate of 60 Hz. The DCI P3 coverage is as high as 93%, and the brightness depends on the model. Option 55 – inch has a brightness level of 250 rivets, while 65 – the inch TV is already bright 300 nits. MediaTek MT 9652, Mali-G graphics 2490 watches over the smooth work. MC1 and only 2 GB RAM. There are two speakers 20 into Dolby Audio compatible units. As in the case of OPPO TV S1 on board we find WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5. Model with 55 – costs 3299 yuan (about 7999 PLN), variant with 65 – inch screen valued at 4299 yuan (2490 PLN).
Source: OPPO
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