Samsung Odyssey G85SD - So Much More Than Just a Monitor

As exciting as it may be to upgrade your computer screen, there's only so much you can say about a monitor.

Once you've covered off the size, what sort of panel it is and whether it's curved or flat, what else is there to talk about?

That is, unless your monitor isn't really a monitor at all. What if it's a complete multimedia solution with a smart home hub built in to boot?

The first thing to impress me about the Samsung Odyssey G85SD was how easy it was to set up out of the box. I've never unpacked a monitor as large as 34-inches before - but I have reviewed plenty of much larger TVs and let me tell you, getting a 75-inch panel up the stairs and onto its stand ain't no picnic. (Neither is getting it back in the box when you have to send it back)

However, the Odyssey G85SD, isn't quite in that league - as large as it is. In fact, it's easy enough to attach the super-slim stand while it's still in the box - it simply tilts in and then is held securely in place by just two screws. Then you can actually use the stand to lift the screen out of the box and set it up where you want it.

Unfortunately, and perhaps it's partly due to all the cool flashing lights we'll talk about shortly, the mounting system is not the universal VESA mount the vast majority of modern monitors use, which means you're restricted to using the stand that comes in the box. This isn't all bad news. It's a great stand. It offers a good amount of height adjustability and you can tilt the screen up or down accordingly. The base of the stand is super flat and I've found it's a convenient place to store things like the remote control.

The downside is, if you'd prefer to wall mount the screen or attach it to a support arm instead, you'll need to track down a third-party adapter. To be fair, the only reason I had been relying on a support arm to this point is I've been using a two-screen setup. Obviously with the sublimely panoramic 34-inch Odyssey display, I've got more than enough screen real estate to play with and no longer require an extra one.

But back to the lighting; the Odyssey G85SD has a Core Sync RGB ring light on the back panel. This can be tuned to the colour of your choice or you can cycle through all the colours. Ideally though, you'll set it to mirror the action on screen - sort of like the backlight strips you can stick on TVs and monitors. I't a nice idea but my office nook isn't really dark enough to make the most of it - not when I'm usually working in there anyway.

So the physical setup was a breeze. It was when I plugged my MacBook Air in that things started going awry.

In a world of plug-and-play, I never expected there'd be any issue connecting the Odyssey G85SD with my Mac via HDMI. Admittedly, there are some variables to this particular setup. There's no actual HDMI port on a MacBook Air - you have to use a USB hub. That's never stopped me before. I do also wonder if the twin-screen setup I had been running immediately before plugging into the Odyssey was partly to blame for my issues. Either way, I spent hours (yes, literally) trying different HDMI ports on both my USB hub and the monitor (it has two). I'd get a few seconds of my desktop on-screen then nothing. I even tried swapping out the cables. No difference.

It wasn't until I returned all my open windows to the built-in display on the Mac and set the Odyssey to a random USB hub setting I stumbled across that everything finally settled down and started working properly. I wonder if it would have been different using a PC with a Display Port cable?

But from that point on it was all plain sailing and almost worth the initial frustration.

There's really no easy way to sum up the feeling of freedom you experience when you move from a smaller display - even two of them - to a fabulous, curved screen like this one. The Ultra WQHD panel provides excellent colour and detail but the thing that really struck me was the anti-reflective surface. This is something Samsung has featured on many of its TVs and monitors this year and it's been particularly effective in my case because my desk has a window behind it. I usually have to pull the blind down to see what I'm doing on screen but not with the Odyssey. Even when I'm hunting zombie robots on Callisto or racing in the rain at night in Forza. Or while writing reviews like this. Obviously.

The 175Hz refresh rate and streaking 0.03ms response time far exceeds my woeful reactions and I found gaming performance more than lived up to all my expectations. Just like late model Samsung TVs, the Odyssey has its own gaming mode built-in and the gaming settings bar pops up every time the display is woken up. I wish it wouldn't but I couldn't figure out how to stop it.

There's probably a way. But just like with the initial setup, it's not what this monitor doesn't have that's the issue, it's that it has way too much.

By connecting to your Wi-Fi, the Odyssey works exactly like any other Samsung smart TV. You can download your favourite streaming apps or browse the hundreds of free channels available on Samsung TV Plus. Great... except... isn't this a bit of a double-up? Can't I already watch Netflix on my computer? 

What's more, most of the content I consumed while I was using the Odyssey - streaming or gaming - wasn't optimised for its very wide aspect ratio. Instead, and let's take Netflix as an example, you get a nice, wide picture in the middle of the display with a kind of vertical letterbox effect at the sides. Don't get me wrong, the display itself is superb; I'm just annoyed I couldn't figure out how to spread Sylvester Stallone in Tulsa King from one edge to the other.

However, where I did manage to do so was doing actual work. Whether splitting two browser windows side by side, or importing sound files from a folder into a very spread-out Adobe Audition project, I can't overstate the boost in productivity you can achieve using a screen of this size with this level of pixel density. In fact, because there are just so many pixels, I found I could wind the resolution way up and still read smaller text and place my cursor accurately with no issues at all.

The built-in speaker system definitely deserves a mention here too. I don't know much about what kind of drivers make up the 10W speaker array but I have to admit, I was really impressed. The Odyssey G85SD does a pretty good job of creating an immersive audio environment when gaming and it sounds pretty classy when I'm just playing my favourite lo-fi productivity playlists while I work.

This truly is the monitor that has it all - and I haven't even covered the fact it can double as a SmartThings hub so you can control any compatible IoT devices from your desktop. Again, that's kind of the only problem with this thing; you can spend (waste) an awful lot of time setting up stuff that might be a double-up of other devices you're already using around the house like, I dunno, your TV?

What I will say is, if you have the time to tweak all the settings, the end result is pretty hard to beat. You'll get every smart feature you ever wanted, plus a whole lot more you didn't ask for, all packed into a big, detailed, bright, non-reflective curve.

Click here for more information on the Samsung Odyssey G85SD.