The good friend talking here :) And Yes I returned 3 G9 NEO's! You absolutely nailed it with this video and big thumbs up that you bring these issues to light. Most video's about the G9 NEO are too optimistic, like from Jayz2cents, Linus, Bitwit... all have very promising video's about this monitor and so far never mention the FALD issues, the HDR implementation issues and the QC issues. Now, I don't say perse that these big youtubers covered this up, but at least they didn't do proper research and tests. The QC issues on this monitor are real, there's dust, dead pixels on arrival, flickering, scanlines, FALD grid visible on EVERY screen and just not worth 2100 EUR.
Yeah. the bigger techtubers (j2C, Linus, Bitwit) arent monitor reviewers. It's mostly unboxing and intial reaction. They dont have the skillset to properly review a monitor like how Rtings and HUB and Techtesters and Optimum Tech. And initial reaction is nowhere near a proper review. RU-vid needs MORE proper monitor review channels to drown out the initial reaction videos.
@@__improwise__ most of them got sponsored by Samsung to make those unboxing videos, so watch them with a grain of salt. Truly grateful to see a REAL and HONEST review, this is a guide we need before making purchasing decision, thank you Techtesters!
They covered all these and much more so you may want to go back and fact check this shit comment you made here :) however yes this monitor is worth the money IF your using it for work but for gaming I would wait a bit.
Thanks for having the courage to speak outloud about the QC issues and panel construction defects like the FALD grid DSE impacting the Neo G9. The vast majority of RU-vid reviews omit this critical issue for producitiviy use, obviously to not incomodate Samsung. Virtue is in the critique not in ads disguised as reviews. I also bought a Neo G9 and returned it for a much cheaper original G9.
If you're afraid to step on the toes of a company you shouldn't be a reviewer tbh. I do hope Samsung reacts well to this, we'll find out soon enough I guess! I really hope they can either fix this, or revise it soon. If they do, I'll be the first to give them credits too!
The three reviews by 'larger' youtube channels which I checked and who speak highly of this monitor, all start with the disclaimer "Sponsored by Samsung".
I am on the other hand extremely happy with this monitor. It has ticked all my boxes and every time I game I’m loving it to the max so it goes to show how opinions may very.
That is the problem I have with it. Most b rolls in this video were taken today with all the issues still present, and they are far from resolving them. Meh 😑
Firmware is a very small part of it, adoption rate is far more important. Until it's ubiquitous, neither game support nor a bug(s) free experience will be provided. This is its Alpha stage, not even a Beta.
If you can handle the FALD grid on white backgrounds (which to me was so horrible that I constantly was refocusing on the content) than maybe for gaming it is worth it. But than for half the price. For productivity it is horrible imho.
@@TechTesters wow you had 3 faulty units, my first one was a winner after fw 1007.3 was released, sorry you had a bad experience , take note that a better dp or hdmi cord is a must as the included cables are terrible, also vrr needs to be on, windows 11 is a must and I like dimming on high 24/7
Bought this a month ago and use it every day for work and gaming at home. I love having three apps open side-by-side for work and still having room for a browser or streaming app. I have had none of the issues mentioned here. And it was on sale for a much lower price. Guess this is the penalty of early adoption/ testing with some companies.
So I’m in the market for buying an super ultrawide and this keeps popping up but I see negative and positive reviews. So I’m torn right now but the one thing I kinda want to see and wait for is an IPS 49” monitor and I’m having a hard time finding one. Have you used an IPS and then Switched to a VA which this one has and if so what is your experience with it?
@@valorandvenom1131 It terms of refresh rate, response time, and color reproduction I am happy with the odyssey neo G9. I have not specifically tried to look at inverse ghosting yet. Also, I sit dead center and the screen is curved, so off angle viewing does not seem to mean the same thing as it does in a flat panel.
Glad I bought my Odyssey G9 last year as I'm pleased with its performance, Going to skip the Neo version and wait next for 2022 model which hopefully is a fixed version from all the 2021 model problems.
I am so glad you addressed these issues openly! I can only imagine the frustration you and other users went through.. These kind of issues are truly significant and I couldn't recommend buying it at this stage.
Oh this has been super frustrating. A product sucking isnt new. Spending months with new samples, updates, etc and it still being disappointing is infuriating 😔
I can confirm as a neo g9 user that firmware 1011.0 has fixed these issues for me at least. Possibly a panel lottery type of situation as well. But when this monitor works, it’s beautiful
Hi there, Did they fixed the issues below? Gradient Lines on One color such as white background Flicker to brightness Quality Control Issues Construction Defects like the FALD Grid DSE
@@JedLR1945 To be quite honest with you im not aware of the Construction Defects but as far as everything else, I haven't experienced any problems and it's been a well rounded monitor for me productivity wise and gaming.
I’m glad you called out the fact that there’s no such thing as HDR2000 certification. This kind of marketing BS where manufacturers essentially make stuff up to mislead consumers really needs to stop.
Just like LG's straight bullshit so-called "5K2K" monitor which they claim is a 5K Ultrawide monitor when in reality it's actually a 4K Ultrawide monitor aka 5120 x 2160 = 4K Ultrawide. 5120 x 2160 doesn't even have the total pixel count of 16:9 5K resolution. Only 1 RU-vidr correctly called it a 4K Ultrawide monitor while everyone else refers to it as a 5K Ultrawide monitor. 😂😂😂
I got myself an LG C1 55" and have been using that as my main monitor. I've tried the OG G9, 38" LG Ultrawide, 34" G5, along with many others, but nothing can beat the picture quality & response time of the OLED. I only get 120hz on 4K, but that's enough for most of my gaming needs.
Glad to read this. I have the 48 inch C1 and playing/working on the RTX 4090. I’m looking at all the ultrawides but there doesn’t seem to be one perfect screen. The C3 is better but not by miles. Still need to wait a while before a 4K ultra wide oled with perfect specs comes out.
wow thank you so much for this review. I was actually throwing around the idea of purchasing this but I was thinking it was too good to be true. Looks like that's true. THANK you so much for saving me the money.
Thank you very much for this Review and Tests. Also bought one few month ago and have a other big Problems with it: When i start a game in window mode (especially dx9 games), use Firefox in the background and switching few times between it the Monitor flickers bright and beginn to turn on fading in black from the middle from the monitor to the sides in a few seconds...only way to "fix" it, disable the powercable and reconnect it. its like the monitor freezing and shut down slowly. (HDR on, Local Dimming on, 240hz, adaptiv sync on) Games i have this Problems: - Guild Wars 2 - Eve Online Sometimes the monitor shut down instantly with a black screen when you end the game (also reconnect the power cable) - War Thunder (Full Details, HDR etc and full screen) - Assassins Creed Odyssey, Origins Similar Games without any Problems when i end the games: - Witcher - Cyberpunk Software Version: M-T9549GGAA-1017.0
Was really hoping this would be an absolute god king of monitors, real shame that so many people have been dealing with these awful issues. I am currently running a G732 but I bought this only like 6-7 months ago, so I managed to avoid the issues at launch. I also very recently bought the LGC1 and that's truly kickass for HDR gaming, glad I went for that and not the G9 Neo. I was tempted to buy the Neo to replace my G7 but from all reviews I've read and watched, ultimately I'm vetoing this monitor. I do love and appreciate an honest review about a product, so nice work! :)
Thanks you for a honest review. So sad Samsung dropped the ball again, and even more sad that so many well now "reviewers" sold themselves to Samsung presenting infomercials as reviews. No way they can have missed all these problems, they were just paid to look the other way.
@@jamesmcmahonii8433 People keep making this statement and it's complete BS in most cases. Mewthree is spot on with what is really happening" People work with these monitors for a week or something an don't spend the time finding the actual bugs issues. Stop suggesting that there is some grand conspiracy. When it usually boils down to looking at the feature for a few days and writing up what they think instead of spending time deep diving the device.
@@KellicTiger didn't suggest a conspiracy. You just made people's point. The general consumer makes a purchase and uses the monitor for months on end daily. The reviewer gets one, and are indeed compensated for their reviews via sponsorship, do the review by using it for a week or two as you stated, and go back to whatever their personal setup is that's not the products they just reviewed. That's ok. Most reviewers are pretty honest about having a "personal rig." That doesn't mean its a conspiracy. It's business. But let's not act like reviewers don't review dozens to hundreds of devices/yr by spending hard time with them like a consumer does.
Thanks for the honesty/bluntness in the review. After lusting over the Neo for weeks and reading so many reviews and similar comments on quality issues, your review put the final nail in the coffin for me. I suspect that Samsung has moved resources to the next version of this monitor and/or just simply doesn’t see enough value in fixing these issues
Happy it's appreciated. I think you're doing the smart thing too. I really wanted to like this, I gave it tons of chances, but I just don't see them working this out before a next revision or 2022 update.
I'm reluctantly reading this conversation at the moment because I don't want to not like this monitor. Ive also lusted over this monitor due to it's novelty but after much research and reviews I might just go with that Alienware
I have been watching your content for a few weeks, and I just realized that your movements and slightly broken english are very similar to the ones that a very good teacher of mine had when I was a kid. That is why I find you so trustworthy! I subconciously associate you with a figure of knowledge and authority that I looked up to.
I must be extremely lucky, as my Neo G9 has none of these issues, not even the flickering. I am on 1006.1 firmware, everything is absolutely perfect, amazing HDR, no flickering at all. I also own the older G9, and I must say Neo is even better with the black levels and HDR quality.
How do you run 120 fps because I have a ps5 connected to it its performance mode and everything but when I got to change the fps it says it's not available
@@aluckyshot I was thinking the same thing. With all the negative comments I read and OP's video it makes me think the large number of negatives come from non-technical people. Those are the worst to base any decision on. I haven't bought one but I'm looking hard at one now.
Same using a 6900 XT with free sync premium pro. Absolutely no issues with flickering, HDR. I bet a lot of these issues come down to slightly older Nvidia cards imho and earlier revisions of the monitor. Also HDR on Windows PC is not a plug and play experience like in TV realm, you really need to adjust the color settings per game for best results.
Will watch the video and realise im very happy with my 2020 G9.. Was initially very annoyed this came out so close after my purchase date but after hearing all these horror stories.. Good job
Yes, I also have the previous G9 after trying out the G9 NEO. Although the HDR is not as impressive, it's a way better choice if you do any productivity. I feel way more happier with the "older" G9 than I did with the NEO G9.
I got the last models g9 and I was dreading getting one that was faulty from all the stories. 800 bucks was a great price though so I pulled the trigger. I'm extremely happy with it. Very lucky I think. Especially after hearing all the stories.
I have bought this monitor for much cheaper, since the prices dropped after a year but had non of the issues that you mention. I watched every existing video in youtube before buying this monitor and you are the only one who gives a negative review about this monitor. You must be really unlucky after having 3 monitors. I am so extremely impressed about this monitor, nothing in the IT world impressed me more than this monitor.
Kind of funny I’ve had mine now for over a year and I have experienced none of the above. I don’t know if that I get that lucky. My 240 Hz works fantastic. The HDR experience here is fantastic. Gaming has been over the top and I share none of the concerns you have brought forward. I watch my updates all the time and do them as they come in.
Found this channel on Twitter because someone posted their G9 panel cracked and Samsung is denying a return. I was considering buying the G7 1440 monitor but given the Quality control issues will consider other options. This is a well reviewed video on this monitor and definitely subscribe now to this channel. All fair points and glad Samsung gets called out on their poor Quality Control.
Damn! I really wanted this monitor, and I was hoping Samsung would get this version right. Oh well, maybe sometime the first quarter of next year at CES Samsung will release a new Odyssey Neo G9 without all the bugs and failures. Then I will purchase it, because I still love the specs and performance of this monitor!
It will cost twice as much as the g9 neo im currently using the old g9 and im very happy with it no problems at the moment it also has two year warranty so i think im good
@@jsteff9290 I've had both the G9 and the G9 neo and there is a world of difference. Dynamic range on the G9 Neo is infinitely better as the amount of backlight MiniLEDs are infinitely higher (i don't remember the exact number) and while the G9 only has 10 individual dimming zones (as vertical bands) the G9 NEO has 2048 individual dimming zones each individually adjustable, making for an extreme dynamic range between pitch black and white. A major difference comes if you run a high end GPU like the RTX4090. Then you will actually benefit from the fact that the G9 NEO supports 240Hz refresh rate at the 5120x1440 resolution. I run the RTX4090 with my G9 neo and they are a match made in heaven. Another big selling point for some is the dual Displayport input option. The monitors hardware can actually receive signal from two devices and because the resolition of the G9 NEO is in fact the same a two UHD monitors side by side it can split the display in two so you actually get two monitors in one. I've tried it with my wifes Mac and my own PC and ... damn it is strange to sit and look at a monitor that shows the mac output on the left and the PC output on the right. If you consider buying two monitors anyway (also if you just use them on one computer, like most people do), the price tag suddenly isn't so hefty as one should think at first glance. Two high-end HD monitors would set you back just as much as buying one G9 NEO, and then you even get the benefit of getting rid of the bezel in the middle (win-win). Many tout this monitor as a perfect Gaming Monitor - and it is - hands down - the finest gaming experience I've had, but it should also be mentioned that this is the first time I run on highher refresh rates than the normal 144Hz that I had on my previous tripple G-Sync monitor setup. But it also has a huge place in the media production niche. I used to have alll sorts of setups a few years back I experimented with 5 pcs of 27" HD1440 moniotors in pivot next to each other, and while it gave me a nice resolution of 7200x2560 i grew tired of having 4 black bezels in my image consisting of 5 monitors in portrait mode. So after a year two of those monitors went out the window and the three remaining were pivot'd back to horizontal so I had a conventional setup of 3 horizontally mounted 2560x1440px GSync monitors. It was better but I still hated the two bezels still there, and although I had the monitors with the slimmest possible bezels (at the time) it was still an eyesore - at least in my oppinion. But when the G9 neo was out I was sold. I knew that was what I needed. So now I have this setup and it works like a charm when doing productions and I only have to use one single monitor for the setup (well two but that's because I have an 80" Flat Panel on the wall 3 meters back obove my desk to preview the result when I'm editing, but that's much more interesting than my previous setup where I also only used the two monitors for editing and then the monitor at the far right was only showing the preview production window. So in fact I still have the same work area as I had before where I only used two monitors for editing and the third for preview. Now I just have the preview the right way on a proper flat panel on the wall above my desk so I can see the result the way others would receive it. Finally I must say that the G9/G9 neo (this goes for both monitors), is the first monitor where I was truly able to operate the built in menus via the tiny joystick (that is both a button and a stick) simply by intuition. As an IT admin through 25 years I have been working with so many monitors and they almost always spread the functionality out on 6-7 buttons with the four reserved for up down, OK and cancel, and then a few more for on/off, mode-switch etc. It's horrible. On the G9/G9neo you just click the button/joystick conveniently located right underneath the blue power-on indicator LED so you always know where to find it under the miles and miles of monitor. As for all the problems people describe I haven't had any. I didn't get the G9 the instant it came out, so I have to admit that I cannot deny that early firmware was bugged, but as of the ver 1010 I immediately upgraded mine to when I got it, I haven't seen any of the problems. The only problems I've had was due to faults of my own. It is absolutely crucial to use properly certified Display Port cables. Don't use cables that are not certified for DP1.4 (at LEAST!). I already use DP2.1 certified cables, as I am certain that within very short time I will buy the G9 NEO 54" monster at a full 7680x2560 solution giving me two 4K monitors side by side in ONE panel, and since the RTX4090 is the only GPU that can run 7680z2560 at 240Hz right now, my GPU is already prepared for that monitor. I can hardly wait. 🙂
Normal G9 was "fixed" after 1 year and so, but even like that need some adjustments to work fine, anyway is a good product now for picture quality, response time and 240Hz, but is not for ppl. that like things with click and play. Since Neo G9 is new, will be some time to work as intended.
They actually had to push a revision (or more) before the Odyssey G9 was "good" right? Let's hope they do the same here, but that still won't help early adopters.
@@TechTesters That's true, there will be some problem that will requires a new revision. What is insane in all of this, if you manage to adopt this extra wide display, somehow can't go back to 16:9, it's like Odyssey G9 or Neo G9 will adopt you and you can live with all the problems of this display :))
Currently using the original G9, was totally looking forward to this monitor. Based on their track record for the current model, I feel lot of issues will never get fixed. They still haven't fixed several deal-breaking issues with the current model. Definitely not falling for it again. The upcoming Ark is interesting, but I have a sour taste in my mouth. Won't be getting my hopes up. Thanks for the heads up!
I can‘t agree with that. I use the Neo G9 since last week and didn‘t have a single of these issues. No dead pixels, 240Hz with HDR work flawless, no black screens. Simply the best monitor I have ever owned.
I used to own the original G9 when it first released. It had even worse and more issues than she mentioned here for the Neo, but over time it got better as Samsung fixed the QC and firmware. It's the same thing here, so I just got the Neo. I hope the new OLED G9 fares better and is more usable at launch.
Hi Nada, thanks for the review, as usual very informative and well researched! I'd like to mention that the last issue highlighted (brightness changes causing flickering) is, as far as I'm aware, a result of the panel struggling with handling the necessary voltage variation when Adaptive Sync / VRR is enabled (and here's when a G-Sync module makes a world of difference but that's another story). You can still keep local dimming enabled (and thus actually enjoy the miniLED advantages, the whole point of this thing together with HDR performance, as you said) by turning the "VRR Control" function to On. This will fix 95-100% of such brightness variations (outside of triggering the OSD, that one always happens) but might introduce some micro stutter that is quite famous across the Odyssey line (G7, G9, they all have it). The latest available firmware (1008) actually reduced the stutters to an acceptable level when enabled, but only @ 240hz. At 120Hz they're more visible, but then @ 240hz you do have more scanlines than not and... well, here we are again talking about compromises. Such a disappointing product with so much wasted potential.
i have mine at 120 hz with vrr on and have none of these issues, or i can create a custom res and use 155 hz and stil no issues, of course im using dyanmic hdr and dimming on high 24/7, which is the best way imo
Happy to hear you liked it @WooTd - The flickering and/or brightness adjustments aren't just with G-Sync on though, or limited to Nvidia or AMD, and it does seem pretty consistent with which kind of scenes it happens in. That Tomb Raider scene with dark sides, then a lit up character in the middle is an easy way to reproduce it. So I still think it's reacting to content badly rather than struggling at a hardware level. It's mostly an issue with HDR content which does push brightness levels higher, so .. maybe? I still think it should be firmware fixable, but I'm just not holding my breath for it at this point It's funny (or sad) that I bought a Samsung QLED TV a while ago that behaved very similar, with no way to get around it either. - I think the final sentence sums it up. Looking at what I've seen, what close friends have shown me with theirs, and the tons of other threads and reports, it's just too much. There's a few people going really aggressively against my (and other) negative feedback on this, but there is just way too much going on with this product to call it anything other than a disappointment. Funny how that upsets some buyers though.
@@mainsource8030 brightness flickering with VRR enabled is an inherent VA panel problem, there is no solution for it (not talking about local dimming related flickering which is another matter). Your reducing of refresh rate will not solve flickering issues, it will fix scanlines and pixel inversion artifacts. If you never noticed flickering with VRR enabled that just means you have never played a game with frame rate spikes big enough to trigger LFC on your monitor.
@@gencoserpen1260 i often play the latest games, like currently i just beat the dead space remake, bf2042, elden ring and am playing returnal. that being said i do use an rtx 4090 with a ryzen 7900x3d so you are probably right about the spike/flickering issue. i also use v-sync on and g-sync on in the ncp, but always v-sync off in game as per the blur busters g-sync article. i also sometimes turn vrr off, cant really see a difference
QN94A which I have is far better, I own as well the C1 and BX and QN94A beats both honestly, movies and games pop so much better than an OLED, OLEDs are great for a few niche things, like space scenes but for everything else QLED is miles better, I've never experienced anything like it, the image just pops out of the screen and almost looks 3D at times it's mind blowing.
@@vidiveniviciDCLXVI haven´t tried a qled but i own a 48CX and the picture pops enough guess it´s like always personal preference ever since i could grab a 6900xt i couldn´t be happier.
@@zuzmju I won't be able to tell you how much different it is zuz, but trust me, the QLED picture is on another level in terms of HDR and even SDR content. The extra 1000 nits of brightness make so much differences in the picture, even in a dark room. I was so surprised myself.
Moral of the story seems to be "have QC and have *good* QC"... A halo product like this should not be this problematic. Always glad to hear from this channel, HUB, and others who pick up on these issues that bigger sites and channels miss out on!
Whelp, that settles it. I've been wanting to get it for a while and have been considering getting it since they fixed the HDR. I can tolerate pretty much all of the stuff you mentioned... Except the flicker/FALD issues. Having the heights l brightness increase on 2 sides of the monitor for no reason is an absolute deal breaker for me. I'll just keep sticking to my PG32UQX.
I myself returned 2 original G9's. HATED them. So many bugs. And the worst was the loud POPPING sound randomly. Gave me PTSD waiting for it to happen while I worked (or gamed). Just looking at the screen brings back the anxiety of waiting for that POP to happen. Screw this screen. I didn't even bother trying the Neo G9. Got an Acer Predator x34. Not looking back.
fortunately, the popping sound is heat related, so if you set brightness low and stick to sdr content, you never have popping lol :D in a dark room this is not an issue, especially since original G9 is worthless in HDR anyway lol my only issue with original G9 is the interlacing patterns in orange colors near the corners of the screen. maybe also the interlacing bug with certain patterns on the screen too, where the entire screen will go into a dark interlaced pattern until you switch to different content. still not fixed with latest firmware tho it is fairly rare when gaming to encounter content that triggers it.
@@Bearricaded I used to get black flicker and games like fortnite would simply launch to a black screen. Never recover from sleep mode. The list goes on...
My experience: On my desktop PC using a 3080ti card, This monitor is pretty much flawless when using with a Display Port. Using this monitor with HDMI completely sucks with non stop flickering. The only way to get this to stop flickering using HDMI is to set the HDMI version to the lowest setting which leaves you with only 1080 resolution. When using any other device on HDMI it work just fine. I've used my MacBook Pro M1 Max, Apple TV 4k, and Xbox Series X. They all worked perfectly. As long as I keep my PC on Display Port, it works great.
On my third Neo G9, and it appears to be a good one, absent the worst issues reported here. Knocks on wood though - it could just straight up fail midway through playing a game like my second one did. If you win the panel lottery and get a good version of these, it really is top tier end game monitor. The brights are intense - like actually hurts your eyes bright, so bring a strong bias light, or just don't set it to HDR Dynamic. The blacks are (from a front on angle), black enough to blend into the black bezel, with only the difference in sheen giving away the edge of the screen. The motion is as good as you need it. I can only recommend this to the kind of user that is willing to put up with multiple returns and stress to get the best of the best. Also make sure you buy whatever store warranty is offerred to expedite the return process. Don't talk to Samsung... they'll make you wish you could shoot at people through phone lines.
Got mine for 1649 USD... Black Friday Discount 1999 and then Educational discount down to 1649....while it has its quarks... I'm enjoying it. But great review!
Was about to buy this as a work monitor to replace the 2 screens I use. I'm glad I found your detailed review. Thank you for taking time to really dive deep and talk about both pros and cons. You're one of the best reviewers out there. And you earned my sub. What monitor would you suggest for productivity in the 32-49 inch range? I'm not a gamer. Just trying to improve productivity and reduce desk clutter
Thank you for saving me the pain of owning this monitor. I was considering buying it this week for work and gaming, but mainly for work. I will continue my search.
Thank you very much for this honest review. Stuff like this makes a very big difference on RU-vid. And whoa, what a mess. Damn, this should have been an awesome monitor.
I have watched a couple of reviews on this monitor and you are the only one who have spoken the truth. The others were more like "hey buy it, because i got to review it for free, but for you spend money and take my word for it". So kudos to you!
Thanks for the straight up proper long term use review of this monitor. I am glad i didn’t splurge for this. I am in Australia and its almost 3k AUD here. Jeez, I hope Samsung gets their shit together and puts more effort in QA! What a mess. Thanks a bunch! ✅
It’s a shame to hear about the issues, but it seems that this year we’re seeing a slew of products being released with major flaws and a number of big game titles with a tonne of software ours and bugs …. Not a great year for new tech 2021 😢 (very few vg ones). Thank you Nada for the update 🥰👍🎄🥳 I was looking at the regular G9 for a future upgrade …… I have to make sure it’s not the “Neo” version 👍😉. Hopefully you finally caught that dodgy delivery driver and fired that shoddy gardener from the last review hehe 😂🤣
I hate when companies remember to charge a premium price and forget to deliver a premium experience. Even my ROG monitor has minor issues here and there and I paid 1k EUR for it...
THANK YOU for this video! I almost ordered this as my homeoffice/gaming monitor. You saved me 2k bucks. There is no way I´m willing to engage in a QA lottery and accept immature software in this price category.
I drooled over this size of this monitor and bought it soon after release. But regret not returning it within the return window. I'm dealing with a lot of scanlines and flickering issues, especially in the 240Hz mode. The local dimming is indeed horrendous. I have a dark wallpaper on my desktop and whenever I open a window with a white background it's like a flash bang of white light and it's painful. And I don't know what kind of HDR this monitor has, even after the latest firmware update of 1008 as of this writing, but my HDR games look horribly dark with the bright areas looking horribly bright and no amount of tweaking seems to fix it. HDR videos and movies look great though for some reason. I'm just hoping now that there are future firmware updates that fixes stuff but I'm not too optimistic.
I was about to buy this monitor, until I found out about how much better an LG C1 OLED TV was. Its cheaper, has better visual quality, fits better on most desks due to its smaller footprint, very fast response times which is arguably more important than refresh rate and works well for productivity. Of course there is the whole burn in fiasco that has people worried, but I'm personally not too concerned because i run my display typically at a much lower brightness and have adopted some precautionary measures which really do not impact my experience or bother me. Samsung really needs to step up their game on this NEO G9 monitor, because for being so damn expensive it has way too many drawbacks. The product is supposed to be a no compromise display for the rich enthusiast yet it fails in so many basic categories.
I have an OLED cx in my lounge, and agree with you that they are better, except as a monitor. I plugged in my pc to test how it would be and the desktop experience was very bad imo. Also I prefer the immersion of a wide screen and not a tall screen, just my personal thing.
Just watched Linus review this monitor again and just praise it, completely going over all the problems you're mentioning Honestly I like LTT but they suck at monitor/TV reviews. Rtings/Hardware unboxed and you, do a much better job at it.
The bad reputation for Samsung monitors is confirmed again and again... I was really tempted by this monitor, but reports about it's predecessor let me wait for some long time reviews. Thanks for this review and preventing me from wasting my money.
I waited for 1008 firmware before i pulled the trigger on this screen. I'm more than happy with it. Coming from the mighty expensive Asus pg35vq, the neo G9 blows it out of the water. Much better pixel response times, (no overshoot on blacks) The extra dimming zones make a massive difference to detail and blooming in dark scenes. The oversaturation in dynamic hdr mode (especially the reds) is all i can complain about. But i just turned down the saturation in the OSD to compensate a bit for it. I'm sure it'll be tweaked in a future firmware. I'm glad there is youtubers like RTINGS/HUB and yourself spreading awareness so samsung continues to improve it for consumers.
@@TechTesters None at all, Full white background or blue its completely fine. I believe the first batch (CA01) had these issues, They've since released (CB02) which I've got.
@todd Hudson Thanks! I hope Samsung doesn't take it as agro but instead fixes some of these issues. Hit the nail though: this should not have released in this state, and their QC department needs to be questioned (or whoever signed off on setting super low standards)
Thank you for this great review... I'm so glad that I bought me the Philips 499P9H about 12 month ago... It might does not have this neat refresh rates and dimming stuff, but the internal KVM switch, Picture-by-Picture multiview and LAN-Port are just amazing. Works great for business use and standard gaming. Got for around 900 € and love it... 😊
Bought the original G9, for $1000, and for that price i think its an excellent deal for an amazing 49 inch gaming monitor. After looking at this review, i just know i made the correct choice, and got the best bang for my buck.
I returned mine for the same reasons last week and opted for the ark which was cheaper. Even with only 1 hdmi and all the bad reviews on the ark I took the dive and don't regret it. Great review!
watched about 8 videos promoting the g9 neo, really stoked I want to buy it right NOW, aaand let's check that video I'll take a peek just to be sure 6 minutes later: "my current monitor is actually pretty fine!"
After JayzTwoCents blatant hawking of Neo G9, this channel's honesty is much appreciated. I looked further into this monitor and yes, it has a very troubled history.
Nice, honest and real user review.. where all others praise it like no tommorow.. but you do it real honest and like real user prespective.. Good job and please continue and stay honest and true when doing review.. will subscribe now.. thanks
oooohh, je bent nederlands. Ik sta nu voor een dubio, deze monitor staat op mijn lijst om te kopen ergens in de komende jaar. maar als die nog steeds zoveel problemen heeft heb ik zo mijn twijfels.
I also have this monitor,1st time i light it up, it was terrible lots of bleeding etc use the newest driver, use the newest firmware, and i love it. No problems at all I paid 1200 euro for 2020 model... There are a lot of factors in play here.. I think she's over reacting a lot... Nothing is perfect. I love this monitor,
I got one and I cant find any of the issues presented. Is there a more detailed guide for how to find these things? Stuff like exact instructions to replicate the exact conditions. Mine seems perfect but I only got it a few weeks ago, so, I wanna check mine to see if i need to return it or not
Finally a honest review of these expensive pieces of crap. I am stuck with my G9 that has issues when windows turn off the monitor. I have to use the OSD button to get it going again. Ignored by sammy for almost a year even though a ton of others reported the same issue on their forum.
I have had this monitor for about 2 months and after they fixed the HDR I do not have any of these issues, I love this monitor. And I have owned all the Samsung 49-Inch monitor.
The fact that you personally have the LG 38GN950-B is more than enough endorsement for me, honestly. I really was eying the G9 Neo, but all of these problems just aren't acceptable at that price point. You can almost just get a LG 38GN950-B ($1400 at Costco) AND a C1 48 ($1100) and just swap back and forth depending on what you're doing for the price of a Neo G9 ($2200).
Damn that was a brutal but honest review. I’m picking this thing up today and hoping I have a better experience with it than you did. If not it will be going straight back to Best Buy. I also have the original odyssey g9 coming that i got for $899 which is significantly cheaper. Guess we’ll see if i keep either one.
So update: I got the neo today, finished installing it an hour ago and mounted it on my wall. So far NO visible FALD grid like people claim, the upgrad eto firmware 1008 went smoothly and the monitor is bright, crisp with no backlight bleed or any other defects that I can see. I have yet to test HDR since I'm in the middle of upgrading to Windows 11 but the panel itself seems to be working great. The one thing I did notice that others pointed out is on dark backgrounds (e.g. RU-vid in dark mode), you get dark splotching around lighter text because of the way local dimming works and there's a halo around the cursor---not really a big deal, its part of the technology so I accept it. The thing is though, I'm not sure I'll keep this monitor! I'm a competitive FPS gamer and while this thing will be awesome in racing/flight sim games, it pushes the UI out to the edges and I often look at that in many games so I have to keep shifting my attention to the sides with this thing. I've got 15 days to return it to Best Buy so I'll give it a good week or so of testing, if it grows on me I'll keep it otherwise it's going back and my Zowie XL2746S will get its place back on my desktop. For those of you nervous about getting this thing, if you're comfortable with 32:9 and aren't a competitive FPS player, this monitor is great and it seems Samsung has worked out the major flaws people noted.
Final update: The monitor grew on me and I love it! Mine has virtually no major flaws (no BL bleed, HDR works great, 240 hz works great, no noticeable FALD lines) with the exception of it flickering when it comes out of sleep and that's easily fixed by turning it on/off so I'm assuming a firmware update will take care of that. Overall, very immersive monitor at 32:9 and I love playing Halo Infinite campign on it, feels like a movie! I'd definitely recommend this monitor to anyone looking, just be aware that like this reviewer, some have had bad units so like most LCDs these days, its a lottery so be sure you buy from a retailer like BB that takes returns easily.
Ive found Samsung products in general are not great as of late, half baked or outright broken in many cases, I get the feeling they are coasting on there brand name but you cant do that forever, people will get wise to it.
My other Samsung products are mostly phones and SSDs, and I think they do those things pretty well most of the time! But monitors? The ones I've seen haven't been amazing unfortunately.
@@TechTesters I use Samsung phones at work (no choice in the matter), they are good at first then become more unstable and buggy as time goes on, aN s9 I had ended up with really bad screen burn, and there is already evidence of screen burn on some s20's that have only had about a month's use (though admittedly heavy use). A number of large TV have also been troublesome, and a washing machine. Needless to say I will be avoiding Samsung for any personal purchases.
I got mine today even tho I got super scared after watching your video... mine is perfect so far, dont see any dead pixels or scan lines, flickering etc... running 240hz hdr all the time. I am insanely lucky or just blind lol
