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The 27-inch 4K OLED gaming monitors of my dreams finally exist

Published

2 days ago

January 3, 2025

Empowerment

The 27-inch 4K OLED gaming monitors of my dreams finally exist

Summary

27-inch OLED monitors offer better contrast but can have burn-in issues if static images are displayed too long.

Major manufacturers like Samsung, Asus, and MSI have announced 27-inch 4K OLED displays, each with unique features.

Samsung, Asus, and MSI 27-inch 4K OLED monitors feature 240Hz refresh rates, but ASUS and MSI are DisplayPort 2.1a compatible.

I currently use a 27-inch LG Ultragear 27GP950-B 4K monitor as my main display for work and gaming. I picked it up during the height of the pandemic a few years ago because I wanted a relatively high-end 4K display with a decent refresh rate, alongside HDMI 2.1 compatibility to unlock higher refresh rate gaming with the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. Given so few current-gen console games actually ended up supporting 120Hz/4K, this has mostly just turned into me just playing Halo Infinite at 120Hz with a dynamic resolution.

It feels like a distant memory at this point, but coming across a smaller HDMI 2.1 compatible monitor was a rarity back then, and the LG 27GP950-B was the first I could find that received decent reviews. I still really like the display, but its disappointing contrast levels and grayish blacks have me considering diving into the somewhat controversial world of OLED gaming monitors. And it looks like it might finally be time to pull the trigger on one now that more reasonably sized 27-inch OLED panels are starting to appear at CES 2024.

Here’s a quick look at the notable 27-inch OLED monitors that have been revealed so far, including displays from Samsung, Asus, and MSI.

1 Say hello to Samsung’s Odyssey G81SF

4K, 27-inch OLED gaming monitors are finally a thing

Samsung

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Samsung Odyssey G81SF

Brand: Samsung
Screen Size: 27-inch
Display Technology: OLED
Resolution: 4K (3,840 x 2,160 pixel resolution)
Refresh Rate: 240Hz
Response Time: 0.03ms

Samsung claims its Odyssey G81SF is the world’s first 4K, 27-inch OLED gaming monitor, and while I can’t confirm this, the South Korean tech giant was at least the first company to reveal a high-resolution, high refresh rate monitor in this size. The panel features a maximum refresh rate of 240Hz, a 0.03ms pixel response time, and a pixel density of 165ppi.

Like with its bigger OLED gaming monitors, Samsung has also added several burn-in protection features to the Odyssey G8SF in an effort to keep it looking great for years to come. Pricing hasn’t been revealed yet, but it’ll likely appear sometime in the coming weeks. Since Samsung Display, the South Korean tech giant’s display division, supplies a lot of third-party manufacturers with their displays, several other 27-inch 4K 240Hz monitors are starting to appear, including options from Asus and MSI.