Samsung's Odyssey OLED G6 is the world's first 500Hz OLED gaming monitor

[Daniel Sims]

Forward-looking: Gaming monitors have been locked in a high refresh rate arms race for many years. First with IPS, TN, and VA panel tech, and now that race has shifted to OLED. Samsung is the first to reach a new milestone with the Odyssey OLED G6. This cutting-edge QHD display features a unique cooling system and other features to prevent overheating and burn-in.

The Samsung Odyssey OLED G6 is the world's first 500Hz OLED gaming monitor, now available in Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia with rollouts in other countries expected later this year.

The 27-inch Odyssey G6 is also among the first monitors to hit 500Hz at 1440p resolution. Reports about this monitor emerged late last year, shortly after Asus launched its 480Hz OLED ROG Swift PG27AQDP, which is one of TechSpot's top picks for 1440p QHD monitors. While both Samsung and ViewSonic teased 500Hz QHD OLED displays earlier this year, Samsung has been the first to bring one to market.

Also check out: Why Refresh Rates Matter: From 30Hz to 540Hz

Supporting both Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, the Odyssey G6 features an ultra-fast 0.03ms gray-to-gray (GTG) response time. It's certified with VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500 and boasts a peak brightness of 1,000 nits. With Pantone Validation, the monitor accurately displays over 2,100 colors and 110 skin tone shades.

Samsung's OLED Safeguard+ cooling system combines thermal modulation and heat pipes, which the company claims evaporate and dissipate heat five times faster than conventional graphite sheets. The monitor also detects static elements like logos or taskbars and selectively dims those pixels to help prevent burn-in.

Shipments for the Odyssey OLED G6 will begin as soon as next week on May 18, with pre-orders starting at $1,488.

As 240Hz remains the standard for 4K gaming monitors and manufacturers begin hitting 500Hz at 1440p, 1080p screens are pushing the boundaries even further. Acer and MSI have recently unveiled 600Hz models, while the Koorui G7 reaches an astonishing 750Hz.

Meanwhile, TCL previewed what may be the next leap forward nearly a year ago: a 1,000Hz 4K LCD panel. The project is likely still in the prototype stage, as cables capable of transmitting 4K at 1,000Hz are not yet commercially available. However, 1080p and 1440p displays might realistically achieve that refresh rate by 2027.

While many users already find 120Hz or 240Hz refresh rates impressive, reaching 360Hz or 540Hz can substantially improve motion clarity. Depending on the type of game, fast-moving objects become much clearer as motion blur drops significantly. As the standard refresh rates in affordable monitors continues to rise, most gamers might eventually return to the smoothness they experienced decades ago on high-refresh CRTs.

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Samsung's Odyssey OLED G6 is the world's first 500Hz OLED gaming monitor

 

[gamerk2]

I remember two years ago a criticism of OLEDs was that there was no commercial OLED that went over 120Hz. I noted at the time that there was no technical reason OLEDs couldn't be driven higher, and the limitation was more that LG was focused primarily on the TV segment at the time.

What a difference two years makes.

 

[WhiteLeaff]

I'm fine with 144hz @ 1440p.

Much more than that becomes very expensive, not to say impossible to achieve.

 

[FaTaL]

No one needs 500hz refresh rate. Seriously....anyone wanting to buy this is just flexing.

 

[Burty117]

I’ve always read that an OLED @ 240Hz would feel like an LCD @ 360Hz thanks to OLED’s crazy response times.

Does that mean this 500Hz monitor probably feels like 600Hz if an LCD could even get that high?

 

[godrilla]

Dp 1.4?

Update yes. Here is a video os the limitations of dp 2.1 vs 1.4 fyi

 

[godrilla]

I’ve always read that an OLED @ 240Hz would feel like an LCD @ 360Hz thanks to OLED’s crazy response times.

Does that mean this 500Hz monitor probably feels like 600Hz if an LCD could even get that high?

More like 1.5x so closer to 750hz from recollection

I'm fine with 144hz @ 1440p.

Much more than that becomes very expensive, not to say impossible to achieve.

We have Tvs like the G5 capable of 4k 165 hz and last year's flagship capable 4k 144 hz as well. I'm personally satisfied with my 4k 120hz 5 year old CX oled as well.

 

[WhiteLeaff]

More like 1.5x so closer to 750hz from recollection
We have Tvs like the G5 capable of 4k 165 hz and last year's flagship capable 4k 144 hz as well. I'm personally satisfied with my 4k 120hz 5 year old CX oled as well.

I was referring to the hardware needed to reach 1440p @ 144hz in modern AAA games.

 

[godrilla]

I was referring to the hardware needed to reach 1440p @ 144hz in modern AAA games.

While aaa titles are usually single player titles that don't need competetive sky is the limit refresh rate /frame rate most enthusiasts/ gamers will settle for over 60 fps without upscaling and frame generation imo. 120 hz and higher is icing on the cake for single player aaa titles. Here is the gpu 1440p hierarchy where on average the 9070xt is fits perfectly in.
This gpu can handle the latest Oblivion remastered at maximum settings with lumen hardware at 1440p and 60 fps .

 

[airbornex]

The leap to 500Hz on OLED feels less about chasing numbers and more about closing the gap between what the panel can show and what our eyes and inputs can feel. Especially for competitive gamers...

Now let's see if Samsung's solution actually tackles OLED’s biggest weakness: burn-in.

 

[godrilla]

The leap to 500Hz on OLED feels less about chasing numbers and more about closing the gap between what the panel can show and what our eyes and inputs can feel. Especially for competitive gamers...

Now let's see if Samsung's solution actually tackles OLED’s biggest weakness: burn-in.

Not sure if this will help. They have a dedicated chamber for cooling.

 

[Tech420]

The leap to 500Hz on OLED feels less about chasing numbers and more about closing the gap between what the panel can show and what our eyes and inputs can feel. Especially for competitive gamers...

Now let's see if Samsung's solution actually tackles OLED’s biggest weakness: burn-in.

The human eye cannot tell the difference of anything above 60fps when playing a game. The only time you can notice anything higher is moving the mouse cursor around in Windows.

 

[Ohnooze]

Why?
I mean 120hz seems more then good enough imo.

 

[Ohnooze]

The human eye cannot tell the difference of anything above 60fps when playing a game. The only time you can notice anything higher is moving the mouse cursor around in Windows.

This is not true.

 

[shmowie]

The human eye cannot tell the difference of anything above 60fps when playing a game. The only time you can notice anything higher is moving the mouse cursor around in Windows.

not sure if trolling or...

the upgrade from 120hz TN to 360hz IPS was a massive difference for me. Not only in motion clarity, but also response time. Also, eye-strain disappears at higher hz, something that doesn't get mentioned a lot - but also noticed it immediately.

Can't wait to get a 500hz OLED. Sure, a lot of games don't support FPS that high (yet), but I get a consistent 400fps in CS2 and other shooters, so it will still be an upgrade. We're getting closer and closer to the top end CRTs of the early 2000s!

 

[shmowie]

Why?
I mean 120hz seems more then good enough imo.

if you aren't playing FPS games then ya, 120hz is probably fine. But if you play competitive shooters (the target audience for these high end hz displays), then no, 120hz is not fine. You have a major disadvantage in motion clarity and the ability to snap accurately.