Samsung took the monitor world by storm throughout CES 2022 with the disclosing of the Odyssey Ark, the corporate’s first 55-inch, 4K curved gaming display with 165Hz refresh fee and 1-millisecond response fee. It got here with a number of options, essentially the most distinguished being its skill to change from the normal horizontal orientation to vertical.
The pinnacle-turning monitor is lastly out there for pre-order to the tune of $3,499.99. Since I did not get an opportunity to see it in individual earlier this 12 months because of the pandemic, Samsung was type sufficient to present me entry. And I’ve to say, it is perhaps my favourite monitor of the 12 months.
Pricing and availability
Sure, the Odyssey Ark is severely costly at $3.499.99. Nonetheless it is cheaper the Alienware 55 OLED Gaming Monitor (AW5520QF)‘s preliminary value of $4,999. And Samsung is providing a slight rebate for individuals who pre-order to the tune of $300. And I would not be stunned if Samsung provides much more reductions as we get nearer to the vacation season.
The monitor will ship someday in early September 2022.
Show
Just like the Alienware AW5520QF, the Samsung Odyssey Ark is a 55-inch panel. However that is the place the similarities finish. The Ark’s panel is curved with a 1,000R curvature and makes use of the corporate’s proprietary Quantum Matrix Know-how Mini LED expertise.
You may need heard of Mini LED beforehand from Apple’s M1 MacBook Execs. The expertise mainly provides a number of the greatest options from QLED and OLED panels, retaining QLED’s greater brightness, decreased burn-in issues, lack of degredation over time with OLED’s greater distinction ratio, deeper blacks and larger power-efficiency.
Along with Mini LED, the matte panel with its 16:19 side ratio additionally provides detailed HDR management, which throughout my demo delivered extremely vivid colours and deep blacks. And because of the Neural Quantum Processor Extremely the panel can upscale your visuals to a surprising 4K decision. I positively would not thoughts watching a film or three on this dangerous boy.
However it is a gaming monitor and Samsung made positive to pack in loads of goodies to that impact. Beginning with AMD FreeSync Premium Professional which ensures the monitor’s refresh fee is synchronized with the graphics card of no matter it is related to. Which means you may get easy rendered photographs and an infinitesimal quantity of enter lag.
And talking of gaming, the Ark has Samsung’s Gaming Hub pre-installed. A sport streaming discovery platform, that is the place gamers can play video games from Xbox Recreation Go, Nvidia GeForce Now, Google Stadia and extra. When the time involves tweak your gaming-specific settings there’s Recreation Bar, which supplies gamers the flexibility to create settings for particular person titles resembling FPS, HDR or VRR. You can even regulate the display side ratio and response time.
Options
Whereas it is easy to get caught up within the large show, the Odyssey Ark nonetheless has extra options hiding behind its charming floor. For audio, the show has a tweeter positioned at every nook of the panel with a pair of subwoofers within the center for a extra immersive sound expertise. The audio will get software program assists from its Sound Dome Know-how which consists of Sound Booster, Quad Object Monitoring Sound and naturally, Dolby Atmos.
I performed by means of Forza Horizon 5 and was impressed with how totally different and lifelike every automobile sound as accelerated and braked all through varied course. Even my unlucky crashes had weight. I might like to take this for a spin with a number of alternative FPS identified for large explosions.
Flex Transfer Display is without doubt one of the Ark’s cooler options. It permits customers to regulate display dimension between 55-and 27-inches and alter the display place. You’ll be able to even change the display ratio between 16:9, 21:9 and 32:9. And for these events that you’re taking part in with a smaller display, the black house could be crammed by Energetic Ambient, a group of pre-installed backgrounds.
Have to do a little bit of multitasking? Then Multi View is the secret. The function splits the display into 4 smaller ones concurrently or three in Cockpit Mode (extra on that in a second). One display will present the related video supply, whereas the others can be utilized to launch YouTube, Discord, an internet browser or some Samsung-powered widgets. The screens could be resized and reordered to your liking and eliminates the necessity for a number of displays.
Every of the options could be accessed by way of the Ark Dial, a cool distant that Samsung consists of with Odyssey Ark. The large panel additionally ships with the One Join Field, which has 4 HDMI 2.1 ports that you would be able to join varied video sources to the Ark together with sport consoles just like the Xbox Sequence X and PS5, a desktop or a laptop computer.
Positive, the Odyssey Ark has VESA mounting, however why on this planet would you need to mount this factor when you may have Cockpit Mode. Like most displays, the Ark can be utilized in a vertical orientation. It is simply not fairly often that you just see a 55-inch curved monitor getting used that manner. However after spending a while with the Ark, I am a believer.
Switching orientations is straightforward, you merely seize the underside corners of the show and pull down and outward. Subsequent, you spin the panel clockwise into place and push upwards. It takes a bit getting used to, as a result of let’s face it, you are going to deal with a nearly-$4,000 monitor with child gloves. However as soon as I felt assured that the Ark’s moorings have been certainly sturdy, I used to be twisting and turning with the most effective.
And as simple as flipping the show is, it could be a complete lot cooler to see some hydraulics of some kind doing the heavy lifting. However I think about that may severely increase the worth and probably contain a damaged motor someplace that may break the enjoyable.
Conclusion
It is large, costly and ostentatious – three issues that make me exceedingly glad. However the Samsung Odyssey Ark positively has extra substance than fashion providing a stunning 4K, Mini LED show with vibrant shade and wealthy, deep blacks in addition to a surprisingly highly effective audio. Then you may have Samsung Recreation Hub for streaming video games, the flexibility to attach as much as 4 video sources and a few fascinating methods to multitask. And naturally, you may change the Ark’s orientation into one thing that is equal elements helpful and dialog starter.
I am wanting to take a deeper dive into the Samsung Odyssey Ark when it lands within the Laptop computer Magazine labs.
