The Samsung Odyssey Ark S55BG970 is a unique 4k, 55-inch monitor with Mini LED backlighting, released in 2022. It features a 1000R curved screen that you can rotate into portrait mode, which the manufacturer advertises as the Cockpit Mode. It's meant to provide more vertical screen space than other monitors, and it has a Multi View feature that lets you view images from an external source and different apps simultaneously, including stacking three windows on top of each other while in portrait mode. It has features many monitors don't have, like Samsung's proprietary Tizen OS smart platform, the Neural Quantum Processor Ultra processor, a 2.2.2 channel speaker setup, and a One Connect box that houses all the inputs outside the monitor. It even has two remotes, including its Ark Dial remote, to quickly change some settings. It has a 165Hz refresh and HDMI 2.1 bandwidth that lets you play games at a high refresh rate with its 4k resolution, but unlike most monitors, it doesn't have a DisplayPort input.
Our Verdict
The Samsung Odyssey Ark is great for most uses. It's impressive for gaming as it has a good refresh rate with VRR support, a quick response time, and low input lag. It's also great for watching HDR content thanks to its high native contrast ratio and high HDR peak brightness that both help highlights pop and look vivid. It's great even if you want to use it in a well-lit room, like a bright office, as it easily gets bright enough to fight glare and has excellent reflection handling. However, it has low pixel density and an aggressive curve, so it isn't ideal for productivity or media creation if you're used to flat screens and want to read sharp text.
- It gets incredibly bright.
- Excellent reflection handling.
- Large 55-inch screen.
- Displays deep blacks.
- Decent Mini LED local dimming feature.
- Image is inconsistent and washed out from the sides.
- Low pixel density causes blurry text.
The Samsung Odyssey Ark is good for the office, but there are some limitations. Its large screen is good for multitasking, and you won't have any issues using it in a bright room as it easily gets bright enough to fight glare and has excellent reflection handling. However, its big size causes low pixel density, and the text clarity is just okay, meaning the text looks blurry. It also has narrow viewing angles, and its aggressive curve may be problematic if you aren't used to curved screens.
- It gets incredibly bright.
- Excellent reflection handling.
- Large 55-inch screen.
- Image is inconsistent and washed out from the sides.
- Aggressively curved screen.
- Low pixel density causes blurry text.
The Samsung Odyssey Ark is impressive for gaming. It's great for 4k gaming thanks to its high resolution, and it has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, so you can play games at high refresh rates. However, because it doesn't have a DisplayPort input, your graphics card must support HDMI 2.1 bandwidth to use the monitor fully. Other than that, it has low input lag for a responsive feel and a quick response time at high refresh rates, but there's more smearing at lower refresh rates.
- Quick response time with high refresh rates.
- Supports all three common VRR formats.
- HDMI 2.1 bandwidth.
- Displays deep blacks.
- Noticeable smearing with low refresh rates.
- No DisplayPort input.
The Samsung Ark is great for media consumption. Its large screen is great for sitting back and watching your favorite shows and movies. However, its aggressive curve makes it harder to share your screen with others compared to flat monitors, and its narrow viewing angles mean that the image is inconsistent from the sides. Luckily, it's excellent for watching content in dark and bright rooms as it displays deep and inky blacks and gets bright enough to fight glare.
- It gets incredibly bright.
- Large 55-inch screen.
- Displays deep blacks.
- Decent Mini LED local dimming feature.
- Image is inconsistent and washed out from the sides.
The Samsung Odyssey Ark is decent for content creators but isn't ideal. While its large screen is great for multitasking, it has an aggressive curve that isn't ideal, as straight lines on the screen look curved. It also has good accuracy before calibration but undersaturates colors, which is disappointing if you need to work in the sRGB color space. Unfortunately, its text clarity is just okay, as it has low pixel density and narrow viewing angles that make the image look inconsistent from the sides.
- It gets incredibly bright.
- Excellent reflection handling.
- Large 55-inch screen.
- Image is inconsistent and washed out from the sides.
- Aggressively curved screen.
- Low pixel density causes blurry text.
- Undersaturates color in the sRGB color space.
The Samsung Ark monitor is excellent for HDR. It has a high native contrast ratio that displays deep blacks, and its decent full-array local dimming feature helps improve the picture quality in dark scenes. It also has incredible peak brightness in HDR, making highlights pop. Lastly, it displays a wide range of colors and has good color volume, enough to make colors look vivid and realistic.
- It gets incredibly bright.
- Displays deep blacks.
- Decent Mini LED local dimming feature.
- Displays wide range of colors in HDR.
- Image is inconsistent and washed out from the sides.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 55-inch Samsung Odyssey Ark, the only size available for this monitor. Remember that the full model code can vary between regions and retailers.
| Size | Name | Model Code | Panel Type | Resolution | Refresh Rate | Curve |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55" | Odyssey Ark | LS55BG970NNXGO | VA | 4k | 165Hz | 1000R |
Our unit was manufactured in April 2023; you can see the label here.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The Samsung Odyssey Ark is a great monitor that delivers great picture quality with deep blacks and bright highlights. It offers some useful features most monitors don't have, like the processor and smart system, which is great if you also want to use your monitor as a TV for watching shows and movies. However, compared to the rest of the monitor and TV market, it doesn't offer much value as it's expensive, and you can get other displays with Mini LED backlighting and higher refresh rates for cheaper, like the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9/G95NA S49AG95 or the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 S32BG85. You can even get Samsung TVs for cheaper that offer many of the same features and performance but with flat screens instead.
See our recommendations for the best Samsung monitors, the best 4k gaming monitors, and the best 4k HDR monitors.
The Samsung Odyssey Neo G9/G95NA S49AG95 and the Samsung Odyssey Ark S55BG970 are both great monitors that have their pros and cons. The Ark has a bigger screen as it's the equivalent of placing two of the Neo G9s on top of each other, and because of this, it's the better choice for sitting back and watching your favorite movies and shows. You can also rotate the Ark into portrait mode, giving you even more vertical screen height. However, the Neo G9 is better for PC gaming as it has a higher 240Hz refresh rate, and unlike the Ark, it has a DisplayPort input. The Neo G9 also has better motion handling, particularly at lower refresh rates.
The Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 S32BG85 and the Samsung Odyssey Ark S55BG970 are both 4k monitors with Mini LED backlighting, but there are a few differences. The Neo G8 has a smaller screen and higher pixel density, resulting in better image and text clarity than the Ark. The Neo G8 is also better for gaming as it has a higher refresh rate and better motion handling, and with a DisplayPort input, you can take full advantage of it even if your graphics card doesn't support HDMI 2.1 bandwidth. Conversely, the Ark gets much brighter in HDR and has a built-in smart system, so it's the better choice for relaxing and watching your favorite shows.
The Samsung Odyssey Ark S55BG970 and the Samsung Odyssey OLED G85SB S34BG85 are both great monitors with different purposes. The OLED displays perfect blacks without any blooming, and it also displays a wider range of vivid colors, making it the better choice for HDR content. The OLED has better motion handling and a DisplayPort input with a slightly higher refresh rate, so your graphics card doesn't need to support HDMI 2.1 bandwidth to take full advantage of it like it needs for the Ark. However, the Ark is better for use in well-lit rooms as it gets much brighter, and you can use it in portrait mode, giving you more vertical screen space.
The LG 42 OLED Flex and the Samsung Odyssey Ark S55BG970 are both great large monitors that have their own strengths and weaknesses. The LG has an OLED panel that displays perfect blacks without any blooming. It also has a bendable screen that can go up to a 900R curve, so you can adjust it how you like. Even though the Samsung has a faster refresh rate, the LG has better motion handling thanks to its near-instantaneous response time, even at lower refresh rates. On the other hand, the Samsung has a bigger screen that can be rotated into portrait mode, giving you more vertical screen space. It also gets much brighter than the LG, making it ideal for using it in bright rooms.
We buy and test more than 30 monitors each year, all of which we purchase ourselves, without cherry-picked units or samples. We put a lot into each unbiased, straight-to-the-point review, and there's a whole process from purchasing to publishing, involving multiple teams and people. We do more than just use the monitor for a week; we use specialized, custom tools to measure various aspects and deliver objective, data-driven results. We also consider multiple factors before making any recommendations, including the monitor's cost, its performance compared to the competition, and whether it's easy to find.
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