The Samsung Odyssey G5 S27AG50 is a mid-level 1440p gaming monitor. It's part of Samsung's 2021 Odyssey gaming lineup as an updated version of the Samsung Odyssey G5 C27G55T, but with a different panel and design. Instead of having a curved screen with a VA panel like the 2020 model, this monitor has an IPS panel and a flat screen. It has a faster 165Hz refresh rate and has variable refresh rate (VRR) support in the form of native FreeSync support and G-SYNC compatibility. It's available in 27 and 32 inches, and although it offers excellent gaming performance, it's limited on extra features for productivity, as it lacks any USB 3.0 or USB-C inputs.
Our Verdict
The Samsung Odyssey G50A is great overall, and it's good enough for most uses. It's excellent for gaming because it has many gaming features like VRR support and a 165Hz refresh rate. It also has low input lag, and motion looks smooth thanks to the quick response time. The 27 inch screen and 1440p resolution make it good for office use and media consumption, and it has good ergonomics if you need to share the screen with someone else. It supports HDR, but sadly, it doesn't deliver a good HDR performance because it has low contrast and low HDR peak brightness.
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Large 27 inch screen and 1440p resolution.
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Good ergonomics.
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165Hz refresh rate with VRR support.
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Exceptional motion handling.
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Limited on extra features; no USB hub.
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Low contrast ratio and no local dimming.
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Low HDR peak brightness.
The Samsung Odyssey G50A is good for office use. It has a large 27 inch screen with a 1440p resolution that help deliver clear text. It has good ergonomics with a wide swivel range, which is great for sharing your screen with others. If you want to use it in a well-lit room, it gets bright enough to fight glare and has good reflection handling. Unfortunately, it's limited on extra features, and it lacks any USB 3.0 or USB-C inputs.
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Large 27 inch screen and 1440p resolution.
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Good visibility in bright rooms.
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Good ergonomics.
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Limited on extra features; no USB hub.
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Low HDR peak brightness.
The Samsung G50A is excellent for gaming. It has a fast 165Hz refresh rate with native FreeSync support and G-SYNC compatibility to reduce screen tearing. Motion looks crispy smooth thanks to the quick response time, and it has low input lag for a responsive gaming experience. It has an IPS panel with wide viewing angles, which is good for co-op gaming, but that means it has a low contrast ratio that makes blacks look gray in dark rooms.
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Large 27 inch screen and 1440p resolution.
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165Hz refresh rate with VRR support.
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Exceptional motion handling.
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Low input lag.
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Low contrast ratio and no local dimming.
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Low HDR peak brightness.
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Limited to 120Hz with 10-bit signals over DisplayPort.
The Samsung G50A is good for media consumption. The 27 inch screen and 1440p resolution offer an immersive viewing experience, but you won't be able to watch the latest movies in 4k. It has good ergonomics if you want to share the screen with someone else as you can swivel the screen. However, it's not good for dark room viewing because it has a low contrast ratio and lacks a local dimming feature, so blacks look gray.
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Large 27 inch screen and 1440p resolution.
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Good visibility in bright rooms.
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Good ergonomics.
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Low contrast ratio and no local dimming.
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Low HDR peak brightness.
The Samsung Odyssey G50A is very good for content creators. The large screen allows you to view more of your video timeline without scrolling too much, and the 1440p resolution delivers clear text. It has good ergonomics if you need to swivel the screen to show something to a client or coworker. Visibility won't be an issue in most rooms because it has good reflection handling and high peak brightness. Sadly, despite having an amazing overall SDR color gamut, its Adobe RGB coverage isn't good enough for most photo editors.
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Large 27 inch screen and 1440p resolution.
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Good visibility in bright rooms.
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Good ergonomics.
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Limited on extra features; no USB hub.
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Limited Adobe RGB coverage.
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Low HDR peak brightness.
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Large 27 inch screen and 1440p resolution.
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Low HDR peak brightness.
- 7.7 Mixed Usage
- 7.9 Office
- 8.4 Gaming
- 7.2 Media Consumption
- 7.7 Media Creation
- 6.2 HDR
- Updated Nov 24, 2022: Added the full model codes for each of the models mentioned in the Variants section for clarity.
- Updated Jun 28, 2022: Correct a mistake that was inaccurate about the G52A variant in the Variants section.
- Updated May 02, 2022: Updated to Test Bench 1.2, resulting in changes to the results and scores with the Response Time and Input Lag. Added tests for Console Compatibility and macOS compatibility and made minor changes to other tests, which you can see in our Changelog.
- Updated Nov 17, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Nov 15, 2021: Early access published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 27 inch Samsung Odyssey G50A, which is a new monitor in Samsung's Odyssey lineup. It's an updated version of the Samsung Odyssey G5 C27G55T, with a different panel type. For the most part, our results are valid for the 27 and 32 inch variants, but not for the AG52 variant because it has a DisplayHDR 400 certification. The Samsung Odyssey G5/G55A S27AG55 is a similar monitor to this one, but it has a curved VA panel with better contrast, but worse viewing angles and a slower response time.
| Size | Name | Full Model Code | Panel Type | DisplayHDR 400 Certified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27" | Odyssey G50A | LS27AG500PNXZA | IPS | No |
| 32" | Odyssey G50A | LS32AG500PNXZA | IPS | No |
| 27" | Odyssey G52A | LS27AG520PNXZA | IPS | Yes |
| 32" | Odyssey G52A | LS32AG520PNXZA | IPS | Yes |
| 27" | Odyssey G55A | LS27AG550ENXZA | VA | No |
| 32" | Odyssey G55A | LS32AG552ENXZA | VA | No |
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their Samsung G50A doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we'll update the review. Note that some tests, like gray uniformity, may vary between units.
Our unit of the G50A was manufactured in July 2021, and you can see the label here.
Compared To Other Monitors
The Samsung Odyssey G50A is an excellent gaming monitor with exceptional motion handling and VRR support. It's different from the Samsung Odyssey G5 C27G55T because it has wider viewing angles, so it's a better choice for co-op gaming. Most gamers should be pleased with this monitor, but there are still cheaper options available, like the Gigabyte M27Q.
Also see our recommendations for the best 1440p monitors, the best gaming monitors, and the best monitors for Xbox Series X.
The Samsung Odyssey G5 S27AG50 is much better than the Samsung Odyssey G5/G55A S27AG55. The S27AG50 has a much better design, with a full range of ergonomic adjustments, so you can better place it in an ideal viewing position. The S27AG50 also has a much faster response time, resulting in clearer motion, and it gets a lot brighter to overcome glare.
The Gigabyte M27Q and the Samsung Odyssey G5 S27AG50 are both excellent 1440p gaming monitors. They have similar gaming features with exceptional motion handling and low input lag. The Samsung is better for co-op gaming because it has better ergonomics as the stand can swivel. While the models we tested are each 27 inches, the Samsung is also available in a 32 inch size if you prefer something bigger. However, the Gigabyte is better for productivity because it features a USB hub with two USB 3.0 inputs and a USB-C input, which the Samsung doesn't have.
The LG 27GP850-B and the Samsung Odyssey G5 S27AG50 are both excellent gaming monitors with similar features. They both have a 1440p resolution with native FreeSync support and a 165Hz refresh rate, but you can overclock the refresh rate to 180Hz on the LG. Motion handling is superb on each, and they both have low input lag for gaming, but there are a few differences in other areas. The LG displays a wide color gamut for HDR content, which the Samsung doesn't, but it doesn't add much because neither deliver a satisfying HDR experience. The LG also has two USB 3.0 inputs, while the Samsung has a USB input for service inputs, but the Samsung has much better ergonomics because you can swivel it.
The Samsung Odyssey G5 S27AG50 and the ASUS TUF VG27AQ are both excellent gaming monitors. The Samsung has a native 165Hz refresh rate, and while the ASUS has a native refresh rate of 144Hz, you can overclock it to 165Hz. However, motion handling is much better on the Samsung because it has a quicker response time, and it also gets brighter and has better reflection handling if you want to use it in a bright environment. As for the ASUS, it feels better built, and it has much better ergonomics because it has a wider swivel range, and you can rotate it into portrait mode in both directions.
The ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQL1A and the Samsung Odyssey G5 S27AG50 are similar gaming monitors. They each have an IPS panel with a 1440p resolution. The Samsung has a higher native refresh rate of 165Hz compared to 144Hz on the ASUS, but you can overclock the ASUS to 170Hz anyways. The Samsung has much better motion handling because it has a quicker response time at its max refresh rate and 60Hz, and it gets brighter, so it does a better job at fighting glare. The ASUS has built-in speakers and a local dimming feature, both of which the Samsung doesn't have, but the local dimming doesn't add much because it performs terribly.
The Samsung Odyssey G5 S27AG50 is an updated version of the Samsung Odyssey G5 C27G55T, but they're different monitors. The S27AG50 has an IPS panel with wider viewing angles and a flat screen, while the C27G55T has a VA panel with better contrast, and the screen is curved. The S27AG50 has much better motion handling because it has a quicker response time, and there's no black smearing like on the C27G55T. It also has a slightly higher max refresh rate. On the other hand, the C27G55T's BFI feature works at a much wider range, and it has built-in speakers, which the S27AG50 doesn't.
The Samsung Odyssey G5 S27AG50 and the Dell S2721DGF are similar gaming monitors. They both have a 165Hz refresh rate with an IPS panel and a 1440p resolution, but the Samsung has a BFI feature that the Dell doesn't have. However, this doesn't make much difference because both monitors have very quick response times for smooth motion. Also, the Dell has a local dimming feature, which the Samsung doesn't have, but it performs terribly anyways. The Dell has a few more features, like RGB illumination and a USB 3.0 hub, while the Samsung has a USB 2.0 port that you can only use for service updates, but the differences between the monitors are minor.
The Samsung Odyssey G7 C32G75T and the Samsung Odyssey G5 S27AG50 are both excellent gaming monitors. They're both available in 27 and 32 inches, and while they have a few similar features, they're different in a few areas. The C32G75T has a higher 240Hz refresh rate compared to 165Hz on the S27AG50, and it has a curved screen with a VA panel and a high contrast. The S27AG50 has an IPS panel with wider viewing angles, and it has a flat screen. Motion handling is fantastic on each, but there's less black smearing on the S27AG50. The C32G75T has a local dimming feature, but it performs terribly, and even though it displays a wider color gamut, its HDR performance isn't much better.
The MSI Optix MAG274QRF-QD and the Samsung Odyssey G5 S27AG50 are both excellent gaming monitors. They both have a 165Hz refresh rate, native FreeSync VRR support, a 1440p resolution, and fantastic motion handling. There are a few differences in picture quality, though; the MSI displays a wider color gamut in HDR and SDR, but that's because it over-saturates the colors, meaning some people may prefer the Samsung. The Samsung also gets brighter and has better reflection handling, so it's a better choice for well-lit rooms. On the other hand, the MSI has a better selection of inputs, such as a USB-C input and two USB inputs that you can connect your keyboard and mouse to.
The Samsung Odyssey G5 S27AG50 sits below the Samsung Odyssey G7 S28AG70 in Samsung's lineup, so they have different features. The S28AG70 is a 4k monitor with a 28 inch screen, 144Hz refresh rate, and its HDMI 2.1 inputs are better for console gaming. However, the S27AG50 has a 1440p resolution, 27 inch screen, and a faster 165Hz refresh rate. They both have a superb response time at their max refresh rate, but the S27AG50 has a faster response time at 60Hz. The S27AG50 also gets brighter and has better reflection handling, so it's a better choice for a bright room. However, the S28AG50 displays clearer text thanks to the higher pixel density, and it displays more accurate colors, but this can vary between units. The S28AG70 also has a local dimming feature, but it performs terribly.
The ASUS ROG Strix XG27AQ and the Samsung Odyssey G5 S27AG50 are both excellent for gaming. The Samsung has a higher native 165Hz refresh rate than 144Hz on the ASUS, but you can overclock the ASUS to 170Hz. The Samsung also has native FreeSync support, while the ASUS is considered FreeSync compatible. The ASUS has a local dimming feature, which the Samsung doesn't have, but it performs terribly.
The Samsung Odyssey G5 S27AG50 and the Acer Nitro XV272U KVbmiiprzx are excellent gaming monitors with a 1440p resolution. The Acer has a slightly faster 170Hz refresh rate compared to 165Hz on the ASUS, and it has slightly quicker response times, but the motion looks fantastic on both. The Acer has much better ergonomics because you can swivel the stand a full 360 degrees. It delivers more accurate colors because it has better out-of-the-box accuracy, but this can vary between units. However, the Acer has much better reflection handling, and it gets brighter if you want to use it in a well-lit room.
The Samsung Odyssey G5 S27AG50 is a bit better for gaming than the LG 27GL850-B. The Samsung has a faster 165Hz refresh rate than the 144Hz on the LG, and it has a BFI feature that the LG doesn't have. The Samsung is also a slightly better choice for well-lit rooms because it gets brighter, and if you want to use it for co-op gaming, you can swivel its stand, which you can't do with the LG. The one difference the LG has over the Samsung is that it has USB 3.0 inputs to connect your keyboard and mouse, which you can't do with the Samsung.
The Samsung Odyssey G5 S27AG50 is slightly better for gaming than the LG 27GN850-B. They have a few similar features like the 1440p resolution and exceptional motion handling. The Samsung has a faster 165Hz refresh rate, and it's certified by AMD to have native FreeSync support, while the LG is FreeSync compatible. The Samsung also has lower input lag at 60Hz. On the other hand, the LG displays a wider color gamut in SDR and HDR, and it has much better out-of-the-box accuracy, but this can also vary between units.
The Samsung Odyssey G5 S27AG50 is much better for gaming than the Samsung Odyssey G3 S24AG30 as it's a higher-end monitor and has more features. The S27AG50 has a higher 165Hz refresh rate with much better motion handling, and it gets much brighter in SDR. The S27AG50 has wider viewing angles thanks to the IPS panel, and it supports HDR, which the S24AG30 doesn't, but it doesn't add much because the picture quality in dark scenes isn't good. The S27AG50 is also larger as it's available in 27 and 32 inches, and it has a 1440p resolution, while the S24AG30 is a smaller 24 inch screen with a 1080p resolution, but it has a better contrast thanks to the VA panel.
Video
Test Results
The Samsung Odyssey G50A looks like the other models in the 2021 Odyssey lineup. It has a gaming-oriented design with a flat screen, unlike the older Samsung Odyssey G5 C27G55T, which has a curved screen. It's made mainly out of plastic, and it should look nice in any gaming setup.
The Samsung Odyssey G50A has decent build quality. It feels similar to the Samsung Odyssey G7 S28AG70 but without the RGB ring on the back. It's made mainly of plastic that feels sturdy, but there's nothing premium about it, and there's a bit of flex throughout. The stand supports the screen fairly well, but there's some wobble when you adjust it to its maximum height.
The Samsung Odyssey G50A has good ergonomics. It offers all common adjustments, but since you can only rotate it into portrait mode clockwise, the inputs will always be on the left. The back of the Samsung Odyssey G50A consists of etched plastic, and there's also a slot for a Kensington lock. The back of the stand has a rubber hook that you can use for cable management.
The V-shaped stand has a wide footprint on your desk, but there's enough space to put your keyboard or mouse in between the legs.
The Samsung G50A has a joystick underneath the center branding and three buttons to the left to control the on-screen menu.
- DisplayPort cable and covers
- Power cable
- Power supply
- User guides
Due to the IPS panel, the Samsung Odyssey G50A has a low contrast ratio that makes blacks look gray, and it doesn't have a local dimming feature. Contrast can vary between units, but we don't expect IPS panels to be much better than this.
The Samsung Odyssey G50A doesn't have a local dimming feature. The video is for reference only, so you can see how the backlight on this display performs and compare it to a similar product with local dimming.
The Samsung Odyssey G50A has great SDR peak brightness. It gets much brighter than the advertised 350 cd/m² peak brightness, and it's enough to combat glare. Also, brightness is consistent across different scenes, but there's some frame dimming with really small highlights, as seen in the 2% window. We tested the SDR peak brightness after calibration in the 'Custom' Picture Mode with the Brightness at its max.
The HDR peak brightness is decent. It gets brighter than in SDR, but it's still not enough to make highlights pop the way the creator intended. Brightness remains fairly consistent between different scenes, but small highlights are dimmer compared to the rest due to frame dimming. We tested it in the 'HDR Dynamic' Picture Mode with the Brightness at its max.
Despite having an IPS panel, the horizontal viewing angles on the Samsung G50A are just okay, and it's not as good as the Samsung Odyssey G7 S28AG70. The image remains accurate for the most part, but the colors wash out at wide viewing angles. It's fine for most people but isn't ideal if you need to share your screen with someone who has to see accurate colors.
The Samsung Odyssey G50A has okay vertical viewing angles. You'll notice that the screen looks darker if you're viewing it from above or below, but it's not a major issue.
The gray uniformity on our unit is impressive. There's minimal dirty screen effect in the center, but the edges are noticeably darker.
The Samsung G50A has mediocre black uniformity. There's clouding throughout and some backlight bleed, particularly in the bottom left corner. The screen also looks blue due to the low contrast.
The Samsung G50A has poor out-of-the-box accuracy, but this also may vary between units. Most colors and the white balance are noticeably inaccurate, and gamma doesn't follow the sRGB target curve well. Dark scenes are too dark, while most other scenes are over-brightened. The color temperature is also too warm, giving the image a red/yellow tint. This was measured with the 'Warm' Color Temperature, and we also checked it with the Color Temperature set to 'Normal', but that resulted in a less accurate image as you can see here. The color temperature is a cold 7945 K, so you either get an image that's too warm on 'Warm', or too cold on 'Normal'.
There's an sRGB mode, but it has a less accurate image:
- Color Temperature: 7936 K
- White Balance dE: 7.18
- Color dE: 4.33
- See the graphs here
The accuracy after calibration is incredible. Any remaining inaccuracies to the white balance and colors aren't visible to the naked eye, and the color temperature is closer to the 6500 K target. Gamma also improved, but some scenes are still over-brightened.
The Samsung Odyssey G50A has an amazing SDR color gamut. It has full coverage of the commonly-used sRGB color space, but the Adobe RGB coverage may be too limiting for photo editors.
The Samsung Odyssey G50A has a fantastic SDR color volume. Helped by its wide color gamut and high peak brightness, it displays bright colors well, but it struggles with darker colors due to the low contrast.
The Samsung Odyssey G50A has a mediocre HDR color gamut, and it's not considered a wide color gamut. It doesn't fill out either the DCI P3 or Rec. 2020 color spaces well.
The HDR color volume is disappointing. Without a wide color gamut, it doesn't display a wide range of colors at different luminance levels.
The Samsung G50A has good reflection handling. Combined with its high peak brightness, visibility won't be an issue unless you have it opposite a really bright window.
The Samsung G50A has good text clarity thanks to the 1440p resolution and 27 inch screen. It's even better than the Samsung Odyssey G5 C27G55T because text looks bolder, and enabling Windows ClearType (top photo) helps with the appearance of diagonal lines.
The Samsung Odyssey G50A has exceptional gradient handling. There's minimal banding with shades of similar color. However, you can only reach a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz over DisplayPort or 60Hz over HDMI with a 10-bit signal; any higher refresh rate requires an 8-bit signal. You'll see more banding with 8-bit signals.
The Samsung G50A has a faster 165Hz native refresh rate compared to 144Hz on the Samsung Odyssey G5 C27G55T. It has native FreeSync support, but it's limited to a max refresh rate of 144Hz over HDMI. NVIDIA certifies it to be G-SYNC compatible over DisplayPort, and it works over the entire range.
| Overdrive Setting | Response Time Chart | Response Time Tables | Motion Blur Photo |
| standard | Chart | Table | Photo |
| faster | Chart | Table | Photo |
| extreme | Chart | Table | Photo |
| adaptive-sync | Chart | Table | Photo |
The Samsung G50A has an incredible response time at its max refresh rate of 165Hz. Motion looks smooth with no overshoot in any transition as long as you set the Response Time to 'Standard' or you enable Adaptive Sync. The Adaptive Sync setting enables the VRR support, and it locks you out of adjusting the overdrive settings, so we recommend gamers to enable it. It performs like the 'Standard' setting, and the 'Faster' and 'Extreme' settings have way too much overshoot.
| Overdrive Setting | Response Time Chart | Response Time Tables | Motion Blur Photo |
| standard | Chart | Table | Photo |
| faster | Chart | Table | Photo |
| extreme | Chart | Table | Photo |
| adaptive-sync | Chart | Table | Photo |
The response time at 60Hz remains incredibly fast. Once again we recommend simply enabling the Adaptive Sync setting to enable VRR and also achieve smooth motion. If you don't use VRR, set the Response Time to 'Standard' as it performs the same, and once again there's too much overshoot with 'Faster' and 'Extreme'.
| Refresh Rate | Motion Blur Photo |
| max | Photo |
| 120 | Photo |
| 60 | Photo |
There's an optional backlight strobing feature, commonly known as black frame insertion (BFI). It only works when you enable the 'Extreme (MBR)' Response Time setting, so it locks the overdrive setting to 'Extreme', and you can't use it at the same time as VRR. It flickers within a narrow range, and although you can enable it as low as 60Hz, it only flickers at 120Hz and causes image duplication, as you can see here.
The Samsung G50A has a completely flicker-free backlight, which helps reduce eye strain. This is different from the Samsung Odyssey G5 C27G55T because it used pulse-width modulation to dim the backlight at its minimum brightness.
The Samsung G50A has incredibly low input lag for a responsive gaming experience. It doesn't increase much with VRR enabled, which is great, but like with the Samsung Odyssey G7 S28AG70, you have to make sure the PC and the monitor's refresh rates are the same, or you use VRR. With the monitor set to 165Hz, and our test PC at 60Hz, we measured an input lag of 22.9 ms, but setting the monitor to 60Hz brought it down to 8.9 ms.
The 27 inch screen is great for multitasking, and the 1440p resolution helps deliver clear text. There's a 32 inch version available, which provides more screen space, but has lower pixel density.
This monitor is compatible with most of what the PS5 has to offer, but there are a few quirks. The variable refresh rate feature doesn't work, as this monitor doesn't support HDMI Forum VRR, which is the only type of VRR supported by the PS5. Despite the 1440p native resolution, it can accept and display a downscaled 4k resolution from the PS5, but only at 60Hz, since it doesn't have the bandwidth necessary for 4k @ 120Hz gaming. This downscaled resolution looks a bit better than native 1440p. For this feature to work, VRR has to be disabled from the monitor's on-screen display.
The Samsung Odyssey G5 S27AG50 is nearly full compatible with the Xbox Series X, but there are a few limitations. It doesn't support 4k @ 120Hz, since it doesn't support HDMI 2.1 bandwidth. It can display a downscaled 4k @ 60Hz resolution, which is sharper than a native 1440p signal, but you have to disable the variable refresh rate feature from the on-screen display. The Xbox Series X only support HDR at 4k, so you have to choose between HDR and VRR, it can't do both at the same time.
The Samsung G50A has a USB port, but it's only used for service updates.
This monitor works well for the most part with recent MacBook Pros. It supports a variable refresh rate, and it works well in-game but flickers a bit when you're not in a game. HDR technically works, but it doesn't look right, so you're better off leaving it disabled. On the other hand, there are no issues with sleep mode, and windows go back to their original position when you wake up your computer.
There aren't too many extra features, but it still has:
- Black Stabilizer: Adjusts the gamma so you can see opponents easier in dark games
- Crosshair: Adds a virtual crosshair on the screen that your system won't detect.
- Frame Rate Counter: Displays the current frame rate of your PC.
- Ultrawide Game View Mode: This changes the aspect ratio to 21:9 to simulate an ultrawide screen. It changes the resolution to 2560x1080, and you can't use VRR with it, but you still get the full refresh rate range.
