The Samsung Odyssey Arc Stacked Multi-Tasking can hold all the titles for its dazzling ability to flip in a vertical alignment, but it has impressive Quantum Mini LED screen technology, 4K resolution and huge 55-inch curved panels that make sure it’s the best in 2022. One of the exciting gaming monitors.
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55-inch curved screen:The new Samsung gaming monitor has a huge 55-inch screen with a 1000R curvature -
4K resolution:Samsung has confirmed that it features a 4K resolution with a pin-sharp image quality -
Can be rotated 90 degrees:The ark can rotate at a 90-degree angle to stack three different images for multi-tacking
Introduction
During CES 2022, Samsung unveiled a new 55-inch curved widescreen gaming monitor called the Odyssey Ark. It’s bigger than Samsung’s gorgeous Odyssey Neo G9 monitor that we reviewed earlier.
But size is not the only reason to be excited by the ark It also has a special stand that lets you rotate it in a vertical position This huge monitor is a sight to behold standing upright, especially since the screen is curved.
I personally was able to see this awesome gaming monitor on the CES 2022 show floor, so here are my first impressions.
Design
- Can be rotated at 90-degree angles for multi-view
- Featuring a huge 55-inch curved panel
- The 16: 9 aspect ratio ensures that games do not look stretched
The Samsung Odyssey Arc has a lot of impressive features, but its ability to overturn in a vertical position is certainly the most striking of them all.
The huge 55-inch display is an absolute surprise standing tall, with panel carving (with a 1000R curvature) just above your head. Since I have never seen anything like it before, it looks very much like the future outside of Star Trek. But then I started thinking, why do you want such a vertical curved monitor?
Samsung has shown a few demos, the Odyssey Arc is capable of stacking three different displays on top of each other. For the demo, the monitor simultaneously showed a game, a twitch stream, and a scene of four friends in a video chat. And since there’s plenty of screen space here, the display’s image quality hasn’t been compromised or squashed.
Samsung has not been able to confirm how this multi-view feature works, whether it uses three different input sources at once, or whether Windows 11 preferences are required to snap each window. I couldn’t play with the monitor to find out, so we’ll have to wait until the review sample arrives to determine how easy it is to set up.
I’m personally a little skeptical about the usefulness of such a large widescreen gaming monitor with a vertical alignment. I can see the benefits of multitasking to some extent, but I think most people would rather expand their game to a horizontal layout, so a view of their friends’ faces is not taking up valuable screen space.
Many gamers prefer to be completely immersed in the experience, so popping up multiple other screens can be an unwelcome distraction. But still it is a great option.
Most gamers will probably use the Samsung Odyssey Arc for more traditional horizontal alignment and I’m happy to say that it looks great in this position. It’s not as wide as the Odyssey G9 monitor, but it’s taller and so ends up having a larger diagonal 55-inch size than the G9’s 49 inches.
Since it has a traditional 16: 9 aspect ratio, you probably won’t have to deal with any black bars when watching a movie or game that doesn’t support the G9’s ultra-wide display. In fact, the Samsung Odyssey Arc logically looks more like a TV than a gaming monitor, providing a super-immersive experience on your desktop.
Image quality
- Quantum Mini LED ensures a top notch image quality
- 4K resolution shows sharpened supported content
- Touted 165Hz refresh rate may not impress competing gamers
I couldn’t actually use the Samsung Odyssey Ark and load some games because it was presented on the CES 2022 show floor, but it certainly looks great when presenting all the demo footage.
Like the recent Odyssey Neo G9 monitor, the Arc has Quantum Mini LED features. This screen technology helps increase brightness and contrast, perhaps one of the best picture quality you can currently find on a gaming monitor.
It also has a 4K resolution and a 1ms response time The monitor is reported to have a 165Hz refresh rate, although this feature may change dramatically before it goes on sale later this year.
If the 165hz refresh rate is correct, then the Samsung Odyssey Arc is probably not the best option for sport players who want the fastest performance possible, as you will be able to find higher refresh rates on cheaper monitors.
But this gaming monitor is about outstanding picture quality on a super-sized screen, an outstanding spec sheet that should delight most PC gamers. It can also be an ideal choice for PS5 and Xbox Series X owners.
Preliminary judgment
It’s too early to give a final verdict on this huge gaming monitor, because I’ve only seen it on the CES showfloor so far and haven’t been able to play any games on it. We still don’t know the price, which I expect to be very remarkable.
But I must say that I am still fascinated with the Samsung Odyssey Arc. The ability to rotate it 90 degrees for a vertical position may not be for everyone, but the curved 4K panel has all the specs to ensure one of the best picture quality you can currently find on a gaming monitor. It will definitely be a standout gaming monitor release of the year.
A ‘Hands on review’ Our first impression of just one product – it’s not a complete test and judgment. Our author must have spent some time with the product to describe the basic idea of what he likes to use. We call these ‘hands on reviews’ to make them visible in search However, these are always unscored and do not recommend. Read more about our review policy.