Get the Samsung CRG9 ultrawide for £699 (was £1099)
When Katharine reviewed the Odyssey G9 earlier this year, she noted that while the new monitor was impressive, she actually preferred the HDR experience she got from the earlier CRG9 - the topic of today’s deals post. There’s actually very little to separate the two monitors, with the main difference being a refresh rate of 240Hz on the new model and 120Hz on the old. Hitting 120fps on the latest games at this double-wide 5120x1440 resolution is actually pretty challenging, so the lower refresh rate is unlikely to make a difference outside of a few esports titles - which aren’t best suited for an ultrawide anyway!
Otherwise, the core specs are all intact. We have the DisplayHDR 1000 certification, permitting this monitor to get properly bright when displaying HDR highlights, with the wide colour gamut you’d expect from a top HDR monitor as well. The curved 49-in panel here is totally immersive, as you’d hope from something this size, and as it’s a VA panel you also get super deep blacks. It’s not quite capable of the perfect blacks of an OLED, but it can get way darker than any IPS or TN panel display on the market, ensuring black is black rather than gray. That makes playing in the dark (whether in-game or IRL) a very rewarding experience; I’ll never forget playing Metro Exodus on a VA ultrawide for the first time and being blown away by the experience of roaming the desert in the pitch black night.
Any downsides to this monitor? Sure - it’s absolutely massive, so you’ll need a fairly big desk. It can be VESA mounted, but this requires a much stronger arm than normal as the weight here is substantial. Having such a big monitor is also great for multi-tasking, but means you’ll have to get used to having things in windows rather than being full-screen all the time. Still, these are all very minor obstacles, and the experience of playing games on this monitor makes it all worthwhile in my eyes.
So: a truly massive monitor for £700. That’s about as much as I paid for a high refresh rate 27-in 1440p monitor just a few years ago, so getting something that’s the same size as two 27-in 1440p monitors is a pretty awesome deal - especially with that DisplayHDR 1000 certification, which is nearly impossible to find on monitors below £700. I think you’ll love this one, so do look up some reviews (or read Katharine’s linked above) and pick this up if you think it sounds good!
