OLED gaming monitors are the new hotness, but at the moment they’re outside of the price range of most PC gamers. Even the cheapest and smallest models edge towards the $1,000 mark and Samsung’s typically inflated sticker prices mean that it’s not really an option if you’re hunting for value. Today, and today only, is the exception: Amazon’s closeout subsidiary Woot is selling the Samsung Odyssey G8 OLED ultrawide for $869.99, an incredible $630 off the retail price.
This 34-inch, 3440×1440 ultrawide form factor has become a favorite of PC gamers, offering a little extra breathing room and immersion without the GPU-straining resolution of a full 4K display. And Samsung’s offering is certainly focused on gaming, with a blistering .03ms response time and above-average 175Hz refresh rate. Other charms include USB-C video input (oddly hard to find, even on premium OLED displays), tasteful RGB lighting, HDR10+ support, and integrated smart TV speakers for streaming shows and games without any extra hardware. It even comes with a remote if you want to treat it like a TV.
If you’re waiting for the catch, there are a couple. One, this is a Woot featured deal, which means it’s available today only (October 2nd). At midnight Central US time, the sale is over (assuming the stock doesn’t run out first). And second, this is a refurbished model, which might be a little more concerning for burn-in-prone OLED monitors than with conventional LCD displays. The 90-day warranty isn’t exactly comforting for such an expensive purchase. If that spooks you, you can get a Dell Alienware OLED in the same size (with fewer features) for $1,000, with a three-year warranty that might be worth the price difference.
But if you’re ready to pull the trigger on the best OLED monitor deal we’ve seen yet, don’t waste any time. Who knows how long the stock will hold out, as deeply discounted monitors tend to go fast on Woot.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.