Review | Samsung Odyssey Ark 55″: a Godzilla monitor

Until recently, the personal computer monitor market only covered the practical need for a computer screen. For many years, beyond ephemeral but very immersive innovations, such as 3D screens, monitors were just a simple LCD screen, with small and relatively fixed dimensions. The widest was up to 27 inches and all of the picture and sound innovations were exclusive to televisions. But wow, that has changed drastically in recent years.

Whether due to the effects of the pandemic – which has deepened our relationship with computers – or due to advances in technology, today’s monitors are much more than just a PC display. So much so that thanks to connectivity possibilities and smart features, the line, now increasingly thin, between a monitor and a television is blurring.

A little over a year ago, we tested the Xiaomi MI Curved Monitor, the first curved monitor over 27 inches that I had to test. It was an illumination. After that, virtually every manufacturer innovated and experimented with sizes and features for their monitors: high refresh rates, 8K resolutions, and a host of visual benefits that would be harder to achieve on a TV. The market has changed.

Samsung , the South Korean-born global giant and one of the biggest display makers in the world, has been playing around with the concept and we’ve seen some very interesting things. But what the film stole was the Odyssey Ark, its monumental 55-inch 4K screen, probably the largest on the market.

Its effect is truly impressive. But as we’ll see, bigger isn’t always the best option.

• Dimensions (with stand): 1174.8 x 1102.0 x 379.0 mm
• Mass : 21.1 kg (41.5 kg with stand)
• Cut : 55 inches (16:9)
• Screen : Quantum Mini-LED HDR10+
• Resolution : 3840×2160
• Curvature : 1000R
• Refresh rate/response : 165Hz / 1ms
• sparkled : 600 nits (minimum: 420 nits)
• Sound : Dolby Atmos, four speakers and two woofers (2.2.2)
• connectivity : 4 HDMI 2.1 / 2 USB-A / Bluetooth 5.2 / Wi-Fi 5
• Hub : Samsung OneConnect
• Operating system : Tizen

Getting the Odyssey Ark out of its box isn’t easy. Indeed, when the large and very heavy package arrived – no less than 53 kg – Samsung warned me to wait for two other specialists to come to my house to install the screen a few days later. It’s been a long wait, I have to admit.

Therefore, the experiment began with difficulties. Due to its weight and size (more than a meter long and 70 cm high), setting it up is quite a task which, we hope, will be done between at least two people. Seriously: it’s much more complex than installing a TV with similar specifications. I wondered what would have happened if I had lived alone or had not had the help of the technicians.

Anyway, after a laborious process, here it is installed. And it looked wonderful. It’s gigantic, obvious, but magnetic. Its screen, its curvature and therefore the envelopment it generates. As a product, its build quality and design are amazing. When it is on, we immediately appreciate the fluidity provided by its very high refresh rate – a formidable 165 Hz –, its high dynamic contrast and its 4K resolution. Without a doubt, the “wow factor” is fully achieved. It’s not OLED, but its mini LED technology does the job just fine.

To position it, we have a central plastic support that supports the column of the screen. This allows its movement and great versatility. Indeed, the Odyssey Ark, despite its size, is able to transform into a fully vertical screen. Although it is a strange format for common formats, many programmers, for example, take advantage of this arrangement more than the traditional format. This further increases the viewing possibilities, both for productivity and for gaming.

Another interesting thing is that Samsung has enforced its connection dynamics through its Samsung OneConnect box, which functions as a hub with all inputs, power outlets and ports. This eliminates the need to twist or twist to plug in a cable from behind.

The hub includes four HDMI 2.1 ports (good), Ethernet, Wi-Fi 5 connectivity, digital audio input and a pair of USB-A ports for accessories. Unfortunately, there are no DisplayPort or USB-C inputs, and only one source can be used at a time. Considering the aforementioned possibilities, there are few ports and not so well used. The pack also includes two very different remote controls, which we’ll get to later.

Logically, due to the dimensions and the weight, the monitor cannot be on any desk. Again, this is not a TV or a screen like the others. There are other carats and spaces involved, as well as distance, although we’ll get to that in more detail later.

To enjoy the monitor in a completely upright position, for example, just tilt the screen and that’s it. But you have to have space, which unfortunately was not my case. To be transparent, I had to do a lot of logistical hype to take into account the size of the device, in its classic horizontal position, and to be able to work.

The connection via HDMI was fine and without major issues. But again, I kept thinking about the possibilities of its ports and connecting multiple sources simultaneously. At last.

Dealing with a huge curved screen, with a gigantic desktop, is quite a hassle and can be daunting. If with the default resolution we have a very, very large work and action space, with the settings and customizations things can cover dozens of applications or tabs open at the same time. Even so, there is plenty of space.

On paper, this might sound wonderful: no more worrying about minimizing or scrolling. But in practice, do you really need that much space on a single screen? For anything?

There are a lot of them here, maybe too many. Dragging the pointer from one end of the screen to the other can be a considerable exercise, since you have to pass the mouse several times to traverse the entire display.

Monitors, I believe, should in essence be designed for use in a closer, not to say intimate, environment. Thing is, while the pronounced curvature of the screen is certainly immersive, in the long run I felt “swallowed up” by the visual space. And not to mention the brightness: if you open the Google home page or a word processor, the white becomes blinding. It’s intense.

But it is understood that it can be fascinating. The monitor’s internal speakers work quite well, especially on bass or ambient sounds: this gives the possibility of immersive or 3D sound, as we will see a little further down.

Remote controls, on the other hand, do the trick. On the one hand we have a more traditional candy bar type infrared control, with the classic Samsung design: directional buttons and others dedicated to popular applications such as Netflix, as well as charging via USB. It’s always good news that you don’t need batteries. The other control is the much larger functional Ark Dial, designed to be used on the desk and which has precisely a dial – a circular control that is controlled with the finger – and other shortcuts integrated, which makes it much nicer and easier. navigate in the monitor.

The interface of Odyssey Ark —Tizen— is very similar to that of samsung m8 the TV/monitor hybrid clever Of the brand. It has some dedicated subdivisions (one for leisure, one for productivity, etc.), but in other words, it’s not the most intuitive in the world. The operating system still needs tweaking, but it works, and if you dive into it, you can discover many neat little things that can expand its functionality.

Now, where the monitor tops out without any complaints is when running video games. For the players, it’s no surprise that a monitor usually offers more and better benefits than a TV, whether 4K or smart. Monitors, especially those designed for gaming, almost always have better refresh and response rates, greater curvature, proprietary software systems from Nvidia or AMD, ray tracing, among many other benefits.

In my case, I connected a PlayStation 5 via HDMI with no problem, and there the experience and feel of it improved dramatically. games like Gran Turismo 7, Marvel’s Spiderman or the new God of War: Ragnarok they flowed with a wonderful, exuberant fluidity. If these types of games already look good on any screen, I would dare say that the Odyssey Ark left the same size (and same manufacturer) smart TV where I usually play video games in biting the dust.

The gaming experience with a monitor is vastly superior, there’s no doubt about it. And although it’s not OLED, the miniLEDs, as we said before, do the job of emphasizing colors and strong contrasts well, so it hasn’t been missed so much.

Plus, turning on spatial or 3D sound as it’s called is truly a paradigm shift in hearing. Its four speakers, with two woofers in the middle, creating a 2.2.2 system, really make a big difference to a normal stereo sound system. 3D is enveloping, rich in its variations and deep in its immersion. It’s something else, which is achieved thanks to the Dolby Sound Dome system. We don’t fail if we say the results are groundbreaking.

The hypnotic power of the Samsung Odyssey Ark is undeniable. It’s probably one of the biggest and most advanced monitors on the market today, reason enough to deserve attention. The practical terms may be manifold or debatable, but as a viewing window it is something completely new, changing, incidentally, the role and usefulness of modern monitors. In Samsung’s case, they’re more like intense smart TVs with monitor-friendliness. The market will surely take notice.

For those of us who like the big screens, understanding the essence of Odyssey Ark is a complex task. It is designed with all the advantages of a monitor, but its splendor is achieved precisely when we move away from it a few meters, as we do in front of a television. With video games, that’s where you get the most out of it: the monitor shines and the Odyssey Ark takes on more meaning. While its potential may only be appreciated by a few, Samsung can do it and there it is. For extremely daring and ambitious users.

Note: ⭐⭐⭐⭐★

*Prices for products in this item are updated as of January 18, 2022. Values ​​and availability may change.