Samsung Odyssey Ark review: When bigger isn’t always better

The thought of sitting in entrance of an enormous 55-inch gaming monitor all day feels like heaven. Having the ability to twist it right into a towering portrait mode? The stuff of my multi-tasking goals. That is the pitch behind Samsung’s 55-inch 4K Odyssey Ark Monitor. As we noticed throughout our first preview, it is a genuinely distinctive behemoth of a show, one that may simply immerse you in each Microsoft Flight Simulator and towering Excel spreadsheets.

Certain, you could possibly simply plug a 55-inch TV into your PC, however with out the Ark’s excessive curve, it will be too large to comfortably use as a monitor. You additionally will not discover any 4K TVs with the Ark’s blazing quick 165Hz refresh price and 1ms response time, not to mention its surprisingly stable sound system. The Odyssey Ark stands alone. However is it truly price $3,500? That will depend on in the event you’re capable of dwell with its many annoyances (and in the event you do not assume too exhausting concerning the value).

Annoyance primary? This factor is a bear to arrange. Even with the assistance of two supply staff, it took round 20 minutes to get the (very heavy) Ark monitor accurately hooked up to its (equally heavy) base. The complete unit weighs 91.5 kilos when put collectively, so you’ll want to have a sturdy desk on the prepared. If that sounds a bit obscene, effectively, you would be right. Samsung’s 55-inch QN90B NEO QLED TV weighs virtually half as a lot (48.3 kilos), whereas LG’s 65-inch C2 OLED TV clocks in at 72 kilos. Excessive heft is the unlucky value you may must pay for a rotating monitor stand.

As quickly as I sat in entrance of the Odyssey Ark, I understood why Samsung dared to construct it. We have already seen its extra-wide 49-inch gaming screens in motion. And, after all the corporate that pushed the boundaries of telephone screens would do the identical for PCs. Given Samsung’s sturdy TV enterprise, it is sensible to discover the numerous different methods it may use 55-inch Mini LED panels. (The TV facet is the place we additionally noticed Samsung debut screens that would rotate into TikTok-friendly portrait mode.) The Ark is probably not fully sensible, however for Samsung it serves as a showcase for a lot of of its show improvements.

Design-wise, the Odyssey Ark resembles Samsung’s TVs greater than its gaming screens. It has a sturdy steel base (because it ought to, given its measurement), in addition to a easy steel case surrounding the curvy display. It even comes with Samsung’s One Join breakout-box, one of many firm’s extra intriguing TV innovations. It connects to the Ark over a single cable, whereas the field itself handles energy and your whole typical connections (4 HDMI 2.1 ports, an optical audio connection, 3.5mm headphone jack and two USB ports). Whereas it was initially meant for screens you would be mounting on partitions, it is a welcome addition to the Odyssey Ark — no person needs to push a close to 100-pound beast round simply to get to HDMI ports.

Samsung contains two methods to manage the Ark: A easy distant with a directional pad and shortcuts for streaming apps like Netflix, in addition to a dial for rapidly managing the Ark’s many alternative viewing modes. Each controllers are photo voltaic powered, so you may simply want to ensure they get a bit of sunshine to maintain operating. I might think about that might be a problem in window-less workplaces like mine, however it would not be that powerful to position the remotes by a window each few months. On the plus facet, they need to be capable to run indefinitely in the event you’re fortunate sufficient to have some mild. (Photo voltaic cells may be charged by synthetic lighting, however not very effectively.)

The Ark’s odd form, in addition to just a few LED lighting strips on the rear, are the key indicators that it is not a mere TV set. I have been in entrance of loads of curved screens earlier than, however nothing this excessive. The edges of the show virtually appear to be they’re attempting to embrace you with 4K Mini-LED goodness. It is an efficient little bit of immersion whilst you’re viewing the Ark in its commonplace widescreen mode, paying homage to specialised theaters like LA’s Cinerama Dome. And in contrast to most TVs and screens, the Ark’s giant body permits it to accommodate a six speaker sound system (4 tweeters and two woofers), which delivers the audio punch of a medium-sized soundbar.

The mix of expansive sound and a splendidly immersive image make the Odyssey Ark a really distinctive viewing expertise. Films, TV reveals, and even trailers felt like they have been drawing me into the motion, a lot in order that I barely seen the slight distortion from the curved sides of the display. However whereas the Ark’s candy spot is certainly very candy, displaying off the added brightness of Mini-LED and the expansive coloration vary from its Quantum Dot show, its viewing angle is extremely restricted. Only a few steps off the middle and also you instantly lose coloration and readability. The curve giveth, the curve taketh away.