ASUS vs. Samsung gaming monitor: Which is better?

Two powerhouse gaming brands, but which one is worth your money? 

ASUS and Samsung are two of the biggest names in gaming, both offering a wide variety of gaming monitors to suit all gaming styles and budgets. ASUS is known for its popular TUF gaming line, which features monitors of various sizes and specs for gamers on a budget, including the ASUS TUF Gaming 27-inch VG27AQ monitor. ASUS also makes a powerful OLED monitor, the ASUS ROG Swift OLED, which is a great option for gamers looking for stunning visuals. 

Samsung, on the other hand, has monitors for all types of needs beyond gaming. However, their most popular gaming monitors range from the Samsung 43-inch Smart Monitor M7 extra wide to the 32-inch Odyssey OLED G8. 

The BestReviews Testing Lab used and researched monitors from both brands to see how they stack up. We found that Samsung monitors tend to be more expensive if you’re looking for an OLED monitor, but Samsung and ASUS both have great, powerful options, like the Samsung OLED G8 and the ASUS ROG Swift OLED. However, if you’re looking for a solid gaming monitor at a reasonable price, you can’t beat the ASUS TUF gaming line. 

ASUS vs. Samsung gaming monitor: What they do well

ASUS and Samsung both offer powerful models with excellent features designed just for gamers.

Both ASUS and Samsung perform well in the gaming sector. They have monitors with all the specs you could possibly want, including high refresh rates, low response time and high resolution. 

ASUS gaming monitor benefits

• Low input lag: Most ASUS monitors are made with gamers in mind, so it’s no surprise that they prioritize negating input lag. When we tested the ASUS TUF Gaming 27-inch VG27AQ monitor, all our inputs resulted in immediate action with nearly zero lag. 
• High-quality builds: No matter which monitor you select from their line, ASUS makes high-quality monitors built of hard plastic and with consumers in mind. Our tester was extremely pleased with the quality and appearance of the ASUS TUF Gaming 27-inch monitor, citing that the removable back plate for cable storage was unique and extremely useful. 
• Optimized visuals: ASUS uses AI technology on many of its monitors for features like dynamic crosshair, which analyzes scenes in real time to adjust crosshair placement, and dynamic shadow boost, which helps to improve contrast. In our testing, we found that the visuals were better in most circumstances with the use of dynamic shadow boost, resulting in better contrast without the scenes being too dark. 
• Adaptive Sync: Most of their monitors are equipped with Adaptive Sync technology and are compatible with NVIDIA G-Sync and AMD FreeSync to enable smooth and stunning low-latency gaming. Our tester uses an AMD graphics card and found that these monitors, equipped with AMD FreeSync, resulted in lower latency than monitors without AMD FreeSync. 

Samsung gaming monitor benefits

• High resolution: Samsung monitors are some of the best when it comes to high-end gaming simply because they offer monitors with 4K resolution without sacrificing other aspects (for example, 4K monitors that still have 240-hertz refresh rates and little to no input lag). 
• High contrast: Samsung monitors have some of the best contrast among their different models. Even the lower-cost options avoid the gray-black phenomenon that other budget options fall victim to more often than not. 
• Low input lag: Low input lag is a necessity in gaming, and Samsung monitors deliver. We noticed little to no input lag when testing their gaming monitors, making for a smooth, immersive experience. 
• Tons of options: While Samsung’s higher-end monitors are definitely worth writing home about, they also have many great mid-range options that blew us away. You won’t get a 4K and 244-hertz refresh rate monitor, but you can definitely get a solid 1440p monitor in this range. 

What they could improve

While ASUS and Samsung are powerhouses in the gaming industry, that doesn’t make them free of faults. Here are a few things we think these brands could improve upon. 

ASUS gaming monitor drawbacks

• Noticeable motion blur: Despite Adaptive Sync technology, the lower-priced monitors often have noticeable motion blur. However, this becomes less of an issue as you upgrade to higher-priced options. In testing, we did notice some motion blur, but it wasn’t enough to dissuade us from using the monitor, and the longer we used it, the less noticeable it became. 
• Low contrast: Lower-priced monitors often have an issue with low contrast, and the ASUS budget-friendly options are no exception, with black often looking gray. However, this is only an issue with the lower-priced options, and their splurge-worthy monitors tend to have richer blacks and more dynamic contrast. 

Samsung gaming monitor drawbacks

• Expensive: Samsung monitors tend to be more expensive than others, although they’re generally worth the cost. The brand doesn’t have as many impressive budget-friendly options, and you’re likely going to have to spend $400 or more to get a great Samsung monitor.  
• Flickering: Some users experience flickering and even have to return their monitor for a replacement. This is known to happen across various models, and while Samsung will replace your monitor free of charge, dealing with it can be annoying. 

Top ASUS gaming monitor models

ASUS is well known in the gaming space, and its monitors are often recommended first because of the great job the company has done with brand recognition. In testing, we loved the ASUS TUF 27-inch, especially for the price. But overall, their monitors can compete well with the top brands because of their build quality and variety of options offered, especially at lower costs. 

ASUS ROG Swift OLED 27-inch

If you’re looking to add something extra to your setup, the ASUS ROG Swift features an LED projection of the ROG logo.

Screen Size: 27″ | Resolution: 1440p OLED | Refresh Rate: 240 Hz | Connectivity: DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI | Ergonomics: 0 to 110 mm height adjustment; -30° to +30° swivel; portrait mode; -5° to +20° tilt 

At $799, the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27AQDM is one of the best OLED monitors on the market for good reason. This 1440p OLED monitor features an extremely high refresh rate of 240 hertz and a response rate of 0.03. With virtually no input lag, this monitor is a beast. Not only will you get high frames per second in first-person shooter games, ensuring you don’t lose any rank in your favorite competitive games, but you can also enjoy immersive and stunning RPGs with the crispy OLED display. 

You can expect extremely rich colors, not only because of the OLED display but also because of its true ten-bit color and uniform brightness. With this display, you also get access to an entire on-board control panel, so you can easily change the settings, brightness, color profile and more through the included software. And if you’re looking for a little extra fun for your gaming setup, this monitor also projects the ROG logo beneath the stand in red LEDs. 

ASUS TUF Gaming 27-inch VG27AQ

The ASUS TUF Gaming monitor is a solid option if you’re looking for a high-quality build with mid-range specs.

Screen Size: 27″ | Resolution: 1440p | Refresh Rate: 144 Hz | Connectivity: 2 HDMI and DisplayPort 1.2 | Ergonomics: 0 to 130 mm height adjustment; +90° to -90° swivel; portrait mode; +33° to -5° tilt 

The ASUS TUF Gaming series is one of the most talked about monitor lines. They’re popular for a few reasons, but first and foremost because of how affordable they are, plus they have great specs too. In our tests, we were impressed by the fact that, at 1440p, you can get a clean, crisp picture that makes both FPS gaming and more immersive, graphics-heavy games a delight to play. 

Plus, the ergonomics of this monitor are unbelievable. Its adjustability means that it fits pretty much any gaming setup. We set it up on a stand with the monitor at the lowest height setting, but it would just as easily work without the stand and on the highest setting. That customizability is really great. 

However, when it comes to its picture, we ran into some issues with motion blur, which is very common with budget monitors. But, fortunately, we found it was easy to fix by turning off motion blur in the settings of most games. Overall, though, this ASUS TUF Gaming 27-inch monitor (and others in its series) is a great option for entry-level gamers looking to add something to their setup that won’t cost an arm and a leg. 

Top Samsung gaming monitor models

Samsung is known for being innovative, designing gorgeous displays that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing, with multifunctionality, such as gaming monitors that also perform well as day-to-day workhorse monitors. Here are two of our favorites. 

Samsung 34-inch Odyssey OLED G8

The Samsung OLED G8 features a 34-inch ultra-wide display with a stunning OLED screen to fully immerse you in the gaming experience.

Screen Size: 34″ | Resolution: 1440p UltraWide | Refresh Rate: 175 Hz | Connectivity: USB Type-C; DisplayPort | Ergonomics: Height and tilt adjustment functionality  

The Samsung 34-inch Odyssey OLED G8 is an insane gaming monitor. Its extra-wide 34-inch screen is immersive, putting you inside whatever game you’re playing. Its impressively large screen still boasts 1440p resolution, with a refresh rate of 175 hertz, making it a great option for all types of gamers. 

However, an ultra-wide monitor takes up a lot of space, so it might not be the best option for all desks. But if you can make this monster of a display work with your setup, you won’t regret it. And both the height and swivel are adjustable. 

Unfortunately, it doesn’t have HDMI connectivity, and some users experience issues with it waking up from sleep when connected to the DisplayPort, but other than that, people love the crisp, curved OLED display for all types of immersive gaming. 

Samsung 27-inch Odyssey G50D 

The Samsung G50D features a 1440p display with a 1-millisecond response time and G-Sync technology.

Screen Size: 27″ | Resolution: 1440p | Refresh Rate: 180 Hz | Connectivity: HDMI; DisplayPort | Ergonomics: Height, tilt and swivel adjustable; portrait mode 

The Samsung Odyssey G50D is a mid-range option in the Odyssey line, at $350 for the 27-inch, and $430 for the 32-inch. The G50D features an IPS panel with a 178-degree viewing angle. With 1440p resolution, you can enjoy both a high frame rate in first-person shooter games and stunning quality in graphics-heavy games, the best of both worlds. Plus, with a refresh rate of 180 hertz, you can enjoy a lag-free gaming experience. 

The G50D also features VESA DisplayHDR 400, a system that delivers higher contrast, more vibrant colors and highlights without bloom. Even in dark scenes, you can see every moment with stark clarity. The monitor is also AMD FreeSync equipped to reduce image tearing and sync up the refresh rate between your monitor and your graphics card. Overall, the G50D is a great choice for a gaming monitor, especially if you don’t want to spend nearly double that on more expensive Samsung options. 

ASUS ROG Swift OLED vs. Samsung Odyssey OLED G8

The ASUS ROG Swift OLED and the Samsung OLED G8 are fairly similar when it comes to specs alone. They both feature 1440p OLED displays with a 178-degree viewing angle and an ergonomic stand. However, the ASUS ROG Swift OLED features a higher refresh rate of 240 hertz compared to Samsung’s 175 hertz. This can make a huge difference, especially when playing first-person shooter games that require you to quickly make the first move against an opponent. 

Another big difference between the two is the screen size. The ASUS ROG Swift OLED features a fairly standard 27-inch screen, while the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 features a 34-inch ultra-wide display. However, they’re both still 1440p resolution, so the greater width just allows for a wider viewing angle on video game screens. Its larger footprint does take up quite a bit more desk space, and you can’t turn it into portrait mode like you can with the ASUS ROG Swift. 

While these two devices have fairly similar specs, aside from screen size, they have vastly different applications. The ASUS ROG Swift is a great option for a multi-monitor setup, especially as a solid, stunning main monitor. The Samsung OLED G8 would be a better fit for a single-monitor setup, relying only on this curved extra-wide display to play your games. 

It ultimately comes down to the desk space you have and the amount of money you’re willing to spend. The ASUS ROG Swift costs $754 while the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 costs nearly $1,200. If you’re looking for a fantastic flat gaming experience, go with the ASUS. If you’re looking for an immersive, curved, ultra-wide, the Samsung monitor is the right choice. 

ASUS TUF 27-inch vs. Samsung Odyssey G50D

These two monitors are very similar, so either one would make a great addition to your gaming setup. They both fall around the same price, with the ASUS being just a bit cheaper at $309 than the Samsung G50D, which retails for $350. They both feature a 1440p display, but the Samsung has a slightly higher refresh rate of 180 hertz over the 165 hertz of the ASUS. They’re both equipped with AMD FreeSync as well. However, the ASUS monitor is also equipped with NVIDIA G-Sync, while the Samsung isn’t. 

The ASUS TUF Gaming 27-inch monitor features multiple HDR modes, a dynamic shadow boost that clarifies dark areas of games, as well as Extreme Low Motion Blur Sync (ELMB Sync), which helps to reduce motion blur issues even further. Both monitors have good ergonomics as well, with height, swivel, tilt and pivot adjustability.

When it comes to connectivity, the ASUS takes the cake with its two HDMI ports and DisplayPort. The Samsung only has one HDMI port and one DisplayPort. Neither features a USB-C port. As we said, both options are fairly good for their price range, and both would make a good addition to your setup if you’re looking for something less than $400. 

ASUS vs. Samsung Gaming Monitor functionality

ASUS and Samsung both have incredibly powerful monitors, and any of them would make a solid addition to your gaming space. But how do they stack up when it comes to individual performance, features and connectivity options? Does one brand pack a more powerful punch? 

Gaming performance comparison

Monitors from both companies perform well in-game. The Samsung Odyssey OLED G8, while expensive, provides an unmatched gaming experience that’s immersive. Because of the crisp display and curve, you can easily get sucked into a game for hours on end. And the same is true for the ASUS ROG Swift. Even without the curve, the vibrant colors and rich contrast make for some of the most beautiful scenes in games like Cyberpunk 2077, Baldur’s Gate 3 and Elden Ring. 

Despite reviews that say ASUS TUF Gaming monitors have issues with motion blur and don’t feature a rich enough contrast, we loved the TUF Gaming monitor during testing. We used it as our main gaming monitor for a few months and loved the quality of the performance for the price. Our favorite games looked really great and immersive. It also held up extremely well to our first-person shooter tests, with virtually no lag and enough frames to keep everything smooth enough that we couldn’t blame our poor performance on low frame rate. 

Overall, there really isn’t such a thing as a “bad” gaming monitor from either company, and whether you choose one that’s budget-friendly or high-end, you’re going to get a quality product. Even the budget-friendly options from both companies are well made with great specs. It’s more about choosing what best fits your needs. 

Features comparison

Samsung monitors have a vast array of different features, but one of the best is VESA DisplayHDR 400, which delivers even more contrast, making the blacks darker and the highlights brighter without compromising the scene. Contrast is a key factor in making a graphics-heavy game look stunning, so this feature is especially awesome if you’re looking for the best picture possible. 

In the ASUS corner, we have features like Extreme Low Motion Blur Sync (ELMB Sync) and shadow boost. ELMB helps to reduce issues experienced with motion blur. However, on lower-cost monitors, you’re likely better off turning the motion blur off entirely, because you’ll probably experience some image tearing regardless. However, the shadow boost is great, helping to create that better contrast we’re looking for. ASUS, specifically the TUF Gaming 27-inch monitor we tested, also has multiple HDR modes that you can swap between depending on the type of game you’re playing and the color and brightness levels you’re looking for. 

Connectivity comparison

The ASUS TUF Gaming 27-inch monitor features two HDMI ports and one DisplayPort, while the Samsung Odyssey G50D only has one HDMI and one DisplayPort. Choosing a monitor based on the ports available is extremely important. For example, our graphics card has three DisplayPorts and one HDMI port. We have a two-monitor setup, so we had to make sure that at least one of our monitors was equipped with a DisplayPort in order to connect without having to buy an adapter or special cable. This is something you should keep in mind regarding your own setup. 

Pricing

You can find the ASUS TUF Gaming 27-inch VG27AQ Monitor for $309 at Amazon and the ASUS ROG Swift OLED Monitor for $754 at Amazon. The Samsung 27-inch Odyssey G50D Monitor costs $350 at Amazon and the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 Monitor costs $1,200 at Amazon.

Bottom line

All four of these monitors are great options depending on your budget and the specs you’re looking for. However, if we had to choose the best out of these four, we would choose the ASUS ROG Swift OLED. It’s the best balance of great features and affordable cost. 

While the Samsung OLED is impressive, its ultra-wide design is a bit overkill. However, if you’re looking for an ultra-wide that knocks it out of the park, it might be your best bet. When it comes to the budget-friendly options, they’re both such solid choices that it’s hard to go wrong. 

Each brand also has an entire line of other monitors available, ASUS in its TUF gaming line and Samsung in its Odyssey line, so there’s bound to be a monitor that suits your needs whether you’re looking for 1080p or 4K. 

Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.

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