Eye Strain with Samsung Odyssey G7 (G70B, 28 inches)

[kanishkdudeja]

I'm looking for a 27-28 inch 4k 120hz+ monitor. I will use the monitor for programming and casual gaming.

I initially bought the Samsung Odyssey G7 (G70B, 28 inches) but returned it since it was causing me eye strain. I tried playing around with the settings at that time (reduce blue light, reduce brightness, made sure PWM flickering isn't enabled etc) but none of that helped.

Keeping this in mind, which one of these following monitors is less likely to cause eye strain for me?

- LG 27GN95R
- Gigabyte M28U
- BenQ EX2710U
- MSI MAG 274UPF

This is what I found in my research:

- The Gigabyte M28U uses the same Innolux panel (M280DCA-E7B) as the Samsung Odyssey G7 (G70B, 28 inches)
- The BenQ EX2710U uses the same LG panel (LM270WR8-SSA1) as the LG 27GN95R

So, I'm considering going ahead with LG 27GN95R or MSI MAG 274UPF.

I've heard that the Nano IPS panel in LG 27GN95R also causes eye strain in some people, but the cause of that eye strain may be different from the one I got using Samsung Odyssey G7 (G70B, 28 inches). So, I'm not sure of how to move forward here.

I'm currently using the Dell U2720Q and U2718Q since the last couple of years without any eye strain issues.

[Chief Blur Buster]

There is insufficient information -- can you list other displays (as many as possible) that you have had eyestrain in the past, so I can determine a potential pattern? One unit is not enough to deduce a suggestion.

Sometimes it's the culprit of the antiglare film. For example if you get zero eyestrain with the PWM-dimming glossy MacBook M1 screen, then PWM isn't the cause of your eyestrain and it might instead, for example, be a bad antiglare film that doesn't play well with your eyes. Either way, antiglare usually helps but sometimes the type of antiglare filter has made things worse for others.

If you are tight on money and can only lottery one or two units -- then one of the best move is to as gigantically left-field as possible away from your problem unit (technology, size, viewing distance), in many bullets simultaneously as possible.

Now if you have more money, why not the new 4K 240Hz OLEDs? Perfect for mixed Visual Studio and gaming. Some people like me go OLED 240Hz computer monitor to solve their eyetrain, while others switched gigantically. You do have to turn off ClearType though. Some people say OLED increases eyestrain while others say it decreases OLED eyestrain. Burn in during mixed office/gaming is now a non-issue with 3-year burn in warranties. I've had 240Hz OLED on my desk for long workweeks since the first prototypes, and I haven't had burn in. But the pixel structure can be an issue if you are picky -- however, throwing 4K may do the job.

Also, OLED has linear improvement in motion blur (e.g. doubling Hz and framerate truly is 2x clearer motion), unlike LCDs, where some of the slowest 120Hz LCDs are only 1.1x less motionblurry than a 60Hz LCD due to slow GtG. The 240Hz is really lovely and noticeable for office development (moreso than LCD).

Either way, TechSpot agrees 240hz OLED is fantastic for office uses:

The 240Hz refresh rate at 4K is much better than I was expecting for productivity work. Relative to the 144Hz LCD I was using, the combination of a higher refresh rate and faster response times makes this QD-OLED much nicer to use for everyday tasks. Especially when browsing the web and scrolling through text, the speed and refresh rate combination is noticeable and provides a smoother, clearer experience – so it's not just gaming where you'll benefit from a 240Hz refresh rate.

Please be warned some people do get more eyestrain from OLED than LCD, but the happy people are the ones who don't post about it. The odds are more likely on the solve-side than notsolve-side. Although, you might want to consider that the LG WOLED antiglare film is disliked by some, but I am neutral about it (at least for productivity). And PWM-driven OLED smartphones flicker WAY more than a 240Hz OLED, so usually the OLED eyestrain is caused by other things (like people no longer getting eyestrain when switching to a glossy OLED or a QDOLED).

In the abscence of information I have thusly given you a "left field" suggestion (change display technology as dramatically as possible away from your solo eyestrain-problem display)

However, if you get eyestrain on other displays, please list all of them so I can deduce potential patterns.
There are well over 100 ergonomic problems with displays, which is why I am a big fan of go-left-field approaches to try to whac-a-mole as many as possible if you have never determined which lineitem.

[kanishkdudeja]

Thank you so much for your help here Mark, I really appreciate it.

There is insufficient information -- can you list other displays (as many as possible) that you have had eyestrain in the past, so I can determine a potential pattern? One unit is not enough to deduce a suggestion.

I haven't had any eyestrain with any displays in the past. Here's a list of displays I've used (with NO eyestrain):

- Macbook Air M1 13 inch (2020)
- Macbook Pro 14 inch (2021, M1 Pro chip)
- Apple iMac 27 inch (Retina 5k, 2020)
- Dell U2720Q 27 inch (2020, 4k)
- Dell U2718Q 27 inch (2020, 4k)
- Pixel 8 Pro (2023)
- OnePlus 12 (2024)

Sometimes it's the culprit of the antiglare film. for example, be a bad antiglare film that doesn't play well with your eyes. Either way, antiglare usually helps but sometimes the type of antiglare filter has made things worse for others.

Do you know of any good monitors with a glossy screen with the specs I'm looking for (4k, 120hz+) ?

Now if you have more money, why not the new 4K 240Hz OLEDs? Perfect for mixed Visual Studio and gaming. Some people like me go OLED 240Hz computer monitor to solve their eyetrain, while others switched gigantically. You do have to turn off ClearType though. Some people say OLED increases eyestrain while others say it decreases OLED eyestrain. Burn in during mixed office/gaming is now a non-issue with 3-year burn in warranties. I've had 240Hz OLED on my desk for long workweeks since the first prototypes, and I haven't had burn in. But the pixel structure can be an issue if you are picky -- however, throwing 4K may do the job.

That makes a lot of sense. It looks like 4k 240hz OLEDs are roughly ~2x the price of the budget I initially had ($500-$600), but I can see if I can increase my budget and can start looking for options.

If you are tight on money and can only lottery one or two units -- then one of the best move is to as gigantically left-field as possible away from your problem unit (technology, size, viewing distance), in many bullets simultaneously as possible.

One of the concerns is that most companies don't have a return policy here in India. I got lucky with the Samsung Odyssey G7 since I was able to escalate the concern through a Samsung employee I happened to be acquainted with.

So, if the monitor I get now still causes eye strain, I'll likely to have sell it for ~$100-$150 lesser and then try another one.

There are well over 100 ergonomic problems with displays, which is why I am a big fan of go-left-field approaches to try to whac-a-mole as many as possible if you have never determined which lineitem.

Thank you for working this through with me!

Right now, these two options come to mind:

- Buy a 4k 240hz OLED monitor since that seems sufficiently different (in multiple aspects) from the Samsung Odyssey G7 (G70B).

- Buy the LG 27GN95R first since it seems to definitely use a different panel than the Samsung Odyssey G7 (G70B). If that still causes eye strain (due to the same thing that caused me eye strain with the Samsung Odyssey G7 - like the anti-glare coating), I can then sell it and buy a 4k 240hz OLED monitor.

Let me know if there's something better I could consider.

[Chief Blur Buster]

I'm afraid that it's going to be a difficult decision for you. The 27GN95R is likely significantly cheaper in your country, so if finances are the biggest concern, you may wish to attempt that model.

The price premium is large, but if you do a lot of gaming with lots of blacks and/or a powerful GPU -- there might be an additional deciding factor involved. OLED 240Hz is roughly 1.5x better motion clarity than LCD 240Hz. The pixel response premium is such that you will often have a better 150fps experience on the OLED than a 200fps experience on the LCD. Consider motion clarity per unstrobed frame rate, if you have an expensive GPU like an RTX 4000 series that you wish to take advantage of.

I have seen sales on 4K 240Hz displays for less than $1000 USD (including the MSI for $899) which is an incredible price on this side of the pond. But local prices are likely almost certain to be higher.

However, if local market is very good (e.g. like a technology-worker city, where it is easy to resell), then that could be the deciding factor.

One possible route is to simply bide your time, as prices will likely drop very fast on OLEDs over the next 12 months. That depends on how urgently you need a display today, mind you.