Gaming Screens: Samsung Odyssey Ark 4K UHD vs LG OLED Flex (LX3)

Monitors matter – a fact streamers and gamers are keenly aware of. To find the monitor that suits your setup, several features come into play. Resolution, size, refresh rate, inputs, and good old immersion make up some of the considerations, whether you’re a professional streamer on Twitch or YouTube, hardcore gamer, or resting at the casual end of the spectrum for either of the two. 

In this article, we’ll compare the Samsung Odyssey Ark 4K UHD Gaming Screen and the LG OLED Flex (LX3) to see which is best for streaming versus casual gaming, so you can determine the monitor that is best for you.

What’s the Deal?

Two highly capable gaming monitors with many enticing features, one is better for streaming and hardcore online gamers, while the other is better for casual gaming.

Tell Me More

Streamers often require more than one monitor, and the Samsung Odyssey Ark 4K UHD Gaming Screen makes it easy to display up to 4 screens at a time, as well as built in apps like YouTube (it doubles as a smart TV). It also has a higher refresh rate than the LG. The LG OLED Flex can display 2 screens at a time, it’s also a smart TV, and you can adjust the screen from flat to curved by bending it to you will. Pretty cool.

Our Findings

In our side-by-side comparison, the Samsung Odyssey Ark 4K UHD Gaming Screen is the obvious choice for streamers and hardcore online gamers, and the LG OLED Flex for casual gamers. Read on to find out more.

Samsung Odyssey Ark 4K UHD Gaming Screen

The 55” Samsung Odyssey Ark 4K UHD Gaming Screen is a $3499.99 monitor with a 1000R curved screen for total immersion – it even has a Cockpit Mode. The “Quantum” Mini-LED technology gives it an edge over common LED screens, with its backlights being potentially smaller than 1 pixel. For reference, QLEDs can be larger than 1 pixel, and OLEDs around 1 pixel. OLED generally has better black level performance, but the picture quality on the Samsung Odyssey Ark has gotten a lot of trusted reviewers quite excited.

There’s quite a bit about the Odyssey Ark to entice streamers, casual and hardcore gamers alike. Take the Ark Dial, for instance. One touch, and screen size, ratio, multiple content source inputs can be adjusted and enjoyed. The coolest thing I’ve seen is that it rotates vertically. That’s right. You can have a horizontally curved screen, or vertical – that’s Cockpit Mode. So much potential and versatility, especially when you think of games like Flight Simulator, Star Citizen, etc. 

The Samsung Odyssey Ark has 60W Dolby Atmos with 4 corner speakers and 2 central woofers, and Sound Dome technology for surround sound. That’s pretty incredible for casual, offline gaming without a headset, or watching TV – and good news, the monitor doubles as a smart TV. It has built in apps such as YouTube (excellent if you happen to stream on YouTube) and you can have up to 4 screens simultaneously, eliminating the need for multiple monitors when streaming.

The refresh rate is 165 Hz. That’s excellent, as 144 Hz and above is what everyone is looking for in a gaming monitor. That is to eliminate as much lag between the console or computer and the screen as possible so things don’t skip, you don’t miss a beat, or worse – game over. Truly, the higher your refresh rate, the lower your frustration. Only, with refresh rate out of the way, you can only blame yourself for human error when things go awry. With integrated UI, you can view the FPS, HDR, and VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) in real time. That’s a bonus.

LG LX3 4K UHD Curved Gaming Monitor

The $2,999.99 LG OLED Flex (LX3) is quite impressive. Its curvature is completely adjustable via remote, up to 20 different curves from flat to full 900R curve. Screen height and tilt are also highly adjustable. The screen size is 42”, but you can choose to view at 32”, 27”, or split the screen. That split screen would come in particularly handy if you are a streamer on Twitch or YouTube and your only needs are to view OBS/chat and your game. 

Keep in mind that it would be side by side. That’s your 42” screen with split screen across, so the size would be akin to a typical monitor, and you’d lose much of the immersion. However, as a streamer myself, I can say, having everything on one screen like that – I’d take the cut in size over turning my head to look at OBS/chat and my game. 

That it has OLED technology is particularly enticing to me as well because – it just looks so good. It’s nearly-unbeatable beauty (I say nearly-unbeatable because I’ve had the pleasure of viewing some rather gorgeous Sony home theater projectors in my life) and for a gaming monitor, one to consider if image quality is at the top of your list of requirements.

Speaking of home theater, the LG OLED Flex isn’t just a gaming monitor, it’s a smart TV with all the trappings LG offers. You can make the switch from gaming to TV, TV to gaming, at the push of a button. Another cool feature of the monitor is its built-in, echo-canceling gaming mic, so you don’t even need to have headphones plugged in. Now that’s what made it a tough call for me in terms of which one is best for streaming vs casual gaming. Wearing headphones for the 3+ hours it takes to stream can get quite uncomfortable, even with the best of them. Add to that to 40W Dolby Atmos speakers – nerd drool.

The refresh rate is where I take issue, however. It’s 120 Hz. This is not bad, but most gamers are looking for something around then 144 Hz range. The higher the refresh rate, the smoother the image. 120 Hz is still going to give you a fantastic image, probably smoother than most are used to, but for the professional streamer or hardcore gamer – as mentioned, 144 Hz is the gold standard, and they’ll probably even want to reach for higher if the budget allows.

The Bottom Line

It’s a tough call between the two. The Samsung Odyssey Ark and LG OLED Flex are both incredible choices with cool features. It’ll come down to which features tickle your fancy the most, suit your particular gaming needs, and, frankly, your space. For me, I use my desk for art as well as my computer, so I would choose the LG OLED Flex as it is a significant size difference between the 42” LG and the 55” Samsung. If space allowed, it might be a less obvious choice! For some, that extra screen size would make the Samsung a clear winner. Compare, contrast, and game on.