Following Acer, Samsung is launching a glasses-free 3D monitor, while Samsung Display has unveiled a prototype glasses-free 3D OLED panel. FlatpanelsHD tested all three at CES 2025.
Last year, we called Samsung's glasses-free 3D monitor prototype the best one yet. That's no longer the case, but we's come back to that in a moment.
In 2025, Samsung will launch the Odyssey 3D line, starting with a 27-inch 3D monitor featuring a 4K LCD panel. Additional sizes are planned for later.
Samsung's 27-inch Odyssey 3D monitor. Photo: FlatpanelsHD
While the 27-inch is smaller than the prototype we saw last year, Samsung's engineers confirmed to FlatpanelsHD that the core technology remains the same: eye-tracking cameras (that worked without a glitch in our demos) paired with lenticular lenses to split the image for each viewer's eyes. The main improvement lies in the software, which has been refined to enhance the picture and 3D effect.
Glasses-free 3D on LCD
Acer and Samsung are both relying in an LCD panel for their glasses-free 3D monitors, delivering good 3D depth and occasional out-of-screen effects, though there is room for improvement. Users can manually adjust the 3D depth and pop-out effect.
In our demos, Acer's monitor performed decently, but Samsung's was better. Both appear to use the same panel, so the difference likely comes down to better software or optimization on Samsung's side.
Acer's Predator SpatialLabs View 27. Photo: FlatpanelsHD
Acer's Predator SpatialLabs View 27. Photo: FlatpanelsHD
Based on our demos at CES 2025, we saw two notable hardware limitations. First, the 4K resolution drops to slightly below 2K in perceived resolution while in 3D mode. Second, crosstalk remains an issue, particularly during motion. Crosstalk was more prominent on Acer's monitor than on Samsung's.
The monitors are intriguing because, for the first time, glasses-free 3D technology actually works. However, while Samsung has not said how much the Odyssey 3D will cost, Acer's Predator SpatialLabs View 27 has a list price of $2000, which I would personally not pay for the current product/technology.
A dearth of 3D content
Another significant challenge is the ecosystem. Acer, having launched its 3D Predator gaming monitor last year, offers a broader selection of compatible 3D games. Samsung currently supports only one title, The First Berserker, with plans to support around 10 games by the time the monitor launches in Q2 2025, including Lies of P.
Finding 3D movies remains nearly impossible. While the monitors include a built-in 2D-to-3D converter, which worked but wasn't great, this approach is far from optimal. Neither Acer nor Samsung were aware of any industry efforts to bring the growing catalog of 3D movies in 4K HDR, currently exclusive to Apple Vision Pro, to Windows PCs.
Both monitors can revert to 2D mode with full 4K resolution, making them suitable for work, 2D gaming and other uses. The 2D picture quality looked fine.
The best one yet
Behind closed doors, FlatpanelsHD had the opportunity to see a prototype OLED panel from Samsung Display, delivering glasses-free 3D using similar technology to the LCD monitors.
This 16-inch OLED 'Light Field Display', with lenticular lenses, has 4K resolution, with around 2K perceived resolution in 3D mode. As an OLED panel, its self-emissive pixels significantly reduced crosstalk and delivered much better color. OLED's true black is a perfect canvas for 3D pictures, while bright highlights enhanced the 3D effect. Even during our short demo, the benefits of OLED were immediately apparent for 3D.
This is the best glasses-free 3D display we have seen to date. However, the effective resolution for 3D remains too low. If you are considering investing in a glasses-free 3D monitor, we would recommend waiting for OLED technology with higher resolutions to reach the consumer market.
Samsung Display's glasses-free 3D OLED prototype. Photo: FlatpanelsHD
