The best OLED monitors for 2024

If there’s one sort of show that has develop into more and more common in house workplaces, notably amongst those that take pleasure in gaming or watching motion pictures, it’s OLED monitors. OLED, which stands for Organic Light-Emitting Diode, raises the bar for visible constancy, however burn-in and brightness have all the time been considerations. The excellent news is developments have mitigated these points due to options like pixel shifting and computerized stage changes. If you crave the best visible expertise for work or play, the best OLED monitors will elevate your setup and make video games and films look higher than ever.

How we selected the best OLED monitors

There are extra OLED monitors at present than a couple of years in the past, with new fashions all the time hitting the market. Since we’re holding it to at least one sort of show know-how (which you’ll study extra about beneath our picks), it helps slender our search. However, a number of producers have jumped into the OLED monitor market, together with stalwarts akin to LG, Dell, and Samsung, so there are a number of choices to kind by. Other huge names embody ASUS, Corsair, and MSI—names that must be acquainted to players. 

To assemble this listing, I drew on Popular Science‘s skilled insights on the best TVs for gaming, 4K monitors, and gaming laptops. When deciding which monitors to contemplate, I additionally drew on my expertise utilizing varied tech, together with an OLED TV with a PlayStation 5. I checked out key specs like show decision and measurement, facet ratio, refresh fee, and connectivity to seek out the best OLED monitors obtainable. And since OLED know-how might be dearer than an LCD monitor, I thought of how a lot these monitors price when making my decisions.

The best OLED monitors: Reviews & Recommendations

OLED gives distinctive image high quality, near-infinite distinction, and lightning-fast response occasions, delivering an expertise that outmatches conventional LCD; it’s why the know-how is so common in the lounge. Still, discovering the best mannequin for your setup requires a discerning eye and an understanding of your personal priorities. Whether you need an OLED monitor for gaming, watching motion pictures, or just elevating your own home setup, this listing recommends choices that cater to completely different preferences and wishes.

Best general: Dell Alienware 32 QD-OLED AW3225QF

Specs

• Resolution: 3,840 x 2,160
• Refresh fee: 240Hz
• Size: 32 inches
• Ports: DisplayPort 1.4, 2 x HDMI 2.1, 3 x USB-A (3.2 Gen 1), USB-B (3.2 Gen 1), USB-C (3.2 Gen 1)
• Pixel Per Inch (PPI): 140
• Price: $1,199.99

Pros

• High-resolution 4K show
• High refresh fee for clean movement
• Height-adjustable stand

Cons

The Alienware AW3225QF is new to the market however is already turning heads as a top-tier 4K gaming monitor. It packs a 31.5-inch, 240Hz, 4K-resolution QD-OLED curved show, providing a beautiful image and a quick refresh fee for aggressive gaming. The show encompasses a good anti-glare coating, which helps cut back glare from daylight and different mild sources. Meanwhile, the AW3225QF delivers a peak brightness of 1,000 nits when HDR is enabled (260 nits when HDR is off), so it gained’t look washed out in a room with loads of mild.

The AW3225QF helps variable refresh fee, auto low-latency mode, G-Sync, and Dolby Vision, the latter of which is a sophisticated HDR format that brings better colour depth and distinction to motion pictures, TV reveals, and video games. The monitor options loads of video and USB ports, together with three USB-A (3.2 Gen 1), two HDMI 2.1 (one that includes eARC), and a USB-C (3.2 Gen 1). Unfortunately, there are not any built-in audio system, so that you’ll both want headphones, a soundbar, or desktop audio system for your setup. 

Finding a monitor that checks all of the bins might be troublesome, however the Alienware AW3225QF comes shut. With a 4K-resolution QD-OLED curved show, a formidable 240Hz refresh fee, and HDMI 2.1 compatibility for consoles, the AW3225QF units a brand new benchmark for OLED gaming monitors. It additionally comes with a three-year guarantee, defending your buy towards potential burn-in.

Best for PC gaming: ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27AQDM

Specs

• Resolution: 2,560 x 1,440
• Refresh fee: 240Hz
• Size: 26.5 inches
• Ports: DisplayPort 1.4, 2 x HDMI 2.0, 2 x USB-A (3.2 Gen 1)
• Pixel Per Inch (PPI): 110
• Price: $899

Pros

• Screen has an anti-glare layer
• You can rotate the monitor 90 levels
• High refresh fee with VRR help

Cons

If you go searching at person and critic evaluations, you’ll discover near-unanimous reward for the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27AQDM. With a 27-inch, 340Hz, 1440p OLED show, the AW2725QF is the proper selection for PC players who prioritize velocity over the very best attainable decision. It’s smaller and extra inexpensive than our prime choose, but nonetheless gives loads of bells and whistles that make it a best choice. 

Instead of a 4K show, the monitor’s decision tops out at Quad HD, providing enhanced visuals whereas being much less demanding in your pc’s {hardware}. Competitive players typically want the decision as a result of it permits them to take pleasure in higher-fidelity graphics with out taxing their system. The PG27AQDM boasts a 99 p.c DCI-P3 colour vary and delivers 1,000 nits of peak brightness with HDR enabled.

The monitor employs a number of protections to forestall burn-in, together with the power to regulate the brightness of static belongings and a “pixel cleaning” characteristic, which can recalibrate the display screen after a number of hours of exercise. While $899 may not scream best price range choose, it’s undoubtedly a best worth contemplating what you get for that worth. 

Best ultrawide: Samsung Odyssey OLED G8

Specs

• Resolution: 3,440 x 1,440
• Refresh fee: 175Hz
• Size: 34 inches
• Ports: Mini DisplayPort, Micro-HDMI 2.1, 2 x USB-C
• Pixel Per Inch (PPI): 109
• Price: $1,099.99

Pros

• High refresh fee for clean movement
• Excellent picture high quality with wealthy colours and deep blacks
• Sleek, luxurious design

Cons

• Text readability may very well be higher

If you need to really feel such as you’re piloting a futuristic spaceship, whether or not as a part of an precise sport or simply an ergonomic workstation, we advocate the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8. This ultrawide USB-C monitor encompasses a QD-OLED show with a decision of three,440 x 1,440. The 21:9 facet ratio is unconventional, but it surely offers a large canvas for organizing your completely different home windows. Tony Ware, Popular Science‘s Editor, Commerce & Gear, says the extra real estate is a boon for productivity, allowing him to reference everything he needs across the monitor’s beneficiant 34-inch show. In his home, they name their desk house the Helm, like in Star Trek, as a result of when behind this monitor it actually feels such as you’re navigating the farthest expanses of internet sites and spreadsheets and Slack and e-mail purchasers.

According to Ware, the Odyssey OLED G8’s show delivers wealthy colour and true blacks, with help for 100% of sRGB, 98 p.c of DCI-P3, and 80 p.c of Rec.2020. The darkish, moody environment of Resident Evil 4 Remake appears very good, whereas brighter titles akin to Assassin’s Creed Mirage are an ideal showcase for the display screen’s means to show vibrant colours. The monitor encompasses a 175Hz refresh fee and 0.03ms response time—in addition to the USB-C, mini-HDMI, and DisplayPort connections—lead to a clean gaming and multimedia expertise. While the monitor is attractive, customers have famous a slight lack of textual content readability, with some colour fringing round nice components. And, like all OLED panels, it performs best away from vivid mild, so think about your placement fastidiously.

That mentioned, Samsung just lately unveiled the Odyssey OLED G9 (G95SD) at CES, that includes a 49-inch, 240Hz, 5,120 x 1,440 curved show. So, if you would like a fair bigger canvas and quicker refresh fee, which may be the one to get. Unfortunately, Samsung hasn’t confirmed the precise pricing or a launch date, so we’re undecided if you’ll have the ability to choose one up. We think about, nonetheless, it’s positive to be the best splurge.

Best design: Dell Alienware QD-OLED AW3423DW

Specs:

• Resolution: 3,440 x 1,440
• Refresh fee: 175Hz
• Size: 34.18 inches
• Ports: DisplayPort 1.4, 2 x HDMI 2.0, 4 x USB-A (3.2 Gen 1), USB-B (3.2 Gen 1)
• Pixel Per Inch (PPI): 110
• Price: $1,199

Pros

• Big high-resolution show
• 175Hz refresh fee with native G-Sync help
• High refresh fee with VRR help

Cons

While it’s an elder in tech phrases—it hit the market in 2022—the Alienware AW3423DW continues to supply a improbable 4K OLED expertise for gaming and on a regular basis computing. It encompasses a 34-inch, 175Hz, 4K QD-OLED curved show and a near-instantaneous response time of 0.1 milliseconds. The result’s extraordinarily clean movement and minimal movement blur, making it well-suited for fast-paced gaming and leisure. The monitor additionally has native G-Sync variable refresh fee (VRR) help. Although there’s no official help for FreeSync, evaluations and person experiences say it does work.

Despite its age, the Alienware AW3423DW’s construct high quality stays one in every of its largest strengths, with a design that seamlessly suits into any setup. It leans extra towards the gamer aesthetic, however it will possibly mix into a contemporary workplace simply. Like different choices on this listing, the monitor boasts a 99 p.c DCI-P3 colour vary and delivers 1,000 nits of peak brightness with HDR enabled. All mentioned, the Alienware AW3423DW offers an unimaginable expertise for enjoying video games and watching motion pictures whereas providing a gorgeous design.

Best gaming TV: LG C3

Specs

• Resolution: 3,840 x 2,160
• Refresh fee: 120Hz
• Size: 42 inches
• Ports: 4 x HDMI 2.1, 3 x USB-A
• Pixel Per Inch (PPI): 106
• Price: $1,096

Pros

• Ample HDMI 2.1 ports
• Several sizes to select from
• G Sync and Freesync compatibility for variable refresh charges

Cons

• Middling sensible TV options

Our favourite line of OLED TVs for gaming is, unsurprisingly, our prime choose right here. While the LG C3 isn’t marketed as a monitor, it’s a compelling selection for house workplaces, providing a beautiful 4K decision show, 120Hz refresh fee, and help for variable refresh fee (VRR) applied sciences like Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync, decreasing display screen tearing. It’s tailored for at present’s present technology of consoles (Xbox Series S, Series X, and PlayStation 5) whereas working completely with PCs.

We advocate trying out the 42-inch mannequin in case you’re going to make use of the C3 as your monitor. However, it’s obtainable in a number of different sizes, together with 48-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch, 77-inch, and 83-inch. Of course, it’s a must to think about the TV’s measurement when buying as a result of sitting so near a big TV isn’t good for your eyes (or neck), and you want to have a fairly darn huge desk to accommodate an 83-inch TV. 

It’s unconventional to make use of a TV as your monitor. But the scale, show high quality, and worth make the 42-inch LG G3 a wonderful various to the monitors on this listing. LG launched the C4 at CES earlier this yr, so technically, the C3 isn’t the most recent mannequin. Still, we advocate it, and the excellent news is the costs of the C3 will probably drop as soon as the C4 hits the market.

Best price range: LG Ultragear 27GR95QE-B

Specs

• Resolution: 2,560 x 1,440
• Refresh fee: 240Hz
• Size: 26.5 inches
• Ports: 2 x HDMI 2.1, 2 x USB-A 3.0, USB-B 3.0, DisplayPort 1.4
• Pixel Per Inch (PPI): 110
• Price: $999

Pros

• Two HDMI 2.1 ports
• Fast refresh fee
• G-Sync and FreeSync compatibility for variable refresh charges

Cons

Here’s the factor: OLED monitors aren’t low cost. But they do go on sale, probably saving you a couple of hundred bucks in your buy. If you insist on upgrading to an OLED mannequin, it’s in your best curiosity to patiently wait for a sale. That being mentioned, it additionally pays to regulate older OLED monitors—just like the LG Ultragear 27GR95QE-B—which are inclined to lower in worth as newer fashions are launched.

With that in thoughts, the steered retail worth of the LG Ultragear 27GR95QE-B could not essentially fall into the price range class. But when it’s on sale—and we’ve seen it provided at 25 p.c off commonly—it can save you chunk of change for a wonderful piece of tech. Here’s what you get: a 27-inch OLED 1440p show with a 240Hz refresh fee, two HDMI 2.1 ports, and a DCI-P3 of 98.5. It’s a wonderful selection for content material creation and gaming, and even higher with a $250 low cost.

What is OLED?

There are a complicated variety of acronyms within the monitor house, the place you’ll discover a number of main show applied sciences, together with LCD, LED, OLED, and QLED. So, what’s OLED?

OLED stands for Organic Light-Emitting Diode, a show know-how that makes use of natural supplies to provide mild. The know-how is emissive, which implies the pixels emit their very own mild. By ditching the standard backlights present in most shows, every pixel in an OLED show might be managed independently, delivering near-perfect black ranges, excessive picture distinction, and wealthy colours. That means motion pictures with extra scenes at night time, akin to The Batman, will ship extra reasonable shadows. The means to individually mild pixels is a motive why OLED know-how has develop into so common in monitors and TVs.

OLED know-how doesn’t simply lead to a higher-quality picture. The pixels in an OLED show may also swap on and off a lot faster than LCD know-how, leading to smoother movement and sharper visuals. The near-instantaneous response occasions are massively helpful for eliminating movement blur and judder, offering a extra fulfilling expertise when enjoying first-person shooters and watching motion motion pictures like Mad Max: Fury Road.

There are a couple of variations of OLED, together with QD-OLED (Quantum Dot Organic Light-Emitting Diode). It’s a mouthful, however the know-how is value watching. QD-OLED is a hybrid know-how that takes the advantages of OLED and improves the brightness and colour efficiency.

As we talked about, OLED know-how isn’t good. For one, it’s dearer than conventional show know-how, so it’s essential to contemplate if the improved visuals justify the steeper price ticket. OLED can also be vulnerable to burn-in, the place static photos can completely go away faint traces on the display screen. Finally, OLED isn’t as vivid as LED, making it troublesome to see in sunnier environments. If your workplace will get loads of pure mild, an OLED monitor will not be your best choice.

What to contemplate when shopping for an OLED monitor

Similar to TVs, an awesome variety of OLED pc monitors are available varied sizes, shapes, and costs. Unfortunately, there’s no “perfect” choice, so discovering the best mannequin is a balancing act of options and private preferences. Whether you need a monitor for gaming, motion pictures, or content material creation (or a mixture of all three), these are the options to contemplate when shopping for the best OLED monitors.

Resolution & measurement

Your monitor’s decision and measurement are two of the largest components in selecting an OLED monitor, as they considerably affect your day by day viewing expertise. Your show’s decision refers back to the variety of pixels your monitor makes use of to create a picture. There are three widespread display screen resolutions: 1920 x 1080, additionally known as 1080p or Full HD; 2560 x 1440p, also referred to as 1440p or Quad HD (QHD); and 3840 x 2160 (4K). 

While a Full HD monitor is completely serviceable for on a regular basis computing, a better decision monitor makes a major distinction when enjoying video games, watching motion pictures, and modifying images or movies. Much of at present’s content material is obtainable in 4K, with streaming companies and present technology consoles just like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X providing help for the upper decision. We advocate going with a monitor with a 4K decision in case you watch loads of motion pictures and play loads of video games on a house console. However, PC players typically want 1440p as a result of it strikes a candy spot between visible constancy and efficiency.

Most fashionable shows can be found in 27 or 32 inches, with some variation in between. These sizes are typically wonderful for most house setups as a result of they’ll match into an current setup with out feeling too huge. Some corporations provide a lot bigger choices, which we’ll get into under. When selecting your perfect measurement, think about your desktop house, viewing distance, and typical use. Editors and players can profit from extra display screen actual property (32 inches or larger), whereas a smaller monitor (27 inches or much less) is okay for extra informal use. 

Aspect ratio

OLED monitors are available a wide range of facet ratios, every impacting your on a regular basis expertise. The most typical facet ratio is 16:9, which is the usual format for motion pictures, TV reveals, and video games. You can discover dozens of TVs, monitors, and laptops which are 16:9. As we mentioned, there are extra unconventional choices, too. For productiveness and multitasking, 21:9 is a well-liked choice. These monitors are sometimes 40 inches or bigger, providing you with an ultrawide canvas for getting issues carried out. There are additionally some choices that supply a facet ratio of 32:9, basically providing you with two 16:9 stitched collectively.

Refresh fee

Refresh fee, measured in Hertz (Hz), refers back to the variety of occasions per second the picture on the display screen updates. The quicker the picture refreshes, the smoother and extra fluid animated photos will look, whether or not you’re searching a web site, watching a film, or enjoying a online game.  Modern monitors provide a variety of refresh charges, and the one you select will depend on your wants.

The customary refresh fee for primary monitors is 60Hz, which means the picture is up to date 60 occasions per second. This is greater than sufficient for on a regular basis computing, together with sending e-mail, net searching, and modifying paperwork. For a quicker refresh fee, we advocate monitors that supply 144Hz and better. There are some fashions that characteristic refresh charges of 240Hz, 300Hz, and 360Hz. If you’re primarily shopping for a monitor for gaming, look for one with a better refresh fee. It is not going to solely ship smoother animations when gaming, however it might offer you an edge by permitting you to react extra shortly than somebody who owns a 60Hz monitor.

If you’re desirous about getting a gaming monitor, you’ll additionally need to think about whether or not your monitor helps variable refresh fee know-how, which scales your monitor’s goal refresh fee to match your PC’s efficiency. Most fashionable shows help both Nvidia G–Sync or AMD FreeSync.

Connectivity

Similar to selecting a TV, your monitor must have the best ports for the best expertise. The stalwart is High-Definition Multimedia Interface, or HDMI, with HDMI 2.0 being the model generally present in most mid-range choices. The model you need to look out for is HDMI 2.1, which gives help for 4K, 4K, 8K, and 10K content material at as much as 120 frames per second. It additionally helps different options like variable refresh fee (VRR) and auto low latency mode (ALLM).

USB-C is one other widespread port present in at present’s monitors and a flexible choice that may deal with knowledge, video, and energy by a single cable. It’s an particularly engaging choice for laptop computer customers, as a result of it helps reduce down on litter and simplifies a setup. DisplayPort is an alternative choice that is available in a number of variations, together with DisplayPort 1.4, which may deal with 8K with HDR at as much as 60Hz.

Monitors may also increase the ports present in your laptop computer or PC with further connections, akin to USB-C and USB-A. These ports assist you to join keyboards, mice, and exterior arduous drives. Extra ports are a bonus and never a characteristic that ought to decide in case you ought to or shouldn’t purchase a selected show. If a monitor you want lacks ports however has a USB-C connection, you may have the ability to use a powered USB hub to attach completely different peripherals, together with an SD card to switch images and movies.

High dynamic vary (HDR)

High dynamic vary, or HDR, is a show know-how that reveals better element in scenes with larger distinction. Imagine watching a scene in a film with dim and vivid mild. It’s a difficult situation, however with HDR, a monitor or TV can precisely present particulars whereas displaying wealthy, vibrant colours.

HDR is now all-but-standard in TVs, however counts as a gaming-focused luxurious amongst monitors. Even when monitors help it, their restricted brightness prevents them from reaching the identical visible impact that you simply see on a TV. A dim display screen can have issue differentiating between high- and low-light conditions, so if you would like the best HDR efficiency, you’ll must discover a show with a excessive peak brightness. When selecting out a gaming monitor, we typically advocate trying for VESA DisplayHDR 600 score or larger, or HDR10. If you’re planning on enjoying video games, HDR 400 or larger is a pleasant worth add, however not value fretting over.

Price

OLED know-how is dearer than LCD, so it’s vital to contemplate the worth proposition of shopping for a monitor on this listing. You can discover a high-end LCD monitor for round $300 to $500. However, an equal OLED monitor may price twice as a lot. Depending on the scale, decision, and connectivity choices, the worth can balloon to $1,000 and better.

While the worth tag may initially sting, you get distinctive image high quality, near-infinite distinction, and lightning-fast response occasions in return. Ultimately, it’s vital to weigh your choices earlier than embracing an OLED monitor. For those that prioritize unparalleled visuals and seamless efficiency, the additional price could also be value it.

More monitors are coming

It’s an enormous yr for OLED monitors, with corporations akin to Samsung, Dell, ASUS, and MSI, amongst others, introducing new fashions on the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES). These monitors promise to supply even quicker refresh charges, leading to video games and films that look even smoother. Many new fashions launched at CES 2024 don’t have costs or launch dates connected to them, however they’re value holding in thoughts in case you don’t plan to buy a brand new OLED monitor instantly.

FAQs

Final ideas on the best OLED monitors

While everybody can respect the beautiful image high quality of an OLED monitor, its strengths cater to a particular person. As an on a regular basis computing monitor—searching the online, sending e-mail, video conferences—you could not reap the total advantages of what the know-how has to supply. But for enjoying video video games and watching motion pictures, an OLED monitor can elevate content material to new heights, meriting the upper worth. Traditional show know-how continues to be excellent, however OLEDs are arduous to beat for a really intense and immersive expertise.

Why belief us

Popular Science began writing about know-how greater than 150 years in the past. There was no such factor as “gadget writing” once we printed our first challenge in 1872, but when there was, our mission to demystify the world of innovation for on a regular basis readers means we might have been throughout it. Here within the current, PopSci is totally dedicated to serving to readers navigate the more and more intimidating array of units in the marketplace proper now.

Our writers and editors have mixed a long time of expertise protecting and reviewing client electronics. We every have our personal obsessive specialties—from high-end audio to video video games to cameras and past—however once we’re reviewing units exterior of our speedy wheelhouses, we do our best to hunt out reliable voices and opinions to assist information individuals to the very best suggestions. We know we don’t know the whole lot, however we’re excited to reside by the evaluation paralysis that web buying can spur so readers don’t must.