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Can you fathom that more than one-fifth of PC gaming monitors sold today utilize OLED technology? So claims none other than LG, a prominent authority in this field.
To elaborate, LG informed the YouTube channel HDTVTest that OLED currently commands 22% of the PC gaming monitor market. Remarkably, LG points out that this market presence has been established within just two years of introducing its inaugural OLED-based PC gaming monitor.
Meanwhile, it may astonish you to discover that OLED presently accounts for only 18% of the television market, despite LG launching its first OLED TV way back in 2013.
It’s important to note that the very first OLED gaming monitor was indeed the Alienware 34 AW3423DW, which was unveiled nearly three years ago and utilized Samsung’s QD-OLED technology. LG’s inaugural OLED monitor followed a bit later. However, the central idea is unmistakable: the rate of OLED adoption in PC gaming is significantly faster than in the TV realm.
As much as I am a devoted enthusiast of OLED technology and despite the fact that a wide selection of OLED gaming monitors is now available in various shapes, sizes, and resolutions, I find this trend rather surprising.
This is mainly due to the still steep pricing of OLED monitors. You can expect MSRPs to start at a minimum of $600 for a basic 27-inch 1440p model from a reputable brand, with most models priced at $800 and beyond. In fact, I wouldn’t be shocked if the average cost of an OLED gaming monitor from the major brands currently hovers around $1,000.
In my opinion, this ought to render them somewhat niche products. And, yes, LCD technology continues to dominate the bulk of the market. Yet, over one in five gaming monitors being purchased presently are OLED, and it can be presumed that this market share is still gaining traction. It’s likely to hit at least a third within a few years.
Let’s hope this ongoing rise in market share is mirrored by lower prices. It has always been a bit perplexing how OLED monitors have maintained higher costs compared to TVs. When the initial 27-inch 1440p OLEDs were launched, they were priced comparably to a 42-inch 4K OLED TV. It made absolutely no logical sense.
Since that time, prices have generally decreased. As mentioned, those 27-inch models now begin closer to $600, while both 34-inch ultrawides like the Alienware 34 AW3423DWF and 32-inch 4K varieties, including the MSI MPG 321URX, usually sit around $800 and upwards.
However, those figures remain quite high when considering that around $200 will secure an LCD-based 27-inch 1440p gaming panel, with $250 and above fetching a 34-inch ultrawide.
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Thus, personally, I would prefer to see the prices of OLED decrease even further. I believe $500 for a 32-inch 4K model and slightly lower for the 27-inch 1440p and 34-inch ultrawide variations would be more appropriate. At such price points, I would feel comfortable recommending them without significant reservations.
On the topic of reservations, it is important to mention that one of the last remaining concerns regarding OLED technology in PC gaming monitors, beyond pricing, may soon be resolved. As I reported recently, both Samsung and LG unveiled new OLED panel technology at CES which boasts significantly higher claimed full-screen brightness.
Theoretically, we could achieve as much as 400 nits full screen, which I believe would indicate that the brightness “issue” associated with OLEDs is resolved, and I anticipate that models offering at least 350 nits full screen will surface later this year leveraging this new technology. I hope such displays won’t come with a substantial price increase.
Even if they do, I expect those prices to decline quite quickly, as will the general pricing of OLEDs. Give it a couple of years, and the sub-$500 OLED monitor capable of 400 nits full-screen brightness will likely become a reality. The only small drawback is that the OLED I genuinely want, LG’s new 5K2K Ultragear 45GX950A, is a $2,000 behemoth. Unfortunately, it will take some time before a panel of that caliber becomes genuinely affordable.
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