For many of us, many of the screens we see every day can easily be OLED. The iPhone in your pocket. The screen of the new laptop you finally bought. That luxurious 4K TV and even that beloved Nintendo Switch. But the awesomeness of OLED is a far cry from widely used computer monitors – especially if you’re not into gaming.
Numerous hurdles limit the adoption of OLED monitors, including concerns about screen burn-in. We’re hoping for more choice in 2023, though. Right now you can count on one hand the number of OLED monitors that aren’t 42-inch-plus juggernauts or boosted refresh rates that require serious GPUs. OLED monitors that focus on productivity, photo editing or HDR are loved only minimally.
We’re hoping to have more than a handful of OLED monitors available for non-gamers by the end of 2023. We don’t expect homes and offices to be swamped with it, but 2023 could be a big step towards OLED monitors with the variety and availability that OLED TVs and other devices have enjoyed for years.
Waiting for the breakout year of OLED monitors
First, let’s dampen expectations. OLED monitors are far from mainstream among PC displays, and that’s not going to change dramatically next year. Market researchers in September trend force predicts that OLED monitors will account for 2 percent of the monitor market in 2023. That’s far from the mainstream. For example, IPS monitors accounted for 43 percent of monitors shipped in 2021.
Management consultant and market researcher UBI researchabove OLED infoestimates that OLED tablets, monitors and laptops for “IT applications” will grow from 9.5 million units this year to 48.8 million units by 2027.
So if we had to bet on what kind of monitor a certain person would buy in the next year or two, our chips would be on LCD.
And with supply and demand closely linked, desktop-sized OLED monitors have remained a rarity this year, with options even tighter if you want a sub-42-inch non-gaming display. Here is the dizzying list of four:
- Asus ProArt Display OLED PA32DC ($3,500 MSRP)
- LG27EP950 ($3,000 RRP)
- LG 27EQ850-B ($2,000 RRP)
- LG 323P950-B ($3,000 MSRP)
However, computer users had plenty of OLED laptops to consider this year, from the HP Specter x360 2-in-1 to Dell’s flagship XPS 13 Plus Clamshell Ultraportable. But given the connection between OLED laptops, high prices, and lower battery life, there’s a reason to get an OLED from a dedicated monitor instead.
New year, new OLED monitors
Most OLED monitors are in the 40-inch class with ultra-high resolutions, adding size-related premium to an already expensive technology. But the end of this year already promises more variety in terms of monitor size, resolution and price.
LG will start selling its first OLED monitors with high refresh rates on December 12. The edge reported this week. The 26.5 inch, 2560×1440 LG UltraGear 27GR95QE-B will have one $1,000 MSRPand the 45-inch, 3400×1440 LG 45GR95QE-B is $1,700.
MSI too plans to announce a new ultrawide OLED monitor at next month’s CES show, but we don’t know much about it other than that it’s ultrawide, curved, and 240Hz.
It’s also possible that we’ll see the release of a bendable OLED monitor next year. Corsair hasn’t confirmed when its Xeneon Flex 45WQHD240 will be out or for how much, but it did tease the 45-inch, 3440×1440 gaming monitor in September.
The 27 inch Philips 27E1N8900 4K video editing monitor should be released in the US for around $1,070, which would be a competitive size and price What HiFi Report said in May, but we haven’t heard from Philips yet.
Additionally, we could see OLED monitors with even smaller designs next year or beyond. LG Display is reportedly working on 20-inch OLED panels that could be used in small monitors.
With any luck, we’ll be hearing about OLED monitors over the next few weeks and during CES 2023.
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