The main item in the domestic PC monitor market is still LCD, but it is true that a large number of expensive high-end demand has shifted to OLED. Since LG Electronics first released a 48-inch OLED TV, this movement has accelerated, and even FPS gamers who are sensitive to afterimages following console and PC gamers are turning their eyes to OLED.
So, LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics, which are virtually dividing the high-end monitor market, also started OLED lineups tailored to market needs, but there were no significant results.
Samsung Electronics was late in entering the market, and the gray tone issue, which was not found in TV panels, was a hindrance, while LG Electronics only sold TVs without smart features, so there was no merit. I don’t know if the price was cheap, but it wasn’t either.
However, OLED monitors to be released this year have many differences from TVs.
In particular, it has been announced that LG Electronics monitors have a high refresh rate, which is the core of gaming monitors, and are armed with the latest panels.
■ Monitor or TV, which one is the newer panel?
LG Electronics’ OLED TVs and monitors use panels supplied by LG Display. This panel is upgraded with new elements and technologies every year, and of course it is common to be used in new products.
LG Display announced meta 1.0 technology that has improved brightness more than before. This technology is largely a combination of a light concentrating technology called MLA and a brightness enhancement algorithm called Meta Booster. The new panel to which this technology is applied has been introduced as having significantly improved brightness compared to the OLED.EX panel introduced last year.
As a specific figure, it is said that it can reach 2,100 nits of maximum instantaneous brightness, but it is extremely bright compared to last year’s OLED.EX panel, which reached 1,200 as a result of applying deuterium blue and a heat sink solution.
In addition to this, thanks to MLA’s light-gathering technology, the viewing angle has also improved by 30%, and LG Electronics decided to apply this new panel only to the G3 lineup.
The same OLED.EX panel as last year will be applied to the C3 lineup, which will be popular as a substitute for monitors, and the brightness will be similar. Among the C3 lineup, 48-inch and 42-inch models are still expected to lack a heatsink solution, so achieving 1,000 nits is highly likely to be difficult.
Simply put, this means that the 48-inch and 42-inch OLED TVs released this year are virtually no different from last year’s models.
Unlike TVs, new meta panels are applied to monitors. As LG Display, which supplies panels, decided to supply 45WQ and 27Q panels for gaming monitors with meta technology applied, all monitor manufacturers supplying these panels can provide gamers with the benefits of MLA and meta booster as they are. .
However, unlike TV panels that achieve maximum brightness exceeding 2,000 nits, 45WQ and 27Q panels for gaming monitors are limited to 1,000 nits of maximum brightness.
This selection is judged to be a decision tailored to the characteristics of the 45WQ and 27Q panels driven at 240Hz and the special use environment vulnerable to burn-in. By limiting the maximum brightness that can be realized, the point at which burn-in comes can be delayed.
■ Netflix and YouTube, smart features are still only on TV
OLED TVs have become popular with gamers not simply because they are OLED. This is because it comes with OTT services such as Netflix and Disney Plus, streaming services such as YouTube, and smart functions that allow you to enjoy various VODs.
In addition, the speaker function, which is present in the monitor, is provided with sound quality of a different dimension and sound field effects of a different dimension such as Dolby Atmos, so it felt like a one-stop solution where everything was solved with just one TV. was not included.
Recently, there are an increasing number of products with smart functions in monitors, but it is regrettable that these functions are missing even though it is a top-level high-end model. Compared to what I’ve absorbed, I can’t help but feel more regretful.
■ Uncertain A/S policy, does the monitor work like a TV?
LG Electronics set the same warranty conditions for OLED TVs and monitors.
Even for the 48GQ900, which was first released last year, there was controversy over the panel replacement cost, but it was confirmed that the 27GR95QE and 45GR95QE, which will be released this year, are subject to the same warranty conditions as TVs, and the LG Electronics online authorized store that sells them informs.
This condition states that the panel can be replaced for a fee even after the two-year free panel warranty period has passed, and this cost is applied differentially according to the period of use.
There is no detailed guidance as it is not specified in the official warranty service document by LG Electronics, but OLED TV buyers are already receiving the applicable standards for panel replacement due to burn-in, so they do not have to worry about A/S problems when purchasing OLED gaming monitors.
For reference, in the case of OLED TVs, the conditions for differential conditions for each year are up to 7 years, and detailed burden rates can be informed by service center engineers.
■ So what’s the cost?
OLED TVs and OLED monitors to be released this year do not overlap in specifications. The 48GQ900 introduced last year was a model that used a 48-inch TV panel as it was, so it was no different from a TV, but the 27GR95QE and 45GR95QE are different in size, resolution and refresh rate.
The 27GR95QE is a representative gaming monitor equipped with a 27-inch QHD 2560×1440 resolution and a 240Hz refresh rate, and the 45GR95QE is a 45-inch WQHD 3440×1440 ultra-wide resolution and an immersive all-in gaming monitor boasting a tremendous curvature of 800R.
So, you would think that it would be better to choose 27GR95QE and 45GR95QE rather than 42-inch and 48-inch OLED TVs at 4K 16:9 120Hz, but the prices of these two products are higher than expected.
The LGE.COM official member discount price is 2.79 million won for the 45GR95QE, and the online reservation sale is 1.79 million won for the 27GR95QE, so I wondered if anyone would agree with the price. However, the 27GR95QE’s first pre-order is exhausted, and the second and third pre-orders are continuing, so there seems to be more demand than I thought.
I admit that the two products are optimal for PC gaming, but it seems inevitable that OLED TVs look better this year as well in terms of cost-effectiveness.
