OLED monitor selection is pathetic. 2023 can change that

For many of us, a lot of the screens we view daily can easily be OLED. The iPhone in your pocket. The screen on the new laptop you finally bought. That luxurious 4K TV and even that beloved Nintendo Switch. But OLED awesomeness has far from proliferated on computer monitors—especially if you're not into gaming.

Numerous hurdles limit OLED monitor adoption, including concerns about screen burn-in. But one thing we're hoping to see in 2023 is a greater selection. Right now, you can count the number of OLED monitors that aren't 42-inch-plus juggernauts or push refresh rates that require serious GPUs on one hand. OLED monitors that focus on productivity, photo editing, or HDR get minimal love.

By the time 2023's done, we hope there's more than a handful of OLED monitors available to interest non-gamers. We don't expect homes and offices to become flooded with them, but 2023 could be a big step to OLED monitors having the variety and availability that OLED TVs and other devices have enjoyed for years.

Waiting for OLED monitors’ breakout year

First, let's tamp down expectations. OLED monitors are far from mainstream among PC displays, and that won't shift dramatically next year. In September, market researcher Trendforce predicted that OLED monitors will represent 2 percent of the monitor market in 2023. That's far from mainstream. IPS monitors, for instance, represented 43 percent of monitors shipped in 2021.

Business consultant and market researcher UBI Research, via OLED-Info, estimated that OLED tablets, monitors, and laptops for "IT applications" will increase from 9.5 million units this year to 48.8 million units by 2027.

So, if we had to bet on what type of monitor any given person was buying in the next year or two, our chips would be on LCD.

And with supply and demand closely tied together, desktop-size OLED monitors remained a rarity this year, with options being even skimpier if you want a non-gaming display under 42 inches. Here's the dizzying list of four:

1. Asus ProArt Display OLED PA32DC ($3,500 MSRP)
2. LG 27EP950 ($3,000 MSRP)
3. LG 27EQ850-B ($2,000 MSRP)
4. LG 323P950-B ($3,000 MSRP)

Computer users had plenty of OLED laptops to consider this year, though, from the HP Spectre x360 2-in-1 to Dell's flagship XPS 13 Plus clamshell ultraportable. But considering the association between OLED laptops, high prices, and lower battery life, there's a reason to get an OLED for a dedicated monitor instead.

New year, new OLED monitors

Most OLED monitors are in the 40-inch class with ultra-high resolutions, attaching a size-related premium to an already expensive technology. But the end of this year already promises greater 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 Verge reported this week. The 26.5-inch, 2560×1440 LG UltraGear 27GR95QE-B will have a $1,000 MSRP, and the 45-inch, 3400×1440 LG 45GR95QE-B is $1,700.

MSI also plans to announce a new ultrawide OLED monitor at the CES trade show next month, but we don't know much about it other than that it's ultrawide, curved, and 240 Hz.

It's also possible we'll see the release of a bendable OLED monitor next year. Corsair hasn't confirmed when its Xeneon Flex 45WQHD240 will come out or for how much, but it teased the 45-inch, 3440×1440 gaming monitor in September.

The 27-inch Philips 27E1N8900 4K video editing monitor was supposed to release in the US for around $1,070, which would be a competitive size and price, a What HiFi report said in May, but we've yet to hear from Philips.

Further, we could see OLED monitors next year or beyond with even smaller designs. LG Display is reportedly working on 20-inch OLED panels that could be used in small monitors.

With any luck, we'll hear about 2023 OLED monitors over the next few weeks and during CES.

OLED monitors on the up and up

One thing that could help drive innovation, lower prices, and better variety among OLED monitors is increased competition. For a long time, LG Display was the primary distributor of OLED panels. And while it will continue to be a leader in 2023, Samsung Display's QD-OLED, which debuted in 2022, will present more options. The first QD-OLED monitors, the Alienware AW3423DW and AW3423DWF, were received favorably for combining the high contrast of OLED with the vivid colors enabled by quantum dots. It was also recently reported that QD-OLED production is ramping up for "high-resolution" QD-OLED monitors.

OLED production capabilities are reportedly improving as well. In an announcement of its "AMOLED Technology and Market Status" report on December 1, Trendforce predicted that OLED will be implemented in 2.8 percent of IT products by 2025 (and 5.2 percent in 2026) due to the "gradual deployment of the supporting panel production capacity."

Meanwhile, aging TFT-LCD is nearing its "fullest maturity in terms of product design," Trendforce said.

"Trendforce believes that the next 1 to 2 years will be a critical period for the growth of OLED in the market for IT products. The extent of the improvements in related technologies and the magnitude of investments in the supporting large-generation panel production capacity will determine if the adoption of OLED in the IT segment will proceed smoothly."

LG's $2,000, 26.5-inch 27EQ850-B gives us hope for greater OLED monitor selection in the near term.

Credit: LG

By contrasting, panel makers are still finding ways to improve OLED image quality. One of the biggest complaints around OLED compared to LCD monitors is less brightness. LG's upcoming 27GR95QE-B and 45GR95QE-B each claim a max brightness of 200 nits, for example.