Before we get into the review, a brief history of modern OLED displays will help put the context in perspective:
Two years ago, Samsung released the first generation of QD-OLED (Quantum Dot OLED) technology, using the highly sought-after 3440×1440 ultra-wide resolution and a refresh rate of up to 175hz. Gamers are snapping up these monitors, eager for a true desktop OLED experience. Unfortunately, both first-generation QD-OLED and LG Display’s competing W-OLED panels use a red-blue-green sub-pixel orientation. This doesn’t sit well with Windows being designed for a red-green-blue layout. While this has no noticeable impact on gaming and video content, text and high-contrast areas may exhibit green/blue fringing, which many find distracting. The same applications where text clarity issues are most pronounced also tend to work in interfaces that present more risk of screen burn-in and image retention. I use my own computer not only for gaming and video consumption, but also for productivity using applications like Word and Excel. Because of this, I decided to hold off on using OLED panels until the technology improves.
At CES in January 2024, LG Display and Samsung Display introduced a large number of new panels to the world. LG showed off several displays that will be available in the first quarter and will feature second-generation W-OLED. Unfortunately, LG didn’t change the sub-pixel layout in the second-gen panels. LG also announced its third-generation panel, which will feature a smaller pixel structure (allowing for higher pixel density) and a revised RGB sub-pixel layout. These third-generation panels won’t be available until later this year.
Samsung Display is one step ahead of the competition, announcing that its third-generation QD-OLED desktop panels will be shipping some models immediately. Samsung has made some changes to the subpixel layout of its 49-inch ultrawide QD-OLED panels for 2023 (my colleague Josh Walrath should have some feedback soon). This design change helps resolve text clarity issues experienced by users of the first-generation panels.
These new third-generation QD-OLEDs use a new sub-pixel creation process that allows for significantly higher pixel density (up to 140 pixels per inch) and a maximum refresh rate of an astonishing 240hz at 4k resolution.
Although the previous introduction is a bit long, I thought it might be useful to explain some of the reasons why OLED displays have not yet taken over the market, even though the technology has been around for many years. What this introduction brings to the table is that I decided to ditch my long-standing 34-inch ultrawide IPS LG panel and upgrade to the Alienware version of the new 3rd generation QD-OLED 31.5-inch 4K HDR panel and share what I did last month My experience using this monitor.
Now, the review…