OLED vs Mini-LED LCD for HDR Gaming? Does Dolby Vision, Firmware Updates Matter? - April Q&A

What I love most about my OLED is not the HDR (which is still amazing), but the black levels and the colors. You benefit from it even when not consuming HDR content which, for me at least, is 90% of my use case. After 3 years I'm still stunned when I can't see the edges of my screen when it's displaying something on a black background in the dark.

Over here in the UK, there is currently very little indication that a plethora of 32" 4K OLED monitors exist, apart from 1 or 2 big retailers having a "Pre-order" option for a single model

In my experience having owned dozens of OLED and FALD LCD's comes down to this: if you primarily game with dark content and/or game during the night, OLED is a clear winner. If you have brighter/outdoor type games or mainly game during the day in a room with windows that lets daylight in, go for the FALD LCD.

The PG32UCDM has broken HDR that got half-fixed by a new firmware update which also broke the KVM and USB hub which now requires another firmware update to fully fix the HDR and restore the KVM and USB features.... So yes firmware updates matter.

Thank you for this - upgrading my monitor in a few weeks, and wondering this exact comparison!!

Firmware updates are definitely a key feature, can 100% agree with that. I bought a KTC M27T20 and during my research I did see some users reporting issues with Backlight flickering when HDR was on. Then I saw after they had reports that they pushed out a firmware for all current monitors out there and updated the firmware on the new ones they were bringing to stock. The one I had came with that issue and I followed the firmware update for the monitor and I am beyond pleased with this product. Probably might get a second one since the pricing on the monitor has gone down in recent times as well.

Perfect timing. Looking for Mini-LED LCD lately.

I picked a mini-led with lots of dimming zones, looks almost as good as an OLED, and I also play games with a lot bright highlights and snow/ice content so it made sense for me. Plus I don't have to babysit my monitor or worry about image retention. I still wanna try an OLED one day, though.

thank you for the detailed answer, giving examples like subtitle blooming and snowy scenes in HDR were quite useful. from what you've mentioned seems the OLED (QD-OLED) is the way to go for my use case. I really appreciate it, Mr Tim.

Dolby Vision IQ changed my life lol. It can make content look very watchable on an OLED even right next to a window during the day.

Thanks for answering my question, Tim! You were of course right, I'm currently using a WOLED. 4K is where I'd ultimately like to be, and your opinion on what all to consider regarding upgrading this year versus waiting was very helpful! Cheers!

Thank you for your hard work, Tim! 🙂

The lack of 38" 1600p ultrawide monitors has indeed been disappointing. I waited for ages for one such (OLED) panel to appear, until I begrudgingly opted for the 42" LG C2. Well, now I'm glad I bought it - it makes for a fantastic 4K / 3840x1600 ultrawide mixed use monitor, depending on the game. At some point I see myself upgrading to one of the upcoming 39" 5120x2160 240hz ultrawide monitors, but for now I couldn't be happier.

I own an OG AW3423DW and prior to a firmware update I discovered I could actually apply to my machine, I had issues with Apple Music's DRM interrupting the monitor signal somehow, not to mention the persistent pixel/panel refresh issues (where it would bug me about doing so after I woke the machine up after an extended period away, then shut down the screen instead of sleeping). So yeah, prior to this screen I'd never have thought about updating the screen firmware, but now I understand and appreciate.

It is crazy how those long/complicated model names roll off your tongue. 🤣

Had a KTC 27" oled that was very underwhelming, and was just using a G8 OLED, and returned both in favor of a Acer XV275k p3, the brightness on the XV is just so much better than what I was getting on the 2 oled's. Plus the 4k just makes details in Star Citizen look amazing. Peak 50% Window brightness for the XV275k is 1,725 cd/m² and for the G8 OLED that is 302 cd/m². Night and day difference to me, even being in a light controlled room.

I ordered the 32 inch Alienware 4K curved oled, I’m really excited for it, if I don’t like the curve, I’ll return it and wait for the asus to become available

The thing a lot of monitor (and TV) buyers fail to consider is their ability to see what the screen is capable of presenting. Seeing what the screen presents boils down to two factors: 1) a person's visual acuity, and 2) a person's training and experience (in other words, knowing what to look for). Avoid being oversold on a monitor's specs and reviews; get your actual eyes on competing units if you can, and buy accordingly. It makes no sense to spend a lot of money on a monitor whose best qualities are lost on your eyes.

What kind of mic are you guys using? Sounds so nice

same with the uk in regards to mini LED's. we really only have the coolermaster for mini LED @ 4K in 27"