LG continues diversifying OLED monitor options; lists 27-incher for $1,000
LG continues to show a commitment to diversifying OLED monitor options. And that’s particularly exciting when it comes to users seeking smaller sizes and lower prices. The company recently listed a 26.5-inch OLED monitor for $1,000 that offers more speed than most people need but adds variety to today’s scant selection of desktop-size OLED monitors.
As spotted by a few sites, including Wccftech on Sunday, LG has listed the 26.5-inch UltraGear 27GR95QE-B; however, it doesn’t seem available to purchase online in the US yet. We reached out to LG about US availability and will update this article if the company responds.
The monitor prioritizes pushing frames over pixel count, sporting a 2560×1440 resolution and a 240 Hz refresh rate. LG’s gaming monitor also has an aggressively fast 0.03 ms gray-to-gray response time, plus Nvidia G-Sync Compatibility and AMD FreeSync Premium for fighting screen tears. This is a screen built for gamers who would rather have fast-paced action that looks super-smooth than the sharpest display. And if you’re not convinced of this screen’s gamer heritage, just check out the hexagonal RGB lighting area on the monitor’s backside:
Other specs include a claimed 98.5 percent DCI-P3 coverage and a mysterious brightness spec of “TBD.” We reached out to LG about this as well, but OLED monitors tend to have less max brightness than similarly priced LCD options. LG’s pricier ($2,000 MSRP) UltraFine 27EQ850-B 4K OLED monitor, for example, claims 200 nits.
LG’s UltraGear 27GR95QE-B also comes with two HDMI ports, a DisplayPort, two USB 3.0 downstream ports, one USB 3.0 upstream port, a 3.5 mm jack, and an S/PDIF port, according to the product page’s incomplete spec sheet.
With all those specs under consideration, there are plenty of users, like creatives, programmers, office workers, and anyone who wants more than 110.8 pixels per inch, who will have zero interest in this monitor.
And that’s a good thing.
Even if we have no interest in an OLED monitor with this speed and resolution, it’s the cheapest MSRP for a desktop-size OLED monitor we’ve seen yet. It also addresses a different use case than other OLED monitors.
Take the aforementioned UltraFine 27EQ850-B 26.9-inch OLED monitor that LG released for $2,000 earlier this month. With 4K resolution at 60 Hz and VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification, it’s for a totally different audience than the QHD 27GR95QE-B.
And that variety is just the spice of life OLED monitor selection needs. These 27-inch-class options are among the smallest OLED desktop monitors available today. There’s also the 31.5-inch LG UltraFine 32EP950-B ($4,000 MSRP) and 26.5-inch LG UltraFine 27EP950 ($3,000 MSRP). LG’s newer options bring lower prices and greater selection in terms of specs and features to a market mostly filled with 48-inch-plus choices and portable monitors.
Besides LG, Asus makes the 31.5-inch ProArt PA32DC 4K OLED monitor, but at $3,500, it remains out of reach for many users.
With OLED TVs now offered in various prices and sizes, we hope LG and other monitor vendors will continue to present contrast-obsessed computer users with OLEDs in more form factors.
LG Display, which makes display tech for various companies, is supposed to be working on 20-inch OLED panels, possibly for monitors and TVs.
Wherever the variety ultimately comes from, more choice is good for consumers. Considering the fact that consumers seeking desktop OLED monitors have been comparatively limited, it would be nice to have more options.
https://arstechnica.com/?p=1899505