- Samsung recently announced its plans to introduce cheaper OLED monitors
- The tech giant wants to speed up the transition from LCD displays to OLED for consumers
- It’s not yet clear how much cheaper OLED monitors will be despite the ‘mid-to-low’ price range target
Gaming or streaming movies on an OLED monitor is arguably still king in terms of immersive at-home viewing experiences, but it’s no secret that they’re expensive. However, that could be about to change thanks to Samsung‘s new plans.
In a press release, Samsung announced that it will enter the ‘mid-to-low price range’ for its OLED offerings, by introducing cheaper options to help accelerate the transition from LCD displays. Its current lineup of high-end OLED monitors has already proved successful: Samsung claims it now holds 71.2% of the OLED market share when it comes to PC monitors, and it’s now time to capitalize on that success with greater accessibility for consumers.
Besides mini-LED monitors that offer high brightness and great contrast, OLED is one of the best options for contrast ratio and black levels – ultimately, OLED panels are often found in the best monitors on the market, providing the ideal picture quality for games and entertainment. The problem is that most of these displays are simply too expensive for the average consumer, meaning most are forced to choose weaker display types – fortunately, cheaper models could change that.
It isn’t exactly clear what kind of prices Samsung determines as mid-to-low: many OLED monitors have seen significant price drops recently (based on Amazon‘s sales), a long way down from price tags over $900, and sub-$600 might be Samsung’s starting point.
OLED is quite literally about to become the new standard for monitors
It’s been a long time coming, but Samsung’s plans look like a catalyst for making OLED panels the new standard for monitors, finally sending LCD displays to the scrapheap. Pricing has been a major dealbreaker for most, and with that now set to change, things are about to get very interesting.
While there are still some stipulations involved with using an OLED monitor – notably having to ensure it doesn’t suffer from burn-in – the benefits that come from the infinite contrast ratio and excellent color reproduction are truly exceptional. As I’ve said before, it can literally elevate gaming experiences and go a long way toward making sequences look true to life.
After using an OLED display for years now, I can’t go back to regular LCD displays. Mini-LED is the closest you’ll get, but it still doesn’t quite match up to OLED quality.
I couldn’t be happier that Samsung is finally considering dropping prices for its OLED monitors, and I hope that other companies follow suit. Fortunately, Samsung’s QD-OLED panels are widely used for other third-party monitors, so I’d be surprised if this doesn’t have an impact on the market.
