Best OLED Gaming Monitors 2024
Manufacturers use several types of panels in today’s gaming monitors: Twisted Nematic (TN), Vertical Alignment (VA), In-Plane Switching (IPSand Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED). Of the four panel types, OLED is the newest and most expensive but is growing in popularity among elite gaming monitors.
So, what makes OLEDs such a popular choice for today’s top gaming monitors? Well, part of the reason is in the name itself. Each pixel in the panel can emit light when a current is passed through. As a result, there is no need for an always-on backlight to illuminate each pixel. That means that the necessary pixels are simply turned off when representing the color black. This makes blacks look truly black, especially compared to IPS panel monitors.
The deep black levels also lead to incredibly high contrast ratios compared to other panel types and stunningly vibrant colors. And while it wasn’t always the case when OLED gaming monitors first hit the scene, we’re also seeing higher refresh rate panels, upwards of 480 Hz. While we don’t see the 500 Hz+ refresh rates possible with TN and IPS panels, 240 Hz is typically plenty for the 34+ inch panel sizes we usually see with OLED gaming monitors.
Below is a list of the best OLED gaming monitors we’ve tested in-house.
Quick List
Best OLED Gaming Monitor
Alienware has assembled a world-class 27-inch QHD gaming monitor with a QD-OLED panel and a 360 Hz refresh rate. The AW2725DF is an easy choice for gamers who don’t have the desk real estate to accommodate a larger 32-inch panel but still want a colorful and responsive panel with few peers.
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2. Corsair Xeneon Flex 45WQHD240
Best Flexible OLED Gaming Monitor
The Corsair Xeneon Flex is a one-of-a-kind gaming monitor. It features a 45-inch bendable OLED panel that can either be straight or take on up to an 800R curve for your immersive gaming needs.
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3. Philips Evnia 49M2C8900
Best Mega-Ultrawide Gaming Monitor
The Philips Evnia 49M2C8900 has a panel that stretches an incredible 49 inches across. It’s OLED panel delivers a spacious 5120 x 1440 resolution, topping out at 240 Hz.
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4. Asus ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDP
Best 4K OLED Gaming Monitor
The Asus ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDP is a well-rounded OLED gaming monitor that offers 240 Hz gaming at 4K or 480 Hz gaming at 1080p. Throw in vibrant and accurate color along with excellent build quality, this is one of the few monitors that can be all things to all people.
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Best OLED Gaming Monitors 2024
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Best Overall OLED Gaming Monitor
While 240 Hz has long been a refresh rate benchmark for OLED panels, Alienware is pushing the boundaries with the AW2725DF. The 27-inch gaming monitor boasts a QD-OLED panel with a QHD resolution, an impressive 360 Hz refresh rate and a 0.03 ms response time.
The AW2725DF doesn’t skimp on productivity features, either. It offers five USB ports, including USB-C connectivity for newer devices. The monitor also features customizable RGB lighting so that it can sync with your PC and peripherals like mice and keyboards.
As of this writing, the AW2725DF is available for as low as $737, a bargain for such a high-performing monitor that would be perfect for professional eSports players.
More: Alienware AW2725DF Gaming Monitor Review
Best Flexible OLED Gaming Monitor
The Corsair Xeneon Flex features a bendable OLED panel that amazingly transforms from a flat panel to one with an 800R curve. This is accomplished using two handles jutting out from the monitor, allowing it to offer the best of both worlds when it comes to satisfying gaming and productivity needs.
While the trick bending panel is the highlight of the Xeneon Flex, Corsair also gives you a fast 240 Hz refresh rate along with support for AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync. But if there’s one thing where Corsair did skimp, it’s regarding the maximum resolution of 3440 x 1440. That’s more akin to something we’d see in a 34-inch ultrawide gaming monitor, not something that stretches 45 inches across.
However, the 3440 x 1440 resolution isn’t dense enough with a panel this large (45 inches). We’d prefer to see 5120 x 1440 or higher at this size.
The good thing is that the Xeneon Flex has been on the market long enough for prices to drop dramatically. The monitor debuted at $2,000 and quickly fell to a street price of around $1,700. Today, the Xeneon Flex can be had for $1,300, which is a fair price for those looking for the novelty of a transforming OLED gaming monitor.
Read: Corsair Xeneon Flex 45WQHD240 Bendable OLED Review
Best Mega-Ultrawide Gaming Monitor
If you like your gaming monitors big and wide, look no further than the Philips Evnia 49M2C8900. This monitor stretches an immense 49 inches across with an expansive 5120 x 1440 resolution. The OLED panel has a refresh rate of 240 Hz and a response time of just 0.03 ms. As you might expect from a modern gaming monitor, it supports AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync to pair with the latest Radeon and GeForce graphics cards.
While Philips has all the basics covered, we can’t forget that the Evnia 49M2C8900 offers vivid and accurate colors without calibration. You also have top-notch motion processing to handle your fast-paced games. Two HDMI 2.1 ports, a DisplayPort 1.4 port, and a USB-C port handle your video needs. In addition, Philips continues its tradition of putting great-sounding audio onboard its monitors (four DTS-tuned speakers). Another plus is the inclusion of a remote, which adjusts settings from afar (which is a boon for those using the monitor to watch movies or TV shows).
However, all this gaming goodness doesn’t come cheap; the Philips Evnia 49M2C8900 currently has a street price of around $1,500.
More: Philips Evnia 49M2C8900 Review
Best 4K OLED Gaming Monitor
The Asus ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDP is one of those rare OLED monitors that seems to be loaded with positive attributes and has no meaningful downsides (well, other than pricing). The PG32UCDP also has the benefit of being a sort of dual-purpose monitor, able to handle your 4K gaming needs at a respectable 240 Hz.
However, if you need an ultra-fast refresh rate to handle your itchy trigger finger in eSports games, dial the resolution down to 1080p and crank up to 480 Hz. That is insane performance from an OLED monitor and a great option for gamers. In addition, brightness is surprisingly good for an OLED monitor, and accuracy is excellent straight out of the box.
We should also mention that the PG32UCDP can match the draw times of 500 Hz or 540 Hz 1080p IPS monitors with dramatically less input lag.
More: Asus ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDP Review
Best OLED Gaming Monitor Shopping Tips
- G-Sync and FreeSync are two technologies for synchronizing a monitor’s refresh rate with a graphics card’s frame rate. G-Sync is compatible with Nvidia graphics cards, while FreeSync is compatible with AMD graphics cards. While running G-Sync on a FreeSync-only monitor is technically possible, the performance may not be guaranteed. FreeSync monitors are generally more affordable than G-Sync monitors and their performance is comparable. For a detailed comparison of the performance of the two technologies, refer to our article comparing Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync.
- High refresh rates are essential for fast and smooth gameplay with gaming monitors. For gamers, a monitor with at least 120 Hz is recommended, with most gaming monitors offering at least 144 Hz. However, today’s fastest gaming monitors can hit 500 Hz or higher.
- Resolution refers to the number of pixels on a screen. The most popular resolutions for gaming monitors are Full HD (1920 x 1080), QHD (2560 x 1440), and 4K (3840 x 2160). A higher resolution screen will produce a sharper image with more detail. A 4K monitor will show a crisper image than a lower resolution Full HD monitor. Generally, lower-resolution monitors can support faster refresh rates, reaching 500 Hz and beyond. However, 4K monitors typically top out at around 240 Hz.
