Samsung has been at the forefront of the OLED gaming monitor trend, but so far it’s been mostly interested in gigantic, super-ultrawide screens with requisite gigantic price tags. In the lead-up to CES 2024, the company is showing off smaller and more accessible designs. a 31.5-inch 4K monitor and a 27-inch QHD monitor will be hitting the market sometime next year.
The smaller sizes of these displays don’t mean they’ll be skimming on the gaming features. While the Quantum Dot panels forego any curve factor and don’t have the elaborate stands of the Odyssey series, they’re considerably faster, with refresh rates of up to 360Hz. That’s according to a machine translation of the promotional post from Samsung’s official Weibo account, first spotted by WCCFTech.
That smaller size and faster refresh might make these screens much more appealing to the esports segment, especially the 27-inch 1440p model. Thus far the superior vibrancy and contrast of OLED hasn’t swayed competitive gamers away from much faster VA and IPS panels, which can reach over 500Hz on the most advanced screens.
What about prices? In typical Samsung fashion, there’s no word. Hopefully the smaller panel sizes will come with at least some kind of discount, as it’s hard to find any OLED monitor below the $800 mark. I wouldn’t look to Samsung to beat its competitors on value, but they should at least be cheaper than the OLED ultrawides currently on the market.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.