The big monitor preview 2025

Samuel Buchmann

24.1.2025

Translation: machine translated

CES brought a flood of monitor news. Here you will find a summary of the trends for this year and an overview of the new models from various manufacturers.

2025 will once again be dominated by OLED. While last year saw the dawn of a new technological era of high pixel density, progress this year is not quite as great. The two major panel manufacturers LG and Samsung are no longer marching in lockstep, but are instead focussing on two different directions. Time for an overview of the most exciting innovations.

Note: The first section is an outline of the technical basics. If you are not interested in the details or you already know your way around, you can scroll directly to the subtitle "More burn-in protection".

LCD vs. WOLED vs. QD-OLED

To help you categorise monitors, here is an overview of current display technologies. They fall into five categories:

1. LCD with TN panel
2. LCD with IPS panel
3. LCD with VA panel
4. White OLED (WOLED)
5. Quantum Dot OLED (QD-OLED)

An overview of the advantages and disadvantages of LCD and OLED:

If you want to know more about the differences between the various technologies, I recommend this article on OLED vs. LCD and this article on WOLED vs. QD-OLED by colleague Luca Fontana.

The most important differences between the three types of LCD:

• TN panels cost the least and achieve very good response times and high frame rates. However, viewing angle stability, colour reproduction and black levels are the worst.
• IPS panels have a high viewing angle stability and very good colour reproduction. But they are expensive. The black levels and response times are only mediocre. This makes the picture appear less sharp during fast movements.
• VA panels offer the best LCD contrast values, the viewing angle stability is between TN and IPS. However, response times are the longest and power consumption is the highest.

The most important differences between QD-OLED and WOLED:

• QD-OLED can display bright colours more saturated than WOLED. The colour space coverage is therefore slightly higher. However, ambient light leads to a significantly poorer black level with QD-OLED. The triangular sub-pixel pattern also results in colour fringing at edges with high contrast, which reduces the sharpness of text. However, newer generations have this problem well under control.
• WOLED also suffers from colour fringing, but here too it is negligible with the new generations. At high brightness, classic WOLED becomes very warm, which can favour burn-in. This is why nervous protective mechanisms are often necessary. Unlike QD-OLED, the black level hardly deteriorates in bright surroundings.

The advantages of OLED displays are becoming ever greater. As a result, OLED models are also appearing this year in the former LCD stronghold of office monitors. Text sharpness is no longer a problem since the optimised sub-pixel patterns are no longer a problem. And the panels are even suitable for graphics and image editing because they almost completely cover the AdobeRGB colour space. In practice, this means the following in summary:

• For gaming, nothing beats OLED, unless you're playing in a very bright room. Then you're better off with LCD.
• For all-round screens, OLED is at least on a par with LCD. The advantages and disadvantages of both technologies roughly balance each other out if you have a mixed application profile.
• For office screens, LCDs with IPS panels are still the safest choice due to the higher brightness and lower risk of burn-in, but the lead is melting away.

More burn-in protection

The biggest unknown with OLED monitors remains the risk of image retention ("burn-in"). It increases the warmer the panels get and the longer static content is displayed. Both are usually the case when working in brightly lit offices. However, previous tests with new OLED generations give hope, for example from "Rtings.com" or "Monitor Unboxed".

I too am currently putting an Asus PG32UCDM to an endurance test and working on it for at least eight hours a day - at full brightness and without dark mode. I reject the automatic suggestions for additional cleaning cycles every four hours. So I'm deliberately doing everything wrong. Nevertheless, after seven months I still haven't noticed any image retention at all. An initial conclusion will follow in the summer.

Manufacturers are continuously improving their protective measures against burn-in. Several manufacturers presented new "OLED Care" features at CES. These include AI-supported local adjustments of brightness in static image areas. The new QD OLED models from Asus also have a proximity sensor installed for the first time. It switches the picture to black when no one is sitting in front of the screen.

HDMI 2.2 and graphics cards with DP 2.1

In addition to new screens, a new HDMI standard was also presented at CES. At 96 gigabits per second (Gbps), version 2.2 offers twice the bandwidth of the previous version 2.1, allowing you to transmit high resolutions at higher frame rates uncompressed via HDMI in future. For the foreseeable future, however, this will hardly bring any advantages and it will probably be years before HDMI 2.2 is widely used, which will reduce unnecessary static load.

DisplayPort 2.1 is already a reality, capable of up to 80 Gbps, which is enough for uncompressed 4K at 240 hertz, for example. Until now, this option was just grey theory because there were no consumer graphics cards that supported the necessary transmission standard. This is now changing: Nvidia's new 50 series is the first to come with certification for DisplayPort UHBR20. The 9000 series from AMD is also rumoured.

This is the first time you can utilise the full potential of DisplayPort 2.1. Monitors with the connection have been available since last year - and more and more manufacturers are integrating the connection into their devices in 2025. VESA also announced an update to the protocol at CES: DisplayPort 2.1b will support active cables up to three metres in length at full speed. Previously, you could only use this with very short cables.

45 inch, WOLED, 5K2K, 165 Hertz

Perhaps the most exciting new display this year comes from LG: a 45-inch WOLED panel with a resolution of 5120 × 2160 pixels ("5K2K"). In purely technical terms, this is not a special achievement, as the pixel density of 125 pixels per inch (ppi) is nothing new. 32-inch 4K OLEDs with 140 ppi have been available since last year.

However, LG is the first manufacturer to scale a high OLED pixel density to such a large surface. The monitor could be a dream for high-end gaming - provided your graphics card is up to the task. The South Koreans are installing the panel in two different models. The UltraGear 45GX990A can be motorised and curved between flat and 900R. The probably cheaper 45GX950A has a fixed curvature of 900R. You can find more details here:

Unfortunately, the Monster OLEDs are not cheap. The recommended retail price for the fixed-curved 45GX950A in the USA is USD 1999. The 45GX990A is likely to be even more expensive. There are no exact details on availability yet, LG spoke to the portal "TFTCentral" about April 2025. In addition, the panel could also find its way into models from other manufacturers over the course of the year.

27 inch, QD-OLED, 4K, 240 Hertz

Technical advances in QD OLED technology are being made at Samsung. This year, 4th generation panels with 166 ppi pixel density are going into mass production. This means that 27-inch monitors with 4K resolution are possible for the first time, and there were plenty of them on show at CES. They all have a frame rate of 240 hertz and only differ in terms of design and connections.

The models presented so far:

• Samsung Odyssey G81SF: matt display coating
• Asus ROG Swift PG27UCDM: DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR20
• Alienware AW2725Q: small footprint
• MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED: DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR20
• Gigabyte MO27U2: DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR20

All of these monitors are flat and, with the exception of the Samsung Odyssey G81SF, come with a semi-glossy display. The Alienware AW2725Q costs 899 US dollars, the other manufacturers have not yet announced prices. Normally, Alienware is at the lower end of the scale, Samsung and MSI in the middle, Gigabyte and Asus at the upper end. All models are scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2025.

27 inch, QD-OLED, 1440p, 500 Hertz

While LG has been offering a WOLED panel with 480 hertz since 2024, the maximum frame rate for Samsung's QD OLED was previously 360 hertz (to test the Odyssey G6). Samsung is now catching up or even slightly overtaking LG: the new fourth-generation QD OLED display with 2560 × 1440 pixels on 27 inches achieves 500 hertz.

Such high refresh rates are particularly interesting for e-sports, where they ensure particularly clear images in motion. This can make a difference in competitive high-end shooters. Here are all models with Samsung's new 500 hertz panel:

• Samsung Odyssey G60SF: matte display coating
• Asus ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDPG
• MSI MPG 272QR QD-OLED X50: DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR20
• Gigabyte Aorus FO27Q5P: DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR20

Pricing information is not yet available. The 500 Hz monitors should be available in the second quarter of 2025.

32-inch, QD-OLED, 4K - for the office

As mentioned above, current OLED panels appear to be more resistant to burn-in than many had feared. Samsung and Dell have probably also come to this conclusion. Both brands are daring to pack the technology into an office monitor. At CES, they each presented a screen with a 32-inch QD OLED panel with 4K resolution:

• Samsung Smart Monitor M90SF: 165 Hertz, SmartTV-OS
• Dell 32 Plus S3225QC: 120 Hertz, integrated soundbar

The two models have a lower frame rate than their gaming brothers with 240 hertz, but have additional features. Dell packs 3D speakers with a total output of 25 watts into the chin of the S3225QC, announces it for the end of May 2025 and quotes a price of 799 US dollars. Samsung advertises the M90SF with smart TV functions and remains silent on price and availability.

40 inch, LCD, 5K2K, 180 Hertz

In addition to its OLED models, Samsung also unveiled a new gaming monitor with an IPS panel in Las Vegas. The Odyssey G7 has a 40-inch diagonal with a 21:9 ratio and a 5K2K resolution (5120 × 2160 pixels). This corresponds to a pixel density of 140 ppi. You can imagine the format as if you were attaching additional screen space to the left and right of a 32-inch screen with 4K resolution.

The frame rate of the Odyssey G7 is 180 hertz, the response time is 1 millisecond - both good values for an IPS panel, but below the level of OLED. On the other hand, the LED backlight should be brighter. Exact specifications are not yet available. However, the DisplayHDR 600 certification suggests that the monitor does not have Full Array Local Dimming. I therefore don't expect miracles in terms of picture quality. Price and start date: unknown.

32 inch, LCD, 5K and 6K

A final small trend is LCD monitors with a particularly high pixel density. Acer is trying it out with a gaming model with "real" 5K resolution in a 16:9 aspect ratio (5120 × 2880 pixels, 183 ppi pixel density) at 144 hertz. This requires a graphics card to calculate 2.12 billion pixels per second - slightly more than for 4K at 240 hertz (1.99 billion).

The manufacturer specifies a response time of 0.5 milliseconds for the 32-inch display with IPS panel and a maximum brightness of 350 nits. The Acer Predator XB323QX is one of the first monitors with Nvidia Pulsar, which allows the simultaneous use of Black Frame Insertion (BFI) and Variable Frame Rate (VRR).

• Acer Predator XB323QX: 5K resolution, Nvidia Pulsar
• LG Ultrafine 6K 32U990A: 6K, Thunderbolt 5
• Asus ProArt PA32QCV: 6K, Thunderbolt 4

The models from LG and Asus have a completely different focus. They are primarily aimed at Mac users who want to run their operating system in native scaling. With their 6K resolutions (6,144 × 3,456 pixels for LG, 6016 × 3384 pixels for Asus) on 32 inches, the two displays position themselves as an alternative to the Apple Pro Display XDR.

The similarity between the LG 32U990A in particular cannot be overlooked, as the design is strongly reminiscent of that from Cupertino. Unfortunately, the frame rate of 60 hertz is also the same. And unlike Apple, neither LG nor Asus offer LED backlighting with local dimming. The picture quality is therefore unlikely to be at the same level as the Pro Display XDR. Depending on the price, the new 6K monitors could still be exciting.

Looking to the distant future

There is still no official information about the future plans of the two display manufacturers LG and Samsung, but there is some speculation and logical conclusions. However, it is worth taking a look at the TV division of the two brands. In many respects, it is a harbinger of what we can expect later in monitors.

So LG is saying goodbye to its microlens layer (MLA) this year, which ensured a higher light yield. Instead, "Tandem WOLED" is making its way into the latest televisions. LG itself has kept a low profile - but Panasonic, which sources its panels from LG, has readily revealed details. A version of the same technology is also used in the iPad Pro, which I have already been able to measure.

In short, Tandem WOLED is a massive step forward because it gets more luminosity out of the same energy. This enables brighter displays, better colours and a lower risk of burn-in. It is probably only a matter of time before the technology finds its way into monitors. Before then, however, LG is still expected to produce normal WOLED monitors with higher pixel densities:

• 39 inch, 5120 × 2160, 142 ppi
• 34 inch, 5120 × 2160, 163 ppi
• 27 inch, 3840 × 2160, 166 ppi

Samsung also appears to be incorporating an additional luminous layer in the latest generation of QD OLED TVs, although official confirmation is still pending. This would mean that a panel would consist of a total of five layers - compared to four layers for tandem WOLED. In marketing terms, both will probably end up being labelled "tandem OLED", as the properties are similar.

The effect for TVs with the new Samsung displays: they achieve full screen up to 390 nits - significantly more than current monitors (250 nits). Here, too, it is to be hoped that tandem QD OLED will make it into monitors in the next few years. The chances are good, as the margins of the smaller displays are higher, which makes them lucrative for manufacturers.

Little has happened in the LCD sector in recent years. However, the mass suitability of the OLED competition will increase the pressure on panel manufacturers. Higher frame rates in office monitors could be a welcome trend. Dell already has a model with 120 Hertz in its range with the UltraSharp U4025QW and presented two variants of it in 27 and 32 inches at CES. They also have a new generation of IPS black panel with a better contrast ratio of 3000:1.

Samuel Buchmann

Senior Editor

Samuel.Buchmann@digitecgalaxus.ch

My fingerprint often changes so drastically that my MacBook doesn't recognise it anymore. The reason? If I'm not clinging to a monitor or camera, I'm probably clinging to a rockface by the tips of my fingers.

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