Concerns about OLED monitor burn-in have been a recurring topic, but recent testing suggests that worries may be somewhat overstated. The latest crop of OLED monitors, available for a few years now, has not shown a significant problem with burn-in, especially within the first year or two of use. Long-term evidence is still limited due to the relatively recent release of these monitors.
RTINGS, a publication known for its stress testing, conducted long-term testing on OLED panels, focusing on three popular OLED gaming monitors, including the Alienware 34 QD-OLED:
The Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor was one of the 3 submitted to the test. (Image: Dell)
The stress test involved running a 16:9 video feed of CNN at maximum brightness for about 700 hours, revealing some wear in the central area of the display. However, RTINGS emphasizes two crucial considerations: the wear wasn’t noticeable in normal content, and switching to full-screen mode reversed some of the damage, indicating it wasn’t permanent at that point in the testing cycle.
The stress test differs from typical usage scenarios, and RTINGS highlights the importance of screen savers, pixel shifting, and allowing pixels time to reset to extend the lifespan of these panels. While not dismissing the test’s value, the conclusion is that OLED monitors should not be exclusively limited to gaming, contrary to some suggestions.
It’s acknowledged that there are risks of burn-in with OLED monitors, but using a mix of content in full-screen mode and maintaining the panel with pixel refreshes and screensavers significantly reduces concerns. Despite potential risks, the overall sentiment is that the advancements in OLED technology make these monitors worthwhile, and fears about burn-in may be somewhat exaggerated based on current testing and usage patterns.
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