OLED, 32 inches, 4K, 240 hertz: has Asus just launched the perfect monitor?

«That’s all well and good, but where are 32-inch screens with OLED and 4K technology?» I’ve read comments like this every time a manufacturer has launched an ultrawide OLED monitor in the past few months. In fact, until now, there have been no medium-sized OLED screens with a 16:9 aspect ration and high resolution.

That’s now changing: Asus presented the ROG Swift PG32UCDM at Gamescom – a flat 32-inch model with an OLED panel, 4K resolution and 240-hertz image frequency. The design is clearly aimed at gamers. There are two HDMI 2.1 connections as well as one DisplayPort 1.4 and one USB-C each. The latter delivers 65 watts to charge laptops.

The gaming monitor has a Samsung-made QD-OLED panel. With HDR content, the display should reach a peak of 1,000 nits at certain points. Full screen brightness is 250 nits. That’s a good figure for OLED. If that sounds familiar to you, QD-OLED panels are already used in various ultra wide screens. You can expect the same contrasts and colours as here, for example:

But two key things are new to the Asus ROG Swift PG32UCDM:

1. The pixel density: 4K on 32 inches means 137 pixels per inch (ppi). Previous screens with QD-OLED only managed 108 ppi. This is a striking difference and makes for a sharper image.
2. The subpixel pattern: As YouTube channel HDTVTest reports, the new panel retains the triangular subpixel arrangement, but the individual subpixels are more rectangular than before. According to Asus, this reduces the typical QD-OLED colour fringes at high-contrast edges. Things like text should appear less jagged.

The perfect all-round screen?

This is great news for anyone looking for a display for mixed applications: gaming and work. On the one hand, the ROG Swift PG32UCDM has the perfect black levels, fast response times, great colours and sufficient brightness of QD-OLED. On the other hand, as the first monitor with this technology, it delivers a high pixel density and reduces the annoying colour fringes in text – at least if Asus delivers on its promise.

And what about burn-in? All OLED screens are prone to ghosting if they have to constantly display the same menu bars or window layouts. The warmer they get, the more likely the individual pixels are to wear out at different rates. Because a high pixel density causes more heat, the risk of burn-in would generally be high with the new Asus. This is supposed to be counteracted by a large heatsink on the back, which dissipates the heat. Only long-term tests will show how well this works.

The DisplayPort 1.4 connection is a mystery to me at this frame rate and resolution. It can’t transmit 4K in 240 hertz. This would require the newer version 2.1, which Asus unfortunately omits. So if you want to exploit the full performance of the monitor, you’ll have to connect it via HDMI 2.1.

It will still take some time for the Asus ROG Swift PG32UCDM to find its way onto desks: it won’t arrive until the first quarter of 2024 at the earliest. Asus is keeping quiet about the price.

Other monitors: QD-OLED vs. WOLED WOLED

Besides the 32-inch model, Asus presented two other monitors at Gamescom. The 49-inch ROG Swift OLED PG49WCD also comes with a QD-OLED panel. Its has a resolution of 5120 × 1440 and a moderate curvature of 1800R.

The panoramic screen has exactly the same panel as the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9, so the picture quality should be comparable. However, the Samsung monitor has 240 hertz, while the Asus monitor has to make do with 144. The latter should be a bit cheaper – the recommended price in the USA is 1,499 US dollars. Samsung started at 2,200, now it’s 1,800. The ROG Swift OLED PG49WCD is expected to be released in October 2023.

Thirdly, Asus presented a 34-inch model with a conventional OLED panel (WOLED): the ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDM. It’s very curved at 800R and has a frame rate of 240 hertz. The resolution is 3440 × 1440 pixels.

The panel is probably the latest generation of LG’s WOLED, which is about as bright as Samsung’s QD-OLED panels. According to Asus, in certain areas of the screen, the luminance reaches 1,300 nits. However, HDTVTest suggest that when the measurement is taken across the screen as a whole, it'll probably reach 250 nits. The ROG Swift OLED PG34WCDM will be available in the first quarter of 2024. Price: unknown.

Look into our crystal ball, 2024’s going to be good

Asus’ new OLED screens sound more sophisticated than previous models from other manufacturers. The high pixel density and better subpixel pattern of the 32-inch model are particularly pleasing. The screens’ cooling systems, meanwhile, should reduce the risk of burn-in, which is also important.

The mid-size 4K QD-OLED panel is the first of its kind. It could find its way into other displays in different shapes and sizes in the coming year. For example, 40-inch monitors in 21:9 format with a resolution of 5120 × 2160 pixels are conceivable. The next generation of 1440p displays with QD-OLED should also adopt the new sub-pixel pattern. This reduces one of the drawbacks of the technology in office applications: poor text sharpness due to colour fringing. But first I want to see how well it works with my own eyes.

With WOLED panels, the latest technology from LG’s TVs seems to be finding its way into screens. With its comparable brightness, LG is trying to keep up with QD-OLED. Colour fringes were never a problem thanks to the conventional subpixel pattern. LG always had to rely on aggressive automatic brightness limiting to keep the burn-in risk under control. That’s fine with TVs, but a nuisance with monitors. I’m afraid it won’t get any better with even brighter panels.

Having said that, hopefully 2024 will be the year when OLED monitors overcome many of their teething problems. So if, like me, you weren’t completely sold on the previous options, it might be worth holding out a bit longer.