One of the latest advancements in monitor technology is OLED panels, which have recently become more popular and accessible to buy. They're different from other panel technologies because instead of having a backlight, they have individual pixels that can turn on and off, which helps them display perfect blacks next to bright highlights without any blooming. Besides their superior picture quality, most OLEDs are beneficial for gaming. They have a near-instantaneous response time, so motion looks crispy.
However, there are downsides to using an OLED, as they're prone to burn-in when exposed to the same static elements over time. This means they aren't great to use only for work purposes, but there's less of a risk of burn-in if you use the monitor for varied usages.
Many new OLED monitors have come out in 2024, including both QD-OLED and WOLED models in various sizes, resolutions, and refresh rates. Generally speaking, QD-OLEDs offer the best picture quality with more vivid colors and brighter highlights, but blacks look purple in a bright room on those monitors, so a WOLED may be a better choice if that bothers you. Since many models use the same OLED panel as their competitors, choosing one over another can come down to features and price.
We've bought and tested more than 330 monitors, and below are our picks for the best OLEDs available. See our recommendations for the best gaming monitors, the best 4k HDR monitors, and, if you're concerned about the risk of burn-in, the best Mini LED monitors. Check out the best OLED TVs, too. You can also vote for the next OLED you want us to test.
The Samsung Odyssey OLED G8/G80SD S32DG80 is the best OLED monitor we've tested. It's a QD-OLED that combines a 4k resolution with a 240Hz refresh rate, making it ideal for gamers who want both a responsive feel and a detailed image. It has everything you'd expect from a premium OLED gaming monitor, like a near-instantaneous response time for sharp motion. It also takes full advantage of the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S thanks to its HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, so it's a great choice no matter the type of gamer you are. It even has remarkable picture quality with vivid colors and bright highlights, so it's fantastic for consuming HDR content.
The Samsung is part of a group of 32-inch, 4k QD-OLEDs that came out in 2024 and all perform similarly. Besides price and availability, choosing one over the other comes down to features and personal needs. This monitor is different from competing models because it has a built-in smart platform, which is useful for streaming content. Also, it uses a matte screen coating that reduces glare well, which is ideal if you want to use it in a bright room. However, the coating introduces haziness, so if that bothers you, the MSI MPG 321URX QD-OLED is a fantastic alternative with a glossy coating. That said, it's sometimes harder to find, but it's worth getting if you can find it for less than the Samsung.
If you're looking for the best OLED gaming monitor for competitive esports gaming, then look into the LG 32GS95UE-B. It's a 32-inch, 4k 240Hz monitor. It's different from the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8/G80SD S32DG80 because it has a WOLED panel instead of QD-OLED, so colors aren't as vivid. Another difference is that blacks don't look purple in bright rooms, like on a QD-OLED. This means it displays the same deep blacks in bright rooms as it would in dark rooms, so the picture quality is fantastic no matter your viewing environment.
What makes it better for esports gaming than the Samsung is that it has a unique Dual-Mode feature that changes it to a 1080p resolution and 480Hz refresh rate. This is great if you want the highest refresh rate for playing one game, then you can switch to its default 4k mode for a different game. However, this feature also comes at a price increase, so it's only worth getting over the Samsung if you're going to take advantage of the 480Hz refresh rate. You can also check out the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDP if you want something cheaper with the same dual mode feature, but it has higher input lag.
If you find the 32-inch screens of the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8/G80SD S32DG80 or the LG 32GS95UE-B too big, there are some great smaller OLEDs with 27-inch screens, like the Gigabyte AORUS FO27Q3. It's a QD-OLED like the Samsung, but it's different because it has a lower 1440p resolution, so images aren't as detailed. However, it has a 360Hz refresh rate, so it's a good sweet spot between detailed images and a responsive feel, and it's a fantastic choice for PC gaming.
As expected, motion looks sharp, and it has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth to take full advantage of HDMI 2.1 graphics cards. Besides that, it delivers picture quality similar to that of the Samsung, with vivid colors and bright highlights. It competes against other monitors with the same specs, and what makes it better is that it has a few useful features like a KVM switch and USB-C port.
There are other 27-inch OLED gaming monitors that you can find for less than the Gigabyte, which is useful if you're on a more limited budget. One of those is the ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG27AQDMG, which has a WOLED panel. It gets brighter than most OLEDs, great if you want to use it in a well-lit room, but it has a lower 240Hz refresh rate than the Gigabyte.
Although most OLEDs have a 16:9 aspect ratio, like the monitors mentioned above, there's a different class of OLEDs with a 21:9 aspect ratio. These are ultrawide displays that offer more horizontal screen space, which is great for playing atmospheric games. If that's what you're interested in, then check out the Dell Alienware AW3423DWF. It has a QD-OLED panel like the Gigabyte AORUS FO27Q3, so the picture quality is the same, but the main downside is that it has a lower 165Hz refresh rate than the Gigabyte. While this is still fine for most gamers, it isn't as ideal for competitive gaming.
If you do want such a high refresh rate, there are other ultrawide OLEDs with a 240Hz refresh rate, like the LG 34GS95QE-B. However, with a WOLED panel, colors aren't as vivid as on the Dell.
The Dell Alienware AW2725DF is a 1440p, 360Hz QD-OLED that competes with the Gigabyte AORUS FO27Q3. It's worth getting if you can find it on sale, but the Dell tends to cost more than the Gigabyte and has fewer features, as it lacks a KVM switch.
See our reviewThe ASUS ROG Swift OLED P32UCDM is a competitor of the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8/G80SD S32DG80. It gets brighter in SDR, which is great if you want to use it in a well-lit room. However, it tends to cost more and has a higher input lag, so Samsung provides better value.
See our reviewThe Dell AW3225QF is an alternative to the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8/G80SD S32DG80 if you want a curved QD-OLED. Besides the fact that it has a glossy coating, it performs similarly, but only consider it if you're fine with getting a curved display.
See our reviewThe Samsung Odyssey OLED G9/G95SC S49CG95 is a super ultrawide display with more screen space than the Dell Alienware AW3423DWF and a higher 240Hz refresh rate. However, it costs more, so only look into it if you want such a big screen.
See our reviewOct 07, 2024: We updated the recommendation to reflect the current OLED monitor market. We replaced the Dell Alienware AW2725DF with the Gigabyte AORUS FO27Q3 for consistency with other recommendations and because the Gigabyte has more features. In the Notable Mentions, we replaced the Samsung Odyssey OLED G6/G60SD S27DG60 and the MSI MPG 321URX QD-OLED with the AW2725DF, ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM, and the Dell Alienware AW3225QF to reflect changes in the recommendation.
Aug 26, 2024: We replaced the Dell Alienware AW3225QF with the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8/G80SD S32DG80 as the 'Best OLED Monitor' for consistency with other recommendations. We also added the LG 32GS95UE-B as the 'Best Esports OLED Monitor.' Lastly, we replaced the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8/G85SB S34BG85 and the MSI MPG 271QRX QD-OLED with the Samsung Odyssey OLED G6/G60SD S27DG60 and the MSI MPG 321URX QD-OLED to better reflect the current OLED market.
Jun 05, 2024: Verified that the recommended monitors are still valid and updated the text to reflect the current OLED market.
Apr 17, 2024: Replaced the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG27AQDM with the Dell Alienware AW2725DF because it has a higher refresh rate and better picture quality. Replaced the Dell Alienware AW3423DW with the Dell Alienware AW3423DWF for consistency with other articles, as it's cheaper. Moved the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9/G95SC S49CG95 to the Notable Mentions because there aren't many super ultrawide OLEDs available.
Feb 07, 2024: Added the recently-released Dell Alienware AW3225QF as the 'Best OLED Gaming Monitor' because it has more features than other OLEDs; renamed the Dell Alienware AW3423DW to 'Best Ultrawide OLED Monitor'; added the MSI MPG 271QRX QD-OLED to Notable Mentions.
Our recommendations are based on what we think are the best monitors with an OLED panel currently available, including the best OLED gaming monitor. They're adapted to be valid for most people in each price range. Rating is based on our review, factoring in price and feedback from our visitors.
If you'd prefer to make your own decision, here's the list of all of our OLED monitor reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. Most monitors are good enough to please most people, and the things we fault monitors on are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.