CES 2022 is a major show for monitors. The presence of giants like LG and Samsung sets the tone for the year ahead, while smaller monitor makers announce their next flagships.
Many monitors shown at CES 2022 won’t arrive until the second half of the year, and official pricing information remains scarce. Still, the show can help you decide whether to buy a new monitor now or wait until the next holiday shopping season.
Here’s a roundup of the biggest monitor trends from CES 2022. For more from CES, be sure to check out our roundup of five laptop trends you can’t ignore.
Don’t miss our article with the best monitors available.
Nvidia wants to make gaming monitors bigger and faster
Nvidia came to CES 2022 to tout the benefits of 27-inch 1440p monitors with 360Hz refresh rate as an alternative to traditional 25-inch 1080p sports monitors.
1440p at 360Hz is new, but 27-inch monitors are very common. In esports, however, 25-inch monitors are still the norm.
Professional gamers often have an almost superstitious attachment not just to a particular monitor size, but to a particular brand and panel technology.
Nvidia’s argument for the update? A 27-inch 1440p monitor provides a bigger, sharper view of the game. The company says it can increase shooter accuracy by up to three percent. It’s not much, but any tangible benefit is important for professional players fighting for a league title.
I have to mention that Nvidia has something in play. Pushing monitors to higher resolutions and refresh rates is good for Nvidia’s bottom line, because the power of those experiences demands more powerful graphics cards, so claims of society deserve skepticism.
Still, I see the potential. Bringing professional and casual gamers together around the standard 27-inch 360Hz at 1440p could lead to a class of mainstream gaming monitors that cater to all genres and styles of play with little compromise.
That’s if esports players accept it, of course, and converting them might be a challenge.
Mini-LEDs are getting a little more affordable
I’m a fan of Mini-LED monitors. The lack of wear and the potential for excellent HDR performance make it a great choice for the office and the most intense games. However, I don’t have one. Because? Because they are very expensive.
That won’t change in a year, but CES 2022 gives hope. The first are the Acer Predator X32 and X32 FP, a pair of 32-inch monitors with 576 Mini-LED zones (the X32 supports G-Sync Ultimate but not HDMI 2.1, while the X32 FP supports HDMI 2.1 and FreeSync). They have a 4K resolution and a refresh rate of up to 165Hz.
The Predator X32 will cost $1,999 and the X32 FP will cost $1,799, both slated to arrive in Q3 2022. It’s not cheap, but it’s a lot less than 2021 Mini-LED monitors like the Asus ROG Strix PG32UQX, which went on sale. with an RRP of $2,999 (currently priced at $2,549 on Amazon).
Samsung is entering the 32-inch mini-LED arena with the Odyssey Neo G8. It will serve for 4K up to 240Hz and features Quantum Dot technology. Samsung did not specify the number of Mini-LED dimming zones or the price. However, Samsung’s super ultra-wide 49-inch mini-LED, the Odyssey Neo G9, sells for $2,499. I would expect the Neo G8 to sell for less.
Mini-LED technology is heading in the right direction and certainly remains competitive with OLED monitors. Maybe we’ll see it come to prices below $2,000 at CES next year.
42-inch OLEDs offer a new option
PC enthusiasts are mad with envy for the excellent Sony and LG OLED TVs that console gamers can enjoy for less than $1,500. Some even try to use televisions as monitors.
This often doesn’t work well, as even 48-inch TVs are too big to use on a desk. Sitting this close can strain your eyes and neck and makes 4K resolution less impressive.
CES 2022 brings a new solution: 42-inch OLED screens. You can choose between two flavors. Those who want an affordable, mainstream option can opt for LG’s new 42-inch C2 OLED. However, if you prefer a high-end monitor, you can consider the Asus ROG Swift OLED PG42UQ.
A 42-inch screen is still too big for a typical desktop computer, but it’s viable if you’re willing to rearrange your setup or wall-mount the OLED as a secondary display for gaming and video. PC gamers who stick to cross-platform and gamepad-compatible titles will find this especially tempting.
Pricing for one of the two 42-inch OLED displays has not been announced. LG’s 48-inch C1 OLED retails for $1,299, so the 42-inch model will likely be cheaper. However, don’t expect a big discount. The 48-inch C1 OLED is just $200 less than the 55-inch model.
QD-OLED debuts
OLED technology is fantastic, but it’s not perfect. The technology has sustained brightness issues, can consume a lot of power on large screens, and is haunted by the ghost of burn-in. QD-OLED technology, short for OLED displays with quantum dot technology, is the latest effort to address these shortcomings.
The technical details are intricate, but a lot of it comes down to efficiency. QD-OLEDs can produce a wide color gamut more efficiently than previous OLED panels, which in the case of a display means that a higher percentage of the light from the OLED panel reaches the viewer.
This results in increased brightness and can even help reduce wear. QD-OLED also improves color gamut and accuracy.
However, the most important point for PC owners is extremely simple: QD-OLED monitors really do exist. And they could go on sale this year.
Dell announced the Alienware AW3423DW, a 34-inch ultrawide OLED monitor with 3440 x 1440 resolution and 175Hz refresh rate. It’s also VESA DisplayHDR 1000 certified. Samsung has an almost identical ultrawide QD-OLED called Odyssey G8QNB.
Unfortunately, there are no details on the price and release date. TVs shown at CES usually arrive in late spring or summer of the same year, and I wouldn’t expect QD-OLED monitors to appear in front of them. Prices? It could be astronomical. Still, a 34-inch ultrawide OLED would be a dream display for many PC setups.
Things get… unique
CES is a time to get weird, and 2022 was no exception. Samsung and LG attended the show with strange screens
Samsung’s Odyssey Ark is a 55-inch curved monitor on a huge stand that can rotate the screen between landscape and portrait orientation. The company envisions PC users gaming in landscape mode and then switching to portrait orientation for massive productivity.
Here’s a first look at the INSANE Odyssey Ark of @Samsung! This is a 55″ curved 4K monitor with a 16:9 aspect ratio… Can do some serious gaming/multitasking on it! #those #samsung pic.twitter.com/Y82hbeY9gg
— Tim Schofield (@qbking77)
January 5, 2022
Let’s be realistic. A 55-inch curved screen in portrait mode is only useful for early neck arthritis, and the landscape orientation is too large for desktop gaming.
Despite this, Samsung plans to bring it to market. That wouldn’t come as a surprise, as Samsung hit the stores with the crazy Sero swivel TV it unveiled at CES 2020.
LG brought a more modest take on vertical monitors with its quirky DualUp 28MQ780. The DualUp is a 28-inch monitor in 16:18 format. That is to say almost square.
LG says it’s similar to stacking two 21-inch monitors on top of each other. The emphasis on vertical use is still odd, but its manageable size is less likely to turn your neck into a pretzel.
These monitors, silly as they are, are a response to the shift towards remote working. Samsung and LG seem to think vertical monitors will be attractive.
Dell and Lenovo, meanwhile, think built-in webcams are a good idea. I doubt either idea will catch on, but it’s fun to see monitor makers experiment with ideas that are out of the ordinary.
conclusion
CES 2022 was a good year for monitors, but not quite what PC enthusiasts were hoping for. Screens with OLED and Mini-LED technology are still out of reach for many. The monitors shown at CES 2022 are showing prices starting to come down, but as I’ve explained before, it’s likely to be years before they’re truly affordable.
Still, monitors are moving in the right direction. With no progress over the past five years, PC enthusiasts will have to take what they can get.
Article published in English on our sister site PCWorld USA.
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