Skip to main content

MSI has some massive QD-OLED monitor news in the works

The back of two MSI QD-OLED monitors.
MSI

MSI is getting ahead of CES 2024 by revealing a few of its most anticipated products two months ahead of the showcase. The company is set to launch four QD-OLED gaming monitors in January, setting the tone for an event that should be packed with new monitor reveals.

For QD-OLED enthusiasts, the two most exciting announcements are a 32-inch 4K display with a 240Hz refresh rate and a 27-inch 1440p display with a 360Hz refresh rate. These sizes and resolutions mirror the QD-OLED monitors Alienware recently teased during TwitchCon, which we also expect to see at CES 2024.

Recommended Videos

MSI has provided more details on its take on these panels, though. The monitors will support up to 90 watts of USB-C power delivery, along with MSI Console Mode, which accounts for the resolution and refresh rate options on the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, as well as MSI OLED Care 2.0, which the company says significantly reduces the risk of OLED burn-in.

Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming
Check your inbox!

We don’t have pricing on either display yet, but we should know the full details soon. A little over a month ago, a leaker revealed the details of MSI’s upcoming displays, suggesting they’ve been in the pipeline for a while.

The 4K model, in particular, is something gamers have been looking for throughout the past year. We’ve seen half a dozen new OLED monitors in 2023 but displays like the LG UltraGear OELD 27 are locked to 1440p. Between MSI, Alienware, and Dough, we now have three confirmed 4K QD-OLED monitors that are expected to launch in the next few months.

A 34-inch QD-OLED gaming monitor from MSI.
MSI

MSI has two other QD-OLED displays, which it confirmed will launch on January 6, 2024. The first is a 34-inch ultrawide display with a 175Hz refresh rate and an 1800R curve. The MAG 341CQP QD-OLED looks like it’s using the same panel as the Alienware 34 QD-OLED based on the specs, along with more recent displays like the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8.

The MPG 491CQP QD-OLED is a bit more interesting. It’s a 49-inch monitor with a 32:9 aspect ratio and the same 1800R curve. It’s similar in size to Samsung’s recent Odyssey OLED G9, but it’s locked to a 144Hz refresh rate. This is a monitor we saw on display during last year’s CES, but it looks like MSI needed to put the display on ice for a while.

Although MSI is the first to confirm it will show new QD-OLED displays at CES 2024, we expect the event to be packed with them. Alienware has already teased two displays it will have at the show, and Asus announced a trio of QD-OLED displays in August, which will likely be at the show, as well. We still haven’t seen anything from brands like LG, Samsung, and Corsair, but each will likely have QD-OLED monitors of their own to reveal.

Jacob Roach
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Jacob Roach is the lead reporter for PC hardware at Digital Trends. In addition to covering the latest PC components, from…
Samsung’s new Smart Monitor M9 finally takes OLED beyond gaming
A rendering of the Samsung Monitor M9 on a white background.

Ahead of CES 2025, Samsung has announced its first OLED monitor not explicitly targeted at PC gamers. The Smart Monitor M90SF has an OLED -- a first for these devices -- bringing the love from the Odyssey gaming line more toward the mainstream demographic. It's a big deal for those hoping to engage in HDR content, both in terms of creating it and consuming it.

It makes sense, too, as the Smart Monitor M9 is built to be an entertainment hub. Like previous models, such as the Smart Monitor M80B, the M9 doesn't require being connected to a PC to run content on it -- like a little television right on your desk. It has Samsung TV Plus, Samsung Game Hub, and pretty much every streaming app you could want -- along with a remote for convenient controls.

Read more
OLED gaming monitors are about to get a lot brighter
Path of Exile 2 running on an Asus gaming monitor.

One of the biggest criticisms leveled against OLED monitors, despite being some of the best gaming monitors you can buy, is how dim they are. Although brightness is steadily increasing, it looks like the next crop of OLED gaming monitors will make quite the leap when it comes to HDR performance. Ahead of CES 2025, VESA has revealed a new tier of its DisplayHDR standard that's focused squarely on the brightness of OLED monitors.

The certification is DisplayHDR True Black 1,000. Most OLED gaming monitors, such as the MSI MPG 321URX or Alienware 27 QD-OLED, are certified with DisplayHDR True Black 400. This certification level is reserved for OLED -- or extremely high-end mini-LED -- displays that achieve nearly perfect black levels. According to VESA's specifications, the display has to reach 0.0005 nits with a checkboard pattern. Now, VESA is focusing on the other end of the spectrum, adding a more demanding tier that maintains those low black levels while pushing brightness higher.

Read more
LG unveils a monster 5K ‘bendable’ OLED gaming monitor
An UltraGear curved monitor on a desk in front of a window.

Ahead of CES 2025, LG has announced new extra-large additions to its line of UltraGear GX9 OLED gaming monitors: one being a massive, 45-inch display with a bendable panel, and the other, a 39-inch "smart" gaming monitor with webOS built-in.

Let's start with the big boy, though, because it has an impressive "world's first" designation behind it. It's the first 5K OLED monitor on the market, featuring a resolution of 5120 x 2160 -- also known as 5K2K. Not only is it the first OLED monitor in general to have a 5K resolution but it's also the first gaming monitor to launch with this higher resolution, normally reserved for high-end creator monitors like the Apple Studio Display.

Read more