4 reasons why I still miss my old IPS monitor after switching to OLED

When I first upgraded to the Alienware AW3423DW OLED monitor in 2022, I immediately fell in love with the picture quality, color reproduction, and black levels. Since then, I’ve purchased another OLED monitor, the Alienware AW2725DF, for competitive gaming at an ultra-high refresh rate. After all, OLEDs have near-instant pixel response times and lower input lag compared to IPS panels. But that doesn’t mean I no longer miss my old IPS monitor.

Sure, OLED monitors are undeniably superior, but they don’t check all the boxes like you’d expect. After using these panels almost every day for over three years, I’ve realized that some of their quirks still bother me. So, if you’re planning to swap your IPS monitor for an OLED, think again, because the self-emitting display technology isn’t perfect. I’ll admit I don’t see myself ditching my OLED monitors anytime soon, but at the same time, I never had to deal with these quirks when I was using an IPS display.

4

OLEDs suffer from text fringing

Text clarity was never a problem with IPS monitors

Text clarity was the last thing I needed to worry about when I owned an IPS monitor. But unfortunately, this is one of the biggest drawbacks of owning an OLED panel. Microsoft’s implementation of subpixel rendering on Windows was designed for LCDs with the standard RGB subpixel arrangement, not OLEDs that use a different layout depending on the panel. For instance, LG’s WOLED panels use an RGWB subpixel layout in a stripe configuration, whereas Samsung’s QD-OLED panels use a triangle RGB layout.

This deviation in subpixel arrangement from the standard configuration messes with on-screen text. On WOLED panels, you’ll see faint shadows along the edges of text, whereas on QD-OLED panels, you’ll notice color fringing at the top and bottom of text. This becomes more prominent the closer you are to the monitor. While third-generation and newer OLED monitors have improved slightly in text clarity, they still fall short of IPS panels at the same resolution. OLED text clarity isn’t a major concern at 4K resolution, but since both of my monitors are 1440p, it’s often hard to overlook.

3

The brightness disparity

OLEDs aren’t bright enough for SDR content

As much as I love how bright OLED monitors get while watching HDR content, they fall apart when it comes to SDR brightness. In fact, this was the first thing I noticed when I powered on my OLED monitor for the first time. Almost all the time I’m on my PC, I view SDR content — whether web browsing, editing in Photoshop, or writing articles for XDA. So, it’s a bit disappointing when your old IPS monitor used to be significantly brighter for daily use.

The brightness disparity isn’t even close. When I had the LG 27GN950 as the third monitor on my desk, I had to lower its brightness by more than half to match the peak SDR brightness levels of my OLED monitors. OLEDs are bright enough for night-time use, but I can’t say the same when I’m working at my desk during the day. Even though OLED monitors have gotten better in the brightness department since their first-generation models, they still don’t get as bright as IPS panels.

2

Caring for OLEDs feels like a chore

Panel maintenance is essential to avoid burn-in and image retention

Ever since I upgraded to an OLED monitor, I have become hypersensitive to static elements on the screen, including the wallpaper, Windows taskbar, in-game HUDs, icons, and logos in productivity apps. The fear of permanently damaging my panel constantly looms in the back of my mind. That’s why I’ve made some changes to minimize the risk, like automatically hiding the taskbar, using black wallpaper, and making sure I don’t stay on a static screen for too long.

More importantly, once you upgrade to OLED, you have to run the built-in panel care features regularly to mitigate screen burn-in and image retention. Most OLED monitors run the pixel refreshers automatically after 4–5 hours of use, but if you’re in the middle of a task and skip it, you must manually run it later. To me, this feels more like a chore, along with all the other changes I made to protect the panel. With my IPS monitor, I never had to worry about how I used it; I guess peace of mind is the trade-off when you want the best display tech available.

1

Variable refresh rate (VRR) flicker

My IPS monitor never gave me headaches with adaptive sync

One issue I never had to deal with on my LG 27GN950 was flicker, especially while gaming with G-Sync (adaptive sync) enabled. But once I switched to OLED, that changed. These monitors tend to exhibit visible brightness flicker when VRR is enabled and the frame rate dips below 60 FPS, usually when I play AAA games. The screen pulses slightly during certain transitions or gameplay moments, especially in dark scenes. It’s not constant, but when it happens, it’s jarring.

You start noticing the screen dimming and brightening subtly with every FPS shift. Some people are more sensitive to it than others, but if you can see it, you can’t unsee it. That’s the main reason why I have G-Sync disabled on both my OLED monitors. Since my monitors have a high refresh rate, I don’t really notice screen tearing while playing competitive games. I thought this was just one of the downsides of being an early adopter, but even the newer OLED panels reportedly exhibit the same behavior, according to gamers on Reddit.

OLEDs aren’t always ideal for desktop use

There’s no doubt that OLED panels deliver stunning visuals, but I’m not constantly gaming or watching HDR content to fully enjoy those strengths. For most of my day, I use the monitor for productivity, and that’s when I start missing the brightness and text clarity of a good IPS panel. The last thing I want while I’m working or gaming is a pixel refresh pop-up on my screen before it shuts off for a few minutes. Still, I’ve learned to live with these quirks because, right now, OLED is the best display tech available. And if that means making a few compromises, I’m fine with that. The moment I fire up a game or start a movie, all those annoyances take a backseat.

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