Are LG WOLED monitors really worth it?

If you’re considering upgrading your monitor, you might be tempted to upgrade from the traditional LCD screen to something a little more modern. OLED displays are much more common than in previous years, with manufacturers like LG offering 27-inch panels for as little as $380. Scratch beneath the surface and things quickly get more complex, with terms like OLED and WOLED popping up everywhere. Before we explain the differences between these, let’s answer the most important question: are these monitors really worth your money?

In a word, yes. LG’s monitors are highly praised by both consumers and reviewers. They are available in various sizes up to 45 inches, with newer models using WOLED (white organic light-emitting diode) technology. In short, this means that they send white light through red, green and blue filters while allowing it to pass unfiltered if necessary. Response times are typically 0.03ms or less and smaller panels can reach 720Hz. This is a huge advantage since research shows that higher refresh rates improve gaming performance.

That’s not all these panels have to offer either. LG offers an OLED monitor for every price point, so if you’re looking to get started, you’re almost certainly covered. Alternatively, if you want an HDR-capable 5K panel with contrast ratios of 1,850,000:1, those are also available. While there are certainly cheaper brands out there, LG actually makes OLED panels in-house, so you’re cutting out the middleman and supporting a company that clearly knows what it’s doing.

Let’s start with the basics. LCD screens require a backlight to function. This sends light through the red, green and blue subpixels in different amounts to create different colors. OLED displays, including the WOLED subtype, contain an organic material that illuminates when an electrical charge is applied. As such, no backlight is needed, allowing thinner monitors to be used. OLED even allows for flexible display panels, giving it a huge advantage over LCD.

There are of course other advantages. LCD panels often struggle to handle dark scenes because their backlight is always active even when no colors are displayed. In comparison, OLEDs can turn off individual pixels completely, resulting in better contrast and darker blacks. Plus, because there’s no liquid layer visually distorting things depending on where you are, OLED panels tend to have wider viewing angles.

The basics of OLED also apply to WOLED displays, with the main difference being the “W” on the front: WOLED displays start with white light passing through color filters rather than using dedicated red, green, and blue subpixels. Samsung also offers its own alternative to WOLED called QD-OLED which uses blue light instead of white, resulting in even more vibrant colors (although black levels are higher in bright rooms).

Because OLED monitors are newer, they cost more than LCD screens. They are also more prone to ghosting (although LG has taken steps to reduce this phenomenon), which is when an image that has been on the screen for a long time refuses to disappear. Finally, you may notice “fringing”: slight discoloration around objects, especially text, caused by mismatches between the subpixel layout of your panel and that expected by your operating system. Overall, though, OLED panels will almost always provide a higher quality picture than LCD.