Why pro gamers prefer non-OLED monitors despite their visual appeal

While professional gamers typically avoid OLED monitors, it is entirely possible to use them. The decision depends on several factors, as OLED is generally a superior technology compared to LCD. Nevertheless, there remain valid reasons to select an LCD or LED monitor instead of an OLED model.

LCD monitors offer clear benefits, primarily because they are usually considerably cheaper than OLED displays. Furthermore, many LCD monitors are brighter than their OLED counterparts, which makes them better suited for gaming or working in bright rooms. LCD panels are also far less prone to image retention, whereas OLED burn-in is definitely still a thing. According to reports, one should still worry about OLED burn-in in 2026, although this defect is way less of an issue than it was on previous generations of OLED displays and most modern panels have pixel shifting tech to help combat this pesky phenomenon.

Beyond those points, the advantages of LCD over OLED dry up. In every other area, OLED trounces LCD, with contrast, motion clarity and image uniformity being far more impressive on OLED panels. Vertical banding in near-black scenes can still be a little bit of a problem for OLED, such as thin vertical lines that you can faintly see during panning shots. However, that issue is nowhere near as distracting as Dirty Screen Effect. Many LCD displays are terrible for exhibiting this defect, which stems from the fact that LCD backlights can't evenly light their panels, leading to on-screen blotches that become very apparent when watching sports, in particular.

The main reason you want to buy an OLED gaming monitor over an LCD model really boils down to one major factor: OLEDs can do perfect black levels, and LCDs just can't. That is because OLED is a self-emissive technology. OLED displays generate their own light and color, and because they don't need a backlight, they can turn off every single on-screen pixel when they're not in use, leading to the tech's famously infinite black levels.