It's a herculean task to pick out a new display for your computer. They're not cheap (and that's definitely not going to change in 2025), and there are so many of them. Some are better for office work, some are better for gaming, and some are so good that they can handle both with aplomb. A variety of companies showed their latest displays off at Computex, the annual computing convention held in Taipei, Taiwan, and these are the screens from the show that are worth keeping your eye on, both figuratively and literally.
OLED displays can be stunning, with perfect blacks and vibrant colors making for a stunning picture (as long as you can stand OLED flicker). But there have long been well-founded concerns about burn-in. The last thing you want to see when you're trying to play an immersive first-person RPG is the ghost of your taskbar at the bottom of the screen. But thanks to built-in features like MSI's OLED Care, this problem is getting better. The company showed off a monitor it's been running with its OLED Care 2.0 tech that has remained on for three years with a static image showing for eight hours a day--with about an hour of burn-in prevention across that time--and no signs of burn-in to be found. These new monitors will ship with OLED Care 3.0, an improved version of the tech. In other words, OLED is A-OK.
The name might be a mouthful, but this monitor has some great features to make note of. The 27-inch, 1440p display offers a maximum refresh rate of 500Hz--that's up to 500 frames per second, eSports players--and is rated with VESA ClearMR 21000 and DisplayHDR True Black 500 certifications. The former indicates a very high level of clarity in motion; ClearMR 21000 is the highest possible rating and indicates that the screen has 195 clear pixels for every blurry one. True Black 500 rates the screen's contrast and color; 500 is a mid-range number in terms of ratings, which go up to True Black 1000, but it's still an excellent place for a screen to be color and contrast-wise.
The color gamut for the screen includes 99% DCI-P3 coverage, though MSI hasn't yet given exact numbers for Adobe RRG and sRGB color spaces.
It also sports OLED Care 3.0 and MSI's new AI Care Sensor. The Care Sensor is a camera mounted to the bottom of the display and monitored by the screen's on-board Neural Processing Unit. The sensor can detect a human within 1.2 meters of the screen in 0.2 seconds, allowing the screen to automatically and immediately power off when you step away, and back on when you get near. MSI says the resume time should get even faster with future firmware updates. As a show of the confidence MSI has with these features and the above burn-in testing, the company also offers a three-year burn-in warranty.
Privacy is a reasonable concern with any device that has an active camera, and you can disable the Care Sensor feature entirely if you wish. However, MSI says that no photography is stored on the monitor, and that nothing is being sent to a server. Any data captured by the camera is staying onboard and being dumped as fast as it is being refreshed.
In terms of ports, the screen includes a Display 2.1 port with full 80Gbps bandwidth and two HDMI 2.1 ports.
The MPG 271QR QD-OLED X50 will retail for for $899 and should be available starting July 17. But if you're looking for the next-best thing from MSI, check out the 2024 version of the MPG 271QR. The screen is the same size, but the features are toned back a little. There are still two HDMI 2.1 ports, but the DisplayPort is version 1.4. The OLED Care is MSI's OLED Care 2.0, and the refresh rate is 360Hz instead of 500Hz. It sports the less-impressive DisplayHDR True Black 400 certification, and doesn't have a ClearMR certification at all. The reduction in bells and whistles comes with a lower price tag, however, with the alternative retailing for $799.
See MSI's 2024 MPG 271QR at Best Buy
If you're used to working with two or three displays, themselves each measuring in 27 inches or more, taking your ultra-portable laptop on a business trip can mean you might as well not get anything done for the duration. Acer's PD243Y E is a portable dual display, featuring two IPS screens connected by a hinge at the long side of the device.
The hinge has a 315-degree fold, and the screen is equipped with a foldable kickstand, meaning that you can position the display vertically or horizontally and at almost any angle you could want.
As you might guess with ultra-portable monitors, these aren't going to stack up against their less-portable cousins. The displays feature a not-too-bad 100Hz refresh rate with 1920x1080 resolution on both screens. The panel supports 16.7 million colors, covering 72% of the NTSC color gamut, which is nearly 100% of the sRGB gamut. So the PD243Y will be perfectly fine for office work, and you could do worse for a portable gaming solution, but this won't be your go-to for any application where color matters.
The display features two USB Type-C ports and one HDMI 1.4 port, as well as built-in two-watt speakers. For some reason, it also supports VESA wall mounting, which is a strange match for a screen designed with portability in mind.
Acer says this display will be available in July. The quoted pricing online is 499€, and no dollar price has been offered yet, suggesting that either the display won't be coming stateside or that Acer just isn't sure what kind of pricing will be necessary as the year goes on. If you're looking for a slightly more portable version of the same thing, check out Acer's PD293Q. The screens are a bit smaller at 18.5" each. It also has two USB Type-C ports, but the HDMI port is HDMI Mini. The alternative goes for $349.
See Acer PD193Q at Amazon
Many of us have room for only one full-size display in our lives, so it's especially appealing when a display can pull double-duty--as is the case with Gigabyte's new M27QS display, which the company is calling a "Smart Gaming Monitor."
In terms of monitor specs, it's pretty boring--1440p resolution and 180Hz refresh rate on an IPS display--but in this case, it's the software that stands out. The M27QS can work as a computer monitor and as a dedicated television screen, thanks to the integration of Google TV into the monitor, and Gigabyte has seen fit to include a remote with the display as well. A pair of five-watt speakers means you don't absolutely need to have a pair of dedicated speakers.
Gigabyte expects the M27QS Smart Monitor to go on sale in July or August for just $249, making it refreshingly inexpensive compared to some competing models. That said, if you don't want to wait until then, a previous model, the Gigabyte M27Q, is available now for $280 at Amazon. It also features a 1440p resolution and 180Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync support, but lacks the Google TV support of the upcoming M27QS model, and is slightly more expensive--but it's still a solid alternative if you're looking for a monitor with similar specs.
See Gigabyte M27Q at Amazon
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OLED is getting better and better
OLED displays can be stunning, with perfect blacks and vibrant colors making for a stunning picture (as long as you can stand OLED flicker). But there have long been well-founded concerns about burn-in. The last thing you want to see when you're trying to play an immersive first-person RPG is the ghost of your taskbar at the bottom of the screen. But thanks to built-in features like MSI's OLED Care, this problem is getting better. The company showed off a monitor it's been running with its OLED Care 2.0 tech that has remained on for three years with a static image showing for eight hours a day--with about an hour of burn-in prevention across that time--and no signs of burn-in to be found. These new monitors will ship with OLED Care 3.0, an improved version of the tech. In other words, OLED is A-OK.
MSI MPG 271QR QD-OLED X50 - Hyper-fast Refresh and AI OLED Care
The name might be a mouthful, but this monitor has some great features to make note of. The 27-inch, 1440p display offers a maximum refresh rate of 500Hz--that's up to 500 frames per second, eSports players--and is rated with VESA ClearMR 21000 and DisplayHDR True Black 500 certifications. The former indicates a very high level of clarity in motion; ClearMR 21000 is the highest possible rating and indicates that the screen has 195 clear pixels for every blurry one. True Black 500 rates the screen's contrast and color; 500 is a mid-range number in terms of ratings, which go up to True Black 1000, but it's still an excellent place for a screen to be color and contrast-wise.
The color gamut for the screen includes 99% DCI-P3 coverage, though MSI hasn't yet given exact numbers for Adobe RRG and sRGB color spaces.
It also sports OLED Care 3.0 and MSI's new AI Care Sensor. The Care Sensor is a camera mounted to the bottom of the display and monitored by the screen's on-board Neural Processing Unit. The sensor can detect a human within 1.2 meters of the screen in 0.2 seconds, allowing the screen to automatically and immediately power off when you step away, and back on when you get near. MSI says the resume time should get even faster with future firmware updates. As a show of the confidence MSI has with these features and the above burn-in testing, the company also offers a three-year burn-in warranty.
Privacy is a reasonable concern with any device that has an active camera, and you can disable the Care Sensor feature entirely if you wish. However, MSI says that no photography is stored on the monitor, and that nothing is being sent to a server. Any data captured by the camera is staying onboard and being dumped as fast as it is being refreshed.
In terms of ports, the screen includes a Display 2.1 port with full 80Gbps bandwidth and two HDMI 2.1 ports.
The MPG 271QR QD-OLED X50 will retail for for $899 and should be available starting July 17. But if you're looking for the next-best thing from MSI, check out the 2024 version of the MPG 271QR. The screen is the same size, but the features are toned back a little. There are still two HDMI 2.1 ports, but the DisplayPort is version 1.4. The OLED Care is MSI's OLED Care 2.0, and the refresh rate is 360Hz instead of 500Hz. It sports the less-impressive DisplayHDR True Black 400 certification, and doesn't have a ClearMR certification at all. The reduction in bells and whistles comes with a lower price tag, however, with the alternative retailing for $799.
See MSI's 2024 MPG 271QR at Best Buy
ACER PD243Y E - Dual Display for Techy Travelers
If you're used to working with two or three displays, themselves each measuring in 27 inches or more, taking your ultra-portable laptop on a business trip can mean you might as well not get anything done for the duration. Acer's PD243Y E is a portable dual display, featuring two IPS screens connected by a hinge at the long side of the device.
The hinge has a 315-degree fold, and the screen is equipped with a foldable kickstand, meaning that you can position the display vertically or horizontally and at almost any angle you could want.
As you might guess with ultra-portable monitors, these aren't going to stack up against their less-portable cousins. The displays feature a not-too-bad 100Hz refresh rate with 1920x1080 resolution on both screens. The panel supports 16.7 million colors, covering 72% of the NTSC color gamut, which is nearly 100% of the sRGB gamut. So the PD243Y will be perfectly fine for office work, and you could do worse for a portable gaming solution, but this won't be your go-to for any application where color matters.
The display features two USB Type-C ports and one HDMI 1.4 port, as well as built-in two-watt speakers. For some reason, it also supports VESA wall mounting, which is a strange match for a screen designed with portability in mind.
Acer says this display will be available in July. The quoted pricing online is 499€, and no dollar price has been offered yet, suggesting that either the display won't be coming stateside or that Acer just isn't sure what kind of pricing will be necessary as the year goes on. If you're looking for a slightly more portable version of the same thing, check out Acer's PD293Q. The screens are a bit smaller at 18.5" each. It also has two USB Type-C ports, but the HDMI port is HDMI Mini. The alternative goes for $349.
See Acer PD193Q at Amazon
Gigabyte M27QS Smart Gaming Monitor - Game and Watch
Many of us have room for only one full-size display in our lives, so it's especially appealing when a display can pull double-duty--as is the case with Gigabyte's new M27QS display, which the company is calling a "Smart Gaming Monitor."
In terms of monitor specs, it's pretty boring--1440p resolution and 180Hz refresh rate on an IPS display--but in this case, it's the software that stands out. The M27QS can work as a computer monitor and as a dedicated television screen, thanks to the integration of Google TV into the monitor, and Gigabyte has seen fit to include a remote with the display as well. A pair of five-watt speakers means you don't absolutely need to have a pair of dedicated speakers.
Gigabyte expects the M27QS Smart Monitor to go on sale in July or August for just $249, making it refreshingly inexpensive compared to some competing models. That said, if you don't want to wait until then, a previous model, the Gigabyte M27Q, is available now for $280 at Amazon. It also features a 1440p resolution and 180Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync support, but lacks the Google TV support of the upcoming M27QS model, and is slightly more expensive--but it's still a solid alternative if you're looking for a monitor with similar specs.
See Gigabyte M27Q at Amazon
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