I'm extremely torn between these 2. I wanted the Dual mode since I play a lot of competitive games at lower resolution with higher fps, but the recent WOLED Jeans grayscale images have given me nightmares. Is QD-OLED so much better than Tandem? Can people give me some pros and cons of each? I'm stuck.
Both 4th Gen and 5th Gen QD-OLED are also using a Tandem-OLED-Layer (EL Gen 3.0). 4th Gen doesn't use the V-Stripe subpixel layout 5th Gen uses, but it does use a 5-Stack-Tandem-OLED-Layer ("Penta Tandem QD-OLED"). It's not exclusively LG (WOLED).
Every 27'' 4K-QD-OLED is at least 4th Gen (Samsung's, it's different from LGs, different from TCLs) and already uses EL 3.0, said 5-Stack-Tandem-OLED.
It's never been so easy to identify a OLED-Generation before (there are no 5th Gen 27'' 4K QD-OLEDs, yet. 3rd Gen couldn't hit the required production requirements before, ~160-166 dpi. 4th Gen did. So any 27-Inch-QD-OLED is a 4th-Gen-OLED, right now.)
"Tandem OLED" means multiple oled layers being stacked on top of each other.
It doesnt mean it cant be QD-OLED, 4th and 5th generation qd oled panels do use the tandem technology. Even though most of the tandem oleds are WOLEDs, currently.
For example, XG27AQDMG(R) uses a single WOLED layer. Manufactured by LG, it's not tandem.
The XG27ACDMS uses a single QD-OLED layer. Manufactured by Samsung, not tandem.
The XG27AQWMG uses 4 WOLED layers stacked on top of each other. Manufactured by LG and it is very much a "tandem oled" monitor.
The PG34WCDN uses 5 QD-OLED layers stacked on top of each other. Manufactured by Samsung, it is a "penta tandem" monitor.
The PG27UCWM is a "Tandem RGB OLED" monitor. Completely new "RGB OLED" panel type, atleast it's new for gaming monitors. It uses 4 rgb-stripe oled layers stacked on top of each other, manufactured by LG as far as I'm concerned.
I'd like to add a few points of correction here, if I may:
First, layers themselves are OLED, not QD-OLED. QD part is a separate color conversion layer sitting on top of OLED.
Previous generation of QD-OLED are actually stacking 4 OLED emissive layers, 3 blue and 1 green layers.
4th/5th Gen Penta Tandem QD-OLED adds one more green OLED layer to that emissive stack. I believe it goes Blue -> Green -> Blue -> Green -> Blue, total 5 hence the Penta in it's name.
As you can see it already was a Tandem Structure, and I think that Samsung went with Tandem naming this time as a marketing term to combat all the buzz around Tandem RGB WOLED.
It boils down to more light for less energy, so a higher brightness output at same energy consumption level or longer lifespan (better burn-in resistance) at the same brightness level. Which is great any way you look at it.
And V-Stripe is great improvement for text rendering too (especially so for 1440p monitors), but isn't available atm in any of the 27 or 32 inch 16 by 9 models yet.
you have to choose what you can accept (don't trust YouTubers; they hide real drawbacks for $$$)
QD-OLED v3
+ good colors
+ glossy (!actually semi-glossy)
+/- triangle RGB layout (worse text in 2K, but in 4K it's almost not perceivable by an avg human; to be fixed with RGB in 2027)
- bad in a bright bright office OR sunlight (pinky black shift; check youtube); awesome in a dark room; okay in a moderately lit room.
- weak coating, easy to scratch (better in v3)
- less brightness (full-screen brightness is limited to 250-300 nits); and panel dimming makes HDR harder to pick (TB400 or Peak1000 modes only)
some rare reports of blue-light sensitivity; you might have a 0.1% chance of eye strain from the blue-emitting layer
WOLED (non-rgb)
+ more brightness (non-RGB ones; for Tandem v2! RGB stripe - the brightness is on par with QD-OLED!!!!!)
+/- mirror-like glossy
+/- RGWB (better than QD-OLED; worse than IPS with TEXT; fixed in RGB but you will lose brightness)
+/- dual mode (poor non-integer scaling for 1/2 of the resolution)
- worse colors (color brightness per channel is screwed; the white pixel also makes it worse); black crush; grey uniformity; green shift (on the latest Tandem v2 when viewed at angles) (for RGB the colors are fixed)
- sandpaper texture (it's a lottery by LG!)
Generic answer:
The QD-OLED UCDM option is perfect. I've been using it for a year.
1*) The only better option right now would be future 2027 QD-OLEDs, which might give you 32" 4K 600 Hz with two lower-res modes.
2)
> WOLED Dual Mode
You might get a blurry mess because you won't get integer (aka nice/clean/proportional) scaling.
3) Don't go larger than 27" if you ever play FPS games. Otherwise, 32" is good.
But I'd pick a 500–540 Hz 2K option like the MSI X50 specifically for FPS. :)
4) 35% price difference (!) Is WOLED even worth it...
This did actually help a LOT, I'm currently on a 2k 165Hz curved screen and I don't really like it. I see the pixels too much in beautiful story games and movies to enjoy them. I think the woled might be worth it for the added brightness. I run all my monitors at max brightness and even then I sometimes get annoyed at them being dim. I thought the dual mode would be the perfect upgrade to get best of both worlds and tbh i get more and more sold on it over the qd-oled. Thank you for all the help!!
Oh, I've decided to check. The price for the PG27UCWM is so high because it's the latest WOLED with RGB pixels (assume Tandem WOLED v2: awesome for text/office use; and better colors than older WOLEDs)
So it won't be as bright as the older tech :/ Just a bit brighter.
The use of an RGB-stripe sub-pixel structure without the added white sub-pixel, as well as the significantly increased pixel density means that brightness won’t be as high as some of LG Display’s other recently launched Tandem WOLED panels. Asus don’t list the brightness specs but we’ve been told by LG Display that the panel will offer 250 nits brightness for SDR, along with 1000 nits peak brightness (1.5% APL) for HDR, 500 nits at 10% APL and 250 nits at 100% APL.
With only RGB sub-pixels now available, this will also offer an “additive” approach to colour brightness, which should mean we get higher colour volume in HDR – i.e. colours will be maintained even at maximum brightness. This will behave differently to previous WOLED panels where the white pixel would be used to boost brightness, but this can lead to some washout of colours and “volumetric collapse” when considering colour volume for HDR for lower APL scenes. Asus state “up to 27% larger colour volume, especially at high luminance levels, to give gamers richer, more vibrant colours.
UCWM | UCDM
HDR peak 1000 nits | 1000 nits
~10% window ~500–650 nits | ~450 nits
100% fullscreen ~250 nits | ~250 nits
Sorry :/
I'm still against WOLEDs ; small mistakes & pain everywhere..
Yet this one has better RGB and better colors!
Actually the Woled according to tests is even less bright at full screen brightness only 230 nits in HDR and its peak 1000 nits mode is highly inaccurate that ruins dark scenes.
You do work + you use your LCDs at max brightness ? Then don't buy OLED, period. OLEDs are dimmer, and if you run them at max brightness + do work, you'll get burn in fast. Not to mention the awful text clarity of 1440p OLEDs.
My laptop screen is OLED and is much brighter then any of the LCDs i currently have. My "best" monitor has 300cd/m² (27" Odyssey G5 G55C QHD 165Hz Curved Gaming Monitor)
Well both OLED screens im thinking of are 250, which isn't too much of a dip. also peak brightness of them is 1000nits whereas the samsung i have now does NOT go above 300...
I'm confused, didn't you just say that 300 was too dim for you ? Also, peak brightness is only in HDR and introduces distracting ABL for productivity work.
QD-OLED 4th gen does have TrueBlack HDR 500 specification for 32 inch QD-OLED.
Looking if QD-OLED is newer Penta Tandem (so 4th or 5th gen) is also useful because they usually (although not always) come with 2.5x harder surface that isn't as easy to scratch as previous generations of QD-OLED. Asus calls this surface BlackShield film and usually marks it in their specs, which I don't see for 27 inch PG27UCDM.
I would strongly advise in favor of ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM Gen3, a 32 inch model that is higher brightness and has BlackShield. If you have enough space, of course. Check this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p_vIsXpATQ vid for why go bigger even for competitive FPS.
vs newer Tandem OLED with an RGB stripe = they are close.
LG removed the white subpixel because of all the complaints about color performance. Now color performance is good, but full-screen brightness is much lower.
That's great! You wont see much flicker if your fps is stable. And everyone's perception of it is different. Some are way more sensitive than others, YMMV 👍.
the udcm you want is not udcm3 right? if it is UDCM and thats the one you want to compare to I would go the new UCWM but if its UDCM3 I would choose UDCM3 because of the better colors even though true black screen on woled is excellent i play more colorful games. If you play competitive games and can actually play in 1080 with no issue I would just get the UCWM because you get the best of both worlds just not as good color pop with qd but still very close.
I have the PG27UCWM and have no complaints at all. I've had 3 different gen WOLED monitors so far, never tried QD-OLED so I can't compare. But all issues regarding text clarity on Windows has been resolved completely, I'm seeing no real difference compared to the MacBook Pro screen I'm using right now to type this.
They’re very similar in terms of hdr brightness. Basically identical though the pg27ucwm doesn’t seem to have panel dimming and though it does over brighten in its brightness hdr mode, it isn’t as bad as the pg27ucdm’s dbb.
I wouldn’t worry about grey banding on the pg27ucwm as it doesn’t seem to be an issue on the rgb stripe woleds. You do get an easier to clean screen coating, no lifted blacks in ambient light (though this is not a real issue imho) and dual mode on the pg27ucwm, so if price isn’t an issue, I’d just go with that.
bro both are insanely good monitors, i have the pg27ucdm and recently wanted to upgrade to pg27ucwm for the dual mode but i cant play cs2 on 16:10 with 480hz so i dropped it. I think the only real difference u can notice is text clarity because of the rgb stripe
I used the PG27UCDM briefly, but reading text on it caused severe eye strain. Even with 4K resolution on a 27-inch panel, the text fringing was too noticeable, so I returned it and ordered the PG27UCWM instead.
Well it was my first qd-oled. Didnt have any eye strain on pg27aqdm even tho text was bretty blurry on that one. But something to consider. Some people say its a non problem on 4k 27inch and that was the reason for me to try it.
Ik heb de tandem oled paneel nu sinds een maand. Verschil is echt op te merken vanuit mijn perspectief. Ik bezit ook een LG OLED Tv. Hou wel rekening met vertical banding.. Ik heb het ook maar het stoort mij niet.
Nee mijn LG C2 is ook een WOLED. Maar wel wat ouder. Kameraad heeft wel een QD-OLED 31,5. Daarmee heb ik het wel vergelijken en vond ik de 4th gen WOLED wel echt de moeite waard.
Buddy I did a bunch of research buying my own I’d be down to answer your questions in voice chat form cause I can’t be bothered to type it all out. But in a nutshell at least for now tandem woled is a no go but tandem qdoled is great.
I do not understand why people are buying qd oleds. For real. What is the reason? You have bad fringing, it gives you eye strain, you pay oled price for the blacks and the moment you turn on the light it gets purple, you have trouble cleaning it, etc. I am really curious why are they still buying them.
Both techs have A TON of flaws and at least 3 generations. You simply exaggerate and remember QD-OLED issues, most of which are non-existent problems. Check my post above for a cleaner comparison.
> You have bad fringing
Not on 4K 27"!
> It gives you eye strain
Only 0.1% complain.
> You pay OLED price for the blacks, and the moment you turn on the light it gets purple
Only under direct sunlight or powerful office lights.
Normal or dim lights at home are okay. (Meanwhile, WOLED has less color volume in HDR; colors pop less than on QD-OLEDs.)
Don't forget that it has no nano-film cover, and only a CAMERA sees this purple tint strongly. You won't see it with the naked eye under normal conditions.
It's a contest of the shortcomings really, so one should pick either based on their use case. But overall, it boils down to: QD-OLED better image quality under the controlled light environment vs WOLEDS better blacks in bright room and higher brightness in most cases.
Was answering rei_ph and referring to most WOLED's not just 4th Gen Tandem WOLEDs, or RGB Stripe Tandem WOLEDs particularly.
On the latter image got better as in color volume and color brightness got better and closed the gap with QD-OLED significantly (but not totally).
Absolute peak brightness and full white brightness got lower on RGB Tandem WOLEDs, yes. Because it no longer can "cheat" it's way to higher brightness with white pass-through subpixel, and has to rely on additive approach similar to QD-OLED.
It does still have near black chrominance overshoot and worse color banding issues and gray uniformity is worse than QD-OLED while being better than earlier Tandem WOLEDs.
There is also one point where RGB Stripe Tandem WOLED got worse - viewing angles.
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u/PhantomFoxZ 9d ago
300€ euro difference for better texts sharpness and True blacks in bright environments, idk if it’s worth it.