Are you worried about OLED burn in? There is increasing evidence that OLED burn-in can occur, but it is not catastrophic

My favourite gaming monitor is the LG UltraGear32GS95UE. It's OLED, of course. It's incredible. But how long will it last? There's always a niggling question with any OLED. Will it wear out quickly in normal PC use?

OLED technology is still new enough that the answer is unclear. The evidence is mounting. Even the latest OLED panel technology seems to be affected by burn-in. It's not a catastrophe.

Monitors Unboxed & Rtings have the latest data. The former has conducted an informal test with an MSI 321URX monitor, the same model that is featured in some of our best gaming display guides.

The channel has now been testing the panel for six months, using it as a primary productivity display throughout the day. What was the result? After a month, there was little to no burn in, after three months, some light burn-in could be seen, and finally after six months, the burn-in became more noticeable.

Monitors Unboxed noted that the burn-in was mild, even after six months heavy use of the region of 1,200-1,500 hours. The burn-in can only be seen in large areas of certain dark colors. It does not show up on brighter backgrounds.

Most of the time, it is invisible. Even when it is visible it is subtle. It is visible, and that's something you won't have to deal with on a LCD monitor.

Rtings also assessed burn-in on a larger scale and in a more formal way, with 100 OLED panels running the CNN news channel 24 hours a day. Rtings has only three PC monitors and the rest are TVs in its test.

In March 2023, they added the Dell Alienware A3423DWF and the Samsung Odyssey G8/G85SB, S34BG85 and the LG 27GR95QEB. The latest update was in July of this year, and this is what they said:

"The three monitors in this test have not changed much since the last update." The CNN news banner can be seen on all three monitors, but is still very minor and does not interfere with the actual content.

There is definitely visible burn-in. It's still only mild. It's a matter of opinion what you make of it all. Some may find any visible burn-in unacceptable, especially when you consider how expensive these displays can be. Others may not care as long as the burn-in isn't distracting.

Warranty is a major concern for us. Most current OLED monitors from major brands come with a three-year warranty that covers burn in.

It's good to know that you're covered, but what exactly is burn in? Will a manufacturer replace your screen if you see even the slightest sign of burn-in? Does it have to be obvious?

If the latter, are you going to be in a position where, after a few years of ownership, you're unsure whether or not to try an RMA? You might even find yourself in the strange position of hoping that it gets worse before your warranty expires to be sure of a claim.

OLED monitors are still in a state of flux. Burn-in can be a problem but it's usually not a major issue. The severity of the problem will vary from one person to another. It's subjective. This is probably not the simple, declarative response you were looking for. But it is the reality.