Is There Still a Future for 240Hz+ IPS panels in 2026?

[yehaw]

When I said if IPS is still worth it, it was to find out if they had made an improvement on those dating from between 2020 and 2024, which did not suit me. I had the XG2431, easily in my top 5 worst monitors I've ever owned.

That's unfortunate, as I find it excellent, especially the strobing. The only things I really don't like on it are the low resolution and the sharpness was a bit too high out of the box for my liking, but one is easily tweaked. The colors on it pop and seem pretty accurate with the RTing provided icc profile. One thing with the XG2431, on my PC, it defaults to the wrong settings. I have to manually set the dynamic range, or everything looks washed out.

As far as advancements to IPS, there have been many, especially if your starting point is 2020. Better HDR, higher refresh rates, lower input lag, faster response times, better color coverage, etc. You don't really mention what areas you're looking for improvements in, so you will have to research that more yourself for your exact needs.

[Anonymous703819]

• The Pulsar models have more OD adjustment steps, compared to the fixed 2-3 ones of the PG27AQN
• QD backlight on Pulsar making ULMB2 viable (relatively speaking) compared to the KSF/PFS backlight of the PG27AQN.

Even if it may not be as refined as the newer Pulsar implementations, the PG27AQN is still far from being obsolete. If someone already owns it, or can get it at a reasonable price, it remains a very competent monitor overall.

Regarding the OD steps: doesn’t that still heavily depend on manufacturer tuning?
I’ve owned several monitors using identical panels in the past (MSI, Acer, etc.), and overdrive behavior varied significantly depending on the brand’s implementation.

So are the Pulsar models standardized in that regard, or is this more of a panel capability that manufacturers are simply choosing to expose differently? I’m genuinely curious about how much of that is panel-level versus firmware-level tuning.

About the QD backlight, I was under the impression that its primary purpose was color gamut extension and spectral efficiency. How exactly does it improve ULMB2 viability in practice?
Does that imply QD-OLED would inherently be superior to WOLED in motion performance scenarios as well, or is this strictly about backlight spectral characteristics?

And yes Pulsar flicker is noticeably stronger. That alone can be a deal-breaker for some users.

I believe you're likely noticing the frametime difference of fixed refresh rate & uncapped VS variable refresh rate (where frame rate is much larger than refresh rate), as you're on a 240Hz LCD model.
I've also read of people complaining about Zowie's VRR implementations, though I haven't found any credible source confirming this claim.

I’m very sensitive to frametime differences and I’ve experimented extensively with VRR configurations over the years.

I’ve tried G-Sync + V-Sync + Reflex across multiple displays I’ve owned, and regardless of the screen, I never preferred the feeling compared to fixed refresh with a tight frame cap.

Always rely on the auto-cap, never on external frame rate limiters (exception being NvLimiter V3, but only in conjucton with Reflex)

Only with G-Sync setup, right? Because i always play with frame limiter to match FPS=Hertz on RivaTuner and never had any issues with latency or something else. Is there something wrong with RivaTuner btw?

I believe your perception of GSYNC might change with a non-Zowie product of a higher refresh rate. E.g.: a 600-750Hz TN.
To be specific, trying it in a scenario where your general frame rate is encapsulated entirely by your refresh rate.
Perhaps even a GSYNC+Strobing setup, if your game is limited internally such as OW2.

Interesting. But I'm not looking to go beyond 400 Hz, it would be pointless for me right now. I've already tried it on games like OW (OW2 does not exist anymore btw lol), as you said, and I didn't like it either. Either I'm doing it wrong (which may be the case, I'm not presumptuous enough to say otherwise) or I really prefer having less blur than a smooth image.

There is a strong chance that this can also be the case, yes.
DyAc2 clarity benefits are much more massive than the "tearing-free" experience for esports games, especially in faster-paced games such as Apex & OW2.
This is a personal struggle of mine, where I'm trying to balance total clarity in motion and the light flicker aspect of PWM.
Hence why I think exposing yourself to flicker unnecessarily (when MPRT isn't <1ms) is ridiculous. (e.g.: as is the case with <200FPS Pulsar)

That's what i think too. I didn't quite understand your comment about the MPRT; it's a bit confusing. I know the "basics" of MPRT, but not entirely. I mean, my XL2546x, if I understand correctly, doesn't have an MPRT response time below 1ms, and you therefore find the strobing somewhat pointless? (Because there's crosstalk?) I have to admit that I'm completely lost about this part. How do you quantify whether a particular screen has a certain MPRT "scores"?

The OLED flicker isn't that grand of an issue, relatively speaking.
No desktop OLED has a measurable light flicker akin to mobile AMOLED devices.
The only light flicker they exhibit is the display scan-out related one, which happens due to the internal capacitance of the voltage driver circuitry inside the OLED panels.
LCDs are voltage-driven electronic visual displays, while OLEDs are current-driven electronic visual displays.
You could be sensitive to the dithering algorithm employed by OLED or perhaps the different subpixel structure messing with you.
You could also be sensitive to DSC's visual artifacting, which isn't impossible.
Eye-strain culprits is something I can only give you clues on... It's sadly a matter of trial & error, while being aware of different panel techonologies & display model intrinsics...

I think there is maybe a slight dissonance here. What made me suspicious is that the eye strain I experienced felt very similar to what I get from certain AMOLED smartphone displays, especially Pentile ones. As soon as I noticed the similarity, I instinctively grabbed my phone and ran a quick shutter test to check for PWM-like flicker. And when I saw the flicker, I immediately understood that it was coming from that. And i still personally think that's what it came from.

I understand what you're saying about desktop OLED not using "PWM" like smartphones. However, when I lowered the shutter speed on my phone, I could clearly see brightness fluctuations, which look like if a strobing mode was enabled. So if it's not PWM flicker, what exactly am I seeing? And more importantly, how would you isolate whether the eye strain is caused by OLED behavior itself versus something like dithering or DSC?

As for visual problems, I am quite confident on my end, I am in this field and I have serious visual problems myself unefortunately.

"Zero latency" doesn't exist. I like to frame it more as "lower total display latency than LCDs" or as "current refresh rates aren't limited by the G2G RTs; therefore much more truthful" than to call them "perfect".
They're the best sample & hold display technology we have on the market across all G2G RT combinations, yes.
They're not perfect for the extreme game optimization problem that plagues the vast majority of game engines, which limits their total clarity potential.
They can also be a side-grade or a non-upgrade if the games you play are within the strength's of a a particular LCD type (e.g.: rise times for IPS; fall times for TN)

Yes, that makes sense, it was just a figure of speech. But nobody is going to quantify the latency related to scanning, internal processing and signal processing, it wouldn't be very useful. that's probably why that even if they're the best sample & hold display i still prefer to play on a XV272UX on my games such as Apex Legends and OW It's just that channels like Monitor Unboxed praise OLED so much as the perfect thing for ALL uses that I got "taken in".

Yes, the experience you're describing here can be attributed to the 2x longer fall G2G RT's of IPS LCDs, making the total clarity feel "fuzzier/blurrier/more-vaseline-like".
Coating differences can also exacerbate & change your opinion.

Yes, but not only that, it "smooths out" the images as a result. I know it's more blurrier, I simply wanted to clarify that the game's perception is more "jittery" since the frames are displayed more "abruptly" on OLED/TN with strobing.

For the coating, for sure, coating play a role, but that's not the case here.

It's not the case that "OLED needs a higher refresh rate to have less blur".
This is the fundamental way that sample & hold works altogether. The underlying operation principle is the same on LCD & OLED.
All displays which function this way require raw refresh/sample rate to 'emulate' analog reality. It's the 'law of nature', if you want to frame it that way. See this recent video
Your experience is heavily dependant on the in-game map (to phrase it differently — color combination of G2G values) you've tested both displays in.
You could've tried a in-game map, which was favorable to IPS LCD's strength (great rise G2G RTs), making the difference between OLED & LCD (relatively) indistinguishable from your PoV.

Yes, but OLED still needs more hertz to be less blurry in motion, since OLED cannot have strobing at a high hertz rate at the moment for technical reasons that are unnecessary to mention. Monitor Unboxed themselves say that if you are looking for an OLED screen with less motion blur, you need to increase the hertz rate. LCDs can have strobing (DyAc/ELMB etc) to kinda escape the rule.

As for the video, thanks, I like his explanations. I'm sure he did some research here
As for the map theory, well, I tried several scenarios in different maps, with different parameters, nothing changed the situation, other than connecting another screen, regardless of the map, the game, the number of hours of sleep, or my mood, the result was always the same. So I’ll rephrase my question, since it seems to have been overlooked: why did the gameplay feel slower? More precisely, why did motion feel sluggish? And most importantly, why did the motion blur on this Asus feel so bad/the same as my old 1440p 270hz AUO QD-IPS? Even though it’s OLED and 280Hz? Because I overestimated OLED?

Yes, that's the removal of sample & hold blur, the limitation of low sample/frame/refresh rate of games & displays.
Backlight strobing is absolutely a competitive advantage, when implemented correctly.

I am primarily a victim of the aggressive advertising of OLED monitors, I mean, most people that are on OLEDs are above 300Hz for FPS, and OLEDs are praised for FPS from 360Hz onwards, but I thought that even at 280Hz it would be phenomenal, not for my expectation rate apparently.

Let's put it this way:
(note: this completely disregards the stroboscopic effect; "effective refresh rate" is Nvidia's marketing term for the strobe on period)
With your XL2546X, your "effective refresh rate" exceeds far beyond what you could achieve with a 540FPS @ 540Hz OLED.
Overwatch is 'limited' to 600FPS/Hz, meaning that's the maximum you can achieve, which is relatively slow compared to the fast-paced gameplay of OW2.
With DyAc2, you can achieve +1000FPS @ +1000Hz of "effective refresh rate", which is very noticable in games.
I suggest that you stick to displays with a good backlight strobing implementation, if you primarily play faster-paced games.

Wait till OLED fully switches to RGB stripe (perhaps in early 2027; as Q2 2026 is 27" 4K 240Hz only & 34" UW 360Hz is a bit meh for competitive) & till proper BFI implementations arrive (to be a pessimist — don't expect this to happen at all )

Hope this helps.

I'm aware that LCD + Strobing (at least, a good LCD with good strobing like TN+DyAc or IPS+Pulsar) equates to a very high refresh rate (around 1000Hz) in motion clarity, so I completely understand what you mean. But we're talking about the XL2546X, a 240Hz monitor, with admittedly very good (though not perfect) strobing, which means there will be some crosstalk, albeit very little. For you, even if it's only 240Hz, if I use strobing on my XL2546x, it will still be better in terms of motion blur and overall experience (you say that less blur management is a greater benefit to FPS games than smoothness itself) that on a 500hz~ OLED monitor ?
Also, what is the benefits of OLED with RGB stripe? apart from the text fringing.

Thank you for the explanations, although some were a bit too technical, my feelings and my tests are no less relevant. Although I asked some questions that require certain technical details, i think we're getting slightly off-topic. I'd still like to revisit some point to which I didn't really get concrete answers (or that I didn't really understand), it was this:

1. I get the XG27AQWMG to replaced both my XV272UX (QD-IPS) and XL2546X (TN) and the experience was catastrophic: headaches, nausea, the same feeling as Pentile AMOLEDs with their poor true pixel density and flickering.
2. Whether it's any map, any game, any PC (a close friend and my wife had the same feeling) with kind of "state-of-the-art" hardware (9800x3D/5070Ti) the screen was "slow" (even if that does not make any sense) I was not satisfied overall with the "raw 280hz" experience, the glossy finish I had waited so many years for was not as sharp because of this text fringing, the colorimetry was not great, too cold, too flat but oversaturated on the red no matter the setting, no matter the profiles used,
and this monitor is the 1# Ranking OLED of Monitor Unboxed


To ask the right questions:
1. Is TN a viable option compared to Pulsar and OLED?
2. Is Pulsar IPS a viable option compared to OLED? (A Kyube pros/cons for OLED/Pulsar IPS/TN would have been so helpful; it could have been simple and effective.)
3. Is there a difference in perception of motion blur/performance/latency between OLED vs QD-OLED?

In the end, i think I'm also going to buy a QD-OLED (probably a Gigabyte one between 280hz/360hz) and the XL2566X+ (TN 400hz), and test myself to check what suit me better.

Thank you for reading.

[Anonymous703819]

That's unfortunate, as I find it excellent, especially the strobing. The only things I really don't like on it are the low resolution and the sharpness was a bit too high out of the box for my liking, but one is easily tweaked. The colors on it pop and seem pretty accurate with the RTing provided icc profile. One thing with the XG2431, on my PC, it defaults to the wrong settings. I have to manually set the dynamic range, or everything looks washed out.

I fully understand why some people like it. On paper, its strobing implementation is indeed very good especially considering the tuning flexibility it offers (mostly for 60hz retro things).

However, I actually owned two units over time, and my experience was consistently negative. Years ago, I discussed it extensively here and even got into some heated debates because I said I didn’t like it. That’s fine, perception is subjective, but here’s what specifically bothered me:

1. Extremely low brightness in strobing mode
Even when tuned, the usable luminance in BFI was simply too low for me. It made the experience fatiguing over longer sessions.

2. Perceived latency, with and without strobing
I know the common argument is that “strobing does not add latency.” I’m not looking to restart that debate, but on this specific monitor, something felt really off. To isolate it, I set up a controlled test: two monitors on the same desk, connected via a DisplayPort switch. With one press, I could switch between displays without altering in-game scaling or system behavior. And the XG2431 consistently felt delayed compared to my other display. My reactions were worse. My tracking was worse. My overall performance dropped.

Whether that was internal processing, tuning, or something else, I can’t say, but the difference was reproducible.

3. 1080p resolution
At this stage, I personally prefer 1440p for clarity and workspace. Going back to 1080p felt like a regression.

4. 24” vs 25”
On paper, the difference is small. In practice, I absolutely notice it. The 25” format feels bigger and more natural to me in competitive play.

5. Color reproduction
This is subjective, of course. But I never liked the way the XG2431 rendered colors. Even calibrated, it didn’t look right to me.

I’ve seen monitors like the VG259QM heavily praised by Rtings and others, yet in person I found its colorimetry disappointing. So I’ve learned not to rely solely on review praise when it comes to subjective rendering.

6. OSD control
The menu navigation and control interface were genuinely frustrating in daily use.

7. Black Equalizer implementation
It simply wasn’t great. Shadow detail enhancement felt crude rather than well-balanced.

So while I respect that others find it excellent, for me it was not a viable long-term option.

As far as advancements to IPS, there have been many, especially if your starting point is 2020. Better HDR, higher refresh rates, lower input lag, faster response times, better color coverage, etc. You don't really mention what areas you're looking for improvements in, so you will have to research that more yourself for your exact needs.

My reference point isn’t really “2020-era vs Today IPS”
I mean, i’ve tested many IPS monitors between 2022 and 2024, including recent releases.

The last IPS that truly satisfied me was the XV272UX (AUO QD-IPS 270Hz). It’s not perfect, but it remains the most balanced IPS I’ve used.

What I’ve noticed in recent launches is this:

Many IPS panels remain at or below 240Hz.

A LOT of higher refresh models suffer from poor refresh compliance. You end up with a “240Hz” monitor that behaves closer to 144Hz in motion performance due to response time limitations.

If manufacturers push overdrive harder to compensate, overshoot becomes intrusive.

That’s why I’m questioning the trajectory of IPS. Because apart from the PG27AQN, I hadn't seen any IPS that were actually better.

Is there a genuinely standout IPS in 2026?
Not just “good for IPS,” but objectively competitive in motion and latency?

Some IPS models had promising performance, but then suffered from:
Heavy backlight bleed
Poor uniformity
Color tuning issues I couldn’t correct satisfactorily/Heavily red ksf phoshorus

So perhaps the title of my post should have been more precise:

“Which IPS monitor in 2026 genuinely stands out?”

To clarify what I’m looking for, my current IPS is:

Acer XV272UX — 1440p, QD-IPS, 270Hz.

What I would want improved over it:

1. Better overdrive tuning
Not a choice between ghosting or overshoot but genuinely clean transitions across the refresh range.

2. QD panel above 270Hz
I want to move beyond 270Hz, and surprisingly, I’ve grown to appreciate the QD filter’s color characteristics.

3. Lower latency overall
Even if the difference is small, I want measurable improvement.

4. Better BFI implementation
Something usable without brightness collapsing to near-zero.

If a monitor meets those criteria, I’m genuinely ready to test it immediately.

That’s really the core of my question.

[yehaw]

That's unfortunate, as I find it excellent, especially the strobing. The only things I really don't like on it are the low resolution and the sharpness was a bit too high out of the box for my liking, but one is easily tweaked. The colors on it pop and seem pretty accurate with the RTing provided icc profile. One thing with the XG2431, on my PC, it defaults to the wrong settings. I have to manually set the dynamic range, or everything looks washed out.

I fully understand why some people like it. On paper, its strobing implementation is indeed very good especially considering the tuning flexibility it offers (mostly for 60hz retro things).

However, I actually owned two units over time, and my experience was consistently negative. Years ago, I discussed it extensively here and even got into some heated debates because I said I didn’t like it. That’s fine, perception is subjective, but here’s what specifically bothered me:

1. Extremely low brightness in strobing mode
Even when tuned, the usable luminance in BFI was simply too low for me. It made the experience fatiguing over longer sessions.

2. Perceived latency, with and without strobing
I know the common argument is that “strobing does not add latency.” I’m not looking to restart that debate, but on this specific monitor, something felt really off. To isolate it, I set up a controlled test: two monitors on the same desk, connected via a DisplayPort switch. With one press, I could switch between displays without altering in-game scaling or system behavior. And the XG2431 consistently felt delayed compared to my other display. My reactions were worse. My tracking was worse. My overall performance dropped. If you check the latency charts, out of 380 monitors XG is top 5 in strobing and top 10 in non-strobing.

Whether that was internal processing, tuning, or something else, I can’t say, but the difference was reproducible.

3. 1080p resolution
At this stage, I personally prefer 1440p for clarity and workspace. Going back to 1080p felt like a regression.

4. 24” vs 25”
On paper, the difference is small. In practice, I absolutely notice it. The 25” format feels bigger and more natural to me in competitive play.

5. Color reproduction
This is subjective, of course. But I never liked the way the XG2431 rendered colors. Even calibrated, it didn’t look right to me.

I’ve seen monitors like the VG259QM heavily praised by Rtings and others, yet in person I found its colorimetry disappointing. So I’ve learned not to rely solely on review praise when it comes to subjective rendering.

6. OSD control
The menu navigation and control interface were genuinely frustrating in daily use.

7. Black Equalizer implementation
It simply wasn’t great. Shadow detail enhancement felt crude rather than well-balanced.

So while I respect that others find it excellent, for me it was not a viable long-term option.

As far as advancements to IPS, there have been many, especially if your starting point is 2020. Better HDR, higher refresh rates, lower input lag, faster response times, better color coverage, etc. You don't really mention what areas you're looking for improvements in, so you will have to research that more yourself for your exact needs.

My reference point isn’t really “2020-era vs Today IPS”
I mean, i’ve tested many IPS monitors between 2022 and 2024, including recent releases.

The last IPS that truly satisfied me was the XV272UX (AUO QD-IPS 270Hz). It’s not perfect, but it remains the most balanced IPS I’ve used.

What I’ve noticed in recent launches is this:

Many IPS panels remain at or below 240Hz.

A LOT of higher refresh models suffer from poor refresh compliance. You end up with a “240Hz” monitor that behaves closer to 144Hz in motion performance due to response time limitations.

If manufacturers push overdrive harder to compensate, overshoot becomes intrusive.

That’s why I’m questioning the trajectory of IPS. Because apart from the PG27AQN, I hadn't seen any IPS that were actually better.

Is there a genuinely standout IPS in 2026?
Not just “good for IPS,” but objectively competitive in motion and latency?

Some IPS models had promising performance, but then suffered from:
Heavy backlight bleed
Poor uniformity
Color tuning issues I couldn’t correct satisfactorily/Heavily red ksf phoshorus

So perhaps the title of my post should have been more precise:

“Which IPS monitor in 2026 genuinely stands out?”

To clarify what I’m looking for, my current IPS is:

Acer XV272UX — 1440p, QD-IPS, 270Hz.

What I would want improved over it:

1. Better overdrive tuning
Not a choice between ghosting or overshoot but genuinely clean transitions across the refresh range.

2. QD panel above 270Hz
I want to move beyond 270Hz, and surprisingly, I’ve grown to appreciate the QD filter’s color characteristics.

3. Lower latency overall
Even if the difference is small, I want measurable improvement.

4. Better BFI implementation
Something usable without brightness collapsing to near-zero.

If a monitor meets those criteria, I’m genuinely ready to test it immediately.

That’s really the core of my question.

That's interesting about your perceived latency, considering the XG2431 has extremely low display latency. You can check the RTing review of it, it matches and even beats some OLED displays at around 2ms. The strobing on the XG also has extremely low input lag when strobing at around 3ms, compared to an average ASUS OLED I checked, which was around 10ms in strobing mode. Out of 380 monitors, it's top 10 in non-strobing latency, with strobing it's top 5.

The strobing can be very dark on the XG2431, but there are a few different presets for it where you can pick your preferred brightness. The ultra preset is dimmest and will have a dark image. You can set it to Light and have very bright strobing. I play with it on Extreme and it's more than enough brightness for the comp games I play. Or you can download the custom tool and tailor is more precisely if the four presets don't do it for you.

As far as the colors, unless you're doing critical color accuracy work, they're more than good enough for gaming/normal use unless you're chasing super high contrast ratios. I've had factory calibrated Dell IPS monitors that came with color calibration accuracy reports in the box from factory, XG is more than good enough. You're not going to see large leaps in colors between IPS displays. If you're chasing a specific color target, you're better off buying a monitor calibration tool than wasting time buying/returning multiple monitors. Here is mine in a dark room to show off the contrast a bit better:



Pretty dam good if you ask me, but everyone has different tastes. And yes, the top right corner looks a bit hazy/noisy, but that is something from my camera AI post-processing which I can't seem to not capture. On the monitor itself, it looks smooth with no haze. The top center also isn't washed out, it looks similar even on my OLED phone, it's just the shade of color the designer choose for the wallpaper.

Good luck in finding your perfect display.

[Anonymous703819]

That's interesting about your perceived latency, considering the XG2431 has extremely low display latency. You can check the RTing review of it, it matches and even beats some OLED displays at around 2ms. The strobing on the XG also has extremely low input lag when strobing at around 3ms, compared to an average ASUS OLED I checked, which was around 10ms in strobing mode. Out of 380 monitors, it's top 10 in non-strobing latency, with strobing it's top 5.

I’m fully aware of how the XG2431 performs on paper. I’ve read measurements, charts, and yes, I know what RTINGS reports in terms of input lag and response times.

What I’m saying is that my real-world experience simply did not align with those numbers.

Despite the excellent measured latency, the XG2431 felt less responsive to me in actual gameplay. It felt less readable in motion (despite being almost crosstalk free), less comfortable over long sessions, and ultimately less efficient in competitive scenarios than other displays I’ve used. It didn’t improve my performance, if anything, I felt more constrained by it. And when I switched back to other monitors, the difference was immediate.

That doesn’t mean the measurements are wrong. It means that measurable latency is not the only variable that determines perceived responsiveness. Motion presentation, brightness under strobing, contrast behavior, tuning choices, OD, even subjective comfort like 24" instead of 25" all of that plays a role.

Regarding the “top 10 / top 5” ranking, I assume that’s based on RTINGS database. And while I respect their work, they:

don’t test every monitor,
don’t test them equally frequently anymore,
and focus heavily on popularity-driven models.

I stopped relying exclusively on their rankings years ago. A good example is the ASUS VG259QM, which they rated very highly. It’s also one of the worst monitors I’ve personally owned in terms of color reproduction and overall feel. Extremely popular? Yes. Good on paper? Yes. Good for me? Absolutely not. Then there was this story about the Panda panel being used on the latest batches, supposedly better, but I didn't want to waste my time buying a second one.

A monitor can measure extremely well and still not suit someone’s needs or perception. Correlation does not equal causation necessarily.

As for the comparison with my XL2546X, the difference for me is night and day. With the XL2546X, I achieved ranks in my games that I never managed to reach with the XG2431. Never get any headache, the motion clarity at high brightness, the DyAc implementation, the black equalizer behavior, the overall comfort, everything feels more dialed-in for competitive play in my case.

You might prefer the XG2431. That’s perfectly fine. But performance charts don’t override lived experience.

The strobing can be very dark on the XG2431, but there are a few different presets for it where you can pick your preferred brightness…

I bought the XG2431 the week it launched in my country. I tested every preset extensively: Ultra, Extreme, Light and even experimented with the Blur Busters utility. Brightness was still a major compromise for me, especially compared to what I’m used to.

Yes, you can make it “usable.” But usable and optimal are two different things.

As far as the colors… you’re better off buying a monitor calibration tool than wasting time buying/returning multiple monitors.

Did you ever try a QD monitor like the XV272UX and compared side by side with the XG2431?

Because, I did.

And in direct comparison, the XG2431 looks noticeably flatter and less vibrant. Certain tones, beige is a good example, lean greenish on the XG2431, while the XV272UX (being QD-IPS) renders them far more naturally to my eyes. The difference is subtle on paper, but very visible in person. I also had a professional Dell IPS monitor and the XG2431 was not comparable.

I’m not chasing some mythical perfect D65 reference. I actually don’t even prefer a strict 6500K white point, it looks too yellow/orange to me. But within my circle (including people who do digital art), the consensus was clear: the XG2431’s color presentation wasn’t impressive.

My wife does digital drawing, not a professional colorist, but experienced enough and her reaction to using the XG2431 was blunt: “trash.” That was her word. Not because it’s unusable, but because compared to better IPS/QD-IPS panels, it lacks depth and nuance. Especially in certain styles of digital drawing.

I recently purchased an OSRTT tool for motion analysis, and I plan to get additional calibration tools. But I don’t need a colorimeter to know whether I enjoy a monitor or not. After testing dozens of displays, you develop a trained eye. Profiles help for sure. Calibration helps. But they don’t magically change panel characteristics.

Also, I want to clarify something, i never said I was buying and returning monitors carelessly. I test thoroughly. If I keep something, it’s because it genuinely fits my needs.

I appreciate the data, I respect your experience, but I also trust mine. I owned two XG2431 units. I gave them a fair chance. And at the end of the day, they simply weren’t something special.


There’s no perfect display, only trade-offs. I’m just trying to find the ones that align with my priorities and i like to have multiple screens.

[yehaw]

I don't think a monitor or any hardware/peripheral is going to make a drastic difference in in-game results when it comes to climbing ranks, personally. That's typically more tied to player skill than anything else. If you're hard stuck Gold, a monitor isn't going to get you into Platinum ranked. Especially when switching from one IPS to another at similar refresh rate. I think people tend to exaggerate things online to try and drive home their point.

If you go look at stats for a player like s1mple, one of the best CSGO players of all time, his stats are consistently the same over a 10 year span with all advancements in tech of monitor, mice, keyboard, hardware, etc.

Take a look at mini-led if you haven't already.

[kyube]

Even if it may not be as refined as the newer Pulsar implementations, the PG27AQN is still far from being obsolete.
If someone already owns it, or can get it at a reasonable price, it remains a very competent monitor overall.

A 'reasonable' price would be <400eur. No one will and should buy it for anything above that.
This was solely talking about the aspect of not owning a display, not about users who already own one.
If you already own a PG27AQN, that makes the Pulsar models a redundant purchase for you.

Regarding the OD steps: doesn’t that still heavily depend on manufacturer tuning?
I’ve owned several monitors using identical panels in the past (MSI, Acer, etc.), and overdrive behavior varied significantly depending on the brand’s implementation.
So are the Pulsar models standardized in that regard, or is this more of a panel capability that manufacturers are simply choosing to expose differently? I’m genuinely curious about how much of that is panel-level versus firmware-level tuning.

As you can see, the PG27AQN offers 4 fixed OD settings on the entirety of the possible OD's (0–100; steps of 1)
For example (I don't have any confirmation), they might've chosen: 5/100, 25/100; 47/100; 85/100

While, on the new Pulsar models (& quite a few modern panels), you have the ability to adjust the OD with a slider
Since it's steps of 20, you have room to adjust the OD to a much better setting, allowing you to fine-tune the sample & hold experience further.

More info: viewtopic.php?t=6739

About the QD backlight, I was under the impression that its primary purpose was color gamut extension and spectral efficiency.
How exactly does it improve ULMB2 viability in practice?

See this: https://blurbusters.com/beautiful-red-p ... ion-badly/

Does that imply QD-OLED would inherently be superior to WOLED in motion performance scenarios as well, or is this strictly about backlight spectral characteristics?
And yes Pulsar flicker is noticeably stronger. That alone can be a deal-breaker for some users.

It's entirely related to backlight strobing.
The multi-strobe PWM flicker (the actual name of VRR+Pulsar) is a dealbreaker for me, especially the little clarity benefits you get for competitive games

I’m very sensitive to frametime differences and I’ve experimented extensively with VRR configurations over the years.
I’ve tried G-Sync + V-Sync + Reflex across multiple displays I’ve owned, and regardless of the screen, I never preferred the feeling compared to fixed refresh with a tight frame cap.

You haven't tried a scenario in which your refresh rate encapsulates your general frame time, if your signature has listed all models you've tried
For example: a 610Hz TN would look far more appealing in a GSYNC+VSYNC+Reflex combination in CS2 & OW2 than the 240-360Hz displays you've tested.
I personally wouldn't use VRR/GSYNC on such (relatively) low refresh rates (240–360Hz), unless I was playing Apex Legends (capped to 300FPS)
OW2 or CS2 only make sense in a variable refresh rate scenario, if you can encapsulate the general frame rate you achieve when uncapped & fixed refresh rate.
e.g.: Your system can output +600FPS, so you opt for a more 'coherent' ('no tearing') looking image by running GSYNC+VSYNC+Reflex.

Only with G-Sync setup, right?
Because i always play with frame limiter to match FPS=Hertz on RivaTuner and never had any issues with latency or something else. Is there something wrong with RivaTuner btw?

RTSS frame rate limiters (RTSS Reflex, Async, Front-edge & Back-edge) add 1-2 frame of additional latency, depending on the frame rate limit & specific limiter you've chosen.
If set to 240FPS → 4,166667 – 8,333334 ms of additional latency added to the total system latency.
My frame rate limit recommendation applies to all possible scenarios (fixed RR & VRR)
If a game is capable of Nvidia Reflex, use in-game or NvLimiterV3 (if fixed refresh rate). If VRR, rely on auto-cap of Reflex.
If a game isn't capable of Nvidia reflex, solely rely on in-game.
This way, you won't have any added latency overhead.
All of this can be tested with Special-K & RTSS' reflex.ovl overlay.

But I'm not looking to go beyond 400 Hz, it would be pointless for me right now.

Pointless from a performance perspective? Absolutely not. You want the highest refresh rate within your budget, even if it eclipses your game's frame rate.
Pointless from a economic perspective? Here's how the pricing is in EU right now:
https://geizhals.de/aoc-agon-pro-ag246fk6-a3551224.html
https://geizhals.de/aoc-ag246fk-a3231268.html
A much better choice over Pulsar, if you're primarily interested in OW as your main game.
A much better choice than the XL2566X+, if you ask me.

I've already tried it on games like OW (OW2 does not exist anymore btw lol), as you said, and I didn't like it either.
Either I'm doing it wrong (which may be the case, I'm not presumptuous enough to say otherwise) or I really prefer having less blur than a smooth image.

The latter is quite possible. Though, you might like the setup I've mentioned above

I didn't quite understand your comment about the MPRT; it's a bit confusing.
I know the "basics" of MPRT, but not entirely.
I mean, my XL2546x, if I understand correctly, doesn't have an MPRT response time below 1ms, and you therefore find the strobing somewhat pointless? (Because there's crosstalk?)
I have to admit that I'm completely lost about this part. How do you quantify whether a particular screen has a certain MPRT "scores"?

What I meant is — a display (generally, most non-BenQ models) whose strobing isn't as good as a CRT's (which BenQ/Zowie models do with ease) is redundant for me, from a usability perspective.
It's about achieving a particular, fixed goal target. For me, that's <1ms MPRT. To be specific, a <1ms strobe on period.
The DyAc2 implementation, if you're on the 240Hz setting, is likely within the subset of good displays I'm referring to above.

I think there is maybe a slight dissonance here. What made me suspicious is that the eye strain I experienced felt very similar to what I get from certain AMOLED smartphone displays, especially Pentile ones.
As soon as I noticed the similarity, I instinctively grabbed my phone and ran a quick shutter test to check for PWM-like flicker.
And when I saw the flicker, I immediately understood that it was coming from that. And i still personally think that's what it came from.
I understand what you're saying about desktop OLED not using "PWM" like smartphones. However, when I lowered the shutter speed on my phone, I could clearly see brightness fluctuations, which look like if a strobing mode was enabled.
So if it's not PWM flicker, what exactly am I seeing?
And more importantly, how would you isolate whether the eye strain is caused by OLED behavior itself versus something like dithering or DSC?
As for visual problems, I am quite confident on my end, I am in this field and I have serious visual problems myself unfortunately.

As I've mentioned above, the (light) flicker / brightness dip you're referring to is caused by the internal capacitance of the voltage driver circuitry within the OLED panel itself.
Take a look at my 'backlight strobing' thread in my signature and look at the 'flicker' link there, where I've provided graphs of how each particular flicker looks like under a oscilloscope & photodiode.
As for how you'd test out whether your issue is related to the actually rooted in the brightness dip, some form of dithering or DSC... this is a impossible task.
One can find panels where DSC isn't present (e.g.: DP2.1 UHBR20 OLEDs, can even run it at a lower-than-native refresh rate if you're paranoid), but you cannot find a OLED which doesn't have some form of dithering (it's a thing on all displays) or the light flicker (it's a inherent technological limitation, which I haven't seen anyone 'fix' yet)
This is why I'm still on a LCDs & eagerly waiting for the new 24.5" QHD +360Hz panel to arrive in the EU, as I want no flicker of any kind present in a panel I use daily.

Yes, that makes sense, it was just a figure of speech.
But nobody is going to quantify the latency related to scanning, internal processing and signal processing, it wouldn't be very useful. that's probably why that even if they're the best sample & hold display i still prefer to play on a XV272UX on my games such as Apex Legends and OW It's just that channels like Monitor Unboxed praise OLED so much as the perfect thing for ALL uses that I got "taken in".

Your opinion could also be swayed if you were to try a non-flickering OLED

Yes, but not only that, it "smooths out" the images as a result. I know it's more blurrier,
I simply wanted to clarify that the game's perception is more "jittery" since the frames are displayed more "abruptly" on OLED/TN with strobing.
For the coating, for sure, coating play a role, but that's not the case here.

Yep, that's how the removal of G2G RT trailing (OLEDs) or sample & hold blur (LCD with good strobing strobing) does to the overall dynamic image quality

Yes, but OLED still needs more hertz to be less blurry in motion, since OLED cannot have strobing at a high hertz rate at the moment for technical reasons that are unnecessary to mention. Monitor Unboxed themselves say that if you are looking for an OLED screen with less motion blur, you need to increase the hertz rate. LCDs can have strobing (DyAc/ELMB etc) to kinda escape the rule.

Yes, when compared to impulsed displays, sample & hold displays such as OLED's @ 540Hz or 720Hz aren't enough compared to a LCD with good backlight strobing... when solely discussing eye-tracked motion performance
But, this isn't something solely exclusive to OLED. This is the case with LCD (when not impulsed)as well. That's my point.
OLED & LCD are both sample & hold, when not impulsed.
The former is more 'truthful' than LCDs (as you've noticed), while the latter 'smears' dynamic content on-screen due to G2G RT being longer than necessary.

The large reduction in the visibility of the stroboscopic effect is also a key thing most users forget.
There's a vocal minority online which cannot endure the stroboscopic effect

As for the map theory, well, I tried several scenarios in different maps, with different parameters, nothing changed the situation, other than connecting another screen, regardless of the map, the game, the number of hours of sleep, or my mood, the result was always the same.
So I’ll rephrase my question, since it seems to have been overlooked: why did the gameplay feel slower?
More precisely, why did motion feel sluggish?
And most importantly, why did the motion blur on this Asus feel so bad/the same as my old 1440p 270hz AUO QD-IPS?
Even though it’s OLED and 280Hz? Because I overestimated OLED?

Higher refresh rate without a G2G RT limitation feels like that.
It 'slows down' everything. It's a 'new' (actual, 'realistic') window to reality
Though, the use of the word "sluggish" is something I cannot give you a theory on... perhaps something specific to the ASUS model you've chosen or some other external variable at play.

I am primarily a victim of the aggressive advertising of OLED monitors, I mean, most people that are on OLEDs are above 300Hz for FPS, and OLEDs are praised for FPS from 360Hz onwards, but I thought that even at 280Hz it would be phenomenal, not for my expectation rate apparently.

I treat OLED as king of sample & hold, regardless of refresh rate target.
Though, as I'm personally used to CRT-like clarity (<1ms MPRT or <1ms strobe 'on' period) & dislike the entire text fringing topic, I cannot use OLEDs unless they release a RGB stripe 24–27" QHD +500Hz model.
Hence why I'm using a LCD with backlight strobing

I'm aware that LCD + Strobing (at least, a good LCD with good strobing like TN+DyAc or IPS+Pulsar) equates to a very high refresh rate (around 1000Hz) in motion clarity, so I completely understand what you mean.
But we're talking about the XL2546X, a 240Hz monitor, with admittedly very good (though not perfect) strobing, which means there will be some crosstalk, albeit very little.
For you, even if it's only 240Hz, if I use strobing on my XL2546x, it will still be better in terms of motion blur and overall experience (you say that less blur management is a greater benefit to FPS games than smoothness itself) that on a 500hz~ OLED monitor ?

I haven't tried a +500Hz OLED personally, due to the reasons I've outlined above.
My current stance is — I would personally opt for a good backlight strobing implementation with good pixel density (not 24" FHD) over OLED in it's current state.
My opinion will very likely change once OLED implementations fix a few quirks I have with them (VRR flicker, brightness dip, vertical banding, implement good <1ms BFI etc.)

Also, what is the benefits of OLED with RGB stripe? apart from the text fringing.

The 'text fringing' occurs on every black shape you see in-game.
It's a very large issue IMO, all things considering.

1. I get the XG27AQWMG to replaced both my XV272UX (QD-IPS) and XL2546X (TN) and the experience was catastrophic: headaches, nausea, the same feeling as Pentile AMOLEDs with their poor true pixel density and flickering.

It is also possible that you're sensitive to the 'denim-like' pattern of OLED, also commonly referred to as the mura effect (mura — cloud in japanese)
This is a phenomena present on all OLEDs on the market (desktop, laptop, TVs, phones)
You could also be sensitive to the wide color gamut aspect of modern displays... which you've likely noticed from all the testing you've done with KSF/PFS panels

2. Whether it's any map, any game, any PC (a close friend and my wife had the same feeling) with kind of "state-of-the-art" hardware (9800x3D/5070Ti) the screen was "slow" (even if that does not make any sense) I was not satisfied overall with the "raw 280hz" experience, the glossy finish I had waited so many years for was not as sharp because of this text fringing, the colorimetry was not great, too cold, too flat but oversaturated on the red no matter the setting, no matter the profiles used,
and this monitor is the 1# Ranking OLED of Monitor Unboxed ?

Monitors Unboxed likes to be... a bit misleading/deceiving on particular techonologies & display models.
I believe the "slowness" you're referring to could be actually experiencing the truthful refresh rate representation for the first time, though I cannot tell you for certain :/

To ask the right questions:
1. Is TN a viable option compared to Pulsar and OLED?

Yes, especially the new 600Hz TN's.
Though, if you want to use strobing, I would only get a Zowie +500Hz TN, as they're the only brand to use a QD backlight.
I personally dislike 24" FHD, make of that what you will.
Current Pulsar models (and the techonology itself) are very mediocre, borderline planned obsolescence territory.
I would only consider one of the current Pulsar models if one would use the ULMB2 feature (not Pulsar) and is able to run +360FPS@360Hz consistently in his choice of games, for a price point of <400eur.

2. Is Pulsar IPS a viable option compared to OLED? (A Kyube pros/cons for OLED/Pulsar IPS/TN would have been so helpful; it could have been simple and effective.)

I've made a pros/cons list in the Pulsar thread, I think I've linked it here as well.
For your use-case, as I've mentioned above, I'd opt for a good BL strobing implementation over OLED.
For instance — AOC Q25G4SR at it's 300Hz setting with MBR enabled
Though, red fringing will be present...

3. Is there a difference in perception of motion blur/performance/latency between OLED vs QD-OLED?

This is very model specific, as each model has a different scaler IC & implementation.
Generally, if at the same refresh rate, no.

In the end, i think I'm also going to buy a QD-OLED (probably a Gigabyte one between 280hz/360hz) and the XL2566X+ (TN 400hz), and test myself to check what suit me better.

One of the 500Hz QD-OLEDs (e.g.: FO27Q5P, AG276QKD2) might be amazing for you, if you're able to try one
I would go for a +360Hz model, for sure.

[endrioesci]

It’s nice to hear other people talking about the brightness dip issue. I also have problems with PWM, and even if technically it’s not the same as regular PWM, considering the fact that it’s a brightness fluctuation at a low Hz value, I think it can also cause problems. It’s sad that most reviewers still consider this “flicker-free.”

I hope that in the near future they’ll improve whatever voltage or driving method is causing this, and I also hope that reviewers will start taking this issue more seriously.

[Anonymous703819]

Warning, a large block of text is coming:

A 'reasonable' price would be <400eur. No one will and should buy it for anything above that.
This was solely talking about the aspect of not owning a display, not about users who already own one.
If you already own a PG27AQN, that makes the Pulsar models a redundant purchase for you.

Ultimately, it's still a very good monitor in its own right.

I mean, stopping production would be a wise choice, but the product itself isn't "bad", just outclassed by the Pulsar monitors. And even then, you have to be able to tolerate the Pulsar. The only argument that would make a PG27AQN "better" is if it has better brightness in strobing mode, but I don't know if it's brighter or dimmer than the current G-Sync Pulsar monitors.

Then you gave the decisive argument of a more expansive OD tuning, and that is already a huge argument.

As you can see, the PG27AQN offers 4 fixed OD settings on the entirety of the possible OD's (0–100; steps of 1)
For example (I don't have any confirmation), they might've chosen: 5/100, 25/100; 47/100; 85/100

While, on the new Pulsar models (& quite a few modern panels), you have the ability to adjust the OD with a slider
Since it's steps of 20, you have room to adjust the OD to a much better setting, allowing you to fine-tune the sample & hold experience further.


More info: viewtopic.php?t=6739

It is like Zowie's "custom OD" ? If yes, then yeah, it's better. (although I need to take some measurements, because I find the custom OD behaves quite strangely on my XL2546X) like, putting Premium settings instead of any custom OD results in a smoother image.

See this: https://blurbusters.com/beautiful-red-p ... ion-badly/

I read this article several years ago, thank you, I had forgotten about it !

It's entirely related to backlight strobing.
The multi-strobe PWM flicker (the actual name of VRR+Pulsar) is a dealbreaker for me, especially the little clarity benefits you get for competitive games

Roger!
Wait...what? What do you mean by "the little clarity benefits "? I thought that for you, finding a balance between smoothness and strobing was your goal, isn't this the "perfect" technology you're looking for?
I mean, the results clearly show that it's better than OLEDs that are 200Hz higher, right? (source: Monitor Unboxed) They did UFO tests on them (as you most certainly know).
Or are you saying that for you, ruining your brain with strobing is only worthwhile if the result is perfect? ​​(Which I find impressive on these Pulsar tbh.) But then, if I understand correctly, you don't like flicker at all?
So I'm wondering how you can stand OLED (since I'm almost certain that's what you're using). Unless you're telling me that some OLEDs don't flicker (for which I'd ask for links/some kinf of proof because all the OLEDs I've seen have flicker).
Because that was my main problem with the Tandem OLED I had.

You haven't tried a scenario in which your refresh rate encapsulates your general frame time, if your signature has listed all models you've tried

I know what frametime encapsulation means.
I didn’t just plug the monitor in and hope for the best, the issue wasn’t unstable FPS/Frametime or mismatched Hz.
The signature isn’t decorative
There are just some people who simply don't like G-Sync or prefer strobing.

For example: a 610Hz TN would look far more appealing in a GSYNC+VSYNC+Reflex combination in CS2 & OW2 than the 240-360Hz displays you've tested.
I personally wouldn't use VRR/GSYNC on such (relatively) low refresh rates (240–360Hz), unless I was playing Apex Legends (capped to 300FPS)
OW2 or CS2 only make sense in a variable refresh rate scenario, if you can encapsulate the general frame rate you achieve when uncapped & fixed refresh rate.
e.g.: Your system can output +600FPS, so you opt for a more 'coherent' ('no tearing') looking image by running GSYNC+VSYNC+Reflex.

Yes, a higher refresh rate is definitely better for many reasons, but I wouldn't go above 400Hz because I mainly play Apex Legends (and at the moment I'm taking a break from FPS area, (I'm playing a lot of emulations/gatcha games). Perhaps my opinion will change in a few months.
VRR can’t compensate for inconsistent frame delivery from the engine. I've tried tons of them since February 4, 2019. Even though now I have a machine that produces a particularly unusually stable frametime in all circumstances in this game, Strobing in Apex Legends is far more important and interesting than any form of VRR; however, some players are used to VRR and that's absolutely fine. I prefer strobing.

RTSS frame rate limiters (RTSS Reflex, Async, Front-edge & Back-edge) add 1-2 frame of additional latency, depending on the frame rate limit & specific limiter you've chosen.
If set to 240FPS → 4,166667 – 8,333334 ms of additional latency added to the total system latency.
My frame rate limit recommendation applies to all possible scenarios (fixed RR & VRR)
If a game is capable of Nvidia Reflex, use in-game or NvLimiterV3 (if fixed refresh rate). If VRR, rely on auto-cap of Reflex.
If a game isn't capable of Nvidia reflex, solely rely on in-game.
This way, you won't have any added latency overhead.
All of this can be tested with Special-K & RTSS' reflex.ovl overlay.

Really?
So my current setup isn't really optimal then?
I need some clarification because I feel like I'm confusing a few things with Reflex.

Here's what I do and here's my setup:

1. Apex Legends (you can't adjust the framerate in-game), so I set "+fps_max 240" on Steam.
2. I have Riva Tuner, with everything unchecked in the Afterburner "control" panel (yes, some people hate Afterburner, and I'll never uninstall it unless someone gives me a solid reason) and I put 240 fps on RivaTuner (this way, I have a game that "reacts" faster)
3. In the game, I set almost everything to low, 16:9 standard, 1080p 240hz (XL2546X), no anti-aliasing obviously, reflex on activated+boost.
4. In the Nvidia control panel, do not select "No scaling" / perform scaling on display / low latency mode: Ultra / vertical sync: off / preferred refresh rate: highest
5. DyAc2: Premium/OD: Premium

I mean, there are no issues here; I've never encountered latency spikes with this setup. But if it's bad, please explain why and what scenario would be better.
If I tell you I'm playing with OBS in the background with a replay buffer constantly active, are you going to scream? xD
So, which scenario is the best for my case?

Pointless from a performance perspective? Absolutely not. You want the highest refresh rate within your budget, even if it eclipses your game's frame rate.
Pointless from a economic perspective? Here's how the pricing is in EU right now:
https://geizhals.de/aoc-agon-pro-ag246fk6-a3551224.html
https://geizhals.de/aoc-ag246fk-a3231268.html
A much better choice over Pulsar, if you're primarily interested in OW as your main game.
A much better choice than the XL2566X+, if you ask me.

Yes, I understand, it's just that I wouldn't want to buy a 600Hz monitor and not use it.
It's funny you mention "AG246FK6" because I almost clicked "buy" a few weeks ago, but the fact that nobody talks about it and I don't know the refresh compliance/overshoot rate or how this panel performs, I don't know.
I don't think I mentioned that I'm in the EU, though

My main FPS game is Apex Legends (despite the game's questionable state). My second "main" FPS is Overwatch, and I've recently started enjoying it again.

I'll keep in mind what you just said.
But why "AG246FK6" would be better than Pulsar and XL2566+ for my games? you didn't really elaborate, since i prefer strobing performance of Zowie.

What I meant is — a display (generally, most non-BenQ models) whose strobing isn't as good as a CRT's (which BenQ/Zowie models do with ease) is redundant for me, from a usability perspective.
It's about achieving a particular, fixed goal target. For me, that's <1ms MPRT. To be specific, a <1ms strobe on period.
The DyAc2 implementation, if you're on the 240Hz setting, is likely within the subset of good displays I'm referring to above.

Oh yes, of course, and I think most people think so too.
As for my Zowie, ok, interesting.
So, how do you know if MPRT is at 1ms, below or beyond? I mean, how is that measured?

As I've mentioned above, the (light) flicker / brightness dip you're referring to is caused by the internal capacitance of the voltage driver circuitry within the OLED panel itself.
Take a look at my 'backlight strobing' thread in my signature and look at the 'flicker' link there, where I've provided graphs of how each particular flicker looks like under a oscilloscope & photodiode.
As for how you'd test out whether your issue is related to the actually rooted in the brightness dip, some form of dithering or DSC... this is a impossible task.
One can find panels where DSC isn't present (e.g.: DP2.1 UHBR20 OLEDs, can even run it at a lower-than-native refresh rate if you're paranoid), but you cannot find a OLED which doesn't have some form of dithering (it's a thing on all displays) or the light flicker (it's a inherent technological limitation, which I haven't seen anyone 'fix' yet)
This is why I'm still on a LCDs & eagerly waiting for the new 24.5" QHD +360Hz panel to arrive in the EU, as I want no flicker of any kind present in a panel I use daily.

So it's basically related to the backlighting? (Yes, I know, there's no backlighting in an OLED.) I mean, it's related to how the "pixels" are powered and how they create brightness/white?
If that's the case, yes, okay, but does that mean all OLEDs/QD-OLEDs/WOLEDs do that? Because I'm almost 100% sure that's what bothers me, a guy named Fresh Review had a similar problem with huge headaches in the past with one of the first Alienware QD-OLEDs.
I'm going to look at all the links.

So every OLED have light flicker

May I ask what LCDs you're using? And what games? (So I was wrong, you're noton a OLED lol, my bad) and you don't like flicker either (strobing, therefore), interesting.
I think you listed the monitor you're talking about previously, can you tell me what monitor your talking about?

By the way, how do you know a monitor is coming out in advance? What website do you check? Display Specifications?

Your opinion could also be swayed if you were to try a non-flickering OLED

What? you just said that it was inherent to OLEDs, right?

Yes, when compared to impulsed displays, sample & hold displays such as OLED's @ 540Hz or 720Hz aren't enough compared to a LCD with good backlight strobing... when solely discussing eye-tracked motion performance
But, this isn't something solely exclusive to OLED. This is the case with LCD (when not impulsed)as well. That's my point.
OLED & LCD are both sample & hold, when not impulsed.
The former is more 'truthful' than LCDs (as you've noticed), while the latter 'smears' dynamic content on-screen due to G2G RT being longer than necessary.

The large reduction in the visibility of the stroboscopic effect is also a key thing most users forget.
There's a vocal minority online which cannot endure the stroboscopic effect

That's crazy that even 500hz/700hz is still not enough, although that doesn't mean it's bad.
Yeah well don't look at my account history lol, my opinion always wavers, before I was a "hater" of strobing, I couldn't stand it at all, but it helps me a lot when I play, it's so much fun.

Higher refresh rate without a G2G RT limitation feels like that.
It 'slows down' everything. It's a 'new' (actual, 'realistic') window to reality
Though, the use of the word "sluggish" is something I cannot give you a theory on... perhaps something specific to the ASUS model you've chosen or some other external variable at play.

Well, I had spoken to other users of this OLED and they had the same feeling, not all of them, we all have a different perception and some do not play fast games.

But That's crazy.

I treat OLED as king of sample & hold, regardless of refresh rate target.
Though, as I'm personally used to CRT-like clarity (<1ms MPRT or <1ms strobe 'on' period) & dislike the entire text fringing topic, I cannot use OLEDs unless they release a RGB stripe 24–27" QHD +500Hz model.
Hence why I'm using a LCD with backlight strobing

Yes for sure, dislike the entire text fringing topic, I cannot use OLEDs unless they release a RGB stripe me too!
So you're using BFI, ok! (what I said above falls apart lol)

I haven't tried a +500Hz OLED personally, due to the reasons I've outlined above.
My current stance is — I would personally opt for a good backlight strobing implementation with good pixel density (not 24" FHD) over OLED in it's current state.
My opinion will very likely change once OLED implementations fix a few quirks I have with them (VRR flicker, brightness dip, vertical banding, implement good <1ms BFI etc.)

Do you think we can hope for 2026?

The 'text fringing' occurs on every black shape you see in-game.
It's a very large issue IMO, all things considering.

Damn, I never really noticed that, just that I find 1440p OLEDs less sharp and a bit odd due to text fringing. Maybe that's also why I haven't liked OLED for gaming so far.

But now I'm curious, for you QD-OLEDs are unthinkable given that the panel also turns a light purple in a bright/slightly bright environment?

You could also be sensitive to the wide color gamut aspect of modern displays... which you've likely noticed from all the testing you've done with KSF/PFS panels

Maybe. I see that sir has done his research lmao.
More seriously, yes and no. I especially dislike ultra-saturated colors, mostly red.

A close friend has the exact same opinion as me, but doesn't have vision problems like I do. I tried a KSF RED IPS 1440p over a year ago, and I didn't like it at all. I think my Zowie, since it's a TN, is a "YAG" or something like that; I think you even told me that almost a year ago. since your name rings a bell.

Monitors Unboxed likes to be... a bit misleading/deceiving on particular techonologies & display models.
I believe the "slowness" you're referring to could be actually experiencing the truthful refresh rate representation for the first time, though I cannot tell you for certain :/

Maybe, i don't know.
For monitor unboxed, i think I know what you mean but not sure.

Yes, especially the new 600Hz TN's.
Though, if you want to use strobing, I would only get a Zowie +500Hz TN, as they're the only brand to use a QD backlight.

Really interesting!!

But does the XL2566X+ use QD backlight too?

I personally dislike 24" FHD, make of that what you will.

I know that's subjective but why? I also kind of dislike it too because it's too small and not that detailed, i either search good 1440p LCDs/OLED or a 25" TN that is better that the one i actually use.

Current Pulsar models (and the techonology itself) are very mediocre, borderline planned obsolescence territory.
I would only consider one of the current Pulsar models if one would use the ULMB2 feature (not Pulsar) and is able to run +360FPS@360Hz consistently in his choice of games, for a price point of <400eur.

You don't like Pulsar and I understand the argument, but you don't like the PG27AQN even though it's the best ULMB2 monitor? I confess I don't understand.

I've made a pros/cons list in the Pulsar thread, I think I've linked it here as well.
For your use-case, as I've mentioned above, I'd opt for a good BL strobing implementation over OLED.
For instance — AOC Q25G4SR at it's 300Hz setting with MBR enabled
Though, red fringing will be present...

Yes, noted.
Actually I wanted a pros and cons list for each technology, including VA (even though almost no one is interested in it anymore); I think it might be interesting to have your opinion on each technology, not just on Pulsar.

One of the 500Hz QD-OLEDs (e.g.: FO27Q5P, AG276QKD2) might be amazing for you, if you're able to try one
I would go for a +360Hz model, for sure.

Also noted.
With all this I'm going to want to try lot of them like 2 or 3 years ago, damn it.

[kyube]

It is like Zowie's "custom OD" ? If yes, then yeah, it's better. (although I need to take some measurements, because I find the custom OD behaves quite strangely on my XL2546X) like, putting Premium settings instead of any custom OD results in a smoother image.

Yes.

Roger!
Wait...what? What do you mean by "the little clarity benefits "? I thought that for you, finding a balance between smoothness and strobing was your goal, isn't this the "perfect" technology you're looking for?
I mean, the results clearly show that it's better than OLEDs that are 200Hz higher, right? (source: Monitor Unboxed) They did UFO tests on them (as you most certainly know).

It's variable pulse width in it's Pulsar setting... which wouldn't be an issue if they haven't chosen the highest PW possible on a panel that seemingly voltage boosts to a ridiculously high amplitude

Or are you saying that for you, ruining your brain with strobing is only worthwhile if the result is perfect? ​​(Which I find impressive on these Pulsar tbh.) But then, if I understand correctly, you don't like flicker at all?
So I'm wondering how you can stand OLED (since I'm almost certain that's what you're using). Unless you're telling me that some OLEDs don't flicker (for which I'd ask for links/some kind of proof because all the OLEDs I've seen have flicker).
Because that was my main problem with the Tandem OLED I had.

Yes, I don't like light flicker of any kind.
Ideally, the end-user should have the ability to choose between impulsed or sample&hold operation.
Ideally, the impulsed mode would allow the user to adjust the pulse width to his liking and choose the refresh rate to his liking (always <1ms strobe 'ON' period)
I haven't tried OLEDs due to the lack of RGB stripe options. Maybe next year, I'll do it.

Yes, a higher refresh rate is definitely better for many reasons, but I wouldn't go above 400Hz because I mainly play Apex Legends (and at the moment I'm taking a break from FPS area, (I'm playing a lot of emulations/gatcha games).
Perhaps my opinion will change in a few months.
VRR can’t compensate for inconsistent frame delivery from the engine. I've tried tons of them since February 4, 2019.
Even though now I have a machine that produces a particularly unusually stable frametime in all circumstances in this game,
Strobing in Apex Legends is far more important and interesting than any form of VRR; however, some players are used to VRR and that's absolutely fine. I prefer strobing.

The biggest problem I see with this approach is that you might achieve worse clarity when setting your XL2566X+ to 300Hz and enabling DyAc than your current XL2546X.
Follow-up below

Here's what I do and here's my setup:
1. Apex Legends (you can't adjust the framerate in-game), so I set "+fps_max 240" on Steam.
2. I have Riva Tuner, with everything unchecked in the Afterburner "control" panel (yes, some people hate Afterburner, and I'll never uninstall it unless someone gives me a solid reason) and I put 240 fps on RivaTuner (this way, I have a game that "reacts" faster)
If I tell you I'm playing with OBS in the background with a replay buffer constantly active, are you going to scream? xD

There's no necessity to apply 2 frame rate limiters. Rely on in-game fps_max only.
Experiment with VSYNC (in-game toggle) while DyAc is enabled or Scanline-Sync to minimise the visibility of tearing.
Any external user app SW is added CPU overhead.

Yes, I understand, it's just that I wouldn't want to buy a 600Hz monitor and not use it.
It's funny you mention "AG246FK6" because I almost clicked "buy" a few weeks ago, but the fact that nobody talks about it and I don't know the refresh compliance/overshoot rate or how this panel performs, I don't know.
I don't think I mentioned that I'm in the EU, though

My main FPS game is Apex Legends (despite the game's questionable state). My second "main" FPS is Overwatch, and I've recently started enjoying it again.

I'll keep in mind what you just said.
But why "AG246FK6" would be better than Pulsar and XL2566+ for my games? you didn't really elaborate, since i prefer strobing performance of Zowie.

I was under the impression that you primarily play OW2.
Then, I wouldn't buy the AG246FK6 (even though that it's much more worth than the XL2566X+, which is abhorrently expensive for what it offers)
I would instead buy the XL2566K (DyAc+) for the ability to adjust pulse width to your liking. Though, you might dislike it's strobing from a eye comfort perspective, as it's global scan VS rolling scan of DyAc2.
I don't know which of the DyAc2 models (XL2540X+, XL2566X+, XL2586X+) would be a good choice for your use-case, as you'd have to use ≤300Hz for Apex.

Oh yes, of course, and I think most people think so too.
As for my Zowie, ok, interesting.
So, how do you know if MPRT is at 1ms, below or beyond? I mean, how is that measured?

Now this is a rabbit hole to go down through
Thing is, you can't know the exact pulse behavior unless some reviewer has used a oscilloscope + light diode graph to show you the exact behavior.
A great example of someone who used to do this was a5hun (ApertureGrille), as seen here
Generally, most displays have a fixed pulse width setting (DyAc2 included), where you have to use the highest refresh rate setting to achieve the best possible clarity (lowest strobe 'on' period)
For example (I believe DyAc2 is akin to this):
30% PW (x0,3 multiplier) on different refresh rates
120Hz (8,3333 ms) → 2,4999 ms (effective refresh rate: 400Hz)
240Hz (4,16667 ms) → 1,25 ms (effective refresh rate: 800Hz)
280Hz (3,57143 ms) → 1,071429 ms (effective refresh rate: 933,333 Hz)
300Hz (3,3333 ms) → 0,9999 ms (effective refresh rate: ~1000 Hz)

DyAc2 'Premium' & 'High' target different fixed pulse width settings and from what I've seen, each of the DyAc2 models has a different implementation of it.
Generally, from my PoV, you'd want <30% PW (as you're limited by your frame rate) to achieve the best possible clarity.
15% PW @ 300Hz would get you to 2000Hz (~0,4999 ms) effective refresh rate, which would be optimal for your use-case.
This is only achievable on models which have an adjustable PW, such as the XL2566K (thanks to the Blurbusters Utility)
I doubt you're able to optimise other models that well for your use-case.

So it's basically related to the backlighting? (Yes, I know, there's no backlighting in an OLED.)
I mean, it's related to how the "pixels" are powered and how they create brightness/white?
If that's the case, yes, okay, but does that mean all OLEDs/QD-OLEDs/WOLEDs do that? Because I'm almost 100% sure that's what bothers me, a guy named Fresh Review had a similar problem with huge headaches in the past with one of the first Alienware QD-OLEDs.
I'm going to look at all the links.

So every OLED have light flicker

All Current OLED (phone, desktop, TV) implementations have the slight light flicker related to the internal capacitance, yes.
I've seen a similar behavior occur on certain VA LCDs in darker gray transitions as well.

May I ask what LCDs you're using? And what games? (So I was wrong, you're noton a OLED lol, my bad) and you don't like flicker either (strobing, therefore), interesting.
I think you listed the monitor you're talking about previously, can you tell me what monitor your talking about?
By the way, how do you know a monitor is coming out in advance? What website do you check? Display Specifications?

I'm using a Q24G2A with MBR=20 right now (when gaming; disabled when not gaming) due to the use of a YAG phosphor WLED backlight.
I use a combination of DisplaySpecifications & scouting Bilibili.

What? you just said that it was inherent to OLEDs, right?

This was a theoretical "what-if" scenario.
In the case they ever fix it's behavior (which won't occur on any of the upcoming RGB OLEDs)

Yes for sure, dislike the entire text fringing topic,
I cannot use OLEDs unless they release a RGB stripe me too!
So you're using BFI, ok! (what I said above falls apart lol)

Slight disambiguition:
BFI is exclusive to OLED (you insert a black frame)
Backlight strobing is exclusive to LCDs (you turn/pulse the backlight, which OLEDs don't have, on & off rapidly)

Do you think we can hope for 2026?

No.
I don't expect them to ever attempt solving the quirks of OLED. The market simply isn't large enough for them, especially the impulsed display crowd.
They're able to, they just won't invest the money & effort.

Damn, I never really noticed that, just that I find 1440p OLEDs less sharp and a bit odd due to text fringing. Maybe that's also why I haven't liked OLED for gaming so far.
But now I'm curious, for you QD-OLEDs are unthinkable given that the panel also turns a light purple in a bright/slightly bright environment?

Haven't tried one. Possibly

Maybe. I see that sir has done his research lmao.
More seriously, yes and no. I especially dislike ultra-saturated colors, mostly red.
A close friend has the exact same opinion as me, but doesn't have vision problems like I do. I tried a KSF RED IPS 1440p over a year ago, and I didn't like it at all.
I think my Zowie, since it's a TN, is a "YAG" or something like that; I think you even told me that almost a year ago. since your name rings a bell.

Yes, all TN's <400Hz TN's are the standard WLED (YAG phosphor) backlight. To be specific, a narrow color gamut (SDR-only) display

But does the XL2566X+ use QD backlight too?

YAG phosphor, akin to your XL2546X.
Good for strobing without red fringing.

I know that's subjective but why? I also kind of dislike it too because it's too small and not that detailed, i either search good 1440p LCDs/OLED or a 25" TN that is better that the one i actually use.

Insufficient pixel density for general desk depths of the vast majority of users.

You don't like Pulsar and I understand the argument, but you don't like the PG27AQN even though it's the best ULMB2 monitor? I confess I don't understand.

Red fringing due to KSF/PFS, fixed refresh rate settings (inability to adjust it to any one you want to your liking) & HDMI 2.0 blocks it from being good.

Yes, noted.
Actually I wanted a pros and cons list for each technology, including VA (even though almost no one is interested in it anymore); I think it might be interesting to have your opinion on each technology, not just on Pulsar.

Not that necessary IMO, as it's all about finding the correct model/panel for the specific subtype of LCD or specific OLED & specific use-case

It’s nice to hear other people talking about the brightness dip issue. I also have problems with PWM, and even if technically it’s not the same as regular PWM, considering the fact that it’s a brightness fluctuation at a low Hz value, I think it can also cause problems. It’s sad that most reviewers still consider this “flicker-free.”
I hope that in the near future they’ll improve whatever voltage or driving method is causing this, and I also hope that reviewers will start taking this issue more seriously.

For all intends & purposes, it is "flicker-free". The certificate is just ambiguous.
The brightness dip of OLED (~15%) has a lower SVM value than a incandescent light bulb (30% brightness drop) and far lower SVM than some form of PWM (single-strobe / multi-strobe PWM; this refers to backlight strobing, BFI, VRR+Strobing aka Pulsar; which are a '100% brightness dip' aka a full on-off cycle)