Refresh Rate Pricing Analysis
Posted: 06 Apr 2025, 11:10
I was curious how monitor prices alter over time, so I created these charts to illustrate the findings. Some might find it useful. To ensure consistency, I established a few guidelines:
27" 1440p OLED market

Samples WOLED: 480 (2), 240 (13); Samples QD-OLED: 360 (7), 240 (3)
Observations for 27" 1440p OLED market:
27" 1440p IPS market

Samples: 360 (1), 300 (4), 270-280 (7+1), 240-250-260 (16+2+2), 200 (4), 180 (17), 165-170 (22+17), 144 (13), 120 (4), 100 (14), 75 (23), 60 (20)
Observations for 27" 1440p IPS market:
27" 1440p VA market

Samples: 280 (1), 240 (11), 180 (10), 165-170 (21+4), 144-155 (10+1), 100 (4), 75 (11), 60 (3)
Observations for 27" 1440p VA market:
27" 1440p TN market

Samples: 240 (4), 165 (10), 144-155 (12+1), 70-75 (3+5), 60 (4)
Observations for 27" 1440p TN market:
27" 1440p market in 2024

Observations for 27" 1440p market in 2024:
- the main specifications such as panel type, size, resolution, and aspect ratio, must remain consistent; for now this will be 27" 1440p 16:9, as it is becoming the new standard; Mini LED is not included for now
- the data is sourced from Geizhals.de, with providers from Germany, Poland, Austria, and UK, however, the prices primarily apply to the German market
- to ensure accuracy, a sufficient number of samples per category is included, although some markets have very limited availability; over 300 models were analyzed for these charts
- process:
- input is the lowest possible price within a six-month period, not the average lowest price; the X-axis resolution is fixed to span of half a year
- an average price from multiple models over the six-month period is calculated; to filter out outliers (overpriced top end), the AVERAGEIF function was used to exclude any models that are 25% more expensive than the average; given the wide distribution of data, the final output effectively represents the "average best price"
27" 1440p OLED market

Samples WOLED: 480 (2), 240 (13); Samples QD-OLED: 360 (7), 240 (3)
Observations for 27" 1440p OLED market:
- market is still quite new
- drastic price drop
- no <240 or >480 Hz options yet
- 480 Hz is overpriced on release
Predictions: - prices will keep dropping
27" 1440p IPS market

Samples: 360 (1), 300 (4), 270-280 (7+1), 240-250-260 (16+2+2), 200 (4), 180 (17), 165-170 (22+17), 144 (13), 120 (4), 100 (14), 75 (23), 60 (20)
Observations for 27" 1440p IPS market:
- 60 Hz is continuously overpriced, therefore irrelevant, 75 Hz is cheaper
- 75 and 144 Hz start to intertwine in 2022
- 100 Hz appears in H2 2023 cheaper than 75 Hz, 75 Hz becomes obsolete
- 120 Hz appears in H2 2023 overpriced, pricier than 240 Hz, very few models exist
- 270+ and 240 Hz market are notably separate since 2023, making 270+ Hz less appealing
- price drop is more drastic for the expensive vs cheaper market
- no >360 Hz options so far
In 2024: - 75-200 Hz markets are saturated around 200€
- 60, 75, 100, 120 Hz are now obsolete
- 144-200 Hz range is sweet spot
- Couple of 200 Hz models appear in H2 2024 for cheap (hidden at ~218€), making 165-180 or even 240 Hz market look less appealing
Predictions: - markets keep saturating, possible 165-180 Hz irrelevance in 2026-27, 200+ Hz becomes new standard
27" 1440p VA market

Samples: 280 (1), 240 (11), 180 (10), 165-170 (21+4), 144-155 (10+1), 100 (4), 75 (11), 60 (3)
Observations for 27" 1440p VA market:
- 60 Hz is mostly unavailable from 2021-2023, only couple models exist, signs of dying market
- 75 and 100 Hz are similarly priced since 2024, 75 becomes obsolete
- 144 Hz is more expensive than 165 Hz since 2023, 144 Hz becomes obsolete
- 280 Hz appears in H2 2024 overpriced, only one model so far
- no >280 Hz options so far
In 2024: - 60 Hz is cheapest
- 165-180 Hz is sweet spot in H2 2024
- 75-180 Hz market saturation at ~150€
Predictions: - 240 Hz continues to drop
- 240 Hz may be similarly priced to 165 Hz in 2026-27
27" 1440p TN market

Samples: 240 (4), 165 (10), 144-155 (12+1), 70-75 (3+5), 60 (4)
Observations for 27" 1440p TN market:
- 60 and 75 Hz start to intertwine in 2020, 60 Hz becomes obsolete
- 75 and 144 Hz can be similarly priced
- 60, 144 and 165 Hz start to loose grip in 2022-23 due to fewer old models available, 60 Hz disappears in 2023, 144 Hz in 2024, signs of dying market
- no overclocks, 165/170+ Hz or 240/270+, signs of neglected market
- 165 and 240 Hz start to intertwine in 2022-23, 165 Hz becomes obsolete
- no >240 Hz options so far
In 2024: - 240 and 75 Hz are somewhat similarly priced in H2 2024, only couple 240 Hz models exist
Predictions: - Low-mid refresh rate market may die in near future, TN market has seen a significant reduction in manufacturing
- 240 Hz might be new sweet spot in 2025 if it doesn't die out
27" 1440p market in 2024

Observations for 27" 1440p market in 2024:
- at 60 Hz VA is cheapest, IPS and TN are equally expensive
- 75 Hz IPS and TN are about equally priced
- 100 and 144-200 Hz IPS and VA are similarly priced
- 120 Hz IPS is badly positioned
- 165 and 144 Hz TN are loosing grip
- 144-165-180 Hz are sweet spot depending on panel type
- TN is cheapest at 240 Hz
- 240 Hz OLED is roughly 2x pricier than 240 Hz LCD, while at 360 Hz they are very similarly priced
- ranking from cheapest to most expensive: VA < IPS < TN < QD-OLED < WOLED



