LG releases smallest OLED panel yet, heading for your PC... soon?

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Still waiting for those OLED PC monitors.

LG
(Image credit: LG)

LG Display has announced its new range of OLED panels. The big news, for PC fans at least, is actually the smallest of the new range, a 42-inch panel. It's LG's most compact OLED panel for TVs yet.

According to The Verge, the new range includes sizes of 42, 48, 55, 65, 77, 83, and 88 inches. Note, of course, we're talking here about bare panels. LG is a major supplier of OLED panels to multiple brands including Sony and its own LG TV brand.

Thus far, OLED technology has yet to make a significant impact on the PC. Partly that's because burn-in issues make OLED less suitable for an application like computing where persistent image elements, such as the Windows task bar, make burn-in more likely.

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But it's also because suitable panels for making OLED monitors have not been available. The introduction of a 42-inch OLED panel from LG could change that. 42 inches is probably larger than many would want for desktop use. And even with a native 4K resolution, 42 inches will mean fairly modest pixel density.

However, with many of the latest generation TVs supporting PC-friendly features such as HDMI 2.1 and adaptive sync, PC gamers don't have to wait to see if any monitor maker is willing to give the new panel a go. You'll soon have the option of simply buying a 42-inch OLED TV as a monitor and letting rip.

With microLED technology very likely years away from mainstream adoption,  an affordable OLED option in a slightly more PC-friendly form factor like 42 inches would certainly be welcome.

Jeremy Laird
Jeremy Laird
Hardware writer

Jeremy has been writing about technology and PCs since the 90nm Netburst era (Google it!) and enjoys nothing more than a serious dissertation on the finer points of monitor input lag and overshoot followed by a forensic examination of advanced lithography. Or maybe he just likes machines that go “ping!” He also has a thing for tennis and cars.