Battle of the 34" Ultrawide QD-OLEDS

[Drazek]

Apologies if this has already been discussed (I didn't find a thread).

We have 4 different models of the new 34" Ultrawide QD-OLED monitors to choose from:

Alienware DWF - no HDMI 2.1 (meaning 8bit 165hz, or 10bit 144hz) no idea why 165hz instead of 175hz. - £880
Samsung G8 - Too expensive also some ppl have 'issues' with it? - £1,300
MSI MEG 342C - build quality on the outside "looks cheap, lots of low quality plastic" - price rumoured to match the Alienware, under £1,000?
Philips Evnia 34M2C8600 - £1,150 - no HDMI 2.1 (meaning 8bit 175hz, or 10bit 144hz)

So which one would you go for and why?

 

[VortexA1]

World first QD-OLED monitor from Dell and Samsung (34 inch Ultrawide 175hz)

First models are 34 inch ultrawide QD-OLED panels with 175hz refresh. Both Dell and Samsung have announced a new gaming monitor with this panel Specs: 34 inch Ultrawide, 3440x1440 @ 175hz 10bit QD-OLED panel. 0.1ms response time, 99.3% DCI-P3 and 1 million:1 contrast ratio, 1000nits peak...

forums.overclockers.co.uk

I've sent this link because that is where all the discussion for the Samsung, Dell, MSi and as yet Philips is/and has been discussed. I have contributed a fair amount. Have a look and hopefully comment on there mate. I would give my views but I'm too busy right now apart from this note.

 

[Drazek]

World first QD-OLED monitor from Dell and Samsung (34 inch Ultrawide 175hz)

First models are 34 inch ultrawide QD-OLED panels with 175hz refresh. Both Dell and Samsung have announced a new gaming monitor with this panel Specs: 34 inch Ultrawide, 3440x1440 @ 175hz 10bit QD-OLED panel. 0.1ms response time, 99.3% DCI-P3 and 1 million:1 contrast ratio, 1000nits peak...

forums.overclockers.co.uk

I've sent this link because that is where all the discussion for the Samsung, Dell, MSi and as yet Philips is/and has been discussed. I have contributed a fair amount. Have a look and hopefully comment on there mate. I would give my views but I'm too busy right now apart from this note.

Heya! - that thread is eye wateringly huge lol...
I'll try reading through it, but I'm still interested in people's top level thoughts and choice of these 4 ;D

 

[VortexA1]

Heya! - that thread is eye wateringly huge lol...
I'll try reading through it, but I'm still interested in people's top level thoughts and choice of these 4 ;D

you don't need to look at all of it, look at the last 7 or so pages from the back.

 

[Meddling-Monk]

Alienware DWF - no HDMI 2.1 (meaning 8bit 165hz, or 10bit 144hz) no idea why 165hz instead of 175hz. - £880

This should be one of your main options to choose from from price alone. But it lacks in build audio (but the price saved should be able to get you some decent speakers)

Samsung G8 - Too expensive also some ppl have 'issues' with it? - £1,300

This one is the high price one that you want to keep an eye on, however, it's HDMI 2.1 connection is through a mini adapter, so you can't just plug in your consoles just like that. And some users do not like the apps that are preinstalled on the monitor, but that is down to each persons preference, so you may like it compared to others.

MSI MEG 342C - build quality on the outside "looks cheap, lots of low quality plastic" - price rumoured to match the Alienware, under £1,000?

Er, no. Definitely, NO. The rumored price? No where NEAR the Alienware in price. Think £1350+, as it's being priced at 1400Euro. But it has terrible placement of it's RGB bar at the bottom of the panel where it can cause undisired light reflection towards the user. So far, nothing about it is superior to the Samsung other than supposedly full HDMI 2.1 ports that are normal HDMI ports and not through a mini-port.

Philips Evnia 34M2C8600 - £1,150 - no HDMI 2.1 (meaning 8bit 175hz, or 10bit 144hz)

Yeah, this one is priced too high. Everyone will go Alienware DWF unless if the speakers on the monitor is worth £300 more for you. Then by all means go for it. But there is very few instances that would be the case to be honest.

So which one would you go for and why?

If HDMI 2.1 connectivity is important for you, it will be the Samsung. Otherwise, the price of the Alienware DWF should be your automatic choice, but you will need to source your own audio output with them. But to be honest, any external audio is always going to be better than those found on a monitor, and for much less than £300 too. But again, that'll depend on your preferences and circumstances.

 

[Drazek]

This should be one of your main options to choose from from price alone. But it lacks in build audio (but the price saved should be able to get you some decent speakers)



This one is the high price one that you want to keep an eye on, however, it's HDMI 2.1 connection is through a mini adapter, so you can't just plug in your consoles just like that. And some users do not like the apps that are preinstalled on the monitor, but that is down to each persons preference, so you may like it compared to others.



Er, no. Definitely, NO. The rumored price? No where NEAR the Alienware in price. Think £1350+, as it's being priced at 1400Euro. But it has terrible placement of it's RGB bar at the bottom of the panel where it can cause undisired light reflection towards the user. So far, nothing about it is superior to the Samsung other than supposedly full HDMI 2.1 ports that are normal HDMI ports and not through a mini-port.



Yeah, this one is priced too high. Everyone will go Alienware DWF unless if the speakers on the monitor is worth £300 more for you. Then by all means go for it. But there is very few instances that would be the case to be honest.



If HDMI 2.1 connectivity is important for you, it will be the Samsung. Otherwise, the price of the Alienware DWF should be your automatic choice, but you will need to source your own audio output with them. But to be honest, any external audio is always going to be better than those found on a monitor, and for much less than £300 too. But again, that'll depend on your preferences and circumstances.

thanks for your opinions
I'm also leaning towards the Alienware - I have bose speakers and a steelseries pro wireless headset so Audio is no concern for me (who uses monitor audio anyway?)
It sucks that the panel doesn't have HDMI 2.1 - so you can't benefit from the full 10bit 165hz... but tbh, 10bit 144hz is going to be plenty close enough imo?

 

[VortexA1]

thanks for your opinions
I'm also leaning towards the Alienware - I have bose speakers and a steelseries pro wireless headset so Audio is no concern for me (who uses monitor audio anyway?)
It sucks that the panel doesn't have HDMI 2.1 - so you can't benefit from the full 10bit 165hz... but tbh, 10bit 144hz is going to be plenty close enough imo?

A positive for the Samsung g8 is that there is no fan, some users find it annoying on the Dell,and also the Samsung has better hdr than the WF variant. Dell are trying to fix this ,but the non F variant at the moment has much better HDR but has 2 fans which unfortunately Dell has stopped selling for now..:/

 

[Noxia]

The 3y warranty that covers burning is already a huge reason to get a Dell over any of those other options.

 

[cuke2u]

We have a choice, which is no bad thing, owners of each will obviously stick by their decision and defend their purchases. Nothing wrong in that at all.
I chose the G8, despite it being more expensive, because it has more features that I use over the Dell, the apps and yes, actually the speakers too. Has a better designed stand that doesn't take up as much desk real estate and no apparent issues have been detected.
Yes it does do 1000nits 175hz 10bit just fine as well from my PC.

 

[Noxia]

@cuke2u Not saying you were suggesting me or speaking generally but I always look at these things objectively.
For example, I would have preferred the Samsung (I believe doesn't have a fan) and the PIP feature would have been useful However, wasn't comfortable with no burn in warranty and the higher price.

I'd also say the 8 Vs 10 bit thing in many cases is FOMO with people thinking they are missing out as ten is a higher number. I believe the reality is not a noticeable difference to the eye due to reasons I've read but don't really understand.

 

[Minstadave]

The 3y warranty that covers burning is already a huge reason to get a Dell over any of those other options.

This and the price. No brainer for me.

 

[VortexA1]

We have a choice, which is no bad thing, owners of each will obviously stick by their decision and defend their purchases. Nothing wrong in that at all.
I chose the G8, despite it being more expensive, because it has more features that I use over the Dell, the apps and yes, actually the speakers too. Has a better designed stand that doesn't take up as much desk real estate and no apparent issues have been detected.
Yes it does do 1000nits 175hz 10bit just fine as well from my PC.

I heard there is burn-in warranty for the G8 but Samsung seem vague about it?

 

[JGF111]

Not to throw gasoline on the fire, but if I was eyeing a 34" QD-OLED I might wait a bit. Samsung, the sole provider of the 34" QD-OLED panel, announced the Gen2 version of this panel at CES in january. According to their literature it will be twice as durable as well as better image quality (whether you will be able to tell in an actual monitor who knows). I would imagine this panel would have to start showing up in existing 34" models sometime in the summer/fall/winter timeframe. Or maybe sooner? Who knows. The hard part is going to be able to discern which models have this new gen2 panel and how it will be marketed by the monitor producers.

Yes yes you can wait forever but improved durability is a big bullet point for me at least. Of course the reality of the improvement remains to be seen...

 

[Minstadave]

Not to throw gasoline on the fire, but if I was eyeing a 34" QD-OLED I might wait a bit. Samsung, the sole provider of the 34" QD-OLED panel, announced the Gen2 version of this panel at CES in january. According to their literature it will be twice as durable as well as better image quality (whether you will be able to tell in an actual monitor who knows). I would imagine this panel would have to start showing up in existing 34" models sometime in the summer/fall/winter timeframe. Or maybe sooner? Who knows. The hard part is going to be able to discern which models have this new gen2 panel and how it will be marketed by the monitor producers.

Yes yes you can wait forever but improved durability is a big bullet point for me at least. Of course the reality of the improvement remains to be seen...

As long as you have a decent warranty that covers burn in I wouldn't worry too much. The gen 1 panel is beautiful, and at Dell's pricing is a bargain.

 

[VortexA1]

The 3y warranty that covers burning is already a huge reason to get a Dell over any of those other options.

i have read on reddit that they definitely cover burn-in. it's very strange if they don't and stupid.

 

[Meddling-Monk]

i have read on reddit that they definitely cover burn-in. it's very strange if they don't and stupid.

I think the thing that have people concerned, is the burn in protection is not obviously listed anywhere with Samsung. And unlike the Dell Alienware, which we can use the DW as reference as the DWF's predecessor, we know those get exchanged/RMA'd out in burn in instances within the 3 years. Samsung, given how new and recent they are would not have any such issues so soon, and does not have a predecessor version that can be used as reference for how Samsung handles such burn in cases. That is still a road yet to be crossed and tested.

 

[Minstadave]

i have read on reddit that they definitely cover burn-in. it's very strange if they don't and stupid.

Samsungs UK warranty service is pretty awful too. They farm monitor repairs our to Repairtech which are a third party and not amazing. I don't know if QL OLEDs will go to them but I would think it's likely.

 

[cliffy]

Sorry to hijack the thread and its probably been asked somewhere else but is there any news on a 4k OLED panel in the 32-34" range?

 

[Drazek]

So i've been offered a £45 discount on the monitor through my company account with Dell... problem is, from experience, when you order hardware through B2B you dont benefit from standsrd consumer rights such as the 14 day refund policy...

If i found a single dead pixel on this monitor i would be looking to have it replaced, and i would be able to utilise the 14 day refund clause if they tried to give me a refurbished unit or refused to replace then monitor... i wouldnt get this benefit through the company account... so i don't think i want to risk it just for a £45 discount.

 

[Porker]

My LG 65'' OLED TV got screen burn after 3.5 years, which was 0.5 years after the end of the warranty. Fortunately they replaced the screen for £300 as a good will gesture.