But the Neo G9 also highlighted the fundamental shortcomings
of an LCD monitor with local dimming technology as opposed to
display technology with true per-pixel lighting, such as OLED.
Long story short, with local dimming, the backlighting is subject
to algorithms that will inevitably throw up various artifacts and
issues. So long as the lighting is not per pixel but, in fact, shared
over a number of pixels, then there will always be compromises.
And it’s worth recalling that even with 2, 048 dimming zones, each
zone on the Neo G9 is, in fact, lighting a block of 3, 600 pixels.
Put another way, those 2 ,048 dimming zones work out to a
backlighting resolution of around 70 by 3 0. Imagine if the actual
resolution of the display was just 70 by 30 pixels. Right. Anyway,
miniLED backlighting will be more widely adopted in 2 022, but it
won’t quite be the killer technology it’s sometimes cracked up to
be. It also won’t be cheap. A more reasonable expectation is for
wider adoption of OLED.
Admittedly, OLED technology has its own problems, especially
when it comes to PC usage, most notably image persistence or
burn-in. But the biggest player in OLED panels, LG Display, is both
hell-bent on bringing down OLED panel costs and committed to
PC-friendly features such as low latency and burn-in mitigation.
So, an OLED PC monitor will be that little bit more attainable and
practical in 2 022. That’s especially true with the news that LG
plans smaller, cheaper, and more desktop-friendly 42-inch OLED
panels for 20 22.Elsewhere, don’t expect any dramatic advances. Peak refresh
rates will increase to 4 80Hz, but even with existing 36 0Hz gaming
monitors, the returns compared to 2 40Hz panels were already
diminishing. Of more benefit will be developments in interface
technology. HDMI 2 .1, for instance, makes 120 Hz at 4 K possible,
something that DisplayPort 1 .4 can already achieve. HDMI is
more a consumer electronics interface than a pure-PC solution
and HDMI 2. 1 is more relevant to games consoles than PCs.
However, because screens for consoles are sold in such huge
numbers and aimed at a more mainstream market, you can
expect to see a new generation of relatively affordable 4 K 120 Hz
HDMI 2 .1 panels appear that should also make good PC monitors.
In fact, our prediction for the best monitor buy in 2022 is just that.
A 3 2-inch 4 K 120 Hz panel enabled by HDMI 2 .1 and clocking in
close to $500. The snag? You’ll need one of those unobtainium
current-gen graphics cards to add HDMI 2 .1 capability to your PC.
Meanwhile, DisplayPort 2 .0 will make both high-refresh 8 K
computing and 1 6K resolutions possible. In reality, neither will
be much of a thing in 20 22. But we’ll still look back on 2022 as the
year that those resolutions and refresh rates were first possible.
The rest of the monitor market will be a case of incremental
upgrades. USB-C connectivity will become more widespread and
more affordable and it’s also due an upgrade in power delivery
from a maximum of 10 0W to a much more useful 24 0W. But we’re
not predicting any big changes in mainstream panel tech. IPS andRazer may bring some sophisticated designs to market,
but will it be enough to carve out a segment of its own?Will PCIe 4 .0 drives such as the Samsung
980 Pro be left behind in 20 22?Samsung’s Neo G 9
miniLED monitor
disappointed in 2021tech preview 2022