Comparison Dell Alienware AW3423DWF 34.18 " black vs Samsung Odyssey OLED G85SB 34 34 " silver

Diagonal size of the monitor matrix, in inches.

This parameter is one of the most important for any screen — it determines the total size of its working area. In general, it is believed that larger monitors are more comfortable: a large screen allows you to see a large fragment of text, images, etc. without having to scroll the "picture". On the other hand, the diagonal directly affects the dimensions, weight and cost of the monitor. In addition, it is worth remembering that screens with the same diagonal can have different aspect ratios and different specializations: for example, widescreen models are convenient for playing games and watching movies, while classic 4:3 or 5:4 solutions are preferable for working with documents. Now there are monitors of different diagonals on the market, among them the most popular are: 19–20", 22", 23 – 24", 25 – 26", 27 – 28", 29 – 30", 32", 34" and more.

Operating system that controls the smart functionality of the monitor, which combines the capabilities of traditional models and smart TVs.

— Tizen. Samsung's proprietary development based on the open source Linux kernel. The lion's share of smart TVs from the South Korean electronics brand runs Tizen OS, and this platform is also found in the brand's smart monitors. The operating system allows you to install and run applications, provides access to online services for watching streaming videos, listening to music and consuming other entertainment content, can be used as central hub for smart home ecosystems, and has built-in voice assistants (including the proprietary Bixby).

- webOS. Smart platform from LG, which is found in the brand’s “smart” TVs and monitors. It boasts flexible menu interface customization, high operating speed and support for installing third-party applications from the company store. webOS provides access to content streaming services, streaming platforms and popular video hosting sites. The functionality of the “OS” is in all its glory when using the Magic Remote air control.

— Android. Full-fledged software firmware based on Android OS, adapted to work on large screens. In addition to the common features of all Android devices (such as the ability to install additional applications, including even games), it has number of special features: an optimized interface, integration with smartphones (including...the ability to use them as remote control), voice search, etc. Of course , in order to operate multifunctional OS, the monitor must have dedicated processor, graphics subsystem and memory, and the presence of such hardware resources is reflected in the total cost of the device.

The technology by which the monitor matrix is made.

— TN+film. The oldest and most common technology for manufacturing matrices. The original TN (Twisted Nematic) monitors have a low response time and low cost, but the image quality is average. So, the colour quality is not high, and the perfect black colour cannot be reproduced at all. In addition, the original TN technology provides relatively small viewing angles. To correct this situation, a special film is applied to the surface of the matrix. These matrices received the name "TN + film". Monitors with such a matrix are widespread and inexpensive. They are well suited for undemanding users both at home and in the office, and gamers will appreciate the fast response time.

— *VA(Vertical Alignment, options: MVA, PVA, Super MVA, Super PVA). A kind of transitional option between expensive and high-quality IPS and low-cost TN. Provide sufficiently high-quality colour reproduction, including black colour, viewing angles can reach 178°. The main disadvantage of VA matrices is the significant response time (especially for MVA monitors), due to which such monitors are relatively poorly suited for watching videos and dynamic games. This shortcoming is gradually being eliminated, and the latest models of VA monitors are approaching TN + film in respo...nse time.

— IPS. Initially, IPS technology was created for high-end monitors (in particular, "designer"), the key parameters for which were the quality of colour reproduction and a wide colour gamut. With all these advantages, the original IPS matrices also had a number of serious drawbacks — first of all, low response speed and impressive cost. Thus, many modifications of the IPS technology have been developed, designed to compensate for these shortcomings to one degree or another.

— OLED. Monitors with screens using organic light emitting diodes — OLED. Such LEDs can be used both to illuminate a traditional matrix, and as elements from which a screen is built. In the first case, the advantages of OLED over traditional LED backlighting are compactness, extremely low power consumption, backlight uniformity, as well as excellent brightness and contrast ratios. And in matrices, consisting entirely of OLED, these advantages are even more pronounced. The main disadvantages of OLED monitors are the high price (which, however, is constantly decreasing as the technology develops and improves), as well as the susceptibility of organic pixels to burn-in when broadcasting static images for a long time or pictures with static elements (toolbar, clock, etc.).

— QLED. Monitors built using quantum dot technology (QLED). This technology can be used in matrices of various types. It involves replacing a set of several colour filters used in classic matrices with a special thin-film coating based on nanoparticles, and traditional white LEDs with blue ones. This allows you to achieve higher brightness, colour saturation and colour quality at the same time as reducing the thickness and reducing power consumption. In addition, QLED is well suited for creating curved screens. The flip side of these benefits is the high price.

— QD-OLED. A kind of hybrid version of matrices that combine “quantum dots” (Quantum Dot) and organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) in one bottle. The technology takes the best from QLED and OLED: it is based on blue LEDs, self-luminous pixels (instead of external backlighting) and “quantum dots”, which play the role of color filters, but at the same time practically do not attenuate the light (unlike traditional filters) . Thanks to the use of a number of advanced solutions, the creators managed to achieve very impressive characteristics, significantly superior to many other OLED matrices. Among them are high peak brightness from 1000 nits (cd/m²), excellent contrast and black depth, as well as an expanded color gamut (over 120% of the DCI P3 gamut). Such matrices are found mainly in expensive advanced monitors with a large screen diagonal.

— AHVA. A type of matrix created by AU Optronics (a joint venture between Acer and BenQ) as a solution similar to modern IPS. Among the key advantages of this option over analogues is the almost complete absence of colour distortions at all viewing angles.

– PLS (Plane to Line Switching). This type of matrix was developed by Samsung engineers. It is based on the familiar IPS technology. According to some parameters, namely: the brightness and contrast of PLS exceeds IPS by 10%. The main goal of creating a new type of screens was to reduce the cost of the matrix, according to the developer, the production cost was reduced by 15%, which will positively affect the final price of monitors in comparison with IPS counterparts.

— IGZO. Technology introduced by Sharp in 2012. The key difference between IGZO and classic LCD matrices is that for the active layer (responsible for creating the image) it uses not amorphous silicon, but a semiconductor material based on indium gallium oxide and zinc oxide. This makes it possible to create screens with extremely fast response times and high pixel densities, and the technology is considered well suited for ultra-high resolution screens. With all this, the colour rendering characteristics allow the use of IGZO monitors even in the professional field, and the power consumption is very low. The main disadvantage of this option is the high cost.

— UV2A. An LCD display technology developed by Sharp and introduced in 2009. One of the key features of UV2A matrices is that they are based on liquid crystals that are sensitive to ultraviolet light. And it is UV radiation that is used as a control signal — it ensures that the crystals turn in the right direction to form an image. The technical features of such systems are such that the position of individual crystals can be controlled with extremely high accuracy — up to several picometers (with the size of the crystals themselves about 2 nm). According to the manufacturer, this provides two key benefits: no backlight "leakage" and improved light transmission with "open" crystals. The first allows you to achieve very deep and rich blacks, the second provides excellent brightness with low power consumption, and together these two features make it possible to create screens with a very high static contrast ratio — up to 5000: 1. At the same time, we note that the actual contrast characteristics in UV2A monitors can be noticeably more modest — it all depends on the features of a particular matrix and the characteristics that the manufacturer was able or considered necessary to provide.

— Mini LED IPS. A variation on the theme of the familiar IPS-matrix, which is illuminated by an array of reduced LEDs. The small caliber of individual light sources (of the order of 100-200 microns) makes it possible to form a much larger number of zones of controlled local dimming of the screen. Together, this delivers improved brightness, contrast, colour saturation, and black depth, and raises the bar for High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology.

— Mini LED VA. A variety of VA-matrices with a Mini LED backlight system. It consists of many tiny LEDs, which, due to their number, form many times more local screen dimming zones than standard canvases. As a result, Mini LED VA panels boast improved colour reproduction, impressive black depth, and multiple performance improvements in HDR content.

— Mini LED QLED. Behind the plane of the QLED panel in monitors with a Mini LED backlight system are thousands of miniature LEDs no larger than 200 microns in size, which divide the screen into a great many zones with controlled local dimming. They are individually dimmable, allowing full display of HDR content with bright light and deepest black levels.

The time each individual pixel on the monitor takes to switch from one state to another. The lower the response time, the faster the matrix responds to the control signal, resulting in less delay and better image quality in dynamic scenes.

Note that in this case, the gray-to-gray method is used (the time it takes to switch from 10% gray to 90% gray). Pay attention to this parameter if the monitor is specifically purchased for fast-paced games, movie watching, or other applications involving quick screen movements. However, there’s no need to chase the fastest models. It’s not often possible to discern the difference between 1 ms and 5 ms. For most scenarios, monitors with a 4 ms response time will suffice. In any case, it’s best to rely on live impressions for a true comparison.

The maximum frame rate supported by the monitor at the recommended (maximum) resolution.

The higher the frame rate, the smoother the movement on the screen will look, the less noticeable jerks and blurring will be on it. Of course, the actual image quality also depends on the video signal, but for normal viewing of video at a high frame rate, the monitor must also support it.

When choosing this option, keep in mind that at lower resolutions than the maximum, the supported frame rate may be higher. For example, a model with a 1920x1080 matrix and a claimed frame rate of 60 Hz at a reduced resolution can give 75 Hz; but the 75Hz frame rate is only listed in the specs if it is supported at the monitor's native (maximum) resolution.

Also note that a high frame rate is especially important for gaming models (see "Type"). In most of them, this figure is 120 Hz and higher; monitors with a frequency of 144 Hz are considered the best option in terms of price and quality, however, there are also higher values — 165 Hz and 240 Hz. And monitors at 100 Hz can be both inexpensive gaming models and advanced home ones.

You can evaluate all the frame rates at which this monitor is capable of operating by the ver...tical frequency claimed in the specifications (see below).

The maximum brightness provided by the monitor screen.

Choosing a monitor with high brightness is especially important if the device is going to be used in bright ambient light — for example, if the workplace is exposed to sunlight. A dim image can be "dampened" by such lighting, making work uncomfortable. In other conditions, the high brightness of the screen is very tiring for the eyes.

Most modern monitors give out about 200 – 400 cd / m2 — this is usually quite enough even in the sun. However, there are also higher values: for example, in LCD panels (see "Type") the brightness can reach several thousand cd/m2. This is necessary taking into account the specifics of such devices — the image must be clearly visible from a long distance.

The colour depth supported by the monitor.

This parameter characterizes the number of shades that the screen can display. And here it is worth recalling that the image in modern monitors is based on 3 basic colours — red, green, blue (RGB scheme). And the number of bits is indicated not for the entire screen, but for each base colour. For example, 6 bits (the minimum colour depth for modern monitors) means that the screen is capable of producing 2 ^ 6, that is, 64 shades of red, green and blue; the total number of shades will be 64 * 64 * 64 = 262,144 (0.26 million). An 8-bit colour depth (256 shades for each base colour) already gives a total of 16.7 million colours; and the most advanced modern monitors support 10-bit colour, allowing you to work with more than a billion shades.

Screens with support for FRC technology are worth a special mention; nowadays, you can find models marked " 6 bit + FRC " and " 8 bit + FRC ". This technology was developed to improve picture quality in situations where the incoming video signal has a greater colour depth than the screen, such as when 10-bit video is fed to an 8-bit matrix. If such a screen supports FRC, the picture on it will be noticeably better than on a regular 8-bit monitor (although somewhat worse than on a full-fledged 10-bit monitor, but “8 bit + FRC” screens are much...cheaper).

High colour depth is important primarily for professional graphics and other tasks that require high colour fidelity. On the other hand, such features significantly affect the cost of the monitor. In addition, it is worth remembering that the quality of colour reproduction depends not only on the colour depth, but also on other parameters — in particular, colour gamut (see below).

Monitor colour gamut Rec. 709 or sRGB.

Any colour gamut is indicated as a percentage, however, not relative to the entire variety of visible colours, but relative to the conditional colour space (colour model). This is due to the fact that no modern screen is able to display all the colours visible to humans. However, the larger the colour gamut, the wider the monitor's capabilities, the better its colour reproduction.

Nowadays, sRGB is actually the standard color model adopted for computer technology; This is what is used in the development and production of most video cards. For television, the Rec. standard, similar in parameters, is used. 709. In terms of the range of colors, these models are identical, and the percentage of coverage for them is the same. In the most advanced monitors it can reach or even exceed 100%; These are the values that are considered necessary for high-end screens, incl. professional.

Display certification for safe blue light emissions and panel flicker. The presence of a certificate confirms the comfort of the screen for the eyes.

TÜV Rheinland is a large international concern headquartered in Cologne, Germany, providing a wide range of audit services. The company's specialists have developed and approved a number of tests for the compliance of the screens of mobile devices, monitors and TVs with the required level of eye protection from the harmful effects of display radiation on the user's vision on the other side of the screen. The authoritative opinion of TÜV Rheinland is respected in the tech community. Certificates from this body are issued to successfully tested electronics for the implementation of blue light filtering and screen flicker suppression technologies.