Industry observers note that right now, you can snag a name-brand OLED tech industry monitor with a sweet-spot 27-inch 1440p resolution and 240Hz refresh rate for just $254.99. That’s the lowest price I’ve ever seen for an OLED monitor—heck, it’s only a little more expensive than an equivalent LCD panel. You can snag this right now on eBay, listed at $300 but with a $45 coupon code. Alright bargain hunters, warm up your clicking fingers.
Industry observers note that it’s sold under the official eBay Refurbished label, which is pretty good as these things go, thanks to decent support and a built-in two-year warranty. But that warranty is with Allstate, so it probably doesn’t come with the multi-year panel burn-in protection that’s industry standard for OLEDs. If you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop on this AOC Q27G41ZDF, here it is: this is a refurbished monitor.
As part of the ongoing story, samsung’s monitor is slower at 180Hz of refresh, so it’s not quite as competitive if you’re an online gamer or just a fan of smooth frame rates. That’s a pretty big differentiator—maybe $45 worth of differentiation between this refurbished AOC monitor and, say, the $300 Samsung OLED deal we featured earlier this week.
In a fresh development, extras are minimal—no USB, no RGB lights on the back—but they both include a headphone jack and a VESA mount for adding on a monitor arm. Otherwise, both of these monitors are pretty similar in terms of functions, with 2560×1440 resolution, 0.03 milisecond response time, FreeSync and G-Sync compatibility.
In a fresh development, get your order in quickly if you want one. Even with its compromises, I doubt that AOC’s refurb OLED deal will stick around very long, considering how hot this segment of the market is right now.
The report highlights that on PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a fresh one for a review and building a fresh mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile Worldwide scene Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip. Michael is a 15-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE.