With CES just around the corner, display manufacturers are fully committed to unveiling their next generation of panels. We have already heard announcements from TCL and Lenovo, and now Samsung has joined the fray with the announcement of its development of two advanced high-end QD-OLED gaming monitors.
Considering the Alienware 34 QD-OLED has been the best gaming monitor ever since it came out, the stakes for the next generation of QD-OLED are high.
The first offering measures 31.5 inches and has a UHD resolution (3840 x 2160) with a pixel density of 140 pixels per inch. This makes it the highest pixel density UHD resolution OLED monitor on the market and is comparable to a 65-inch 8K TV. Samsung says that it has achieved the high resolution by using a special ultra-precise inkjet printing technology for the quantum dot light-emitting layer by optimizing the inkjet nozzle and spray volume.
Additionally, Samsung is working on a 27-inch QHD QD-OLED with a 360Hz refresh rate. This one also stands out from the crowd as it will be the first OLED monitor with such a high refresh rate. Up until now, we’ve seen OLED monitors reach up to 240Hz. The high refresh rate has been achieved using Quantum Enhancer, a proprietary AI-driven algorithm.
Along with the 360Hz refresh rate, the panel will also be capable of offering a fast response time of up to 0.03ms, making it an excellent choice for professional first-person-shooter (FPS) gamers.
Both QD-OLED gaming monitors are undergoing mass production and are expected to be available in retail stores next year, probably sometime after they have been showcased at CES 2024. With the expansion of its product lineup, Samsung is aiming to triple its total display shipments in 2024 compared to the previous year.
Alienware teased two new QD-OLED monitors in October, so don’t be surprised if we see these Samsung panels showing up there and from other manufacturers.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.