3000 hour LG OLED monitor burn-in test reveals minor defects, with Overwatch 2 a culprit

As OLED monitors have become mainstream, how they hold up over time has become more apparent. The latest burn-in test comes from the popular Optimum YouTube tech channel. After 3000 hours of use, some permanent damage was visible on the LG gaming monitor. However, many buyers likely wouldn’t notice any issues without a close inspection.

Parameters for the Optimum burn-in test

The test subject was the LG UltraGear 32GS95UV dual-mode WOLED panel. Optimum evaluated the monitor after two years, with the 3000 hours equating to 125 days of continuous use. Brightness was set to 80%-100%, with the manufacturer’s preventive measures left at default. The YouTuber also kept the Windows taskbar on autohide while instructing the OS to turn off the display after 15 minutes of inactivity.

A variety of productivity and editing apps occupied the screen, with Overwatch 2 as the main source of entertainment. As it turns out, the Blizzard game is responsible for most of the degraded pixels. 400 hours of gameplay were enough to leave permanent marks on the LG monitor.

The burn-in test employed solid gray and colored patterns to inspect for defects. Among the findings, the faint health bar for the hero shooter is apparent in the lower-left quadrant of the display. With numerous static indicators, other players with OLED monitors have reported similar issues.

Should minor burn-in be a dealbreaker?

Since the traces of the game’s UI often aren’t detectable during normal usage, Optimum is happy to continue relying on the 32-inch UltraGear. Benefits like accurate colors and deep blacks may be worth some wear and tear. Nevertheless, the channel cautions that other users will experience different results.

OLED monitors implement safeguards such as pixel shifting and cleaning to mitigate burn-in. Even so, high-contrast elements that remain fixed on screens can cause more obvious imperfections. Activating dark mode in Windows and in as many programs as possible is a wise precaution.

The seriousness of burn-in is also subjective, as the comments under the YouTube video prove. Dedicated gamers who log longer hours on Overwatch believe the damage appeared too quickly.