Buyers have long wanted OLED monitors without the dull matte or semi-glossy coatings. Asus and LG are now finally bringing glossy OLED monitors to market.
Before OLED monitors, enthusiasts experimented with 42-inch OLED TVs on their desks, all of which had glossy coatings.
Then came actual OLED monitors. All WOLED models shipped with matte coatings, while QD-OLEDs were marketed as 'semi-glossy', though in reality they leaned closer to matte than what most people would consider glossy.
Degrading contrast and color
While matte or semi-glossy coatings reduce direct reflections, the light is simply scattered across the panel surface instead, resulting in reduced black depth and contrast. This causes color washout and a hazy look, diminishing OLED's vibrant, inky look and HDR impact.
Glossy OLED panels, by contrast, can introduce distracting reflections in bright rooms, but they deliver superior picture quality with deep blacks and vibrant colors, qualities especially important for OLED's current target markets: gaming and media.
More choice is welcome, but until now the prevalence of matte and 'semi-glossy' OLED monitors left buyers with little real choice.
Asus' illustration of its TrueBlack Glossy coating
Here come glossy OLED monitors
It seems panel and monitor makers have finally listened. In 2025, at least seven glossy OLED monitors have been announced so far.
Asus was first, introducing five glossy OLED monitors in 27 and 32-inch sizes, some featuring LG Display's new RGB Tandem OLED panel: Asus XG27AQWMG, PG27AQWP-W, XG27AQDMG, XG32UCWMG and XG32UCWG.
Also read: All the new OLED monitors launching in 2025 – updated
LG Electronics has entered the space with two glossy OLED monitors, the 27GX704A-B and 32GX850A. Both use native glossy panels applied directly during production by LG Display, rather than aftermarket modifications.
Now we just have to wait for all these glossy monitors to reach store shelves around the world – and see what 2026 brings.
