MSI Says Hold My Beer After ASUS Unveils A 2-Year OLED Gaming Monitor Burn-In Warranty
Monitor makers are starting to catch on that when it comes to OLED displays, there's still concern among buyers about burn-in. And rightfully so, especially as it applies to gamers—persistent heads up displays (HUDs) can, in some instances, become permanently seared onto an OLED display (though there are numerous safeguards to make this less of an issue than it used to be). To help ease those concerns, both ASUS and MSI have updated their respective warranty policies to specifically include coverage against burn-in.
Yesterday we wrote about ASUS starting to update its two-year warranty policy to specifically mention coverage against burn-in on its OLED gaming monitors. Now a day later, MSI has issued a press release saying it too will cover gamers against burn-in, and for a longer period of time—MSI's warranty is for three years. Or put another way, MSI saw ASUS's announcement and said, 'Hold my beer'.
In the announcement, MSI acknowledges that OLED burn-in continues to be a "major concern" for practically everyone who is considering an OLED panel.
"In a commitment to our valued gaming community, MSI guarantees a 3-year warranty on OLED panels. Our 3-year warranty extends beyond typical coverage—it includes protection against the burn-in issue. MSI understands the importance of providing comprehensive support, ensuring our users enjoy gaming without any concerns," MSI states.
Like ASUS, MSI also offers a range of mechanisms to reduce the risk of burn-in, as part of what it calls MSI OLED Care 2.0. This includes things like a boundary detection (after a period of time, the display with automatically adjust the luminance of the boundary between two images, or the image and a background), taskbar detection (when it detects a task bar, it scans its shape and automatically dials down the luminance to prevent burn-in), mult-logo detection, and so forth.
As to the 3-year warranty with burn-in protection, it specifically applies to the following OLED gaming monitor models...
- MAG 271QPX QD-OLED
- MAG 321UPX QD-OLED
- MEG 342C QD-OLED: $899.99 at Amazon (18% off)
- MAG 341CQP QD-OLED: $899.99 at Best Buy
- MPG 271QRX QD-OLED
- MPG 321URX QD-OLED: $949 at B&H Photo
- MPG 491CQP QD-OLED
Most of these monitors are not readily available at places like Amazon and Best Buy, as they're relatively new additions. We've provided links to the ones we found. Also note that some of the model designations are close to their non-OLED counterparts, such as the MPG 321URX—the MPG 321UR (non-X model) features an IPS panel instead of OLED.
In any event, it's great to see monitor makers add specific burn-in protection to their warranty policies. LG also deserves kudos here, as it issued a statement in April of 2023 saying that burn-in is protected so long as the display is being used "as intended (personal PC monitor) in a residential setting," as opposed to a commercial setting such as a retail signage display.
