The stunning visuals of OLED monitors, with their perfect contrast and vivid colors, make them an enticing choice for gaming and content consumption. However, concerns over burn-in—a permanent image retention issue—have left some PC users hesitant to fully embrace them, particularly for productivity tasks that involve static elements like toolbars, text documents, and web pages. The risk of burn-in has long been considered an unavoidable trade-off with OLED technology, but a new endurance test aims to shed light on just how serious this issue is for the latest generation of QD-OLED panels.
Tech reviewer Monitors Unboxed recently conducted an extreme, real-world burn-in test on the MSI MPG 321URX, a 32-inch 4K QD-OLED monitor, pushing the panel to its limits over an entire year. To simulate a worst-case scenario, the monitor was subjected to 3,000 hours of usage—approximately 60 hours per week—with static content dominating the screen. Most of the time, it displayed light-mode web pages, documents, and other static images, with minimal gaming or full-screen video playback to balance out the wear. Brightness was locked at 200 nits, Windows 11 was set to light mode with a dark taskbar, and the panel’s pixel refresh cycle was only run once per day—half of MSI’s recommended frequency. The screen was also set to sleep after a full two hours of inactivity, a much longer duration than most users typically allow.
After three months, faint but even burn-in began to appear across the display. At the six-month mark, it became more noticeable, particularly in areas with frequent static elements. However, interestingly, the nine-month results showed slightly less burn-in than anticipated, possibly due to minor shifts in content positioning. By the end of the 12-month test, the most prominent signs of burn-in were in blue and green subpixels, a visible band where the dark taskbar had been, and a subtle vertical line—likely caused by extended side-by-side window usage.
Despite this rigorous stress test, Monitors Unboxed offers optimistic takeaways. The test was conducted without the full suite of burn-in prevention features enabled, meaning a typical user would likely see far better longevity. Importantly, burn-in is cumulative and irreversible, but those who mix usage types—such as alternating between work, gaming, and video playback—should experience much slower burn-in development. The presenter concludes that most OLED users, even those incorporating productivity work, are unlikely to notice serious burn-in within the first two to two-and-a-half years.
For those considering an OLED monitor, the video serves as a valuable resource, offering practical insights into real-world longevity. Additionally, MSI and other high-end OLED manufacturers provide 3-year burn-in warranties, offering peace of mind for buyers concerned about panel durability.
