Steam Deck OLED faces scrutiny as differences between BOE & Samsung screens arise

Steam Deck owners receiving their new OLED models are examining the screens intensely as key differences are starting to appear.

The new Steam Deck OLED has been a rousing success. With refreshed internals and new screens, most are in agreement it’s an upgrade. However, some Reddit users are deciphering the differences between the OLED panels.

Valve didn’t source all the OLED panels from one place. To ensure that enough stock is available, some companies will acquire parts from multiple places. With the Steam Deck LCD, you could end up with one of two fans, for instance.

This time around, the panels were sourced from BOE and Samsung. Within the threads, the examination process has begun to dig up some differences.

Detailed in the post, user Maximam_Tax creates a comparison with images taken of the screens. They then go on to discuss sub-pixels.

Sub-pixels in displays are effectively gaps that have been plugged by another color. This allows manufacturers to increase the pixel density, and create a higher-resolution display.

OLED also stretches out or shrinks its different colors, as these panels can lose their vibrancy as time goes on. You can see this in action in both photos.

BOE and Samsung OLED panels face scrutiny from Steam Deck users

The reason for this scrutiny is that some users are reporting a “green fringe” around certain onscreen elements, like text. This happens when the sub-pixels begin to essentially leak into places depending on their arrangement.

While examining the Samsung panel hasn’t revealed anything out of place, the BOE panel has been highlighted for causing this. In another post, user mouxo_mouxo said:

“With the new OLED, the sub-pixel arrangement is slightly different than the LCD, and it’s causing white edge ([especially] on text) to have this green/magenta fringing.”

In the photos, the BOE panel shows the letter A looks distinctly blurred around the edges. However, mouxo_mouxo does say that while gaming, it makes no difference.

Analysing the Samsung Panel, the original poster said:

“I looked at mine, even looking very closely to the point I’m seeing individual pixels and the small gaps between the pixels, I just don’t see it.”

However, elsewhere in the thread, the Samsung panel has come under fire for poorer sub-pixel placement. Maximam_Tax stated that the way that Samsung has poorer performance due to the “alternating blue pixels” that “leave a big gap every 2 pixels”. They claim it makes the screen grainy.

As is typical of Reddit, this statement barreled into an argument about “confirmation bias”. Our theory is that much like with OLED panels on TVs, it’s a potluck. It appears users are either getting a good experience or a bad one with both brands. You’ll just have to play the panel lottery.

So it seems that there’s nothing to fear just yet, but we’ll have to wait and see. Much like with the Nintendo Switch OLED models or even TVs, OLED can be more susceptible to wear and tear. We’ll have to check back in about a year.