(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)
OLED monitors offer myriad benefits, including top-notch pixel response times and near-perfect contrast. However, static elements can cause burn-in over time, and Asus and MSI are now offering additional warranty coverage for this phenomenon.
TFTCentral spotted the change for Asus monitors in the specs section of its product pages. It does not appear that the company has updated its official warranty pages yet. Warranties last two or three years depending on the monitor.
As The Verge reports, MSI countered Asus within 24 hours with warranty coverage of its own, boasting three years of OLED burn-in protection for all of its OLED monitors.
"To further enhance the longevity of your panels, we are proud to introduce MSI OLED CARE 2.0," MSI said in a statement. "This cutting-edge technology is designed to safeguard your OLED panels, providing enhanced protection and contributing to an extended lifespan."
MSI also updated its warranty page for gaming monitors to qualify what the company considers burn-in, which is a 3.5% difference in brightness at 50% gray coverage. The company also says the warranty will be voided if its OLED Care setting is disabled or modified. This setting enables anti-burn-in measures such as pixel shift, panel refresh, and a function that dims static elements to protection against burn-in.
The two companies join LG, which added burn-in protection to its warranty last year. LG's warranty covers burn-in from "normal and proper use" and excludes issues that arise from misuse and abuse. Dell's Alienware and Corsair already offered three-year burn-in warranties on their OLED monitors.