(Credit: Bridget Bennett/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The age of ultra-high refresh rate monitors is well and truly here, with a new entry from TCL in the 1,000+ Hz range with Mini LED-enhanced brightness and color pop.
The TCL 27P2A Ultra is a 27-inch display that can handle 550Hz at up to 2K resolution, or if you want the ultimate in responsiveness, switch to dual mode to achieve 1,040Hz at 720p, VideoCardz reports. For now, it appears it's only launching in China.
The best gaming monitors have been getting faster for years. Although the returns diminish, the higher the refresh rate, the lower the input lag, potentially giving competitive gamers that slight edge that can make all the difference. Moving from even 500Hz to 1,000Hz is only shaving off a millisecond or two at best, but for those who want to ensure they have every advantage possible, these extreme refresh rates may be worth considering.
More often than not, though, you have to make sacrifices for that kind of speed. In this case, it's switching to a low resolution, but the monitor is still Mini LED, meaning it will get very bright for those HDR highlights and extra on-screen clarity, and colors should look fantastically vibrant. Samsung's Odyssey G6 has a similar dual-mode feature for 1,040Hz gameplay, but its IPS panel lacks the brightness of this Mini LED panel, and it has to operate at 720p, too.
As fast as that refresh rate is, it still lags behind OLED gaming monitors. A 1ms gray-to-gray response time is great for a Mini LED monitor, but OLED is in the 0.03ms range, so it can deliver much better motion clarity, simply because the pixels themselves can update so much faster.
TCL also launched a new 32X3A OLED monitor. Part of a new X-Series of desktop monitors, this OLED monitor measures 31.5 inches and features 4K resolution and a 240Hz refresh rate. Described as OLED+, TCL suggests it combines a multi-layered OLED panel with TCL image tuning. It boasts a 0.03ms response time and a dual-mode option to switch to 480 Hz at 1080p.
The 32X3A is priced at 5,999 CNY (around $870). TCL lists the P2A's price as "Coming soon."