I made the switch to a full-time OLED monitor a few months ago, and it’s been a welcome upgrade on my desk for gaming and for work.
Apparently, I’m far from the only one who decided to make this upgrade.
The latest market research from TrendForce shows that the OLED monitor market picked up momentum as it moved through the second quarter of 2026.
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In fact, TrendForce saw global OLED monitor shipments rise by a healthy 26.1% in Q2 2026 compared to Q2 2025. Year over year, shipments are up a whopping 98%. No, I don’t think the OLED display market is in any jeopardy.
TrendForce posits that the OLED market’s growth in Q2 2026 was largely driven by the launch of new models, especially those that measure 27 inches (the industry’s most popular size).
This market segment includes the awesome Alienware AW2726DM I reviewed in May, which delivers some high-end features and a beautiful picture at a very affordable price.
Another market growth factor TrendForce includes is China’s 618 shopping day. It’s akin to the Black Friday/Cyber Monday events on this side of the Pacific, when countless people make tech upgrades.
ASUS remains at the top of the OLED industry with a healthy 23.1% market share. It notably launched the 34-inch ultrawide ROG Strix XG34WCDMS recently, which is currently being tested here in my office.
Samsung remains in second place with 13.1% market share, with MSI and AOC coming in at number three and four with 12.8% and 8.6% market share, respectively.
LG remains in last place out of the big brands with 8.4% market share, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see that number drop next quarter as the company deals with fallout from its monitors installing unwanted adware on Windows 11 PCs.
The hidden driver behind the rise in OLED monitor sales
The TrendForce report suggests that improved OLED panel supply chains have helped smaller brands compete with the big names I mentioned above, but I suspect there’s another reason driving monitor sales that TrendForce doesn’t mention.
The shortage of DRAM and NAND chips is affecting other hardware prices as well, including GPUs. When your next PC upgrade is looking, at best, like a motherboard and CPU swap, many enthusiasts are looking elsewhere for a meaningful (and not overpriced) upgrade path.
That’s where OLED monitors come into play in a big way. The difference between OLED and more traditional panels like IPS or VA is incredible. Dark colors are actually dark, with no grey, washed-out haze. Colors seem real, displayed as they should be.
The recent drop in OLED prices, highlighted by the $350 Alienware AW2726DM monitor I reviewed, is making it a perfect time to swap monitors. And when other PC upgrades are off the table, OLED really starts to make sense.
Do you agree that sky-high PC component prices are forcing people to look at other upgrade avenues? Do you think OLED sales will level out in the next quarter as the market becomes more saturated? Let me know in the comments section below!
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