AUO Demos 480Hz Laptop and Desktop Displays
24 and 16 inch panels showcased at Display Week 2022.
AUO has been demonstrating some super-fast PC display panels during SID Display Week 2022. As spotted by ComputerBase, we get a first look at a new 480 Hz 24 inch desktop monitor, and a 480 Hz 16 inch laptop display panel from AUO. Both of these displays offer FHD 1920 x 1080 pixels, and sub 1ms response times, but are designed using TN (Twisted Nematic) technology.
At 56 sec in you can see the 24 inch FHD 480 Hz monitor demo, the 16 inch FHD 480 Hz demo follows directly.
Right now this is all the specs we have about the new 480 Hz display panels from AUO. To recap the key points, both the desktop and laptop panels are FHD resolution, with <1 ms response times, using TN panel technology. TN's popularity has declined among consumers in the past few years as IPS (In Plane Switching), VA (Vertical Alignment) and OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) panels typically offer improved image quality plus better viewing angles. However, TN has always been easier for manufacturers to run at the highest possible refresh rates.
We have tested several IPS gaming monitors with 360 Hz refresh rates but AUO's new TN desktop and laptop panels are aimed more squarely at PC gamers who need the fastest refresh rates possible, with image quality being a lower priority. In the video you can see the desktop monitor being demoed with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, an eSports standard where high refresh rates, reduced input lag, and fast response times are keenly pursued for competitive advantage.
As we wrote last summer when rumors of these new displays hit the news wires, designing monitors with such fast refresh rates available isn't all about the screen technology. Monitor makers have to deploy matching high-performance display controller logic; image processing units, overdrive processors, and timing controllers. Development of these complementary components, and sourcing the appropriate semiconductors, can't have been easy recently with the chip supply crunch. AUO hasn't provided any hints about release schedules for the 480 Hz displays, but with the hardware demonstrations at Display Week, partner products featuring these panels can't be too far off.
Other displays showcased in the AUO demo reel include; an ultra-wide AmLED (Adaptive mini LED technology) panel for with vivid color and fast refresh rates for gamers and creators, a 16 inch QHD AmLED panel for gaming laptops, laptop panels with cameras integrated so as to eliminate display notches or thick upper bezels, color ChLC tablet displays which work without a backlight, and several more.
For a good understanding of the state of play in the PC gaming monitor market, we recommend readers check through our best gaming monitors for 2022 guide. In the guide you will find monitors with all sorts of panel technologies, sizes, and aspect ratios – perhaps one or two will tick all your requirements boxes to hit a sweet spot.
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Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.