Did you know that OLED panels make LCD monitors look like slugs when it comes to response time? That's because Samsung's new microLED TVs are half a million times faster than the latest OLED panels.

Specifically, Samsung says the new MicroLED CX (open in new tab) panel just announced at CES has a response time of 2 nanoseconds. This compares to a pixel response of 0.1 ms for the Dell Alienware 34 OLED (open in new tab).

While nanoseconds may sound like a natural progression from milliseconds, it is worth remembering how large the gap is between these two metrics. A millisecond is, of course, one thousandth of a second. A "nanosecond" is one billionth of a second. In other words, this Samsung micoLED panel is 5 million times faster than a 1 ms LCD monitor.

Pixels on the new Samsung microLED CX react in two billionths of a second. In other words, it is instantaneous to all intents and purposes. When it comes to pixel response, it's the end game. The job is done. No further improvements are involved. You won't feel it.

Further specs are a bit scarce at the moment, but we assume that this set is all 4K, which is standard for microLED TVs so far. Samsung states that the refresh rate is set at 240 Hz and the screen-to-body ratio is an impressive 99.9%. In other words, these TVs have virtually no bezels at all.

Of course, microLED has long shown considerable promise, but it is still an expensive screen technology: $50,000, $100,000, and so on. Size is also an issue, with microLED screens tending to be 100 inches or larger.

Samsung says its new CX line will be the cheapest microLED set yet, and that is undoubtedly true. However, given the pricing of existing microLEDs, there is plenty of room for the cheapest yet to be an order of magnitude less than traditional displays. As for size, however, Samsung appears to be cracking, offering a panel option as small as 50 inches starting later this year.

While still a bit over the top for PC monitors, the progress is clear: microLEDs are slowly approaching a size and price point where they are feasible as PC monitors.

It seems very likely that microLEDs will eventually become the technology of choice for PC monitors - at least 2D flat panel displays. MicroLEDs have all the advantages of OLEDs, such as per-pixel illumination, but with even faster response times and no burn-in concerns.

Just pricing and proportions need to be modified, and at least Samsung is moving in the right direction; with OLEDs finally making their way to the desktop these days, will they be able to supplant LCD as the default panel technology for PC monitors, or will It will be interesting to see if microLEDs rapidly close the cost gap and become redundant before OLEDs take hold. Stay tuned.