Samsung has raised the price of its new 34-inch OLED gaming monitor to $1,499 (opens in new tab). This is much more expensive than Alienware's 34-inch OLED gaming monitor.

Specs-wise, the new Samsung G8 G85SB OLED Ultra is a melon to the Alienware AW3423DW (open in new tab), displaying 3440 x 1440 pixels on a 34-inch, 21:9 aspect panel. Both have a maximum refresh rate of 175 Hz.

Both brands have a standard full-screen brightness of 250 nits, with Samsung claiming a minimum full-screen brightness of 200 nits and Alienware also claiming a peak of 1,000 nits in a small window.

Samsung's new panel supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro adaptive refresh, the same as the Alienware 34's $1,099 base model; Alienware's Nvidia G-Sync Ultimate model is $1 1,299.

Samsung claims a GTG pixel response of 0.03ms, while Alienware claims 0.1ms for its OLED panel (also from Samsung). The difference in these specs may lie in the way both companies measure response. It is likely that both monitors use the same Samsung QD-OLED panel.

Either way, whichever you choose, you will get better pixel speeds than LCD-based gaming monitors. By a mile. What you won't get is value for money; Samsung's new OLED is not only overpriced compared to the nearly identical Alienware alternative, but looks pretty ridiculous next to a large 4K OLED TV.

It is difficult to fully understand how a 34-inch 1440p monitor can be priced the same or even more expensive than many large 4K OLED TVs. Indeed, it offers a high refresh rate of 175 Hz where TVs are typically limited to 120 Hz. It also has several additional inputs, including USB-C and DisplayPort, which can provide 65W of power.

Still, the value proposition looks awfully crappy. Furthermore, given that Samsung sells OLED panels to Alienware, it makes no sense that Samsung's own OLED monitors would be more expensive, albeit manufactured by another division of its vast technology empire.

Another off-putting factor is the rather tragic quality control exhibited by some recent premium Samsung monitors: the Neo G9 was a flop, and the first examples of this new OLED screen were released to beta testers (sorry, "customers") and performance and reliability It takes a lot of courage to roll the dice before the first examples of this new OLED screen have been released to beta testers (sorry "customers") and reported on in terms of performance and reliability.

And then there is the big issue of full-screen OLED panel brightness. Samsung seems to have an advantage over LG, its only real competitor in the large consumer OLED panel market, when it comes to full-screen brightness. However, 200-250 nits is still far from the 1000+ nits of full-screen brightness that mini LED-backlit LCD monitors can achieve.

We would like to be more positive, but it is difficult given the terrible pricing along with Samsung's recent track record on product quality. See also: the extraordinary dive of the Samsung 990 Pro (opens in new tab).

Despite the inherent advantages of OLED technology when it comes to pixel response, lighting control, and contrast, it is hard to get excited about this announcement. This is unfortunate, because the OLED technology is a great tool for the development of new products.