The Biggest Differences Between OLED Steam Deck and LCD Steam Deck
The Steam Deck is one of the best portable gaming consoles you can buy. Previously, you only had to choose between different storage sizes, now you have two models to choose from: Valve recently announced the Steam Deck OLED , which will replace the original Steam Deck LCD, and it improves on the original in many ways. But is the newest version worth the extra money?
Steam Deck LCD Specifications and Steam Deck OLED Specifications
At first glance, it might seem that the new Steam Deck is just an older version with an OLED display. Of course, OLED provides a brighter and better display, which is slightly larger at 7.4 inches. But the new Steam Deck also has improved cooling, longer battery life, and a slightly more efficient processor, all of which will be important when deciding whether you should get the Steam Deck LCD while it’s on sale or wait for a more expensive model. Steam Deck OLED.
Steam Deck LCD Features:
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Display: 7-inch RGB display with 1280 x 800X resolution, 60Hz refresh rate and 400 nits typical brightness.
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Processor: Custom 7nm AMD APU.
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RAM: 16 GB
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Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
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Storage options: 64GB eMMC, 256GB NVMe SSD, 512GB high-speed NVMe SSD (expandable via microSD)
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Battery life: 40 Wh battery, two to eight hours of gameplay (depending on content)
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Size and Weight: 298 x 117 x 49 mm, approx. 669 grams
Steam Deck OLED Display Features:
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Display: 7.4″ HDR OLED display with 1280 x 800 resolution, 90Hz refresh rate and 1000 nits HDR peak brightness (600 nits typical)
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Processor: Custom 6nm AMD APU.
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RAM: 16 GB
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Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 6E.
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Storage options: 512GB NVMe SSD or 1TB NVMe SSD (expandable via microSD)
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Battery life: 50Wh battery; From 3 to 12 hours of gameplay (depending on content)
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Size and weight: 298 x 117 x 49 mm, 640 grams.
If you look at these two devices side by side, you will notice that there is not much difference in performance characteristics. Sure, the chip is newer and more efficient, but it won’t provide the same level of upgrades as replacing the processor on a full-size desktop computer. In short, increased performance shouldn’t be the reason you decide to upgrade to an OLED Steam Deck display. But this is not the whole story.
Display and battery life
One of the main reasons to upgrade is indeed the display. A 0.4-inch increase isn’t a huge increase, but when you’re talking about portable gaming, every little bit helps. Additionally, the Steam Deck’s OLED display offers HDR options as well as much higher peak brightness. During SDR playback, the display is 200 nits brighter than the Steam Deck LCD (600 nits vs. 400 nits), and with HDR content it can reach 1,000 nits. This means you can play even while in the sun, something you may have struggled with with the original Steam Deck.
The new display also has a higher refresh rate (90Hz versus 60Hz), although to be fair, that’s not something you’ll be able to take full advantage of when playing most AAA games on the Steam Deck.
Battery life is also another important factor. While the LCD model has its advantages, the OLED boasts slightly better battery life, which you might want to take advantage of if you travel a lot. However, both devices break down faster when playing the most demanding PC games, so you’ll never want to stray too far from the charger.
Price and storage options
The price of the Steam Deck you choose depends on which storage model you use. Unfortunately, the cheaper 64GB OG Steam Deck model is not available on Steam Deck OLED. Instead, the OLED model only comes in 512GB and 1TB capacity options, so you’ll be looking at paying more than the old prices for the cheapest Steam Decks on offer.
The new Steam Deck OLED starts at $549, rising to $649 for the 1TB model. On the other hand, you can buy the Steam Deck LCD for $349 for the 64GB model and $449 for the 512GB model. However, these prices will only be reduced until Valve runs out of older consoles. At this point, Steam Deck OLED is your only option.
Internal improvements
But the display, battery life, and storage options aren’t the only changes the Steam Deck OLED makes. The OLED model also offers better cooling and supports Wi-Fi 6E, making loading times slightly faster than the original LCD Steam Deck. For most people this won’t be too noticeable, but for someone who has experienced how hot an LCD model can get, having a cooler laptop will be really nice.
Other internal improvements include updated memory that provides lower latency and better power management, and a third antenna that helps provide better Bluetooth performance compared directly to the old Steam Deck LCD. Valve has also improved the audio tuning, which should improve the overall audio quality.
Finally
There’s a lot to like about both devices, but if you haven’t picked up a Steam Deck yet, I’d recommend going with the Steam Deck OLED for the future-proofing and overall subtle improvements that make Valve’s latest portable stand model stand out.
Do not misunderstand me. I’ve spent a lot of time with the Steam Deck LCD and it continues to be an excellent device in both performance and display. But with the introduction of the OLED model, the reasons to buy a Steam Deck have become even more significant.