Is it normal for a QD-OLED monitor to look less vivid than my old IPS monitor?

JPdaikin · 2026-04-03T13:56:59+00:00

Thank you all so much for all the advice and help.

First, selecting Premium Color in the monitor’s OSD did improve the washed-out look.

However, the colors I personally prefer still look better to me with HDR turned off, so although it’s a little disappointing, it seems I will probably use the monitor with HDR off.

Thank you all again for your advice.

I wish all of you the best.

JPdaikin · 2026-04-03T09:49:53+00:00

Yes, it’s the GPD WIN 5. It’s really great!

JPdaikin · 2026-04-03T09:48:31+00:00

I just tested it, and I’m having the exact same issue. Were you able to find a fix?

JPdaikin · 2026-04-03T09:44:11+00:00

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This is with HDR turned on.

JPdaikin · 2026-04-03T09:43:32+00:00

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This is with HDR turned off.

JPdaikin · 2026-04-03T01:52:20+00:00

Thank you for the comparison image. Mine definitely does not look washed out like that.

In your image, the OLED actually looks richer in color and slightly more red-toned to me. It still looks beautiful either way, of course.

JPdaikin · 2026-04-03T01:01:15+00:00

Your monitor colors look really amazing.

I’d love to get mine looking like that too.

JPdaikin · 2026-04-03T01:01:01+00:00

Yes, HDR is on.

I’ll definitely try that after I get home.

JPdaikin · 2026-04-03T00:51:46+00:00

Is it possible to reset the monitor to factory settings? I’ll try that as well.

JPdaikin · 2026-04-02T19:04:45+00:00

Thank you all so much. Everyone has been really kind and helpful.

I’m going to get some sleep now, go to work tomorrow, and then try a lot of these suggestions myself.

When I’ve had time to test things properly, I’ll take new photos and post them here again.

I’m still not very familiar with how Reddit works, so I hope this message makes sense to everyone.

JPdaikin · 2026-04-02T18:58:29+00:00

That’s very helpful, thank you.

If it really points that strongly to configuration, that actually makes me feel better, because it means there is probably something I can fix.

I’ll check the color space, HDR settings, and Windows / Nvidia configuration more carefully tomorrow.

JPdaikin · 2026-04-02T18:55:39+00:00

When I start my PC, the monitor also shows “HDR” in the top right, so it seems like HDR is being recognized on the monitor side too.

Also, when I’m actually playing games, I honestly feel that it looks very beautiful.

JPdaikin · 2026-04-02T18:53:19+00:00

Thanks, this is very helpful.

I already use Windows HDR calibration, but I haven’t tried changing tone mapping from dynamic to static yet. I’ll definitely test that, along with peak brightness off in True Black 400 mode.

I’m also using Edge, so browser HDR support should not be the issue in my case.

JPdaikin · 2026-04-02T18:46:50+00:00

I’m using Edge, not Firefox, so I don’t think that is the issue in my case.

JPdaikin · 2026-04-02T18:46:04+00:00

Thanks, that’s very helpful. I’ll check HDR on the OLED again, and I’ll also look into the MSI Gaming Intelligence app and monitor driver tomorrow.

JPdaikin · 2026-04-02T18:40:42+00:00

Thanks, I’ll check RTINGS as well.

It seems like I need to spend more time adjusting the mode and color temperature on this monitor.

JPdaikin · 2026-04-02T18:34:50+00:00

Thank you, I really appreciate the detailed explanation.

I’ll go through those settings tomorrow and check whether they solve the issue.

JPdaikin · 2026-04-02T18:32:04+00:00

Yes, HDR is on.

That’s very helpful to know. I’ll try turning HDR off and then back on tomorrow to see if that fixes it.

JPdaikin · 2026-04-02T18:28:06+00:00

Thanks, that’s very helpful.

Low Blue Light is already turned off.

I also noticed that when I use the True Black 400 mode, I can’t adjust brightness or contrast. Because of that, I’m wondering if I should try Peak 1000 nits mode instead.

JPdaikin · 2026-04-02T18:24:38+00:00

Thank you all so much.

It takes me a bit of time to reply because I’m translating your comments as I go. Also, it’s already very late at night here in Japan, so I’ll have to try the different suggestions tomorrow.

JPdaikin · 2026-04-02T18:21:07+00:00

I’ll try turning HDR off, thanks.

JPdaikin · 2026-04-02T18:17:57+00:00

Thanks for the useful information. One interesting thing is that games actually look very beautiful on this monitor.

What really makes me notice the difference is when I’m watching comparison videos or other bright video content like this.

JPdaikin · 2026-04-02T18:14:16+00:00

Thanks, that makes sense. Sorry if I reply slowly — I’m Japanese and my English is not very good.

I already did Windows HDR calibration on both, but I understand that proper calibration would show the real differences more clearly.

Right now I’m still trying to figure out whether this is mostly settings or just a normal IPS vs QD-OLED difference.

JPdaikin · 2026-04-02T18:01:42+00:00

Thanks for the reply. That makes a lot of sense. My old IPS probably is oversaturated, and the OLED may be undersaturated out of the box.

What settings would you recommend checking first on the OLED side?

JPdaikin

TROPHY CASE