The Steam Deck OLED console showed minor burn-in after a 1,500-hour stress test conducted by YouTuber Wulff Den. While 1,500 hours or 63 days is a long time, the OLED version of the Steam Deck suffered burn-in much faster than the Switch OLED screen, which Wulff Den previously demonstrated burn-in in about 3,500 hours.
Since the inception of OLED displays, the problem of image retention, called burn-in, has been critical. However, the newest OLED panels have better designs, which should reduce the risk of burn-in. The YouTuber decided to compare the Steam Deck OLED with the Switch OLED. Both devices are almost identical at the sub-pixel level; the displays may come from the same manufacturer.
For the test, a game screenshot of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was placed on the screen (same as for Switch previously) with several color testing stripes. The enthusiast set the brightness to 100%. The screenshot and screen were in SDR mode, the brightness was approximately 600 nits.
The test was stopped at the 1500 hour mark when faint but noticeable signs of burnout appeared. The colors that faded fastest at the subpixel level were red and blue, with green remaining the most stable. Size is a big risk factor for burn-in, and since the red subpixels are the smallest on the Steam Deck's OLED display, their faster burn-in isn't surprising. However, the blue subpixels are the largest, but they are also the ones that are burned out the most.
As far as Zelda interface elements go, the only remaining detail seems to be the red hearts in the top left corner. But even in this area, the burn-in was fairly minor and much harder to discern than the burn-in caused by the color stripes.
Wulff Den speculates that brightness may be to blame for faster burnout. The Switch OLED is only 400 nits, higher brightness requires exponentially more power. Wolf Dan also references a test done by another YouTuber, The Phawx, who tested burn-in with HDR content at 1000 nits and saw clear burn-in after 750 hours. Only 67% brighter to cut the time in half.
Wulff Den reached out to Valve for comment on whether the OLED Deck uses any technology to prevent burn-in – the company responded that it does not. However, Valve said it is not aware of any burn-in issues that users experience “under normal use” and that the one-year warranty will cover burn-in.
While burn-in can be a concern, Wulff Den concludes that the risk can easily be reduced by lower brightness and turning off HDR. “You have to be careful about turning up the brightness.” Playing on an external monitor is another option, especially for users who spend hundreds of hours on the same game.
Source: Tom's Hardware
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