TCL C2A Pro QD-Mini LED Gaming Monitor Review vs OLED

Quick summary: The TCL C2A Pro is a 27-inch 4K QD-Mini LED gaming monitor that runs 160Hz at 4K or 320Hz at 1080p. I compared it side by side with my AOC QD-OLED. OLED blacks are deeper, but the TCL is far brighter and more vibrant, which I prefer for bright, colorful games. It costs $799.

Picture

• QD-Mini LED combines quantum dot color with a mini LED backlight for stronger contrast and deeper blacks than a typical IPS monitor. The blacks don’t fully match OLED’s.
• Up to 2,000 nits, so bright it hurt my eyes. I run it at about 75%. Most OLED monitors sit around 350 to 500 nits.
• An anti-reflective coating and bright, clean whites (the OLED looks slightly yellow next to it).

Ports and menu

• Two HDMI 2.1 ports (great for PlayStation, Xbox or Switch), DisplayPort and USB-C with a built-in KVM.
• Game modes (I use FPS), dual mode for 4K160 or 1080p320, dark-area brightening, response time and MPRT settings, crosshairs and a timer.
• Rear ambient lighting (mine is violet), built-in speakers I don’t use, USB standby charging, DSC and DDC/CI.

Design

It’s white and modern and goes together without tools. The stand adjusts up, down, left and right, and it isn’t heavy.

Head to head with OLED

• The new 007 game: around 130 to 150fps at 4K. I slightly preferred the OLED’s rich reds and inkier look for this darker AAA game. The TCL had a bit of an orange or yellow tint in places.
• Roblox and Fortnite: the TCL wins for me, much brighter and more vibrant and immersive. The OLED looks a bit more sepia.

The AOC is 1440p, so the TCL’s 4K is a real advantage too.

Verdict

For bright platformers and adventure games, get the TCL. For darker AAA games, you might prefer OLED, though both look amazing. If the OLED were cheaper I might choose it, but for a premium mini LED monitor, I’m picking the TCL.

• TCL C2A Pro on Amazon
• AOC Q27G40SDE QD-OLED on Amazon