Should you get an LCD or OLED Steam Deck?

Even Valve may be surprised by the success of the Steam Deck. The company was always hoping to make money, of course, but the Deck has become so popular that there’s now a burgeoning PC handheld industry, Valve’s main competition being the ASUS ROG Ally. Both Microsoft and Sony are believed to be working on inspired handhelds, although Microsoft has never produced one before, and Sony’s last standalone device — the PlayStation Vita — was discontinued in 2019.

If you’re interested in getting a Deck, you’ve got two main options: the original LCD model from 2022, or the Steam Deck OLED, launched in November 2023. Which one should you get if you’re new to handheld gaming PCs?

What are the advantages of the Steam Deck OLED?

Better display technology

This is the obvious one. OLED delivers superior contrast, including true blacks, since the technology can shut off individual pixels. All LCDs require some sort of backlight, which remains visible even in pitch-black game scenes.

OLED also improves color output and brightness, including support for HDR (high dynamic range) in compatible games. Whereas the LCD product’s brightness hovers around 400 nits, the OLED model starts at 600 nits and peaks at 1,000 with HDR. Simply put, graphics really “pop” on the OLED Deck in a way that’s difficult to convey through screenshots.

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There are some other display improvements in tow. The OLED’s screen is slightly bigger, measuring 7.4 inches instead of 7, and sports a smoother 90Hz refresh rate instead of 60. These things aren’t noticeable in most situations, however, so they shouldn’t factor much into your shopping.

Longer battery life

Valve

The OLED Deck uses a 50 watt-hour (Wh) battery, slightly larger than the 40Wh one in its predecessor. On top of that, the device is more power efficient, thanks to both OLED and a streamlined 6nm AMD processor, shrunk down from 7nm.

The result is between three and twelve hours of battery life, depending on how hard that AMD chip is working. It might not sound like much next to your smartphone, but the LCD Deck is capped at two to eight hours. On a long trip, you’ll need to plug in an LCD Deck more frequently.

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Improved ergonomics, repairs, and heat

Valve

The OLED model is a little lighter, and uses refined buttons, sticks, trackpads, and touch technology for the sake of responsiveness and durability. There are a number of internal design changes as well, but mostly to simplify mods and repairs — you don’t have to remove the rear cover to replace the display, for instance.

I say “mostly” because the newer design also runs cooler. There’s a better thermal module, which combined with reduced power consumption means there’s less hot air blasting out the vent.

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Larger storage options

Valve

There used to be more storage tiers for the LCD Deck, but unless you can find something used, the only one still available is 256GB. That should be plenty for most gamers, mind, since you can always expand storage with an SD card.

OLED units are sold in 512GB or 1TB capacities. Given what I said about SD cards, the 1TB version is probably overkill, but you do get some additional perks. It’s equipped with an anti-glare display, and comes bundled with a second, smaller carrying case that still fits inside the standard one.

Updated connectivity

OLED models feature a dedicated Bluetooth 5.3 antenna. In most situations, the upgrade from Bluetooth 5.0 won’t matter, but using a separate antenna should fix reliability when connecting multiple controllers.

Wi-Fi, meanwhile, gets an update from Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) to Wi-Fi 6E. That could speed up downloads if you have a router equipped with either Wi-Fi 6 or 6E.

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Why would you get an LCD Steam Deck?

It’s all about value

The LCD Deck is substantially cheaper. At $399, it’s $150 less than the base OLED, and a full $250 below the 1TB model. Those savings won’t matter to some people, but they could be enough to buy multiple games and maybe even an accessory. There’s little reason to get a Deck if you don’t have the budget to buy something from the Steam Store.

If you’re willing to shop around, you can find used LCD models for amazing prices. Some people will deliberately hunt down 64GB units, hoping to swap in their own storage for an affordable upgrade. As I mentioned, that could be as simple as inserting an SD card.

Above all, there’s nothing radically different in the OLED experience. Its AMD chip is more efficient, and paired with low-latency RAM, but you’re not going to get an extra ten frames per second in Elden Ring or Indiana Jones. It’s just a refinement of the Deck concept, fixing some issues while keeping the product relevant until the inevitable Steam Deck 2 a year or two from now.

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Should you get an LCD or OLED Steam Deck?

Think twice before pulling the trigger on OLED

If you’re a serious gamer, and you’ve got the cash for it, you should definitely pick the OLED model. It may not have any meaningful performance improvements, but once you’ve seen the colors and contrast its screen is capable of, it’s tough to go back to LCD. For some gamers, extended battery life may be an even bigger deal — there’s no better way to pass a cross-country flight than playing something like Balatro or Vampire Survivors.

Valve’s other changes have a cumulative effect. While you might not immediately notice things like grippier analog sticks, 90Hz refresh rates, or improved touch response, the OLED model simply feels like a slicker product, as if it was what the company always intended. It’s an overall quality-of-life upgrade.

That said, the LCD Deck is still loads of fun, and delivers some fantastic value if you want something closer in price to a Nintendo Switch. There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with it — the OLED model is just better. In fact, if you’re planning to leave your Deck plugged into a TV or monitor most of the time, you should probably go the LCD route and put the money you save towards Valve’s official dock.

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