A little known company called Dough has announced what is the third 27-inch OLED gaming monitor, known as the Dough Spectrum ES07E2D, and it sports a glossy panel.
That’s different to the 27-inch OLED matte panels used on rival monitors announced by LG Electronics and Asus. Other than the glossy panel, the Spectrum ES07E2D appears to match those rival’s panels in terms of specification, with 1440p resolution, a 16:9 aspect ratio and a 240Hz refresh rate.
The company explains its thinking behind the glossy design, saying that other manufacturers lock their OLED panels behind matte polarizers to reduce reflections. However, it said its “community of enthusiasts” has spoken, and that it believes that the reduced reflections on other displays are not worth the sacrifice in black levels, sharp detail and vibrant colours.
“That's why we use a unique glossy polarizer, unleashing the full potential of our OLED panel," the company said in a statement.
Dough said the Spectrum ES07E2D comes with a 3-year limited warranty and a 2-year burn-in warranty. It also supports Variable Refresh Rate, with G-Sync and FreeSync Premium Pro compatibility over both HDMI 2.1a and DisplayPort. The connectivity options also include a USB Type-C port with 100 watt power delivery.
The company helpfully provided this infographic, comparing the Spectrum ES07E2D to what appears to be LG’s previously announced UltraGear 27GR95QE:
For those who think the glossy panel is a tempting alternative, bear in mind that Dough, which was formerly known as Eve, does not have the best reputation, with forums like Reddit littered with user complaints about its previous products. We can only hope that the company has learned from those mistakes and that the Spectrum ES07E2D will be more reliable.
Dough said the Spectrum ES07E2D is available to pre-order now for $649 without a stand, which is sold separately and costs $99. However, the company warned that the price will go up as it nears retail launch in order to reflect the extra costs charged by retailers. As such, expect a price tag of $1,099 when it finally hits the shops.
Delivery will only commence in July 2023 so it’s still some way off. By then, we may well see some other glossy OLED gaming monitors. So prospective buyers may be best off waiting until after CES 2023 before making a decision.
