The market for gaming monitors, which includes modules with refresh rates of 120 Hz and above, will grow 9% this year to 24.7 million units, according to the latest forecast from analytics firm Omdia. At the same time, the market for so-called smart monitors, with a built-in operating system and support for various streaming services, according to the same forecast, will grow by 63% to 1.2 million units.
Image source: Samsung
In the first quarter of 2024, total desktop monitor shipments reached 30.7 million units, up 5% year-on-year for the same reporting period. The industry has been growing steadily since the third quarter of 2023, gradually overcoming logistical challenges following the coronavirus pandemic. Analysts believe that the growth in shipments of gaming and smart monitors is due to the growing functionality of these devices.
«Monitors are following the same trajectory as TVs, becoming smarter. Manufacturers are focusing on the content that these devices can handle, as well as enhancing the user experience,” says Omdia senior analyst Hidetoshi Himuro.
Image Source: Omdia
South Korean companies Samsung and LGE are leaders in the supply of smart monitors. Following them is Acer. Other companies from Taiwan, the US and China are also expected to enter the market in the near future. Analysts believe that in the future, the gaming monitor segment may include models originally from the non-gaming segment, but with a high refresh rate exceeding 120 Hz. Consequently, shipments of gaming monitors, defined by their maximum refresh rates, are expected to increase.
Omdia predicts that the gaming monitor market will grow to 27.4 million units by 2028, while the smart monitor market will increase to 2.1 million units. This year, the smart monitor market will reach 1.2 million units, primarily due to the availability of models equipped with operating systems, which distinguishes them from conventional desktop monitors.
In 2023, the largest SoC suppliers for TVs were MediaTek, Novatek and Realtek. Their combined market share is expected to reach 84% by the end of 2024, up from 83% in 2023. Experts also believe that in 2024–2025, the key operating systems in the smart monitor market will be Tizen, WebOS, AOSP China and Google solutions.