The Steam Deck OLED is better than you think (6 month review)
Summary
TLDRThe video script discusses the significant improvements of the Steam Deck OLED over its LCD predecessor, focusing on enhanced battery life, better thermal performance, quieter fans, and a superior OLED screen. Despite competition from other handheld gaming devices, the Steam Deck OLED offers a unique experience, especially for those prioritizing ease of use and specific game performance. The reviewer emphasizes the device's ability to provide a healthier work-life-play balance by enabling gaming in short bursts throughout the day.
Takeaways
- 📱 The Steam Deck OLED appears to be a minor upgrade from the LCD version, but it offers significant improvements.
- 🔋 Battery life on the OLED is more than double that of the LCD, despite Valve's conservative claims.
- 🔧 The OLED version addresses many issues present in the LCD version, including battery life, performance, thermals, and fan noise.
- 🌈 The OLED screen offers better color accuracy, brightness, and contrast, making it look sharper and crisper even at the same resolution.
- 🎮 The Steam Deck OLED provides a smoother gaming experience with a 90Hz refresh rate, especially noticeable in less demanding games.
- 📶 The OLED version features upgraded Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E for improved connectivity.
- 🌀 The fan noise is significantly reduced, and the device runs cooler, enhancing overall user comfort.
- 🖥️ The touchscreen on the OLED is more responsive, akin to modern tablets or smartphones.
- 🏋️ The OLED version is lighter, making it more comfortable to handle and use.
- 🤔 Despite its enhancements, the Steam Deck OLED faces stiff competition from other handheld gaming devices like the ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go, especially in terms of performance.
Q & A
What is the main difference between the Steam Deck OLED and the Steam Deck LCD?
-The main difference lies in the screen technology, with the OLED version offering better battery life, improved performance, quieter fans, and better thermal management compared to the LCD version.
How does the battery life of the Steam Deck OLED compare to the Steam Deck LCD?
-The Steam Deck OLED has significantly better battery life than the LCD version. The user reported over double the battery life in their personal testing, specifically noting 2 hours and 27 minutes of gameplay on the OLED compared to just over 1 hour on the LCD.
What improvements did Valve make in the Steam Deck OLED that were not initially highlighted?
-Valve improved the thermals, fan noise, performance, and battery life in the Steam Deck OLED, which were issues in the LCD version. These improvements were not heavily advertised but made a significant difference in the user experience.
How does the performance of the Steam Deck OLED compare to other handheld devices like the ROG Ally or Lenovo Legion Go?
-The performance of the Steam Deck OLED is generally lower compared to the ROG Ally or Lenovo Legion Go. Depending on the game, the performance can vary from 0% to 100% better on these competitors.
What are the advantages of the Steam Deck OLED's screen over the LCD version?
-The OLED screen offers better color accuracy, brightness, contrast, and a 90 Hz refresh rate. It also has HDR support and a more responsive touchscreen, making it a significant upgrade over the LCD screen.
How does the fan noise on the Steam Deck OLED compare to the LCD version?
-The fan noise on the Steam Deck OLED is significantly quieter than on the LCD version, making it less noticeable during gameplay and improving the overall user experience.
What are the benefits of the ugreen 25,000 milliamp nexe power bank for charging the Steam Deck OLED on the go?
-The ugreen 25,000 milliamp nexe power bank can charge the Steam Deck OLED up to 145 Watts, allowing for easy top-ups on the go. It can also charge laptops and phones simultaneously, making it a versatile charging solution.
What is the significance of the Steam Deck OLED having Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E?
-Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E provide faster and more reliable wireless connections. This results in less lag and fewer drops when playing online games or using Wi-Fi, enhancing the gaming experience.
How does the weight difference between the Steam Deck OLED and the LCD version affect the user experience?
-The Steam Deck OLED is slightly lighter than the LCD version, making it more comfortable to hold and use over extended periods, which can be particularly noticeable during long gaming sessions.
What advice does the user give for those considering buying a Steam Deck OLED or a different handheld device?
-The user suggests considering the types of games you play and the performance of those games on the Steam Deck OLED compared to competitors. If the Steam Deck OLED meets your performance needs for your main games, it is recommended due to its ease of use and operating system.
Outlines
😲 Steam Deck OLED: A Significant Upgrade Over LCD
The Steam Deck OLED is a substantial improvement over the LCD model, contrary to initial impressions that it might be a minor upgrade. Despite Valve's modest claims of enhancements in battery life, Wi-Fi speed, and other features, the actual improvements are much more significant. The battery life, in particular, has seen a dramatic increase, as demonstrated by a test running 'Elden Ring' which yielded over double the time compared to the LCD model. The script also mentions the underselling of these improvements by Valve, which is a pleasant surprise for the user. Other aspects such as thermals, fan noise, and performance have also seen notable improvements, addressing previous concerns and making the device more enjoyable to use.
🔋 Boost in Battery Life and Performance with Steam Deck OLED
The second paragraph delves deeper into the battery life improvements of the Steam Deck OLED, with the user's personal test showcasing a remarkable increase when running demanding games like 'Elden Ring'. The script also addresses the issue of fan noise and thermals, which have been significantly reduced in the OLED model, leading to a quieter and cooler user experience. Additionally, the paragraph highlights the performance boost, with the OLED model achieving better frame rates while maintaining lower temperatures, making it a more pleasant handheld gaming device. The paragraph also features a sponsorship mention for UGREEN's power bank and charger, which are capable of charging the Steam Deck OLED efficiently.
📱 Enhanced Gaming Experience with Steam Deck OLED's Screen and Features
The third paragraph focuses on the OLED screen's superior color accuracy, brightness, and contrast, which greatly enhance the gaming experience compared to the LCD model. The screen's 90 Hz refresh rate is also a notable feature, especially for indie games that can utilize it for smoother gameplay. The paragraph also touches on the improved responsiveness of the touchscreen and the benefits of Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E, which contribute to a more seamless gaming experience. The device's lighter weight is another subtle but noticeable improvement. The script discusses the OLED's place in the market among competitors and advises potential buyers to consider the performance of the Steam Deck OLED on their preferred games before making a purchase.
🎮 Steam Deck OLED: A Game Changer for Handheld Gaming
The final paragraph reflects on the overall impact of the Steam Deck OLED on the user's gaming habits, allowing for more flexible gaming sessions in short bursts throughout the day. It emphasizes the device's suitability for those who primarily play a select few games, as long as the Steam Deck OLED can deliver satisfactory performance on those titles. The script suggests that while the OLED model may not be able to match the performance of other handheld devices for all games, it offers a superior experience for indie games and those looking for a more convenient gaming option. The user encourages viewers to share their most played games on the Steam Deck, highlighting the community aspect of handheld gaming.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Steam Deck OLED
💡Battery Life
💡Midcycle Refresh
💡Performance
💡Fan Noise
💡Thermals
💡Elden Ring
💡OLED Screen
💡Refresh Rate
💡HDR
💡Bluetooth 5.3
Highlights
Steam Deck OLED is a significant upgrade from the Steam Deck LCD.
Valve's website underplays the improvements made to the Steam Deck OLED.
Steam Deck OLED offers better battery life, with over double the time compared to the LCD model.
Valve claims a 30-50% improvement in battery life, but personal testing shows over double the improvement.
The OLED model addresses fan noise and thermal issues, providing a quieter and cooler experience.
Performance improvements in the OLED model allow for better frame rates in demanding games like Elden Ring.
The OLED screen offers better color accuracy, brightness, and contrast, enhancing the visual experience.
The OLED screen is sharper and crisper, making text easier to read in games.
The OLED model includes a 90 Hz refresh rate, improving the smoothness of gameplay in compatible games.
The OLED model has a more responsive touchscreen, similar to modern tablets or smartphones.
The OLED model features Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E, improving connectivity and speed.
The OLED model is slightly lighter, making it more comfortable to hold for extended periods.
The OLED model's improvements make it a better product in every aspect except for one, which will be discussed later.
The OLED model's battery life is a significant improvement, even with demanding games like Elden Ring.
The OLED model's fan noise is much quieter, enhancing the overall gaming experience.
The OLED model's thermal performance is improved, with the chip running cooler during gameplay.
The OLED model's visual enhancements make it a more enjoyable device for gaming, despite the same resolution as the LCD model.
The OLED model's improvements in battery life, performance, and thermals make it a more attractive option compared to the LCD model.
The OLED model's performance is still a concern when compared to competitors like the ROG Ally or Lenovo Legion Go.
The OLED model's appeal depends on the types of games played and the performance requirements of those games.
Transcripts
on its surface the steam deck OLED
doesn't really seem like that much of a
change from the steam deck LCD but let
me tell you as someone who has put well
over a th000 hours into their steam deck
LCD the steam deck OLED is a lot more
than meets the eye if you're just
listening to what valve says about the
steam deck OLED you would think it's
probably not that big of an upgrade
because if you go to their website it
says all the things you love about steam
deck Now with an OLED screen better
battery life faster Wi-Fi and more and
it's that and more part that really gets
you given that this is a midcycle
refresh meaning it's more of a 1.5
update rather than a 2.0 update and
generally speaking midcycle refreshes
from other companies kind of suck think
like the PS4 slim versus the PS4 you
didn't get any better performance it was
just a little bit of a smaller package
and the amount of value that it was
offering the customer is minimal at best
but I am so happy to say that valve was
massively underselling what the ACT ual
changes that were made to the steam deck
OLED versus the LCD and it is a
significantly better product and it
improved on basically every problem that
I had with the steam deck LCD except for
one and we'll get into that one in a bit
but probably the most important
Improvement for me was battery life so
let's talk about it my biggest problem
with the steam deck LCD was battery life
I made a video on it almost 2 years ago
now where I said this and the worst flaw
for me personally has been what I would
call pretty terrible battery life when
you're playing demanding games and yeah
2 years later I still stand by what I
said when you're playing triaa demanding
games the steam deck lcd's battery life
sucks there's no defense of it it just
sucks for example running Elden ring on
the LCD steam Deck with Max brightness
and the full 15 wat TDP and the frame
rate uncap which is generally getting
between 30 and 40 FPS so it's not like
we're getting crazy FPS here but running
that test I got just over an hour I got
1 hour and 11 minutes to specific and
before you say well that's because your
battery is degraded massively and that's
why you're getting such bad battery life
that may be part of it I'm sure the
battery is degraded it's you know 2
years old or something like that at this
point but I ran that same Elden ring
test when I first got the steam deck and
I got the exact same time or within 1
minute of the same time when I'm playing
Elden ring on battery I'm getting just
over 1 hour so while the battery might
be degraded it doesn't seem to have a
significant impact on it overall battery
life now if we do that same exact test
with the steam deck OLED so again frame
rate uncapped smack screen brightness
full 15 wat TDP on the steam deck OLED I
got 2 hours and 27 minutes which is over
double the battery life of the LCD steam
deck now valve says on their website
they say a 30 to 50% Improvement on
battery life but in that testing the
Elden ring test that I personally ran
I'm getting over over double so valve is
massively underselling the Improvement
here and that's awesome I would so much
rather have a company undersell it and
then you get to be pleasantly surprised
versus they oversell it and you're like
oh man it's not as good as I was hoping
and yes I have a lot of people tell me
Well Sam that's a worst case scenario no
one is actually going to use their steam
deck LCD like that so you're not
actually going to get that bad of
battery life and while it is true that
you can do a lot of things to increase
that battery life like capping the frame
rate lowering the TDP or lowering the
brightness the fact of the matter is
that's exactly how I like to use my
steam deck I like the brightness on full
because I don't know maybe I my eyes are
bad or something I like having the frame
rate as high as I can get it because
more frames are better frames and so
while you can say yeah just lower some
of the settings I don't like to do that
I like to get the best performance I can
and so that's just what it is and yeah
that is Elden ring running in the
background on my steam deck on the
projector so just for fun oh and by the
way speaking of Elden ring I beat Elden
ring entirely on the steam deck and I
did a lot of extras I think I put around
120 hours into it and as of filming this
video right now the Elden ring DLC just
came out a few days ago and I'm planning
on beating the new Elden ring DLC on my
steam deck as well I just haven't had
enough time to get around to it yet but
this is just to say for all those people
that say you can't play Elden ring on
the steam deck I played Elden ring on
the steam deck and I beat Elden ring on
the steam deck so you definitely can do
it and I had a great time and even
better than that while valve could have
stopped at just some simple improvements
like the bad battery in the screen they
improved basically everything they
improved the performance The Thermals
the fan noise basically everything that
I and most people care about they made
positive improvements towards and we're
going to talk about that in a sec but
before we do if you're looking to charge
your steam deck on the go then Channel
sponsor ugreen has you covered with
their 25,000 milliamp nexe power bank
that can charge it up to 145 Watts not
only can you easily top out the steam
deck 45 wat Max charging speed but you
can also top off your laptop and phone
all at the same time all from the same
power bank and if you have a beefy
laptop like me with the 16-in MacBook
Pro you can get from 0 to 56% in just 30
minutes it's got enough juice to charge
my iPhone 15 Pro about five times or the
steam deck OLED about one to two times
depending on if you're using it while
you're charging and what sorts of games
you're playing I also really like that
ug green includes this little screen so
you can see exactly what the percentage
of the battery bank is so you just know
how much power you have left and when it
to top up your power bank and your steam
deck and your laptop and your phone all
at the same time ug green also as you
covered with their 100 wat nexo charger
this charger is remarkably powerful for
its size it can do up to 100 Watts which
means you could charge an M2 MacBook Air
from 0 to 55% in just 30 minutes it's
also compact especially when compared to
the Chargers that apple is shipping with
their products and yet it also has the
ability to charge up to four devices at
the same time also I got to say I love
that you green keeps including at least
one USB type a port for all those cables
that just haven't switched over to type
c because I know you have them because I
have them too and it's just nice to have
a charger that's got you covered for
everything if you're interested in
either the charger or the battery Bank
check out ug Green's Prime Day deals
which are up to 41% off I'll leave links
in the description and thanks again to
you green for supporting this channel so
I can keep making videos like this one
all right let's get back to the steam
deck OLED so yes the OLED does have
better battery life than the LCD but one
other problem that was actually a pretty
ific problem for me with the steam deck
LCD is the fan noise whenever you were
doing anything including just
downloading games or if you were playing
games like Elden ring or whatever AAA
games you were playing the fans were
pretty loud and not only were the fans
pretty loud but the temperatures were
also hot while the fans were loud and
for something like a desktop maybe you
don't really care if the fans are
running loud and hot but for something
like a handheld where you know it's
going to be within Arms Reach of you
most of the time the amount of heat and
noise out output is significant and it
does impact the amount of joyment that
you'll get out of the device but with
the OLED valve has completely solved
these issues if you look closely during
this Elden ring test you can tell that
the OLED is getting between 10 and 20%
better fps than the steam deck LCD which
that might not sound like that much but
that's actually going to make a pretty
significant difference especially when
you're struggling to hit the 30 or 40
FPS cap in games like Elden ring and not
only are we getting 10 to 20% better
performance but at the same time the
fans are running quieter and the chip is
running about 10° cooler for those of
you that don't know 10 degre cooler is
such a significant difference on
something like a handheld I mean like
that in and of itself if Apple had made
a change like that where their devices
were 10 degrees cooler it would be all
over all over their marketing but valve
doesn't even include it they like don't
even mention that it's like hey yeah
guess what the fans AR going to be
nearly as loud and it's not going to be
burning your hands not that it was okay
that was a little too far it was never
burning your hands but it was warm it
was warm for sure so yeah for me the
biggest Improvement is kind of all those
things together where it's like battery
life yes is the biggest Improvement but
then thermals and performance and fan
noise all kind of run in Tandem and the
valve improved all of those in such a
meaningful way that they're no longer
issues for me they were issues on the
LCD and things that annoyed me and made
me enjoy the deck a little bit less but
on the OLED they're no longer issues and
I don't think about them at all and one
of my favorite Parts about the fan noise
is you almost don't hear the fans
anymore on the OLED or at least I don't
they do still ramp up and if you're
playing a demanding game like Elden ring
yes you will still hear them but it's
not nearly as bad as the LCD it's much
much quieter oh and yeah I can't believe
we've made it this far in the video
without talking about the screen but the
screen is it is just chef's kiss the
steam deck LCD I'm kind of a screen snob
I guess a little bit just a just a
little little bit or I just like a nice
screen and the steam deck LCD it was
fine there was nothing wrong with it you
could still play your games but it was
not pretty to look at it wasn't pretty
and a lot of that came down to the color
accuracy the brightness and then if
we're being honest I thought it was the
resolution but now we have the steam
deck OLED and it has the same resolution
but with dramatically better color
accuracy and brightness and contrast and
what I thought was resolution was
actually those things it looks to me
this is going to make me sound silly but
it looks to me like this screen actually
has a higher resolution than on the LCD
but it's not it's just crisper and
sharper but that's not coming from more
pixels I didn't know that was a thing I
know it's a thing now and like one
example that makes it really clear is in
a lot of games with the LCD I would
struggle to read the text because it's
just small on a small screen like that
but on the OLED I don't struggle to read
the text nearly as much and I think a
lot of that comes down to the color
accuracy and the contrast ratio and well
and I guess I should say it's also about
12% bigger so having something be 12%
bigger is obviously going to make it
easier to read small text so yeah that
helps too ooh and it also has a 90 HZ
refresh rate which is awesome for
playing games a lot of games like Elden
ring you're not going to be hitting that
90 HZ refresh rate but what you can do
is Target the 45 HZ refresh rate which
is exactly half of 90 and then that's
actually going to be really nice too but
then when you're playing indie games
where you actually can get that 90 HZ
refresh rate like for me one of my
favorites is dead cells or actually
right now I'm playing through Hades uh
which is a really good time and both
those games are indie games where you
can easily hit your 90fps cap and 90fps
does look dramatically smoother at least
to my eye versus 60 FPS so that's
another change that does really help the
overall experience of the steam deck the
screen is just knocked out of the park
it's fantastic whereas on the LCD it's
okay it also has HDR it's got lower
input lag as tested by digital Foundry
and people don't talk about this but the
touchcreen is much more responsive at
least for me in my testing it used to be
when I had to use the onscreen keyboard
to type in whatever cuz sometimes you
have to the LCD version it was really
clunky and annoying to use it felt like
a tablet from like 15 years ago where
they're just trying to figure out how
the touch sampling rate works whereas
the OLED it feels much more like a
modern tablet or smartphone and you
don't really notice it it also has
Bluetooth 5.3 instead of Bluetooth 5.0
which is great and it has faster Wi-Fi
with Wi-Fi 6E which is going to give you
up to three times faster Wi-Fi my Wi-Fi
isn't that fast so I wasn't maxing it
out to in the first place but I do
notice that I get less drops and like
little lag spikes when I'm playing
online or using Wi-Fi so there is some
improvement there it's just a little bit
harder for me to measure also the whole
package is a little bit lighter and I
thought this was going to be something
that I wouldn't be able to notice but
every time I have the LCD and the OLED
and just by picking it up I'm
immediately aware of which one I picked
up cuz visually they're very similar so
you can't really tell a difference
visually at least not from a distance or
not if you're not paying attention but
every time I pick it up and I'm like oh
that's the LCD oh that's the OLED like
it it's just clear as day so it does
make a difference but now we got to talk
about buying decisions because when the
steam deck first came out years ago at
this point it was kind of the only thing
in its category I mean yes handheld
existed but it was the only thing really
trying to make its own operating system
and trying to make it more of a consol
like experience
these days fast forward a few years and
you have companies like Asus or like
Lenovo or like MSI I guess if you want
to include them and they're all trying
to create their own version of they're
doing it with Windows but they all are
creating their own custom software to
make it a little bit more palatable to
use Windows on a handheld and so the
handheld space is a lot more flushed out
than it was when the steam deck first
came out and so you kind of have to ask
yourself you have to say even though the
OLED is a significant improvement over
the LCD and it is in basically every way
is it good enough to justify its place
against the competition where it's
number one weakness versus the
competition I'm sure you already know
its performance its performance is
pretty bad when compared to something
like the Rog Ally or the Lenovo Legion
go and I bought both of those devices
and I tested them immensely against the
steam deck OLED and uh yeah both the
legion go and the Ally depending on the
game and circumstances get anywhere
between 0% better performance and up to
100% better performance and it is wildly
dependent on the game because some stuff
isn't optimized and you know there's a
bunch of other factors but it's just to
say whereas a few years ago the
performance might not have been as much
of an issue because there weren't very
many other good options on the market
there are other good options on the
market now so that puts the steam deck
in a trickier position than it used to
be in so I would say this if you're on
the fence about buying a steam deck or a
steam deck OLED or if you're looking at
buying a different handheld like an Rog
Ally or something like that I would say
this I would look at if you're someone
who plays all types of games all the
time then maybe you just need the
flexibility of an RG Ally or a legion go
but if you're someone who mainly plays
like five main games or 10 main games or
whatever it is I would look at what the
performance is on those games particular
for the steam deck versus the Ally or
whatever you're comparing it to and then
if the steam deck can get performance
that you're okay with I would go with
the steam deck I much prefer the steam
decks ease of use operating system the
way it navigates I much prefer using the
steam deck but sometimes the performance
does stand in the way like with Elden
ring for example I would love to get a
locked 60fps I would love that that
really does improve my gaming experience
on eldering because you do a lot of
Twitchy stuff you got to you got to
react in real time and so having those
extra frames actually does help the
experience but the steam deck just can't
do it but if you're someone who plays a
lot of Indie Games you're playing more
like dead cells or stardew Valley or
things like that the steam deck is going
to be hands down the best option for you
so what I would say is look at the games
you're wanting to play look at the
performance on those games if the steam
deck has good enough performance for you
on the games that you want to play then
pick up a steam deck because I do think
it's better if you're not constrained by
performance hopefully that makes sense
if you have any questions let me know in
the comment section below I can usually
get to all the comments but yeah the
steam deck has been one of my favorite
pieces of technology in the last decade
it's actually changed my life in some
really cool and positive ways and it's
allowed me to play video games in little
moments that I have throughout the day
whereas before I just kind of stopped
playing video games as an adult because
I just didn't have the time to really
like sink it in in a big chunk of a
couple hours at a time and now I mostly
play video games for 20 minutes at a
time and I really enjoy it and I
actually think that's a healthier work
life work Play balance for me personally
if if you made it to the end drop what
your most played game is currently on
your steam deck or on your handheld
device I'm curious to see what you guys
are actually playing all right I'll see
you guys next time peace
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