First glossy gaming monitors promise improved colors and more reflections

While matte screens provide a stable, glare-resistant image in a variety of lighting conditions, glossy alternatives can provide a brighter and more colorful image in the right conditions. You can find glossy screens on everything from TVs to smartphones to general purpose PC monitors. However, there were no glossy gaming monitors. Small company Eve is planning to change that by releasing shiny versions of two of their gaming monitors.

Eve confirmed on Wednesday that it will make a glossy finish option for two of its three 27-inch gaming monitors: Spectrum 4K 144Hz and Spectrum QHD 280Hz (previously 240Hz). The company has not confirmed the price or release date.

Eva explained the difficulties involved in making glossy displays. Despite what you may have seen on Reddit or YouTube, making a good glossy screen is not as easy as removing an anti-glare coating from a monitor. Glossy displays also require replacement of the LCD module’s polarizing filter, which controls the light waves.

“It took a lot of effort to convince the right people inside LG Display to make this a reality,” Yves said in a statement, adding that the changes meant LG had to recalibrate its fully automated LCD assembly line and tweak its certification process. This process also meant that LG had to tweak color reproduction and run durability tests. “It was not an easy task,” the company said.

Are glossy monitors better?

Gaming monitors have a matte finish because they are much better at reducing glare. As monitor manufacturer BenQ explained, matte screens use “plastic surfaces made from various polymers that undergo an etching process. Chemical or mechanical etching creates a huge number of grooves or depressions on the surface of the screen, which scatter light.

However, less light also means a darker screen. Matte screens may look less bright than glossy screens because the anti-glare coating reduces contrast and color reproduction. Glossy screens that use reflective glass or reflective polymers do not have this problem.

But because they are more prone to glare, they can be tricky to use in certain lighting scenarios. So while a glossy screen might look brighter in favorable conditions, you might be staring at your own reflection if your lighting situation isn’t ideal. Some glossy screens are anti-glare, but a matte display always provides the best anti-glare solution.

Glossy screens also tend to attract fingerprints and dust more than matte offerings.

The first glossy gaming monitors

TFTCentral tested a preview of the 4K 144Hz Spectrum glossy Eve panel and noted sharper text and better overall picture quality. The publication says the sub-pixels look “sharper, crisper and easier to see, eliminating the blur and fuzziness of the [anti-reflective] coating.”

TFTCentral also reported that the monitor has richer colors and deeper blacks, improving perceived contrast. However, measured contrast and color gamut were the same for the glossy and matte versions of the monitor.

In December, YouTuber Dave2D also tested a pre-development sample and compared performance:

It is important to note that in the past, Eve had problems with the delivery of products. Its crowdfunded Eve V PC launched in 2016 with multi-year delivery times. However, the Eve Spectrum gaming monitors launched in January 2020 through a new distributor and shipping delays don’t seem all that extreme. An Eve spokesperson said “all monitors have shipped.”