Dough, the company formerly called Eve, was onto something when it released its first glossy gaming monitor. Not only does it stand out from the LGs and Samsungs of the world, it makes pixels sharper, colours punchier, and blacks deeper. Its Achilles' heel, however, is the fact you can see your own reflection as clear as day whenever the screen gets dark, which isn’t a welcome sight after I’ve spent the day playing Rainbow Six Siege in the middle of a heatwave. Thankfully, Dough might now have the answer with its Corning partnership, endowing its upcoming gaming monitor with Gorilla Glass.
The Dough Spectrum Black is another 27-inch OLED monitor in the brand’s line-up, but its mirror-busting capabilities come from Corning Gorilla Glass with DXC Anti-Reflective treatment - a first in the industry. The brand says this significantly boosts the ambient contrast ratio by 40% compared to its glossy 4K / 144Hz predecessor and reduces reflections by around 70%. I’d argue that glossy screens already belong on our list of best gaming monitors and they’re worth seeing your own reflection from time to time, but minimising this con might make the choice between coatings far clearer.
"Consumers gain the vivid, optical clarity they’ve been asking for and enjoy the durability they’ve come to expect from Gorilla Glass," explains David Velasquez, vice president and general manager at Corning. "We’re excited to see our technology adopted on this industry-leading gaming monitor and to play a key role in its performance."
Another thing that sets the Spectrum Black apart from the competition is its pioneering implementation of Black Frame Insertion (BFI) technology on an LG panel. This innovation intends to reduce motion blur, delivering extra visual clarity and smoothness during fast-paced gaming sessions. This pairs nicely with its configuration, which pushes a 240Hz refresh rate at 1440p resolution rather than its higher pixel predecessor. Naturally, being an OLED screen with self-regulating pixels means its response time is a lightning-fast 0.03ms, which shouldn’t miss a beat.
Recognising the importance of temperature management, Dough has equipped the Spectrum Black with an innovative thermal management system. This system ensures optimal heat dissipation, preventing overheating even during extended gaming sessions. With the Spectrum Black, gamers can focus on their gameplay without worrying about performance issues due to excessive heat.
Pricing-wise, the Dough Spectrum Black is positioned at $1,099 USD, making it a premium option for discerning gamers and content creators. However, for those seeking a more affordable alternative, there’s a matte version of the Spectrum Black available at $899 USD. It's worth noting that European pricing has yet to be announced, but enthusiasts worldwide are eagerly awaiting its availability.
The introduction of the Spectrum Black ushers in a new name for its previous UHD model to differentiate the two monitors a bit easier. The 4K, 144Hz model will now be called the Spectrum One in a similar naming convention as the Xbox One, denoting that it’s the ideal display for pretty much any task: gaming, coding, designing, or content creation.
As Eve, the brand has a pretty chequered past. The Eve V tablet was nothing short of a disaster under old management, and while the Spectrum monitors are impressive, backers of the crowdfunding campaigns have experienced lengthy waits and unfulfilled refund requests according to comments on the official forum. The Dough Spectrum Black is scheduled to release in July 2023 alongside the other OLED offering, but the biggest risk is whether or not the company will deliver in that time frame.
Fortunately, Dough isn’t attempting to bury its past as Eve as every email we receive reminds us of the former name, leaving some hope that there’s room for improvement. We’ll need to wait and see how this new tech holds up, but I can safely say that there’s nothing like it out there on the market.