Valve took the world by storm when it revealed the Steam Deck in 2021, with the device going on to sell millions of units over the next few years. Things became even more exciting in 2023, when Valve launched the updated Steam Deck OLED fixing most of the originals issues while also bundling in a vibrant new display. Our Steam Deck OLED review found it to be more than just a minor update to the handheld PC, and its arguably one of the best ways to game in 2024.
Contents Pricing and availabilitySpecsScreenPerformanceBattery lifeThe Steam Deck OLED is the new Steam DeckShow 1 more item However, the original Steam Deck isnt obsolete just yet. Several models of the original Steam Deck are still up for purchase, and theyre seeing nice price cuts as they slowly get phased out. But should you opt for the cheaper Steam Deck or the new Steam Deck OLED? And what exactly is the difference between these two models?
Heres a closer look at the handheld PCs to help you decide which is best.
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Pricing and availability
The original Steam Deck with an LCD display launched in February 2022, with a price between $400 and $650, depending on whether you wanted extra storage, a scratch-resistant screen, and some unique digital rewards. There were originally three options 64GB, 256GB, or 512GB of storage but Valve will only sell the 256GB model moving forward.
At the time of writing, the 64GB and 512GB models are still available, but Valve says it will only sell them while supplies last. All three of the original models have new, lower prices now that the Steam Deck OLED is available. Youll spend $350, $400, or $450 for the 64GB, 256GB, or 512GB models, respectively.
The Steam Deck OLED launched on November 16, and unlike the previous version, it didnt sell out immediately. Valve has two models available. Theres a 512GB model for $550 and a 1TB model for $650. The 1TB model also comes with an etched glass display thats resistant to glare.
On top of the two models, Valve had a limited-edition version of the 1TB model with a translucent shell available for $680. Unfortunately, this has since sold out.
Theres not really a bad choice here in terms of pricing. If you want a deal, the best model to buy right now is the $450 LCD version with 512GB of storage. Thats the best bang for your buck. Still, the OLED models arent too expensive. Valve actually kept pricing the same compared to the original prices on the LCD models, all while boosting storage space.
Specs
Steam Deck LCD | Steam Deck OLED | Steam Deck OLED | |
CPU | AMD Zen 2 CPU 4c/8t 7nm process | AMD Zen 2 CPU 4c/8t 6nm process | AMD Zen 2 CPU 4c/8t 6nm process |
Graphics | AMD APU RDNA 2 8c 7nm process | AMD APU RDNA 2 8c 6nm process | AMD APU RDNA 2 8c 6nm process |
RAM | 16GB LPDDR5 5500MHz | 16GB LPDDR5 6400MHz | 16GB LPDDR5 6400MHz |
Storage | 256GB SSD | 512GB SSD | 1TB SSD |
Display | 7-inch LCD, 1280800 | 7.4-inch HDR OLED | 7.4-inch HDR OLED |
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 90Hz | 90Hz |
Connections | Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0 | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 |
Battery | 40 Whr, 2-8 hours | 50 Whr, 3-12 hours | 50 Whr, 3-12 hours |
Weight | 1.47 pounds | 1.41 pounds | 1.41 pounds |
Theres faster memory, support for next-generation wireless technologies like Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3. The weight is down a little too, which is always welcome in a portable gaming machine.
One of the biggest changes, though, is in battery life. With a bigger battery and more efficient components, Valve has managed to increase overall battery life by up to 50%. Its now claiming that, in ideal circumstances, the Steam Deck can run for up to 12 hours, which is way beyond what youd expect.
A big part of that is the redesigned APU. The Steam Deck OLED uses the same APU as the original, but its built on a 6nm node. That allows it to be much more efficient than the original model, which, coupled with a larger battery, leads to big improvements in battery life. It also allows the Steam Deck OLED to run a bit faster, which well dig into shortly.
Screen
The standout feature of the Steam Deck OLED is, of course, the OLED screen. Colors look stunning, and thats due in no small part to the fact that the OLED has a slightly larger screen than the original model. It also gets much brighter, with support for HDR and a peak brightness thats close to 1,000 nits. Those are huge specs for a handheld, making the original screen look like a toy by comparison.
The display is also 90Hz, rather than 60Hz like on the original model, which should make anything you play on it look much smoother if you can run games at a high enough frame rate to notice it. This is arguably the bigger change for gaming, as gamers are big fans of high refresh rates, and with good reason. In titles likeDead Cellswhere you can take advantage of the higher refresh rate, the Steam Deck OLED is a game-changer.
The original screen is passable, but just barely. Its a 60Hz LCD display thats happy cracking 300 nits of brightness, and it throws out all hopes of handling HDR content. Its not offensive, but gamers looking for the most immersive experience should choose the OLED model.
Performance
One unexpected benefit of the Steam Deck OLED is performance. Its not a lot faster than the original model, but its still faster. Youre looking at a few frames in some games, or put another way, a performance boost in the low single digits. That jump, combined with the 90Hz screen, can still make a ton of difference.
Across our suite of games, the Steam Deck OLED notched the largest increase in Dying Light 2,though it managed a lead of a few frames in nearly all the titles we tested. One important game to call out here is Horizon Zero Dawn.With the Steam Deck LCD, you were struggling to hit 60 frames per second (fps), but the Steam Deck OLED achieves that mark.
Thats largely been our experience with the Steam Deck OLED. It may only offer a few extra frames, but those frames really matter. A good example is Elden Ring.This game runs fine on the Steam Deck LCD, but it will often drop below 30 fps when youre out in the open world. Thats not the case on the Steam Deck OLED, where it often runs above 30 fps. The biggest boost here is consistency, with the extra power of the Steam Deck OLED pushing games over the edge.
The performance jump also gets the Steam Deck OLED much closer to competitive handhelds like the ROG Ally with the Z1 Extreme. When matching the resolution, you can see the Steam Deck OLED now gets within spitting distance of the ROG Ally, while the LCD version struggled to keep up.
The other big benefit for the Steam Deck OLED is the 90Hz display. Take a game likeStrange Brigadeas an example. It can run at close to 80 fps on the Steam Deck LCD, but you wont actually notice that extra smoothness. In these less-demanding games, the Steam Deck OLED provides a much better experience by allowing you to actually see all of the frames that are being rendered.
Even if the Steam Deck OLED provided identical performance, it would be the winner here. The fact that its faster is just the cherry on top.
Battery life
The Steam Deck OLED comes with a bigger battery than the original model, which combined with a more efficient APU, allows it to achieve much higher battery life. We need to put those battery life improvements in context, though.
They arent consistent across games, so the battery improvements range from an extra 30 minutes to several extra hours depending on what game youre playing. In a demanding game like Diablo 4,youll be lucky to get 90 minutes out of the Steam Deck LCD. On the Steam Deck OLED, youll comfortably cross the two-hour mark before reaching for your charger.
The big improvements come in less demanding games. With the Steam Deck LCD, theres a weird upper limit on battery life. Even in games likeDead CellsorVampire Survivors,you wont get more than five-and-a-half or six hours. The Steam Deck OLED massively improves here, easily offering between eight and nine hours of battery life in these less demanding games.
It was one of the first things we noticed with the Steam Deck OLED. In a run ofDead Cells,the OLED model drained about 5% of its battery in 30 minutes. On the original, you would at least drop 10% in that same time.
The Steam Deck OLED is the new Steam Deck
Its easy to write off the Steam Deck OLED as just a Steam Deck with a nicer screen, but its so much more. Improvements in performance and battery life go a huge way toward making the device feel better to use, and thats backed up by one of the best displays you can find on a handheld.
Valve is still selling the Steam Deck LCD, but its best to save your pennies for the OLED model if you want a superior experience.